2008 NCFR Annual Conference - Internationl Section

JAN TROST INTERNATIONAL SCHOLARSHIP AWARD NOMINATIONS DUE AUGUST 30, 2008:The deadline for nominations for the NCFR International Section's Jan Trost International Scholarship Award is now August 30, 2008. This award honors an individual for their lifetime achievement in research, teaching and service related to international families. The winner will receive a plaque. Nominations may include, but are not limited to, candidates who are current members of NCFR's International Section. The candidate's international/cross-cultural scholarship should be family focused. Documentation should include relevant evidence of international scholarship such as courses taught, quality and impact of publications, and service to international family societies and organizations. This evidence should demonstrate long-term and sustained commitment to international/cross-cultural family research, teaching and service. Dr.
Shulamit Rittblat, past International Section Chair, coordinates the selection process.

A complete nomination packet should include (please send as pdf documents to Shulamit: ritblatt@mail.sdsu.edu:

A. A letter of nomination emphasizing the nominee's contributions to international/cross-cultural scholarship

B. Two letters of recommendation from colleagues in support of the candidate

C. Nominee's Curriculum Vitae

D. Any other documentation that provides evidence of international/cross-cultural scholarship (course syllabi, publications,
etc.)

MENTOR MATCH:
We are excited to bring back the mentor match-up program to NCFR's Annual Conference in Little Rock this year. This is a special program that the International Section is involved in where we match volunteers from our section with international students and professionals who will be attending the event for the first time. We ask that each volunteer meet with their international guest at least once during the course of the conference. This meeting time allows you the opportunity to discuss the nature of NCFR, involvement opportunities in NCFR (feel free to plug our section!), the culture of academia in the United States and even acts as a possible time to discuss research interest.

The commitment is really short term but I have heard wonderful testimonies from international students on the long term effect their meeting mentor provided to them. Please don’t delay in this wonderful opportunity! Respond with your full name, the dates that you are planning to attend the 2008 conference in Little Rock, the institution or organization that you are representing, languages you speak, and your general research area of interest.

Thanks to you all for helping to make this program a success and for your continued commitment to and support of the International Section!

Bethany Willis Hepp - bwillis@UDel.edu

ACTIVATOR PROGRAM: (This is in addition to the International Section's Mentor Match)NCFR is initiating a new program this year - the Activator Program. The goal of this program is to connect new attendees to each other and to provide more opportunities for them to engage actively in the conference. Participants will access materials on the NCFR website, meet at the Newcomer's Reception and participate in a post-conference discussion on the NCFR website.

To make this program work, **we need volunteers who are Annual Conference "veterans" who would be willing to communicate on-line with Activator participants. Please let me know as soon as possible if you are willing to serve in this capacity. If you have specific questions, please feel free to contact organizer Jennifer Hardesty at hardesty@uiuc.edu; 217.333.0725.

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Families in a Multicultural World
2009 NCFR Annual Conference - San Francisco, CA

Greetings, Everyone!  It was great to see you in Little Rock and very exciting to witness the shaping of an engaging conference program for November. I also appreciate the feedback that you provided me relative to my initial thinking for the 2009 conference.

As you know, in the next few months, the 2009 conference planning will be underway in earnest. Nancy Gonzalez at NCFR Headquarters will assist me in “running with” the ideas that we generate.  Before we proceed, however, I would like to check-in one last time with you.  In determining which sessions to pursue, finding expert speakers, managing the complicated scheduling involved, we have to move forward with selections and issue invitations to speakers.

I have listed ideas for plenaries and special sessions.  I would appreciate it if a representative from your Section would weigh-in on these ideas—note your favorites, or ones you believe would not be of as much interest to conference attendees.  If you know of good speakers on the subject, please include their names. I have some names already in mind, but have not listed them because we have not yet begun any negotiations.

Would you also indicate, under each topic, your Section’s willingness to provide financial sponsorship for the session and a dollar amount I can work with?  Given the “international” theme of the conference, unless we can get broad support from all Sections, the International Section could experience a disproportionate sponsorship burden. Let us know if your Section can pitch in! 

Theme:  Families in a Multicultural World

Any ideas on capitalizing on the international aspects of San Francisco?

Plenary scheduled

Andrew Cherlin – Professor of Public Policy in the Department of Sociology at Johns Hopkins will be speaking Thursday at the conference on Merry-Go-Round Partnership Turnover in U.S. and other Western Countries. Dr. Cherlin will be comparing U.S. data with that of other western countries and discuss why partnership turnover is highest in the U.S.

Please offer comment on the following ideas and indicate your Section’s willingness to sponsor the event.

• Impact of Aging on Families
• Impact of HIV/AIDS on families in U.S. and abroad
• Adoption/International Adoption
  
• Adolescent Ethnic & Sexual Identities
• Religious belief and practice among families
• Enhancing cultural competence among family practice/researchers and educators; culturally sensitive mental health services
• Mate Selection
• Cohabitation
• Divorce and Relationship Dissolution
• Pedagogies for cross-cultural education
• FLE around globe
• Marriage Enrichment/Preparation for Diverse Audiences
• Immigration
• Families Down Under; Innovative Policy & Practice in Australia and New Zealand
• Others? ______________________________________

If you have any ideas about San Francisco events, pre-conference tours, attractions or anything interesting you know about in the Bay Area, please add your ideas here, as well.   Would you respond by June 15 with your input to me at rhamon@messiah.edu . Thank you for your support and collaboration.

Raeann Hamon, Ph.D., CFLE
Chair of the 2009 NCFR Annual Conference