Ready to ride…"

And ready to ride we are! With the heartiest of New Year’s greetings from Boston, I would like to extend best wishes to all the Academy family from Sue and myself and everyone here in "The Hub", and from all those Academy Fellows throughout our great country who have been hard at work preparing for our 85th Annual Scientific Program.

As I look forward to our programs and activities for the year 2003, I find that I can’t help but reflect on the history, accomplishments, and individuals, all of which have contributed to the past success of our organization. Those who have come before us in this academy have often provided the stimulus for our further professional development and personal enrichment. This has certainly been true for me. With respect to these sentiments, I would like to announce that Minnie and Doug Atwood, together with Lee and Al Yurkstas, have accepted the Executive Council’s invitation to serve as Honorary Local Arrangements Chairs for this coming year. As my personal experience with The Academy of Prosthodontics is fast approaching thirty years, and as each succeeding Academy year has always proven to be bigger, better, and more rewarding, I am certain that our May, 2003 gathering will continue our great traditions, and exceed everyone’s expectations.

I am most pleased to report to you all that our Scientific Program Committee, under the able guidance of Cliff Van Blarcom, has put the finishing touches on an exceptionally exciting and meaningful program, one which will stimulate your professional thought processes and challenge you to expand your scientific knowledge. This outstanding program has all of its bells and whistles securely in place, well in time for us to use it as an effective enticement when inviting guests. I know that we will all be very proud of the program, and I therefore encourage every Fellow to make an extended effort in the coming weeks to actively promote our guest attendance. Let’s get the message out!

This year’s Local Arrangements Committee, chaired by Ted and Marguerite Riley, has prepared a menu of social events that I am sure you will never forget. For those of you who already know Boston well, the Rileys and their committee will be presenting you with an exciting array of events sure to include wonderful new experiences. For those of you who don’t know Boston well, or who have not been here recently, this will be an experience you will not want to miss – an experience filled with history, culture, science, and good cheer! And, to top everything off, as Chair of our Corporate Liaison Committee, Ted has already earned the respect and support of the longest list of corporate sponsors in the history of our organization!

With all this being said, I would like to change the focus of this Winter Newsletter President’s Message towards our future. The Academy’s history is well known to us all. Since 1918, our organization and its fellowship have provided unique and meaningful contributions, preeminent scientific programs, countless academic, educational, and clinical innovations, and generous public services which have helped to develop, support, and strengthen the art and science of the discipline and specialty of Prosthodontics. I am certainly not the first President of the Academy however, nor would I expect to be the last, to consider that which many of us know: it is once again time to consider change.

To maintain the preeminence for which the Academy of Prosthodontics is known, we must turn inward, and recognize that some of the roles that we have played in the past, and some of the efforts that we have pursued in the past, may in the future be more appropriately borne by others. We should recognize those endeavors that we today clearly do more effectively than others, and consider whether it is time to stop struggling with pursuits which no longer bear fruit. It is time to rededicate ourselves to our Academy with new efforts, which will serve to continue and expand our ability to lead the way in our field.

In order to begin the process of rededication, I have asked Charlie Goodacre, Chair of this year’s Ad Hoc Committee on Strategic Planning, to organize the process whereby every Life, Active, and Associate Fellow of this Academy will ultimately participate in creating a new strategic plan. In the coming months, every fellow of the Academy will become part of a dedicated team (subcommittee). Each team will be lead by one of the members of the core committee, the Ad Hoc Committee on Strategic Planning. Each team leader will receive specific instruction in the methods and logistics of strategic planning. And in the end, the results of our efforts will reflect a consensus developed by every member of this academy who has fulfilled the Executive Council’s request to accept the responsibility of participation.

The process will begin this winter. It will not be completed overnight. It is expected, however, that progress during the coming months will allow for a significant preliminary report, and an accompanying "spirited discussion" during our annual business meeting this coming May in Boston. From this activity should emerge our direction for the future, and a new appreciation for the virtues of strategic planning in Academy affairs.

I have often thought about what this Academy might look like at the time of its 100-year anniversary. That time is really not too far off. The year 2018 will be upon us before we know it. I personally plan on being around to participate, and I sincerely hope that we will all continue to contribute to the evolution that will make reaching the 100-year milestone a reality. As we proceed towards that goal, I thank you all for the privilege of serving as your current President.