News and Notes
Randall Wright, Vice President

Over the past year, the Board has had to make some hard decisions. As we all know, the Banff conference is really the premiere event of the Association and so canceling it worried us enormously. Having said this, we realized that many of the members representing the Federal Correctional System would not attend, thereby jeopardizing the conference anyway. We are breathing easier now that many ACEA members have found a way to attend the Ottawa conference. Given that eighty or so members have registered, we suspect that as we predicted, Banff could have been a catastrophe.

Over the past two years, as you know, we have been working to create a national council for correctional education (CECC) and this too, has caused some consternation on Board, because we authorized some funds from the ACEA to create the constitution and print up CECC starter kits for interested associations across the country. We also lent the CECC some monies (about $5,000) so that the CECC could book the hotels for the International Symposium in Ottawa; this symposium is hosted by the CECC. We did not make these decisions lightly. Thankfully, the registration for the Symposium at this time, is approximately 41 members. In the meantime, some of us were working to find start up funding for the CECC, and we were successful, receiving a total of $25, 000 for seed monies. Needless to say, the ACEA will be getting its money back, and moreover, it will be recognized as the organization that made the CECC happen. Who could ask for a more proper legacy to correctional education?

As this is an election year, I would like to thank all of you for providing me with an opportunity to serve the Association. I have certainly enjoyed working within a marvelous, visionary association and with a dynamic Executive and Board.

Cheers!
Randall