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Our biennial Conferences continue to grow in participants and in the number of panels and papers presented. Conference presentations are of the highest quality, and we encourage even greater participation for the 2009 Conference in Chicago. Information will be forthcoming on the website and through direct contact with each of you.

IUS Regions

The IUS has several regions which provide Fellows with an opportunity to share their work and experiences with colleagues closer to home.

IUS Chair and President Jay Williams and I are pleased with the active presence and outreach of the IUS/DC Region, headed by IUS veteran and former Congressional Research Service analyst, Bob Goldich. The IUS regional meetings there continue to grow and attract more interest and participants. The Washington DC Region is a natural venue for discourse on the issues the IUS focuses on, with an ample population of academics, officers, and journalists. I know Bob will continue to bring exciting speakers and outstanding opportunities for dialog to the Washington D.C. area.

Paul Viotti continues to develop the IUS/Rocky Mountain Region; you will receive further information as it becomes available. Plans are to include a page on our website featuring this region in the near future.

IUS Canada Region has been especially robust, and their activities include hosting their own conference on even-numbered years.

Fellow Dues

Dues are an important source of revenue helping us maintain our intellectual activities, journal, and global outreach. Please take note of your renewal when it arrives and respond as soon as possible. Discounted 2 and 3-year renewal options are available. Life Fellowship is also an option, featuring a single dues payment for life. You can also now pay your dues online through our Fellows-Only section, and we strongly recommend this. You may also contact the Secretariat for appropriate forms to submit via fax.

I especially encourage you to recruit student Fellows at the reduced rate. They are the future of the IUS and the new student Fellowship rates make joining the IUS very reasonable for our colleagues still enrolled in Universities worldwide. Why not consider sponsoring and funding one or more of your students?

I ask you to consider approaching your academic colleagues in relevant departments, qualified non-academics, executives, policymakers and military personnel with expertise and an interest in our work. I believe that the diversity they would provide would only benefit and enrich our organization and activities.

Armed Forces & Society

Armed Forces & Society editor Patricia Shields and her associates continue to work exceptionally hard and effectively to maintain and enhance the quality of our journal. Only the former editors know how time-consuming (and occasionally frustrating) this work is. We thank them for the tremendous job they do for our flagship publication. I also thank James Burk, who continues as Chair of the IUS Publications Committee. His attention to both policy and financial issues has been a tremendous asset to our publication efforts.

The most important indicator of intellectual quality is the scholarly work done by IUS Fellows. Our journal Armed Forces & Society continues to be the leading outlet for the most important scholarly discussions of the issues of concern to our Fellows. This is reflected in the high ranking of AF&S in Thomson ISI's® Journal Citation Reports®.

Please note again that AF&S Online in the Fellows-Only section of this website provides IUS Fellows with access to a tremendous variety of Sage journals in full-text format online.

Investing in the IUS

Rebecca Schiff serves as Chair of our Development Committee. She and IUS Chair and President Jay Williams continue to spearhead a program that asks IUS Fellows and other interested individuals and organizations to invest in the IUS. The financial health of our organization enables greater support for related conferences, publishing activities, and IUS regions. We are so fortunate to have both the intellectual and financial support of our Fellows and benefactors. Please consider an investment in your Seminar.

Keeping in Touch

We anticipate the inauguration of a periodic newsletter which we will send directly to our Fellows and other interested individuals and organizations. This will highlight IUS activities and accomplishments, our IUS Conferences and other upcoming Conferences and symposia, Calls for Papers, Regional Meetings, Fellows' publication announcements, and other items of professional interest. Should you have announcements or other relevant information you would like us to publicize through this periodic e-publication, please forward to the IUS Webmaster, James W. Schuler, or to the Secretariat, Mary Frances Lebamoff.

I hope you will contact me regarding ways in which the IUS can serve our Fellows better. We are most receptive to your suggestions and appreciative of your efforts on behalf of the organization. Please visit www.iusafs.org often for information and updates.

Robert A. Vitas
IUS Executive Director