30 JOURNAL of DEVELOPMENTAL EDUCATION Position Paper: Creating a New Professional Association By David Arendale, Hilda Barrow, Kathy Carpenter, Russ Hodges, Jane McGrath, Pat Newell, and Jan Norton ABSTRACT: This position paper investigates the merits and potential benefits of creating a new, more comprehensive professional associa- tion for members of the learning assistance and developmental education profession. This task was assigned to the College Reading and Learn- ing Association/National Association for De- velopmental Education (CRLA/NADE) Work- ing Group by the CRLA and NADE national ex- ecutive boards. This Working Group considered not only the issue of effectiveness of the current professional associations but also the merits of expanding the mission and vision of a new pro- fessional association. Building upon the success of CRLA and NADE, the Working Group iden- tified many ways a new association could bet- ter serve members and have a greater influence on student success and in society (CRLA/NADE Taskforce, 2007). Continual focus on improving member services is a hallmark of CRLA and NADE. These two associations, along with three others in 2004, conducted a joint strategic review of their or- ganizations and the fields they serve. National leaders were selected by their respective asso- ciations to serve on a Blue Ribbon Commission (BRC, 2006) and create a report based on their findings. The final section of the report focused on potential actions to improve service to their members and deal with the evolving postsec- ondary education environment. Rather than recommending a single future path, the BRC report identified a multifaceted path including three aspects: coordination, col- laboration, and creation. The first path would lead CRLA, NADE, and other organizations to better coordinate their activities in order to avoid duplication of services. The second course, collaboration, sought to find projects of mutual interest and savings that the current or- ganizations could jointly offer to their members. The third path was creating a new professional association with expanded vision, mission, and resources to serve a wider group of professionals within postsecondary education. As the BRC Report was disseminated within the postsecondary education community, dis- cussion and excitement was generated about the possibility of creating a new professional asso- ciation. In Spring 2007, the national executive boards of CRLA and NADE selected a group of past and current national leaders to serve as a work group charged with investigating the cre- ation of a new professional association (CRLA/ NADE Taskforce, 2007). We believe that the most compelling reasons for change within our profession are to increase the quality and quantity of professional develop- ment offerings for members, to broaden our im- pact in the profession, and to increase influence within society. CRLA and NADE host excellent chapter and national conferences. However, a careful review of other postsecondary professional associations reveals they offer a wider spectrum of services for  their members through knowledge-laden websites, multiple publications, on-line confer- ences, webinars, and research that identifies best practices for their members. Based on a variety of national studies of de- velopmental education, Boylan (1995) estimates more than 107,000 personnel work in the field served by CRLA and NADE. However, only ap- proximately 5% of them are members of these two associations. A new association would be more attractive to nonmembers if they could ac- cess a wider variety of services along with con- ferences. This Working Group also identifies that there are groups outside the current pro- file of CRLA and NADE association members within postsecondary education that could find affiliation with a new organization desirable. A new association with an expanded mission, vi- sion, and more inclusive language could encour- age active membership by these groups. We completed the first draft of the full report in June 2007 (http://www.crla.net/Working- GroupReport091007.doc). Although we con- cluded unanimously that a new professional as- sociation would be beneficial, we also concluded that the change process would be difficult and significant. We recognize that the easiest course is to make incremental changes within the cur- rent structures. However, we believe that dra- matic reinvention and transformation is needed to meet the quickly changing needs of the pro- fession and the environment in which it oper- David Arendale University of Minnesota-Twin Cities arendale@umn.edu Hilda Barrow Pitt Community College hbarrow@email.pittcc.edu Kathy Carpenter University of Nebraska at Kearney Emerita carpenterk@kearney.net Russ Hodges Texas State University-San Marcos rh12@txstate.edu Jane McGrath Paradise Valley Community College, Emerita janemcgrath@cox.net Pat Newell Edison State College pnewell@edison.edu Jan Norton University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh nortonj@uwosh.edu Continual focus on improving member services is a hallmark of CRLA and NADE. VOLUME 33, ISSUE 1 • FALL 2009 31 ates. A term used to describe such change is “leapfrogging” (Harbison & Pekar, 1998; Nonaka & Nishiguchi, 2001). Instead of “fixing” an old process, it is “leapfrogged,” and a new process is introduced. The often-cited classic example is how emerging countries are designating cell phones as the primary communication chan- nel and skipping the wiring of the countryside with traditional telephone wires. The cost of the new technology and ease of implementation is much less than following all steps through the older