ARPAS has had a great year. Our membership is growing, progressive, active and willing to serve. Being mid-way through my third year as your Executive VP, I can use past experiences to guide me on routine tasks which allows me to focus more efforts on new programs, new chapters and membership growth.
Your capable leadership headed by President Randy Shaver and Past-President Marit Arana, have done an outstanding job of orchestrating the activities and programs of ARPAS. I want to thank them and all the members of the Executive Committee for their commitments of time and talent on your behalf. The Governing Council members also deserve recognition as they have chaired the committees that actually do the work so necessary to support our organizational structure.
I also want to thank Debbie Seymour for her helpful and conscientious work as interim Administrative Assistant for ARPAS. Debbie and the rest of the FASS staff continue to be essential to our administrative and business affairs. The new ARPAS booth is the result of the creative people at FASS. Special recognition is due to Yvona Vlach, our capable FASS administrative assistant. Yvona started with ARPAS in October 2009 and quickly got up to speed. I want to publically thank her for her efforts on our behalf. Yvona handles the routine issues regarding membership, testing and CEU’s so efficiently that I seldom get involved, while constantly and courteously pointing out ways to improve our administrative functions.
Steve Schmidt, Examination Committee Chairperson, with help from other ARPAS members, continues to update our ARPAS exams and study guides which are essential to growing membership. Editor Wayne Kellogg keeps the “Professional Animal Scientist Journal” consistently high in quality. It is now available on “Highwire” and our recognition by readers outside of our membership is greatly enhanced.
Historian Bill Price continues to record our past but he can always use input from ARPAS members. Please review the history section on our website and give your input to Bill.
A special thanks to Steve Emanuele, to ARPAS members serving on his committee and to Yvona Vlach for the informative ARPAS newsletters they created in 2009-2010. Member input is also always welcome.
You will soon see the results of the member survey, a vital component of our Strategic Plan. Past-President Marit Arana and her committee worked diligently to develop this survey and will have to work even harder to compile the information and develop our plan. This work-in-progress will be our guide to the future direction for this organization. Please continue to provide input to this process.
ACAS (American College of Animal Science) is growing. Thanks to President Dr. Bill Sanchez and the executive committee of ACAS who have provided superb organizational leadership. You can help identify those highly qualified individuals that should be board certified members of ARPAS through our alternate certification program. The incoming President is Dr. Benjy Mikel.
Our Treasurer, Dr. Carl Hunt, has done an outstanding job in keeping ARPAS is in good financial condition. The only area where we are lagging prior years is our Corporate Sponsor program. Members can help us identify and encourage companies to support ARPAS.
The ARPAS Foundation Committee, headed by Past-President Darrell Johnson, has developed some guidelines for educations endeavors to use Foundation earnings. They also provided ideas to grow the assets of the Foundation. The ARPAS Foundation is always willing to accept gifts, grants and donations from ARPAS members.
The “Distinguished Professional Animal Scientist Award” initiated in 2008 has selected the honorees for 2010. Past service to this organization coupled with outstanding careers in Animal Science are the criteria for this award. President Shaver will announce the honorees.
Meetings I attended on behalf of ARPAS included the PAACO Board, Arkansas Nutrition Conference, Mid-Atlantic Nutrition Conference, Joint ADSA/ASAS/CSAS, Cornell Nutrition Conference, Pennsylvania Dairy Nutrition Conference, Pacific NW Nutrition Conference and Tri-State Nutrition Conference.
ARPAS exams were given at most of these meetings and sponsors were cultivated. I am very dependent on ARPAS members to proctor ARPAS exams, individually and at conferences. Thanks to all the ARPAS and ACAS members who worked on behalf of this organization in 2009-2010.
It is very rewarding to be associated with ARPAS. I look forward to working with incoming President Bill Braman and new and old members of the Governing Council in 2010-2011.
Thank you for this privilege.
Kenneth R. Cummings, PhD, PAS, Dipl. ACAN
Executive VP, ARPAS