June 17 from Portland OR

Portland is wonderful. Arrived 11:30 or so pacific time on the same flight as Jackie. We talked ADP and ADP-South over lunch. Attended plenary, hearing among others, Chancellor of Oregon University (former President of Portland State) who was given a rousing introduction by a smart Portland State student named Tammy. Attended roundtable session afterwards, talking with Shari Bax (Central Missouri State), Melanie Marks (discussion leader from Longwood in Virginia), Merdis McCarter(Winston-Salem State interim provost who knows Bob Herron), and Melanie Blumberg (California University of Pennsylvania who actually lives in Youngstown, Ohio).

During this session we told of ADP experiences on our campuses. Shari Bax: they had Jen Chapin, Harry Chapin’s daughter, on campus. She sings folk music and is the Chair of the Board of World Hunger Year (http://www.worldhungeryear.org), and organization started by her father in 1975. She said Jen was not that expensive and the students loved her. Shari also said they had a monthly ADP breakfast where area elected officials talked to a host class with other classes joining having up to 150 people in attendance when the speaker was talking on a subject related to teacher education and education faculty let their classes attend. I think it was Shari, but it may have been one of the others, who said they had legislative fellows at her University. These fellows (state government officials) would give regular talks on campus.

Melanie Marks told us she had been given 20 to 25 K as a budget and they had a campus civic-engagement project competition. She was a winner of about 5k and with that she took six students and two other faculty members to Slavakia and other Eastern European countries for travel study. She (and I think Shari also) said they had computer science students doing their ADP website and Shari also said she had a logo competition with thirty good entries. The winner also got $100.

Melanie Blumberg had Donna Brazile (Al Gore’s campaign manager in 2000) at California of PA and she said she did not cost that much and she was terrific. They also sent students to campaign consulting workshop in Washington, D.C. They had the former head of the KGB who was great and also not expensive and they are having Juan Williams.

Gene Hatfield (Clayton State in Georgia), Jackie Tisdell (Louisiana System) and I talked about our session Saturday and the ADP-South meeting this Fall 2005. First on the meeting. George Mehaffy is checking his calendar and says if it is clear, he will be there. Gene said he would try to get a notable politician from GA to speak. He also introduced us to Barbara from Humanics (www.humanics.org). Jackie will be checking to see if her system President can speak. We want students and faculty to present on their ADP-related successes with first-, second- and third-place awards given in the categories of institution, faculty and student. We hope to learn what the best categories might be during this year’s conference and improve if need be by the second annual conference.

The NY Times will be donating 300 t-shirts for our conference, they will send a speaker and they will help sponsor our awards.

As for our Saturday session, we have decided to ask questions that will organize a round-table discussion. One question Jackie suggested was:

When you think about your campus ADP what is the biggest type of support you are missing?

I have also thought of these questions:

Thinking back over this last year, what ADP events would you submit to be showcased at our Nov 11 and 12^th meeting?

Other than you, can you identify a handful of people (students, administrators, faculty) that have been helpful to ADP? How are they currently being honored, recognized?

What contribution do you think you could make to ADP-South?

Those are some of the questions we might use. I am sure there are things I have left out, but it is nearly time for breakfast. Let the day begin!!