technology. The Working Group strongly supports leapfrogging with the creation of a new professional association rather than attempting to retool the older ones. The synergy of a larger organization with more assets and a fresh start presents many opportunities. The best practices of other national associations can be integrated into this new design. However, it is critical to remember that creat- ing a new organization does not mean that the history and traditions of the previous ones will be discarded and ignored. The best and most cherished traditions from each would be re- tained while carefully crafting and implement- ing new ones to complement and enhance them. The most important preservation of the past organizations lies within the members of these groups: CRLA and NADE are not defined only by their previous conferences, publications, and awards, but by their members. If careful ground- work is laid to create an inclusive and even more beneficial professional association, this cohort of previous members will walk into the future and be joined by new colleagues. This position paper and the full online report is another step in a wider conversation about the future. More voices, perspectives, and ideas are needed to build consensus regarding leader- ship actions. We have the opportunity to care- fully and deliberately manage change in these turbulent times. This is a great opportunity for our profession to take bold, new steps to meet the needs of our members, our profession, and our society. Analyzing the Question of Change for the Profession The authors were guided by several overarching questions as they investigated creation of a new professional association: What form of organiza- tion is needed to perform needed functions that are essential for meeting the new mission? Is a new professional association good for the asso- ciation members? Based on the discussion that ensued from examining those two questions, additional ones were generated. These served as the major report sections of the complete online report as well as this summary position paper. Why Create a New Professional Association? Major change within any organization should be carefully considered. Creation of a new profes- sional association should be done only if there are clear and compelling arguments in its fa- vor. The first question that the CRLA/NADE Working Group sought to answer was “What are the advantages of no change, and what are the threats to the current associations and their members without a transformation?” Sample advantages of “no change” include: (a) the change process—sometimes difficult due to inertia and fear of the unknown—is not en- gaged, (b) risk of the unknown is avoided, (c) name recognition of current organizations is maintained, (d) the familiar is not abandoned and historic traditions remain unchanged, (e) individual cultures would be preserved (smaller organizations perceive that their culture would be suppressed and replaced by the culture of the larger one), and (f) financial uncertainty and risk posed by a new organization is lessened. The opposite position was also investigated. What are the threats and dangers of not mak- ing change now? Sample disadvantages of “no change” include: (a) competition between sev- eral major national professional associations in this field serving essentially the same population would continue, (b) no central voice would rep- resent the field and the students who are served, (c) prestige associated with being a member of current professional associations is minimized due to stigma issues attached to the field by ex- ternal stakeholders, (d) sufficient research and scholarship is unavailable from current orga- nizations to meet needs of  their members, (e) assets among the multiple organizations (e.g., leaders, members, financial assets, other re- sources) remain divided, (f) professional de- velopment opportunities (e.g., conferences) and certification programs are duplicated, (g) status quo leads to complacency and lack of innova- tion, (h) diminished financial support at host institutions of an increasing number of current members will curtail state and national confer- ence attendance, and (i) national associations would not be aligned with various chapters that are already combining state or regional confer- ences. They are already moving towards creation of a single organization representing profession- als at the state or regional level. After completing this careful analysis, the CRLA/NADE Working Group believed that the threats to the health and future of both or- ganizations of no change were overwhelming compared to the reasons supporting no change. It is for this reason that the authors strongly ad- vocate for continuing the conversation for pro- active change and transformation in creating a new more inclusive national association. Who Are the Potential Members and What Benefits Do They Need? Our group identified categories of professionals that are potential members of the new profes- sional association. For some groups, providing member services online will be especially criti- cal. Reliance upon the national and even state/ regional conference as the primary provider of service will become increasingly insufficient and ineffective for busy professionals with multiple job responsibilities, adjunct/part-time status, and limited or eliminated travel funds. The na- tional budget crisis confronting postsecond- ary education is unlikely to ease anytime soon, despite the injection of stimulus money by the federal government. Travel to conferences at the state and national level will be constrained or eliminated in many states. Online services are key to