SAIRMAIL News
August 10, 2005

http://www.sair.org

SAIR 2005: Annual Conference Highlights

Engaging Workshop sessions such as

• Paradigm Shifts in Institutional Research or “Who Moved My Cheese”
• Online Institutional Effectiveness: Supporting Faculty and Staff
• Planning and Evaluation: Creating a Framework for Quality and Viability
• Navigating Through a SACS Accreditation Review: A Model for Crafting Successful Compliance Certification and QEP Reports
• Microsoft Access for Beginners—The Fundamentals of Relational Databases

• Strategies for Containing Costs in Higher Education
• U.S. News & World Report's America 's Best Colleges Rankings: A look inside the process
• Web Based Assessment of Core Competencies
• Spreadsheet Models for Program Enrollment Planning
• Chop, Dice, Slice, Mince, or Julienne: The Multiple Ways of Measuring Faculty Workload at the Departmental Level
• IPEDS: Recent Changes and Future Challenges
• SACS, Institutional Effectiveness, and The Community College
• We are Merlins: Using the Camelot myth to understand the role of Institutional Researchers and Planners.
• Linking Planning and Performance: The Balanced Scorecard Approach
• Open Source Dynamic Fact Book: Construction Kit

Interesting Roundtable sessions such as

• SACS, Faculty Credentialing, and the Community College
• The Relationship Between Personal and Social Growth, Involvement in College and Subsequent Alumni Giving
• To IRB, or Not to IRB?: That Is the Question
• Managing with the Mind, Leading from the Heart
• Pigs, Snakes, Dead People, and the Size of the Box: Finding the Humor in Enrollment Management Challenges

Early Arrivals and Newcomers

Early Arrivals and Newcomers will have the opportunity to join in a reasonably priced dinner at a local restaurant, 39 Rue de Jean, Saturday night at 7:00 p.m. The restaurant is within walking distance of the hotels. The dinner will be preceded by a complimentary reception from 6:00-7:00 p.m., hosted by SCAIR in President Ross Griffith’s suite. Please contact Cathy Tanner (ctanner@bishop.edu) if you are planning to attend the reception and join us for dinner on Saturday, October 22.

Conference Special Event (Monday, October 24)

The evening begins with a horse-drawn carriage arriving at the doorsteps of the historic Francis Marion Hotel . You will embark on a journey through time with a 30 minute tour of the beautiful Historic District of Charleston. You will be treated to local history and legend by a professional tour guide from the Olde Towne Carriage Company, as featured in Southern Living Magazine.

You will disembark from your carriage at the legendary Boathouse Restaurant. Here, you will experience the culinary expertise of one of Charleston's premiere dining destinations as you enjoy the evening socializing with your colleagues. The Boathouse features rich portions of skillfully prepared seafood, straight off the boat, and innovative low country cuisine, impeccably served and certain to delight every palate. The Los Angeles Times raves, “The Boathouse Crab Cakes are the best in the Southeast."

Please drop off copies of your most recent work at the SAIR conference registration desk to compete for various awards. The awards are for Best Factbook, Best Planning Document, Best Mini Factbook, and Best Electronic Factbook.

To enter your IR office website in the competition, please provide the URL to your site and drop it off at the registration desk.

The deadline for nominations for the Montgomery Outstanding Service Award, the Distinguished Member Award and the Unsung Hero Award has been extended to August 31. Those wishing to nominate someone may click here for additional information.

Please submit your nominations to Sandi Bramblett by August 31.

The SAIR newsletter will be published in mid-September. If you have any information to share such as local conference news, book reviews, or other submissions, please send to Darla Keel at darkeel@memphis.edu.