The
Michigan Section runs on volunteer labor, and it is my pleasant duty
here to thank all of those people who have made and will make the
Section run smoothly.
John Kiltinen (NMU) is finishing up his three-year term as Governor. He, John Petro (WMU), and I form the Nominating Committee for the new Governor. We will submit at least two nominees to the national MAA for an election to be held in January. Margret Höft (UM-Dearborn) has joined the Executive Committee in the pivotal role of Secretary/Treasurer. She takes over from Ruth Favro (LTU), who is now Two-year College Vice Chair and Program Chair for the annual meeting. Janet Andersen (Hope C) chairs the Local Arrangements Committee for the annual meeting. Jim Ham (Delta C) joins us as Two-year College Vice Chair; Jim also serves as Chair of MichMATYC. He brings a lot of energy to both roles, not to mention his flashy times in the two-mile run. We thank Barbara Jur (Macomb CC), who just completed two years as Two-year College Vice Chair. Dan Frohardt (WSU) serves in the important role of Past Chair. His duties include chairing the Nominating Committee and the Distinguished Service Award Committee. Dan has also been active in the Section's dialogue with secondary teachers about calculus courses in high schools. Jerry Grossman (OU) continues as editor of our Newsletter. Those of us who have worked with him can testify to his thoroughness and his sterling proofreeding skills. [Sorry, couldn't resist.-Editor] Our thanks go to Mitzi Chaffer (CMU), who has finished a three-year stint as Advertising Manager, and to Matt Boelkins (GVSU), who has taken over that position. Check out http://www.michmaa.org to see the fine job that Earl Fife (Calvin C) does in maintaining the Section's Web pages. I write these words only a few hours after talking to Bob Xeras (SHU, emeritus); Bob has graciously agreed to be Public Information Officer for the Section.
Bob Messer (Albion C) is in his second year as director of the Michigan Mathematics Prize Competition. Bob has done a lot of work to improve the financial footing of the MMPC. Paul Fishback (GVSU) will be organizing the Michigan Undergraduate Mathematics Conference. After two years at Alma College, the MUMC will be held at Grand Valley State University next February. Paul and Steven Schlicker (GVSU) coordinate the High School Visiting Lecture Program. John Kiltinen and Margret Höft organized the first meeting of the Michigan Section Project NExT in Mt. Pleasant last May, and they are currently working on the second meeting, to be held next April in conjunction with the Section's annual meeting at Hope College.
This list is not complete; there are many others who serve the Section in ways small and large. We are constantly looking for more volunteers. For example, John Petro is our Departmental Liaison Coordinator, and he is ready to pass this job along to someone else. If you are interested in this position, or if you want to be involved in Section activities in some other way, please let me know. You will find it a rewarding experience. Please contact me if you are interested or if you have suggestions for the Section.
You will find information about the 2001 annual meeting elsewhere in this issue. The 2002 annual meeting will be at Lawrence Technological University. The Executive Committee will soon make decisions about other future annual meetings. These meetings provide an excellent opportunity to showcase your department and your college or university. If you are interested in hosting one of these meetings, please contact me or one of the other members of the Executive Committee (see page 38).
Sid Graham, Chair