Reports From Chapter Officers

During the meeting...

Meeting Links...

• Opening Message
  and Updates
  from the President
• Officer Reports
  and Chapter Business
  DISCUSSION

Program Links

• JEPSC
  (Journal of Educational Practice and Social Change)
• Discuss the JEPSC
  and the
  2006 PDK Gallup Poll

Officers' Reports

Report from VP for Programs
Report from VP for Membership
Report from Treasurer
Report from Foundation Representative
Report from Communications Director/Webmaster
Report from Secretary
Report from Historian
Report from Newsletter Editor

Jump to the DISCUSSION

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Report from the Vice President for Programs

We will be focusing our Fall meeting two very exciting member discussions/question & answer forums featuring our groundbreaking new Journal and the publication of the fascinating PDK Gallup Poll on the public's perceptions of public education. Both focus areas are so important and exciting! It is OUR journal, and the more familiar everyone is with it, the more submissions will follow. We all can be so proud of this impressive facet of our chapter!

The Gallup Poll discussion will add members' voices to conversations that can impact our lives as educators as well as our students' experiences... Big changes are in the air for us all, and we are in a greater position to affect and influence these changes now than ever. Even on a personal level, members now have the inner track on getting published, thanks to our journal. Come find out more at the meeting areas!

There will be a double door prize this time! No one was selected from last meeting due to listserv problems, and the winner will be announced for that PLUS the new meeting during the gathering.

Jenny

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Report from the Vice President for Membership

Dear Friends,

I am happy to report that we have been receiving new members at our regular pace. Gay has been instrumental with dissemination of online information. Most importantly however, recently we have acquired members who are so very willing and energetic to help us run the Chapter. Most of the positions are staffed with two officers, which should alleviate the time and work load on all of us. I hope that we can keep this level of engagement for years to come.

We have managed to launch the Journal of Educational Practice and Social Change. All my thanks go to Dr. Simon, Dr. Sweeney and Jenny Pulman for making this happen. I hope the JEPSC is going to serve the community of Walden scholars well. Please spread the word.

With regard to our communications, I am really glad to see a substantial drop in the amount of junk mail I receive in my Walden account. This will definitely speed up e-mail exchanges at least on my end. I am looking forward to working with all of you.

With warmest regards,

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Report from our PDK Foundation Representative

Dear Friends,

Since I'm new in this position my report is very short. I'm in the process of researching several fundraising opportunities that will benefit our organization and help establish a research and book scholarship fund for our members. I am planning to facilitate a PDK informational table at the upcoming residency in Atlanta Georgia.

Our excecutive board has discussed and approved the initiation of a fundraising opportunity through the wellness organization, Melaleuca. Learn more about this program here.

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Report from the Communications Director/Webmaster

Hello all,

During the summer, Greg set up waldenpdk[dot]org email addresses for all of our members who were at that time in good standing. These accounts are ready for use now. Here is a link to a "how to" demonstration, provided by our website host which illustrates how to access and set up these accounts using any web browser. Take a look at that, and then go to http://waldenpdk.org/webmail and log in. Your user ID is your first initial followed by your full last name as shown on the chapter membership roster, followed by [at symbol]waldenpdk[dot]org. The initial password is the same for all accounts initially: "education". Please change it the first time you log in, and make a note of it, If you forget it, the only way to fix it will be for Greg or I to delete your account (including any emails you've saved) and re-create it.

Greg is now working on a description for how to set up other email software to access these accounts using "POP". I originally thought we would send this information to members in our next snail-mail newsletter—but maybe I should prepare a simple letter about this, include an announcement that the Fall meeting is open, and send them out ASAP.

As soon as members are accessing their new email accounts (which can be set to forward to any other email address a member prefers) we will be able to set up a new members[at]waldenpdk[dot]org email listserve and once again rely on email communications to announce meetings and such.

Note that one way of minimizing email address "harvesting" by spammers is to stop putting email addresses on public web pages. That's why I'm using brackets and words to substitute for the at symbol and the domain "dot", —and I am no longer publishing full email addresses on new pages of our site. I'm removing them from the old pages as I find them.

Jarek has offered to research possible ways to minimize the spam burden our domain has become plagued with. I await his counsel.

A new problem has sprung up since our Spring meeting also—our meeting "comment boards" , which we use for discussions during meetings and programs, are getting "spammed" with yucky posts of all sorts, and I spend about 15-30 minutes every day clearing out those posts, which I believe are being made by automatic robotic "spiders" that scour the web for any open (no password required) discusssion boards and submit various content. If I can't find a way to stop this new nuisance, we may need to use a password-protected area of the website for our discussions—each member would have to log in to participate. I've tried to avoid this, because when we've had password protected areas in the past (such as ballots), it's caused another HUGE amount of maintenance for me. Members forget the access information, or have trouble accessing the material for any number of reasons. But we may have to go that route. Fortunately, it does take a certain amount of time for NEW open discussion boards to get noticed by the spammers, and we may be finished with a discussion period in time to avoid the intrusions. This meeting will help determine that. That's why I've held off activating the comment boards until the last minute before the meeting launches.