serving and retaining members. Other major national professional associations are al- ready doing this. Primary members retained from the  exist- ing organizations. Many of these categories of professionals are already members of CRLA and NADE such as (a) instructors of developmental courses (English, reading, mathematics); (b) in- structors of learning strategies courses; and (c) professionals in peer learning assistance pro- grams, academic support programs, and learn- ing assistance centers. Approximately 50,000 faculty members teach developmental-level courses (Orlans, 1996). However, a small minor- ity of them have full-time teaching assignments for this area. Nearly three-quarters of these in- structors are either adjunct, part-time, or full- time faculty assigned to teach developmental courses on a part-time basis (Boylan, Bonham, Jackson, & Saxon, 2000). A cursory review of membership data for the learning assistance and developmental education organizations as a whole or special interest groups for adjuncts suggests than many faculty members of devel- opmental education courses are not members of the current associations. Perhaps this is primar- ily due to an inability to attend the current con- ferences, lack of personal funds for membership, Dramatic reinvention and transformation is needed to meet the quickly changing needs of the profession and the environment in which it operates. 32 JOURNAL of DEVELOPMENTAL EDUCATION or lack of perceived value from current benefits of membership. New membership groups for the associa- tion. Some professionals from these new groups are represented in CRLA and NADE. However, there are many more from these categories who are not currently affiliated with either orga- nization. A sample of these underrepresented groups includes (a) peer mentoring and coach- ing (academic or personal); (b) graduate stu- dents interested in careers related to this field; (c) First-Year Experience courses and programs; (d) TRIO administrators, staff, and faculty members; (e) distance learning administrators concerned with providing academic support for on-line learners; (f) high school-to-college bridge programs; and (g) administrators at the dean level or higher who have interest in the field represented by this new association. The membership services and conference program- ming could be expanded to meet the needs of these new groups. What Services Could Be Provided to Members of the New Association? The most important reason for creation of a new professional association is for a dramatic increase of quantity and quality of professional development services for its members. These services are based upon our Working Group’s best judgment of services needed by this diverse collection of members. A robust list of member services requires a comprehensive, coordinated, and flexible organization to meet current and future needs of the members and other stake- holders. Other leading national associations that are similar in size or larger than NADE and CRLA commonly provide these services. Supportive home. Members must be able to find a comfortable and supportive “home” with- in the association. These communities may be of varying sizes and of different types. Members have choices concerning how many and what types to join. Members create their own web of support within the larger association based on their decisions. The groups are defined by differ- ent characteristics: job function, academic con- tent areas, topic areas, demographics, and insti- tutional characteristics. They provide niches for those with similar interests and backgrounds to meet, share, and obtain needed information for their jobs. They provide smaller “learning spac- es” and “comfort zones” for the members within the larger group. Additional scholarship. Building upon the current expertise of excellent national, regional, and state conferences and several  journals cur- rently published or supported by CRLA and NADE, the new association could offer a wider array of learning opportunities. More publica- tions are needed. Some would be included with basic membership; others would require addi- tional fees. All publications would be marketed to other organizations and the general public. These could include practitioner-level journals, research journals, monographs, newsletters, books, reports, training manuals, curriculum guides, and other publications available through an enriched association website. In addition to print and online publications, people resources are essential. Knowledge communities where members can locate specific information related to their interest and job-related questions are key. More than traditional SIG and SPIN groups, these communities serve as a major generator and provider of information for members. Expanded certifications. Recognition pro- grams for members are critical. Building upon the current programs pioneered by CRLA and NADE, a new association could offer expanded professional certification opportunities for in- dividuals or programs in learning centers, peer learning, developmental-level courses, mentor- ing, and tutoring that build upon the current programs. The certification could be for indi- vidual members, student paraprofessionals, and programs. Current and new award and scholar- ship programs would recognize excellence in the field and support professional development as well as scholarship. Expanded technology infrastructure. A wide variety of venues from which to access informa- tion, research, and support from the association is essential. In addition to national and chapter conferences, new venues for professional devel- opment and support could be provided. These