Is There Life after AUBER?

Attending the 56th AUBER Fall Conference, my 13th consecutive fall meeting, was both educational and emotional. Educational because I always come back to my unit knowing more about communications media than I did before I left. Emotional because Las Vegas was my last AUBER conference as I will be leaving ULM's CBER in the spring. It was extremely difficult for me to say good-bye to friends and colleagues I have made over the past 13 years. As a "farewell," I wanted to share some of my highlights from each of those fall conferences.

Beginning in 1990 at the lovely Boar's Head Inn in Charlottesville, Virginia, where John Knapp and the Center for Public Service at the University of Virginia hosted the conference. We had a workshop entitled "Trends in Publishing" by Editorial Experts, Inc. Here were the trends they saw coming in the 90s: "Technical skills have begun to replace communication skills; increased productivity (and responsibility) has become the credo; visual presentations of information will become even more important; cross-cultural communication will become necessary; flexibility and willingness to learn will be critical." The foresight shared in that presentation gave us a lot to think about. But then, so did the storyteller at the pub in the Boar's Head! And, oh, Monticello!

The University of South Florida hosted n 1991 at the magnificent Don CeSar resort in St. Petersburg. It was a great program that centered around writing and editing; however the one thing that stuck in my mind was my shuttle ride from the airport to the hotel. You see, rod Stewart was performing in Tampa that weekend and was staying at the Don CeSar. I found this out from a young lady from Ireland who shared the van ride with me. She just so happened to be the girlfriend of Rod Stewart's lead guitar player. I just knew I was going to get to meet him. No such luck!

The Selig Center for Economic Growth at the University of Georgia hosted the 1992 conference in Honolulu. It must have been a great program because I took lots of notes (and made a presentation to boot). But darned if I remembered much. I mean, we wee in Hawaii!!! (Glad for those notes, though.)

Mobile, Alabama, was the conference site in 1993, hosted by the University of South Alabama. I chaired a session on "working with the Media" that was a huge success, thanks to the contacts of Semoon Chang and Editors' Program Chair, Laura Poracsky. The earl-bird tour of the Port of Mobile was quite an education for those of us fortunate enough to take advantage. The dinner and dancing aboard the USS Alabama was spectacular and, in my opinion, the highlight. We had the whole ship to ourselves (those places they would let us roam, that is)!

New York City 1994…wow! The business research Institute at St. Jon's University hosted the conference at the St. Mortiz on Central Park. The editors' program was loaded with publishers from New York, Boston, and London. It was also the first time I met Don Bagwell of Digital Impact Design and attended his graphic design workshop. Little did I know this would be the firs of several of his workshops I would attend. The dinner cruise around Statue of Liberty was absolutely breathtaking, and the chance to see The Phantom of the Opera was worth the whole trip.

"Go West, young man!" And so we did, men and women of AUBER.

In 1995, we headed for Boulder, Colorado, where the Business Research Division at the University of Colorado at Boulder hosted our conference. Two sessions made an impact on me. One was a presentation by Computer Training Associates entitled "The Challenges of Electronic Prepress." The other was "The Post Office Puzzle." Both were well worth attending. I do remember learning new line dances (and getting such a charge out of watching Semoon!) and touring Rocky Mountain National Park. What fun!

In 1996, it was off to Orlando where the University of Central Florida hosted the meetings at the beautiful Grosvenor Resort in Walt Disney Village. We started with another dynamic presentation by Don Bagwell and Bill Stratton (my disco partner!) of digital Impact Designs, and continued with publications critique sessions. The tour of Disney Backstage Operations was unbelievable and eye-opening. Of course, the highlight for me was meeting the Florida Connection (Carol and Susan) from the University of Florida, who showed me all the hot dance spots in the Village. And, yes, ladies, I still have the pictures (including me dancing with the Rod Stewart look-alike)!

Mark Twain…The Virginia Reel…Cajun dancing on a river boat…Vicksburg National Military Park…tour of the Vicksburg District corps of Engineers…the Ameristar Casino…ring any bells? If you didn't make the 1997 conference in Monroe, you missed a great one, I can say that because our unit hosted it. We had several outstanding presentations on Web site design, file preparation before printing, and a well-planned hands-on workshop with Don Bagwell and Bill Stratton of Digital Impact Designs. Planning the conference made up my mind about what I wanted to do after I left CBER-conference planning. I loved it!