On another topic, I agreed to work with Andre on our chapter bylaws revision project but we haven't gotten far. You may recall, we need to update our bylaws to conform with the 2004 revision of the PDK International bylaws, and also to better describe the changes in governance and operations that we've evolved since our chapter's inception. I've reposted a discussion page for continuing the dialogue on the bylaws here. All are encouraged to review and comment.

Gay

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Report from the Secretary

Summary of Spring 2006 Meeting

Gay Wiseman prepared our award winning web site for the spring 2006 meeting. Marion Carpenter, president, presided and provided opening statements welcoming all.

Nominees for chapter officer positions were announced. Additionally, many officers will mentor other members who will assume their positions.

Jarek Janio announced that our long dreamed of journal is moving closer to a reality. He proposed that the Journal be devoted to work by new scholars still in the Walden Program. Thanks to Dr. Simon's suggestions, it seems like the best targeted audience would be within education department. We will discuss and agree on the depth and scope of the project. Jarek and Dr. Simon prepared a short letter that will be sent to Dr. Yob seeking her approval.

Dr. Janice Lake Betts presented a program, Arts in Education.

Dr. Ogden offered many details regarding the Simon-Poppenhagen Scholarship. For example, it should be offered to a student in the education track. Moreover, we should give at least two per year. He suggested we place the scholarship application online in PDF format. An idea to generate funding, “asking admirers of Dr. Simon and Dr. Poppenhagen for support,” was considered doable. The aforementioned fundraising idea was submitted by Andre Elliott. Dr. Charles Smith, Sr., advisor, added that we should consider corporate sponsorships to increase the amounts of the scholarships in addition to support that is generated by admirers of Dr. Simon and Dr. Poppenhagen. Dr. Smith suggested we give 4 scholarships, $250 each, and consider high school graduating seniors. President, Marion Carpenter discussed the scholarship plan with PDK International and reports that they advise we should award two scholarships—and that they be a minimum of $500 each. They feel that two scholarships are better than one, and anything less than $500 is too small to be significant. Discussion by officers passed, accepting the details worked out with International. We can establish an endowment and place funds in PDK’s bank. However, most chapters set up their own account, which is what we are doing.

Marion Carpenter announced that Carol Van De Pol regretfully will not remain as our Foundation Representative. Her mother died of cancer and her step daughter was killed in a car wreck, both within a month. This position is open and will be voted upon.

Dr. Ogden sent the $300 to the Winegard School, the 2005 recipient of literacy project gift. Chapter members were encouraged to read about four school libraries, and select one of them as the choice to be the recipient of our 2006 Literacy Project book donations.

We have been honored and recognized by Joseph Cofield for work and support of Katrina victims as noted on the Chapter Liaison page of the PDK International website.

Amy Kemp, membership director at PDK International, visited Walden University students this summer, presented a program about PDK and our chapter, and signed up one new member.

 

Report from the Treasurer

Here is my treasurer's report through today (11/7/06):

Beginning Balance July 30, 2006	$3,986.63
Total deposits through 11/7/06	$1,082.48
Interest earned on account	$7.86
TOTAL Balance	$5,076.97

Regards,

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Report from the Historian

A Brief Report from the current historian of Walden PDK:

Walden University Phi Delta Kappa (PDK) was installed as the first fully functional cyberspace chapter on January 23, 2000. The charter bears the names of seventy-two individuals who provided the foundation for its progress from a club to become an exemplar of collegial scholars. According to Dr. Billie Spellman of PDK International, Walden PDK is probably the largest chapter ever initiated in the history of Phi Delta Kappa. We are proud to have a web site that is rated among the most distinguished in Phi Delta Kappa. We are proud of our literacy project and our decision to devote an entire newsletter to encourage members to support the victims and survivors of Hurricane Katrina. We acknowledge the contributions of Dr. Marilyn K. Simon and Dr. Brent Poppenhagen by annually awarding a scholarship that honors their names. This year, the promulgation of the Journal of Educational Practice and Social Change (JEPSC) epitomizes our raison d’etre. Our purpose is the scientific study of education in the interest of humanity.

Feel free to contact me regarding any aspect of our history. I have been with the chapter since it took its first breath of life. Peruse our web site to gain a sense of our journey to become a chapter.