include regional training workshops, on-line workshops and webinars, and on-demand train- ing through the association website. In addition to traditional conferences, mem- bers could access information through more publications and their desktop computer. The technology would also provide association chapters the ability for members to more eas- ily network and access information locally from throughout the U.S. and other regions of the globe. Revenue, training, and expertise  would be  shared with chapters to support work with members. Compelling and useful services must be available on-line to complement the already ex- cellent conferences. Heavily emphasized online resources can meet the needs of current CRLA and NADE members who are unable to consis- tently attend conferences. These services will ap- peal to others who share the vision and mission of the new association. Advocate for the field. The new association would advocate on issues of importance to in- dividual members, serve the public good, and define the field and educate stakeholders and policy makers. In addition, national standards of practice would be created and disseminated as well as ethical practices for the field—all done to advance the field and serve its members. What Are Useful Design Principles for Authority and Responsibility Delegation? There are common design principles that can successfully guide the proposed association. These are based on a careful review of more than a dozen national professional associations, some similar in size to CRLA and NADE and some larger organizations. These design principles require both financial and human capital. These are investments in a new approach for meeting the needs of current members and those who will join the new association. Distribute authority and responsibility more widely. A larger, more complex profes- sional association will require greater distribu- tion of responsibility than currently exists with CRLA and NADE. Today, expansion of associa- tion services is limited by the reliance on a small number of volunteer leaders to both complete traditional executive board duties and adminis- ter the association on a day-to-day basis. In the new professional organization, the Executive Policy Board must have more time to focus on more traditional tasks such as budget formation, strategic planning, and major policy decisions and less on day-to-day management issues. Expand board. We envision an increase in the size of the association-wide Executive Policy Board. Additional board-level officers are need- ed to provide leadership and mentorship for ex- panded services to members and represent the interests of affinity groups within the organiza- tion. With this, the new association would de- velop a variety of formal systems for providing advice and counsel to the national policy board along with other means for more participation by the rank-and-file members regarding advice and decision-making. Expand paid professional staff. With higher levels of service provided to members, full-time continued on page 32 Compelling and useful services must be available on-line to complement the already excellent conferences. 34 JOURNAL of DEVELOPMENTAL EDUCATION professional staff needs to be added to take on essential responsibilities such as administrative assistance, conference management, member- ship services, and other duties assigned by the association-wide Executive Policy Board. Diversify income. Revenue sources will be developed in addition to the national conference and membership fees. This would include addi- tional books, journals, and monographs pub- lished by the association as well as additional fee-based professional development opportuni- ties (e.g., regional conferences on focused top- ics, on-line training workshops, webinars, and certifications). How Could a New Professional Association Be Organized? Adopting a new organizational form is essential to achieving the mission and functions of the new professional association. Specific and detailed or- ganization charts are not provided in this position paper since they are premature and would draw at- tention from the overall design elements. It is pre- mature to identify a firm organization pattern until the more essential issues of member benefits, orga- nization functions, and design considerations are decided. However, based on successful practices by other postsecondary professional associations, we provide the following organization elements to serve as a starting point for a wider conversation. General membership. The general member- ship should directly influence the decision-mak- ing process. This would require creativity to add venues to the traditional membership meeting at the annual national conference. With advances in emerging technology, Town Hall Meetings could be conducted online to offer an opportunity for wider participation. More use of annual surveys of membership on key issues would also involve them. Executive staff. Building upon the current em- ployment of part-time staff for membership, web- site maintenance, and conference management, a full-time position would be created to increase service to members. Contingent upon growth of membership, the staff would be expanded to a multiperson unit. Advisory groups for the association-wide Executive Policy Board. The following advisory groups would provide formal counsel to the asso- ciation-wide Executive Policy Board (EPB). Each would have specific responsibilities and reporting lines to the EPB. 1. Past Officers Council. This could include all past association-wide Executive Policy Board members of the previous associa- tions. 