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A Message from President, Marshall Allen,
to the General Membership
" … More and more people around the world are using interactive media to link distant locations. Many others are exploring potential uses in their organizations. Why? Because changing communications needs require better technology, and new applications. Many are considering teleconferencing which brings people together for immediate interaction, spanning geographic distance and overcoming time and energy constraints. This capability has led people to adapt teleconferencing to meet multiple communications needs including meetings, education, training, consultation and other functions. …"
Those statements were made more than twenty (20) years ago but could have been made today. Since, in order to meet the challenges of this global economy, we need to invest in capacity building, training, knowledge creation, and decision-support. Information and communications technology can be essential tools to deliver content in ways that are timely and of high quality. The return in terms of economic benefits far outweigh the investment costs. The creation and sharing of knowledge needs to be organized, planned and facilitated since it resides at various local, national and global levels.
Today, colleges and universities are responding to changes in the student body. Institutions are addressing the problems of students who are working toward degrees while holding down jobs and raising families; people who are geographically disadvantaged, as they live in rural areas, refuse to be bypassed by the information highway. High schools are urging students toward a college education in a time when even more stringent requirements exist.
As I noted in a recent newsletter, and I think it is worth repeating here for the Annual Report: Ideas and visions really are just dreams if they are not taken to the next step. Ideas and visions only become reality when they are communicated to others, refined, defined, and have a realistic timeframe and action plan that will cause them to truly happen.
Twenty years ago we were just philosophizing and proposing what really could happen if we truly would embrace and apply technologies in an appropriate manner. Now we have outstanding examples. If we think about the flock of geese I referred to in that newsletter, and noted how each bird is benefited by the one in front of it, the entire flock has a greater range than if one bird flew alone. We are at a point with USDLA where we are not a bunch of individuals going in our own separate directions without some sense of community or some sense of the need to support someone else's vision or dream. We are staying in formation, we are encouraging others … we are the leaders!
In summary, let me thank each and everyone of you who have participated as a member of the Board of Directors for the past year, I hope I have been able to bring to this Board a small portion of what I have gained from working with each and everyone of you as individuals, but yet individuals who are committed to a common goal and that common goal is insuring that USDLA is indeed respected for the leadership and guidance that it brings to all distance education.
Sincerely,
Marshall E. Allen
President