Message of the President, April 14th, 2016
Dear friends and colleagues,
It is a pleasure for me to introduce myself as the recently elected President of ECBE. At our last Board meeting in Brussels, Dr Martin Janku had to step down from the post he has held with such distinction and enthusiasm for the last 3 years, having now fulfilled his statutory term of office. During that time, I served as Treasurer and was honoured when the Board (in their infinite wisdom!) asked me to take over this key leadership role.
So it will be my pleasure and privilege to welcome you all to our conference in Amsterdam next month. I do hope as many of you as possible will attend. This will also give you the opportunity to meet our new Executive Director, Jacques Bouche. Jacques is already making an impact on ECBE’s activities and is also looking forward to meeting you. Of course, many other old friends will be there, too. In particular, our dear friend Bryan Holden, who has served us with such dedication for the past twenty years. We will take the opportunity at the gala dinner to recognize properly the outstanding service Bryan has given to ECBE.
Whether you are able to attend or not, there are some thoughts I would like to share with you as ECBE prepares for a new chapter in its history.
- We are still in need of additional new leadership. Last year we welcomed two new members onto the Board and this year we hope to elect two more in a rotation system. Please do let Jacques know if your institution would like to nominate someone. As last year, we will vote on this at the AGM, with proxy votes available for those who cannot attend.
- The Board is eager to hear your views on what kind of organization you would like ECBE to be. It is, of course, first and foremost an accreditation organization. Are you happy with our accreditation processes? In what ways could we enhance them or make them more relevant for you? Should ECBE reach out to a wider global academic community? Are there ways in which we could provide better networking or other services for our Members? These and other related issues will be major topics for discussion at Board meetings this year. We value your input.
- ECBE needs to grow. Can you help us to recruit new Members by referring other institutions in your country or in your international orbit to us?
I look forward to your feedback on these and any other ideas and issues you may wish to raise. This is YOUR organization
Ray Hilditch
President
April 14th, 2016