2. Blue Ribbon Advisory Board. These na- tionally- and internationally-renowned experts and leaders in the field of postsec- ondary education would provide advice to the association on key strategic issues. Most members would be external to the association’s field. 3. CLADEA Fellows. This group would pro- vide advice similar to the Blue Ribbon Advisory Board and communicate in the same manner. Most members would be internal to the association’s field. 4. Leadership Congress. This group would be composed of the association chapter presidents, association-wide committee chairpersons, and other leaders of the as- sociation. This group would meet preced- ing the national conference. 5. Town Hall Meetings. The voting mem- bership of the association would be eli- gible to participate in Town Hall Meet- ings. This group could meet in conjunc- tion with the national conference and also through an on-line venue to present feedback and policy changes for consid- eration by the board. This could include use of technology for electronic voting. Operating Divisions. These are the largest groups within the association. An operating di- vision is defined as having its own knowledge base, theory, and research and producing its own scholarship. Individual members would se- lect at least one division with which to affiliate when joining or renewing membership. Affilia- tion with more than one division would incur an additional annual membership fee. Divisions would be responsible for sponsoring one or more knowledge communities, publishing a newslet- ter, and generating other scholarship and profes- sional development activities for members. Di- visions would also have the opportunity to pub- lish a journal that required an additional annual membership fee. To foster opportunity for inno- vation and experimentation, limited autonomy is granted to each operating division. Each di- vision would conduct an election for a national representative (e.g., vice president). Depending upon the composition of the association-wide Executive Policy Board (discussed following), each of the vice presidents might serve on the policy board or report to a VP for Operating Di- visions. Such Operating Divisions might include administrators, faculty, and staff involved in (a) developmental and college reading, (b) develop- mental and college English, (c) developmental and college mathematics, (d) learning assistance centers (tutoring/peer-assisted learning which could include Supplemental Instruction and Peer-Led Team Learning programs), (e) study and learning strategies courses and programs, (f) graduate programs serving teaching profes- sionals for our field, and (g) postsecondary edu- cation. This general category group provides a home for members of the association who do not find a natural fit with one of the other cat- egories. If sufficient members within an Operat- ing Division with a similar new affinity join the association, consideration could be made to es- tablish them as a new Operating Division. Knowledge Communities. These are inter- mediate-sized groups within the association. They provide more in-depth information on focused topics. Functions provided by these communities would include a website with rich content materials, publications (e.g., newsletter, monographs, and training materials), mentors available to provide expertise to inquirers, and a listserv. This would be a significant extension and expansion of the current SIG and SPIN groups within CRLA and NADE. To assure high quality and provide mentorship for lead- ers, these appointed Knowledge Community leaders would report to a vice president on the association-wide Executive Policy Board. If a Knowledge Community grew to a sufficient size, it might be granted status as an Operating Divi- sion and join the list above. Caucus Groups. A smaller unit within the as- sociation is a Caucus Group. This optional group is formed on the basis of institutional character- istics, personal demographics, or a small num- ber of members focused around a job function or topic. If a group grows to a sufficient size, it might be granted status as a Knowledge Com- munity. Caucus Groups can serve as an incuba- tor for the creation of larger affinity units within the association. Such examples include (a) inter- est caucus (e.g., academic support for distance learning programs, enrollment management, English as a Second Language), (b) institutional characteristic (e.g., private liberal arts colleges, research universities), and (c) personal demo- graphic (e.g., graduate students, international members, adjunct teachers--either part-time at continued on page 34 continued from page 30 A portion of each individual’s association dues would be shared with the chapter serving the geographic area in which the member works. 36 JOURNAL of DEVELOPMENTAL EDUCATION an institution or only teaching part of academic load with developmental-level courses). Committees and task forces. The smallest units operating within the association with a narrow function defined by the By-Laws or As- sociation Policy Manual would be individual committees and task forces. The association president would delegate responsibility for many of these groups. Some could be assigned to other Executive Board members. Geographic regions. The organization would be divided into geographic regions. Chapters would operate within these regions. These chap- ters would either represent a single state, several contiguous states, a country (e.g., Canada), or a region of the world (e.g., Pacific Rim). A del- egate selected by the chapters located within a region would have direct representation to the association-wide policy board through a Vice President