AUBER President's Message: Keep Innovating!

One of the great benefits of being in this economic and business research business is having the opportunity to interact with some truly talented and delightful people from around the country who belong to AUBER. This year's annual meeting in New Orleans provided that opportunity for more than 100 attendees.

I have to admit that some 15-20 years ago I attended the AUBER spring meeting in D.C. (I had a lot more hair then)-when AUBER was a very different organization. The meetings were quite formal and academic. Everyone was so serious, and the sessions were peppered with adversarial exchanges. I came away from that first AUBER encounter feeling that it would be my last.

Then a decade or so passed, and I found myself at the annual meeting in Boulder in 1995. Lo and behold-AUBER had changed remarkably. It had acquired a personality! The competitive culture was gone, replaced by a strong sense of camaraderie. Moreover, a number of members seemed dedicated to ensuring that the group didn't take itself too seriously. Since that time, AUBER has become my favorite professional association.

What I like most is the opportunity to associate with some wonderful people who share the same values and face the same challenges that I do, and who are headed in the same direction that I am. Several of you have shared with me your feeling that there is something very special about AUBER not commonly found in other associations. For many of us, the annual AUBER meeting is the highlight of our entire year! The annual meetings, which are held in the most interesting cities, provide the opportunity to see what others are doing and how they are going about the task. When Stephen Smith <scsmith@cc.memphis.edu> and I were given the task of developing the program this year, we were truly astonished at the breadth of innovative programs in member organizations. We were also pleasantly surprised at the willingness of people to be involved in the conference program. We tried our best to incorporate what we discovered under the theme "Keeping Abreast of AUBER Innovation."

The New Orleans conference contained sessions on such topics as forecasting in the new world of the North American Industry Classification System (Powerpoints: Jim Diffley; Nick Potter), computable general equilibrium modeling and dynamic scoring, transportation policy analysis, university impact studies, cluster analysis, economic impact, cost benefit and feasibility studies, local indicator indexes, survey research (Powerpoints: Jerry Wall; Paul Polzin; Dee Jones), federal statistics (Powerpoints: Rob Brown; Kathy Albetski; Zoe Ambargis), and the Census Bureau's longitudinal employer-household dynamics program. There were sessions on leading-edge web design and functionality, how to manage a data warehouse web site, using geographic information systems (Powerpoints: Phyllis Smith; Paul Zelus; PDF: Thomas Guthrie), performing a public relations audit, how to balance printed versus web-based publications (Powerpoints: Rob Brown; Kathy Albetski), and a review of the newest tools from our friends at Adobe. Session topics also included managing a center-what our deans expect, developing a business plan for centers, how to make your center more entrepreneurial, and how to provide support for Workforce Investment Boards. Finally, we initiated something new and innovative for AUBER: poster sessions that provided everyone with the opportunity to participate in the program in a more relaxed, one-on-one setting. Whew! What a wealth of knowledge and innovative programs among member organizations!

Goals for AUBER in the coming year are to build on the solid base from prior years, and to continue to implement the strategic plan developed during Semoon Chang's presidency.

We are going to increase membership of both centers and individuals (a new membership category for individuals not associated with organized centers). We will target research centers in universities that may not be part of business colleges. I'd like to challenge each and every AUBER member to help by being a good ambassador at professional meetings and second, by helping to identify potential members. Give potential member information to Jerry Conover <conover@indiana.edu>, Vice President and Membership Chair, so he and his committee can follow up.

We are going to improve communications, primarily by using more intensely the AUBER web site and electronic means. We can be much more effective and efficient, and perhaps realize some cost savings.

We will continue to develop partnering opportunities with other associations, such as NABE, the regional science associations, ACCRA (American Chamber of Commerce Researchers Association), NAMTAC (National Association of Management and Technical Assistance Centers) and others, in an effort to provide additional opportunities for professional development.

Please plan on attending our spring meeting held jointly with NABE at the Washington Policy Conference. The dates are March 25 and 26-a Thursday and Friday. And, of course, please plan to attend the 2004 AUBER annual meeting in Tucson next October. The University of Arizona, Arizona State University, and Northern Arizona University will be your cohosts. Janet Speyrer <jspeyrer@uno.edu> and Rennae Daneshvary <rennaed@ccmail.nevada.edu> are the program chairs, and I know they welcome your ideas and willingness to develop a session.

I believe that AUBER has never been stronger than it is today. Although membership is down from its peak of a few years ago, membership did grow last year. Moreover, the quality and participation of our membership has never been greater. Additionally, we have money in the bank that allows the association some flexibility. We are blessed with a strong secretary-treasurer's office at the University of Colorado at Boulder, and a very talented group tending to our web site at the University of West Florida.

The fact is we all need AUBER-especially in today's environment-to help us cope with tight budgets, to help us understand how to remain a vital part of our college, to keep abreast of technology and funding opportunities, and to address how to meet the research needs of policymakers and economic development organizations in our respective states and communities. The coming years hold great promise for AUBER and its members-as long as we keep innovating!

Marshall J. Vest
The University of Arizona

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