Fresh lobster, anyone? The University of Southern Maine and the University of Maine co-hosted the 1998 conference at the lovely Portland Regency Hotel in Portland, Maine. Our sessions centered around marketing perspectives and we had some great speakers, from media consultants to a senior marketing specialist from IBM's e-business Solutions. And Portland in October was breathtaking! The boat ride and lobster feed at Great Diamond Island was superb (as was the singing on the way back). The contradance band (with Mystic Dancers Katharine and Trilbie), Jerry's Magic Show, and the trip to L.L. Bean were so much fun. Bob and Linda McMahon really know how to throw a party!

The Institute for Economic Advancement at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock hosted in 1999. I drove in for the X-Comm meeting, but, due to a horrible bout with acute bronchitis, I left the next morning. I heard great things about the sessions that Janet and Neva put together, which focused on communications. Several federal government guests made presentations, and it was said that Rob Brown finally earned his trip to AUBER. I also heard about the bus trip to Mountain View and all that it entailed. Sorry I missed it.

"Sweet Home, Chicago!" It was great going in 2000, and Terry Creeth, along with the Indiana Business Research Center at Indiana University, hosted one of the best ever. Our sessions encompassed publication marketing strategies for dissemination, as well as publication problem solving, and included speakers from the University of Chicago and Northwestern University. The highlights were meeting Stephen Smith, showing off the John Hancock Building, an architectural boat tour of the city, Famous Dave's, and just plain being home!

Southern hospitality at its best was what we experienced in 2001 at the beautiful Oasis/Grand Casino Hotel in Gulfport, Mississippi. Jan Bryant from Mississippi State University was at the helm on this one as co-host. We drew up our own for several great sessions and spent the better part of a day with Kevin Slimp learning about new Adobe products and how to use them. Of course, the visit from William Faulkner, the USM Steel Drum Band, and the JSU Faculty Jazz Band were great fun-all on the beautiful Gulf of Mexico!

And, finally, Las Vegas in 2002, Keith Schwer's unit from UNLV put together the Siegfried and Roy of all conferences, trust me! I was program chair for the editors' sessions, but by no means did I plan them on my own. With the expertise and input from Carol, Stephen, Cindy, Lorena, and Rennae, the program turned out great. We had another visit from Digital Impact Designs-an all day "magic show" -where we learned many marketing tips for our publications and spent an afternoon in a hands-on session. Highlights? I wouldn't even know where to begin! The Monte Carlo, the fountains at the Bellagio, the gondolas at the Venetian, the helicopter ride, the singing limo trips, the Ghost Bar, disco dancing every nigh until we couldn't walk…the list goes on! What a blast!

For several years I served as chair for the Publications Exhibit and truly enjoyed it. For me, setting up the exhibit was like opening presents: I never knew what was going to be inside that package or box from one of our member units. I have been on eight different committees since 1992, one for as long as 11 years. I served on the Executive Committee as the editors' representative from the fall of 2001 until this fall. My five years as AUBER's business office manager was an experience I will not soon forget. Things I enjoyed: hosting the spring conference in D.C.; working with the host universities for fall conferences; assisting in program planning; getting kudos from Thayne before/during/after every conference, whether he attended or not; communicating with so many AUBERites from across the country; and receiving a lovely bracelet and plaque in recognition of managing the business office.

The bad news: September 11, 2001. The good news: our AUBER friends and colleagues attending a conference at the Marriott WTC made it to safety without serious physical harm. The bad news: the loss of one of AUBER's long-standing members, R. Thayne Robson. The good news: Thyane will forever live in the hearts of those who knew him and loved him. The bad news: Las Vegas was my last AUBER conference. The good news: in my heart, I will always be an "AUBERite" no matter which road I choose in the spring. I have made wonderful friends in AUBER because there are wonderful people in AUBER. I thank all of you for making my years as a member of this fine organization so very special. The tears shed in Las Vegas were very real for I will miss you my friends, terribly.

Dee Jones
University of Louisiana
at Monroe