ARPAS is a healthy and growing organization. Our membership is progressive, active, and willing to serve this organization. Being midway through my second year as your executive vice-president, my position on the learning curve now allows me to focus more on helping implement new programs, new chapters, and membership growth and less on fighting small brush fires and individual issues. 

Your capable leadership headed by President Marit Arana and Past-President Darrell Johnson 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 because they have chaired the committees that actually do the work so necessary to support our organizational structure.

Special recognition is due Susie Rahn, our capable FASS administrative assistant, for all her efforts on your behalf. Rahn is your primary contact, and she handles the routine issues regarding membership, testing, and CEUs so efficiently that I seldom get involved. She constantly and courteously points out ways we can improve our administrative functions such as membership, tracking of CEUs, and evaluation of educational programs for ARPAS credits. Some changes have been made in our infrastructure as a result of Susie’s suggestions and the support of other FASS personnel. These changes will greatly reduce the time she has to spend on routine issues.

2008–2009 was a year of paying for deferred maintenance (called infrastructure improvements by politicians) for ARPAS. With help from the IT folks at FASS, we remodeled our Web site to eliminate outdated information and make it more user-friendly. We employed an online election process with great success, which significantly increased member participation and reduced staff time. A new sponsorship brochure was developed to enhance our work with this important part of our organization. Bill Sanchez and his committee have worked hard to cultivate new sponsors and retain those who have supported ARPAS in the past. These infrastructure modifications required money, and I am pleased to say that with membership growth and generous sponsors, we were able to pay for these changes without “bailout money” or deficit spending. 

A concern voiced by members about the availability of personal information posted on the Web site was considered by the Executive Committee, and they agreed to reduce the information available to non-ARPAS members to only a member’s name and certification. 

Steve Schmidt, with help from ARPAS members, Rahn, and FASS personnel, has refreshed most ARPAS exams, prepared and posted study guides, and expanded our ability to balance exams and track individual questions in our exam database. The Professional Animal Scientist is now available on Highwire, and the ARPAS newsletter is online and more user-friendly. A new ARPAS logo was created thanks to the effort of our historian Bill Price and other ARPAS members. It is now being incorporated into all our communications media. 

A special thanks to Steve Emanuele for editing the ARPAS newsletter. Our newsletter has grown from a small communication piece developed by Bill Baumgardt, your first executive director, to an outstanding publication in a user-friendly format.

The American College of Animal Science (ACAS) is functional and has admitted several new diplomates. Please help us identify those highly qualified individuals who should be board certified members of ARPAS through our alternate certification program. Bill Sanchez is the incoming-president of ACAS.

I believe the treasurer’s report, submitted by our treasurer, Carl Hunt, will verify that ARPAS is in good financial condition. We owe a debt of gratitude to Keith Lusby for serving as the ARPAS treasurer for the past four years and steering us in the right financial direction. 

New programs initiated in 2008–2009 include the ARPAS Foundation and the Distinguished Professional Animal Scientist Award. Both of these have been featured in the newsletter. These programs are indicative of ARPAS reaching a stage of maturity that values recognition of members and provides a continuing financial mechanism for support of worthy endeavors. 

Meetings I attend on behalf of ARPAS include the PAACO Board, Mid-West ASAS, Mid-Atlantic Nutrition Conference, Joint ADSA/ASAS, Cornell Nutrition Conference, California ARPAS, and Tri-State Nutrition Conferences. ARPAS exams were given at most of these meetings, and sponsors were cultivated. Thanks to many of you for proctoring ARPAS exams, individually and at conferences, during the past year.

Thanks to all ARPAS and ACAS members who gave of their time to work on behalf of this organization in 2008–2009.

It is very rewarding to work with this organization. Thank you for this privilege.

Kenneth Cummings, PhD,
PAS, Dipl. ACAN
Executive VP, ARPAS