This Newsletter will find members beginning a new academic year, I trust with the energy and promise that each September brings. There really is no experience that compares to the first day of classes for an adrenalin rush—for teachers and students alike. As this Newsletter goes to press, we await the results of the MLA’s most recent survey of foreign language enrollments, hoping that student and faculty numbers have held steady and perhaps even increased.

I think it is also safe to assume that we are all affected by the struggling economy and cuts to education budgets. Each of us is being asked to do more with less, and the ATJ is no exception. But I am always struck by the energy and dedication that the executive leadership and the board bring to the Association, even as their home institutions place higher demands on their time.

On that note, I urge all members to be thinking about nominations for candidates to run for the Board and President. As you may have noticed, the AAS annual meeting is to be held early next year (March 4-7), which means that our election will take place soon after the first of the year. You will find an item later in this newsletter that tells you how to communicate with the Elections Committee and make nominations.

We ask those of you who are involved in graduate teaching to encourage your students to join the ATJ—and to participate in the activities of the organization such as the annual Seminar held in conjunction with the ATJ meeting at AAS. The Seminar is a wonderful opportunity for faculty and students to interact. And the ATJ is eager to continue its role in nurturing the next generation of teachers and scholars. If you have a seminar or a regular meeting with students whose future is likely to be in Japanese language education, please distribute the membership application that accompanies this Newsletter and support their involvement.

I wish everyone a successful academic year.

Patricia J. Wetzel