of Regions. The Vice President of Regions. This vice president would be responsible for adminis- tering services to chapter leaders and regional representatives and would ensure provision of training for these leaders via distance learn- ing technologies. Chapter and regional leaders would meet during the annual conference to serve as an advisory group to the association- wide policy board, participate in the annual Leadership Congress, and participate in leader- ship and professional development activities. Conferences. Conferences could occur at the state level or be held in conjunction with several state or regional chapters as they see fit. Mem- bership in the association provides membership in a corresponding affiliated chapter. A portion of each individual’s association dues would be shared with the chapter serving the geographic area in which the member works. Many of the organizational elements identi- fied in this section already operate within CRLA and NADE. A larger, more comprehensive or- ganization needs a larger, more comprehensive system to ensure stability, proper management, leadership, member participation and voice, and a place of comfort and support for individual members. Following the principles of “form fol- lows function” (Sullivan, 1896), the organization of a new association actually emerges from the wider discussion of mission, vision, services for members, and other related issues. Potential “Next Steps” for the Conversation Although the CRLA/NADE Working Group was diverse in its representation of past and present leaders in the field, this discussion needs more voices and perspectives to enrich the discussion, commit to change, and improve the design for the future. We recommend the following events to continue the conversation. Extend the Conversation to Wider Circles The Working Group’s complete report has been circulated among the national executive boards for CRLA and NADE. It has also been placed online with announcement links sent to all CRLA and NADE members. Town Hall meetings have been held at the national confer- ences for CRLA and NADE. Surveys about the report were distributed to attendees at the recent NADE conference. However, it is important to include more stakeholder groups. More voices will enrich the conversation and generate a more powerful and purposeful proposal for consider- ation. Following is a sample of groups that could engage in this conversation simultaneously and provide synergy to the generation of ideas. Some of these groups include: (a) past national officers and leaders of CRLA and NADE, (b) current and past national leaders of CRLA and NADE (e.g., committee, SPINs, SIGs), (c) chapter lead- ers of CRLA and NADE, (d) national education leaders, and (e) experts outside of learning as- sistance and developmental education (e.g., U.S. Department of Education, Lumina Foundation, other national education centers or founda- tions). Learn More About the Issues As the conversation continues, we also recom- mend conducting more research about other professional associations (e.g., organization, member services, use of full-time office staff, budget issues) and learning how other associa- tions have worked together to create a new or- ganization to better serve the needs of current and new members. Charge the existing CRLA/ NADE Working Group to serve as a coordinat- ing committee for this investigative process by the two national executive boards. Additional appointees to the group by CRLA and NADE would add more voices and could include those with selected technical expertise (e.g., budget). The group would continue to report directly to the two national executive boards. A more de- tailed outline of next steps is contained in the full, online report. Conclusion A reoccurring question examined by the CRLA/ NADE Working Group has been “why change?” In the full report available online (http://www. crla.net/WorkingGroupReport091007.doc) we carefully explored the pros and cons of creating a new association and provided numerous sugges- tions for its services and organization structures. A better question than “why change?” is “what kind of change is demanded by postsecondary education and needed by these professionals?” Perhaps an analogy provided by Shakespeare can provide a paradigm for us when consider- ing the future. When writing a dialogue among several of his characters in a play discussing the future, Shakespeare penned the expression “The Undiscovered Country” to describe this place. Although everyone will visit the future, no one can come back and tell others exactly what it will be like. However, all of us will walk into The Un- discovered Country. The members of CRLA and NADE have a choice regarding how they will walk into the future. Change can be simply reacted to or pro- actively managed. The best of past traditions can be brought into the future and merged with new structures and traditions, or all can be left to chance. The most important element that moves forward into the new association is the members of the current organizations. They form the core of the new future and bring forward the history and traditions of the previous organizations. Let us encourage new members to join these veter- ans and walk together into The Undiscovered Country as colleagues and friends. Let’s create a dynamic new association together. Sharing Your Comments The national executive boards of CRLA and NADE welcome comments by readers of this ar- ticle. Please direct comments to NADE Secretary Betty Black, kfbjb00@tamuk.edu and/or CRLA Newsletter Editor Linda Russell, linda.russell@ minneapolis.edu. References Blue Ribbon Commission (BRC). (2006). Creat- ing