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Archived Discussion

The posts below were made during the Fall 2006 Business Meeting:

Name	Comment
Gay	Hello all, good to be back with you.
Marilyn K. Simon	I am extremely proud of our chapter. Walden has had a change in structure and adminstration. There are now several colleges and the College of Education, which includes several Masters programs, the EDD program and the PH.D. program. Dr. Manuel Barrera is our new Dean. He is extremely impressed with our chapter and all our accomplishments. He will be writing welcoming comments in the January issue of our Journal. Thanks to all who make this chapter great!
Jenny	Our chapter is more exciting to be involved with than ever! Many new and innovative members are adding to the conversations and this meeting will reflect the increased momentum we are all feeling.
Gay	Apologies are due to most of our members, who may not have learned that our old email listserve was shut down just at the end of our Spring meeting and we have been out of touch with many of you since. We're compiling another list, and will soon be sending out a postal letter describing how to use our new chapter email addresses (which will then be used to create a new all-chapter mailing list). Anyway, I'm so sorry about the break in communiciations. The officers group has recently been all re-linked via email and has been having quite a vibrant exchange of ideas... that's what Jenny is referring to. We welcome all members to join in during this meeting and get more involved.
Jenny	Please forgive my email references as well! I forgot that the door prize and other announcements will all be found right here at the meeting areas.
Andre Elliott	Wow, Marion typed all the email addresses for over 100 members. This is why we are among the best PDK chapters. We have leadership that is beyond dedicated to our ongoing progress and mission to be the best chapter in the history of Phi Delta Kappa. As Marion indicated, we have a grand opportunity to truly live in cyberspace. Therefore, I hope you vote to read the Kappan online and save about 30 dollars annually on membership in Phi Delta Kappa. As the founding president, I see this opportunity as a bold and necessary historical move.
Steve Canipe	Marion thanks for keying in all 120 members -- must have been quite a task. While I, like all of you, work in a cyberworld there is something nice about being able to curl up in bed or by the fire with my Kappan. I could do without the other publications in paper but the magazine I really like in the old fashioned format. Still with a savings of $30 it might be worth it to transfer the magazine to my PDA and curl up with stylus in hand! hmmmmmm. Will give it thought, but am anxious to hear from others on the antiquated desire to touch paper!!
Jenny	A couple of things... Marion is one amazing and dedicated woman, unifying us all by email! Steve, I hear you about the vast difference between reading on a computer screen and curling up with journals and books. For me, the Kappan is usually related to my "work self" so I am near the computer anyway when I read it, in a state of "work mode"! So, getting the discount & reading electronically makes sense for me. CONGRATULATIONS TO WEST CAPE MAY SCHOOL as recipient of the Literacy Project Award!!!!! I am admittedly super-happy about this one as it is a South Jersey school, as I'm sure Arthur will be too! Our fellow member and recipient, Brenda Williams Elliot, is an absolutely phenomenal educator, who will undoubtedly use this award to significantly benefit her beloved and deserving students.
Arthur Ogden	Yes, folks, I am still alive! I have just sent my treasurer's report and Gay should have it up soon. Jenny, I can't believe that a South Jersey school will receive our gift! And Karine, what a great job you have done! As per usual, though, Gay has done an outstanding job with the website. It's good to have her back safely from Britain, again. It is one of the characteristics of our group, I think, that everyone is so giving and so talented.
Kate Swetnam	Thank you, Marion, for your dedication and assistance to our chapter. Please keep up the contact. This is the first time I believe I have felt part of the group. Keep us posted as to whether or not dues are still needed too. Many thanks!
Marion	Wow! Look at this message board. What a great start! This is an exciting way to start a year, for sure. Thanks to all for your kind comments; they are greatly appreciated! I do hope we go fully cyberspace on our mailings, because that is who we are - we are the first and only fully functional cyberspace chapter - why are we still relying on paper products? Thirty bucks a year adds up to almost a hundred in 3 years. Is a particular magazine in your hand worth that much? Why not get the Kappan online, and use the extra $30 to buy a really great book to curl up with, and the hot cocoa to go with it - imported, even, with marshmallows! :-) This chapter does have many dedicated, intelligent, and kind hearted people - it is them & their ideas that keep us going, along with the guidance of Dr. Simon, who has been with us from forever, thankfully! Kate, I am so sorry you haven't felt a stronger part of us much earlier, but I am so glad that you are here now! Don't forget to vote for us becoming fully cyberspace - or not - as the case may be. But I like to think positively. I'm one of those people who, when asked for a fish dinner, go out in a rowboat after Moby Dick with a spear in one hand and a jar of tartar sauce in the other. Welcome, everyone!
Karine	Yes marion I mentioned to many Walden students who visited the informational table in Atlanta about the possible decrease and they were very excited and were wondering when we would know I advised that as soon as we know the information will be made readily available to everyone. I am so proud to be part of this awesome team. karine
