Once again the summer flew by! I hope you all had a chance to rest and that you're returning to campus refreshed.

Please note the call for papers and panels for the 2002 ATJ Seminar (April 4 in Washington, D.C.) that follows this message. For the first time this year, proposals can be submitted online, and I encourage you to do that. The deadline is October 24.

As you're planning for the fall, you may find it useful to explore the Web sites of the various National Foreign Language Resource Centers. Antonia Folarin Schleicher, Directer of the African Languages Resources Center at the University of Wisconsin, presented an overview of the NFLRC activities related to less commonly taught languages at the spring meeting of the Executive Board of the National Council of Organizations of Less Commonly Taught Languages, and I was reminded how many different initiatives are under way in different parts of the country. Antonia turned up twenty or more projects focusing on Japanese at the NFLRC's, ranging from production of videos on Japanese context and culture by the Language Acquisition Research Center (LARC) at San Diego State University, to development of learning strategies resource guides for immersion teachers and self-instructional rater training kits at the National Capital Language Resource Center (NCLRC) at Georgetown and George Washington Universities and the Center for Applied Linguistics, and research in the cultural dimensions of learning to communicate in East Asian languages at the National East Asian Languages Resource Center (NEALRC) at Ohio State University. It is possible to search for activities conducted by all the centers on the website maintained by the Center for Language Education and Research (CLEAR) at Michigan State University (www.NFLRC.msu.edu). The Center for Advanced Research on Language Acquisition (CARLA) at the University of Minnesota maintains databases of programs and experts in less commonly taught languages, as well as hosting an online Virtual Picture Album which includes a new section on Japan.

Also, please bring the deadline for applications for Bridging scholarships to your students' attention. The deadline for spring 2002 study abroad is Oct. 3.

Best wishes for your fall semester!

Laurel Rasplica Rodd, President