A slightly smaller than usual but enthusiastic group of people gathered March 6-7 at the Doubletree Suites in Times Square, NYC, to ponder "Perspectives on Summer: Looking Ahead."  We dove right in with an opening day panel comprising four very well-known figures in the NAASS world: Bill Kops from the University of Manitoba; Bill McClure, just exiting his long tenure at the University of Massachusetts; Donna Shea from Boston University, and James Chansky from Brown University.  The panelists took us on a thoughtful tour of summer past, present and future as they considered what drives us both from within and without in our work.  As Bill Kops memorably put it-and would return us to throughout the following day-"summer" is not just an assemblage of functions; it is an entity.  Our panelists each spoke of summer as a force for change at our institutions and helped each of us thoughtfully consider the programs we run, how we run them, and the backdrop in which we build and maintain these programs. 

 

They argued-and we explored together in our round-table discussions the following day-summer is not a force of change simply because it is granted special influence.  As Donna Shea and others so aptly captured, our very successes (enrollments, revenue, curricular growth, etc.) put us again and again into the position of defending not only what we do and how we do it, but that we do it at all.  As the entity of summer aligns more closely with the core academic missions of our universities, we will find ourselves either following the course set by others or we will find ways to also be leaders.  Such efforts will depend on carefully analyzed data and clear vision-all the more so when so much focus going forward will be on bottom lines and summer-as-service.  As many of us commented again and again, our work requires strong institutional relationships and continued innovation in areas such as pre-college, international, online (when we can), bridge programs, marketing, and more.  And, to have influence as often disparate institutional types and organizational structures, "summer" must be recognized as the entity we are, both individually and in aggregate, and we will have to learn how to better express our common goals both at home and at the national level.

 

These were fascinating and thought-provoking discussions. Much to ponder indeed.

Susanna Cowan, Director, University of Connecticut Office of Summer & Winter Programs, and NAASS Northeast Region Vice President

Steven J. Lee,  Assistant Director of Summer Programs,  University of Oklahoma, and NAASS Flash Editor