a new vision for the future: A report from the Blue Ribbon Commission. Retrieved June 24, 2009, from the University of Minneso- ta—Twin Cities Website: http://www.tc.umn. edu/~arend011/BRCSWOTReport020106.pdf Boylan, H. R. (1995). The scope of developmental education: Some basic information on the field. Research in Developmental Education, 12(4), 1-4. The best of past traditions can be brought into the future and merged with new structures and traditions, or all can be left to chance. continued from page 32 VOLUME 33, ISSUE 1 • FALL 2009 37 Boylan, H. R., Bonham, B. S., Jackson, J., & Saxon, D. P. (1994). Staffing patterns in developmental education programs: Full-time positions, cre- dentials, and program placement. Research in Developmental Education, 11(5), 1-4. CRLA (College Reading and Learning Associa- tion)/NADE (National Association for Devel- opmental Education) Taskforce. (2007). Stra- tegic planning evaluation of creating a new pro- fessional association. Retrieved June 24, 2009, from the CRLA website: http://www.crla.net/ WorkingGroupReport091007.doc Harbison, J. R., & Pekar, P. (1998). Smart allianc- es: A practical guide to repeatable success. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Nonaka, I., & Nishiguchi, T. (Eds.). (2001). Knowledge emergence: Social, technical, and evolutionary dimensions of knowledge creation. New York: Oxford University Press. Orlans, H. (1996, July/August). The most popular courses. Change Magazine, 28(4), 7. Sullivan, L. H. (1896). The tall office building ar- tistically considered. Retrieved June 24, 2009, from the Triton College website: http://aca- demics.triton.edu/faculty/fheitzman/tallof- ficebuilding.html NADE News: Celebrating Collaborative Spirit By Karen Patty-Graham, NADE President The National Association for Developmental Education values the col- laborative professional spirit that pervades developmental education and NADE. We owe that spirit, in part, to many leaders in our field. Recently we lost three of those leaders: Martha Maxwell, William “Bill” White, and Gene Kersteins. Martha Maxwell, a pioneer for over 50 years, left us valuable reading and study strategies, tutoring and learning center man- agement techniques, the CLADEA Fellows program, and NADE’s Mar- tha Maxwell Developmental Education Student Scholarship. Bill White, Grambling State University faculty member and 2009-2010 CLADEA Fellow, left us numerous research initiatives and graduate students whom he mentored. Gene Kersteins, CLADEA Fellow and a founding member of CRLA (College Reading & Learning Association), left us his work in the assessment of student study behaviors. All influenced the growth and development of thousands of students and professionals. They will be missed but treasured for their legacies. NADE actively pursues collaboration with its members and partners. For example, California NADE members and the Executive Board have worked over the last 18 months to create NADE’s 31st active chapter, Ca- lADE, to be installed at NADE 2010. President-elect Marcella Davis and I recently participated with international educators in two roundtable dis- cussions during the Forum for Access and Continuing Education (FACE) conference and met with FACE members interested in collaborating on math research with NADE members. The Certification Council partici- pated in the Technology Institute for Developmental Educators (TIDE), as the first recipients of NADE’s TIDE Scholarship. The NADE Board encourages you to read the position paper submitted to JDE by members of the CRLA/NADE Working Group. This collab- orative group of authors presents a significant issue for NADE’s consider- ation. Since the creation of the Blue Ribbon Commission, the Board has maintained the position that we will do what our members indicate they want based on what is best for the association and profession. The board respects our fellow associations and the educators they represent. We also appreciate the thoughtful approach taken by the authors in their work and article. The NADE Board is not in a position to either endorse or not en- dorse the authors’ proposal but would like to hear from members before advocating any move to form a new association. In the meantime, NADE continues to provide quality professional development for educators while exploring ways to collaborate with the College Reading and Learning As- sociation (CRLA), other Council for Learning Assistance and Develop- mental Education Associations (CLADEA) members, and additional as- sociations with which NADE has reciprocal agreements. Please send your comments to NADE Secretary Betty Black, kfbjb00@tamuk.edu. For additional information about NADE, consult the website at www. nade.net. NADE: Helping underprepared students prepare, prepared students advance, and advanced students excel! National Association for Developmental Education (NADE) • 500 N Estrella Parkway Ste B2 PMB 412 • Goodyear, AZ 85338 • www.nade.net PROMOTING EXCELLENCE AMONG LEARNING CENTER PROFESSIONALS We are the association dedicated to learning center professionals. Visit us at WWW.NCLCA.ORG Some benefits of membership are: Journal Subscription (TLAR) Discounted registration to the Annual Conference (Fall) and NCLCA Institute (Summer) Regular issues of Newsletter Access to Members Only website resource materials Annual Dues $50 Student/Retiree $35 Teaching Unprepared Students Strategies for Promoting Success and Retention in Higher Education KATHLEEN F. GABR I E L Foreword by Sandra M. Flake "An invaluable manual" —Midwest Book Review "[An] excellent resource to enhance retention." —Christine A. 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