Theran	It has been some time since I have participated. This year has been one of ups and downs. I am pleased to see the activity and the news that the chapter is and continues to be in good hands. I have not been entirely absent since I am in contact somewhat with Marion. For some reason I was not aware of some of the events, meetings, and elections, so forgive my not being involved.
Doris E. Sweeney, Ph.D.	It's good to see the group online again and still moving forward due to the continuing efforts of our dedicated members. I agree that I'd rather "curl" up with a good book/Kappan rather than read it online, but having the extra $30 to spend elsewhere is also enticing.
David Kenneth Waldman	Dear All: I am honored to be with all of you as part the leadership for Walden Chapter of PDK. I am David Kenneth Waldman the newly elected VP of Membership. First of all I am impressed with the professionalism, team oriented leadership and each of you for your support. I have goals that I will briefly outline here as Andre and I are working on a marketing and communication plan that will increase membership and support our fundraising efforts. By the way Karine is off to a good start and we need to communicate what we do to get new members. First of all the Journal, Karine's outreach at the WU residency's, the new website are all excellent tools I can work with. Thank you for all the dedication and hard work. 1. We need to target Education programs and all that would benefit from a professional membership. This will be part of the communication and marketing plan. 2. Involvement of our members. I think we need to encourage and get more members to become active and if one member just brought in one new member we would double our membership. I think that each member can give us ten potential contacts that would be interested in joining and we can start a membership campaign. With the Journal, Website, scholarships we have powerful incentives to join. With a reduction in membership costs that would also get us more members. 3. We need to reach Teaching education schools and undergraduates as they are t he future of our field. We need to target new teachers, NGO's doing work in education, governmental officials in the Dept of Education and the list is endless. Working in cyberspace we have the advantage of outreach with no cost to the organization. 4. We should look into partnering with other professional organizations in the sense of outreach to share information from related fields. For example there are alot of UNICEF, UNESCO and other agencies where our expertise in education is a major assest and partnering with them to create social change and to bring our mission more internationally. I will set goals, create with Andre a communication and marketing plan which we will bring to Karine and you all for your comments and input and work towards targeting members that will become engaged and active. Finally and this is my personal view. I would love love love to save $30. But I am engaged in a doctoral program and for me reading print online is difficult. I wind up printing out which costs me time, ink and paper so I can read during my lunch time, on a plane or before I go to sleep. I woould invest in another $30 a year which divided by 365 days is a small price to pay for the comfort and advantage for me to have printed material in hand. Sorry for the long first message. I am proud to stand with you.
Karine	Hello every one, First, I want to express my gratitude to all the members who voted me into this new and exciting position. I'm in the process of researching several fundraising opportunities that will benefit our organization. In order to introduce this new fundraiser to our Walden/PDK Community I facilitated a PDK informational table at the upcoming residency in Atlanta Georgia. At this event we had 8 new members sign up, some of whom also signed up for the scholarship fundraiser.The funds raised will be used to assist and support existing scholarships such as the Literacy Project, Teachers without Borders, Simon/Poppenhagen and George Kersey Scholarship Fund. As well as establish new research and book scholarships for our members. We would also like to allocate some funds to build up our website to even higher standards - like getting Pay Pal so we can register our own members & get paid directly. I invite you to read more about our fundraisers at http://waldenpdk.org/fundraising/melaleuca_intro.html Thank you again for your confidence in my current and future endeavors I intend to make you proud.
karine	Sorry I forgot to say that I vote yes for our chapter to transition into a paperless entity and get a $30.00 reduction in our dues.
Andre Elliott	David, thanks for your far reaching ideas and conspicuous passion. I am with you on the journey to extraordinary success. Karine, thanks for the exemplary manner in which you think, executing and progress. We are truly blessed as we move toward the end of 2006. The scholarship, journal, literacy project and more are reasons to be greatly proud. I believe we are experiencing a rebirth, a new beginning. Next year will mark the tenth year since Walden PDK took its first breath of life. Ten years ago we dreamed of becoming the best chapter in the history of Phi Delta Kappa. With the present group of officers in place, the dream is abundantly alive. We are the future of Phi Delta Kappa International!
Jenny	WINNING NAMES!!!!!!! The following members' names have been drawn from the Door Prize Hat: STEVE CANIPE (Copper Lantern) KATE SWETNAM (Candle centerpiece) Congratulations to both winners! Please let me know where to snail-mail your prize by replying to my email announcement (coming soon if not there yet!).