Division Chairs,

I am writing to all Divisions, sponsoring (or thinking about sponsoring)
the competition of faculty creative works within the BEA Festival
activities.

As we approach the convention, I'm sure there'll be a lot of questions.
Here's a few answers I hope you'll help me pass along. Please feel free
to forward this information to your Vice Chairs and your Division
organization.

First, the Festival structure does not replace the Division
responsibilities in faculty competition. The Festival Cmte Co-Chairs are
basically appointed by the Divisions to work within the Festival Cmte.
(Please, as you make these appointments in your Division meetings,
communicate those changes to the Festival Chair -- at present that's
me, and I will facilitate the formal appointment through the BEA
President.)

I suggest you leave the people appointed in place for at least two years
and advise the appointment of two individuals (or a subcmte), as that
allows for training and transition efficiency as well as a sharing of
the workload. The publication cmte appointments are made for a two year
term and the term is renewable once.

Second, the primary goals of the new Festival are to: (1) elevate the
level of our faculty competitions to the status of "juried competition." We are working toward an exhibition that would be seen as parallel in work and reward to an academic scholarly publication; (2) promote the festival; and, (3) operate within budget generated by our own entry fees.

At this point we've done little with the second goal. Our work to-date
has been to set the Festival structure in place -- parallel to the
publications cmte -- and test some of our decisions before promotion. In
actuality, the Festival will be launched next year, 2003. The promotion
for the 2003 Festival will be directly dependent upon fees from this
year -- unless someone knows of a golden goose somewhere.

I suspect we'll grow slowly. I'm more anxious that we set the proper
direction in motion than we make that big splash. I do hope it won't be
long before the BEA Festival will be considered the premier among
faculty and student competitions.

I would also like to compliment each of the Division's Co-Chairs. They
have done a marvelous job in communicating with their colleagues and
setting into place the basic structure for the Festival.

The operational structure, a work in progress, for the Festival was
published in Feedback and can be accessed at:
http://www.public.asu.edu/~chrisdon/service/BEAFestival.html -- for
further information.

If you have any questions please let me know. I hope to be able to
attend the Division Chairs meeting and will be happy to answer any
questions now or then.

Don

Donald G. Godfrey, Ph.D.
Professor
Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Telecommunication
Arizona State University
Tempe, AZ 85287-1305

e-mail: don.godfrey@asu.edu
Web: http://www.public.asu.edu/~chrisdon/index.html