Following our recent Executive Council (EC) meeting, I am sharing a summary of the key discussions and decisions to keep you informed about the work the EC is doing on behalf of USAIN.
Annual Conference Planning is Underway!
The Conference Planning Committee is making exciting progress on our next annual conference.
Venue Confirmed: We have secured locations for our main events, including the Hahn Horticulture Garden for the opening reception and the Veterinary Medicine Library for the banquet.
Call for Papers/Posters: The official call was emailed out on October 29. Please consider submitting your work!
Membership Survey & Awards
Survey Update: Our first survey, conducted using Google Forms, closed on November 13. Janis Shearer (USAIN Secretary) and I will begin compiling the results into a report, which we plan to share with the membership soon. Thank you for your valuable input!
Awards Committee: The nomination period will close on December 5. Please consider nominating someone for an award! USAIN Awards include Service to the Profession, Special Achievement Award, Honorary Memberships, Conference Scholarships, and USAIN Research Fellow Awards. Get those nominations in today!
Website Director Role Reorganization
The EC is investigating the feasibility of transitioning the Website Director role from the incoming President position to an "Appointed" position on EC. This move would enable us to offer appropriate benefits (such as free registration or membership) in exchange for the specific technical skills required—further discussions are needed as this reorganization is still a work in progress.
Upcoming Town Hall/Discussion Event
We are exploring the possibility of hosting a virtual town hall in January. This event would focus on reviewing the results of the survey sent out earlier this fall regarding the impact of government mandates occurring top-down on our membership, our libraries, and more. We would like this to be a safe space for discussion, sharing experiences, and learning that you are not alone in navigating these challenges.
Please watch your email for a separate message on this topic.
Our next EC meeting is scheduled for Friday, December 7. We look forward to continuing the work of serving our membership.
Best regards,
Randa Lopez Morgan
President, USAIN 2025-2026
