After coming back east from flower-blooming San Diego I feel as if Spring had already come, but on the East Coast mother nature appears to be still wondering if she should bless us with spring or not. But the midterm exam and spring break are gone now, and I hope by this time you must have already worked out your plan for the coming summer!

First, let me thank Prof. Laurel Rasplica Rodd, who has served the ATJ since 1996. At the General Membership Meeting we presented her with a plaque to express our gratitude for her highly dedicated service to our organization. My heart-felt thanks go also to the departing Board members Professors Wesley Jacobsen, Phyllis Larson, Sachiko Matsunaga, Christopher Thompson and Suwako Watanabe. My desire is that each of them still remains a pro-actively involved member of ATJ.

Following the ATJ’s annual election, we are pleased to announce that Prof. Naomi Hanaoka McGloin of the University of Wisconsin at Madison is our new President-Elect and that Professors Mutsuko Endo Hudson of Michigan State University, Junko Mori of the University of Wisconsin at Madison, and Lindsay Amthor Yotsukura of the University of Maryland are our new Board Members. Welcome aboard!

I believe the ATJ is an organization not only of pedagogical practitioners but of researchers who produce innovative ideas that can be directly or indirectly translated into reliable research-based pedagogy. Thus the ATJ Seminar is a very important forum where members can present fresh ideas. Japanese language instructors should pay close attention to literary theories, with the ultimate goal of establishing solid connections between advanced language and literature courses. This year the ATJ Seminar was attended by more than 200 members, and thanks to the Seminar committee, headed by Prof. Yuki Johnson of University of Toronto, twelve excellent panels on pedagogy, literature, and (applied) linguistics were presented. With four panels always taking place at the same time, I was able to listen to only eight presentations, hopping from one room to another; the ones I listened to were highly innovative and instructional. The highlight of the Seminar was the keynote speech by Prof. Susumu Kuno of Harvard University, who is known to the ATJ membership as the author of The Structure of the Japanese Language (1973). He offered insightful and contemporary observations on typological characteristics of Japanese based on his theory of functional linguistics. Thank you very much, Kuno Sensei!

Also on Friday were five thought-provoking Special Interest Group meetings: Classical Language SIG, Community College SIG, Professional Development SIG, Heritage SIG, and Study Abroad for Advanced Skills SIG. On Saturday there were two provocative ATJ-designated panels in AAS, one on linguistics and the other on poetry. Don't be surprised that it is already time to start to think about next year's Seminar (which will take place March 31-April 6, 2005 at the Hyatt Hotel in Chicago) and its SIGs and ATJ-designated panels. Look for the Call for Proposals that will appear in the next issue of the Newsletter. Consider submitting a proposal to AAS: the deadline is Aug. 1, and ATJ can endorse proposals from ATJ members.

Thanks very much to those members who took the time to reply our survey, based on Board members' views of what is good and what is not so good about ATJ. The next issue of the Newsletter will present a summary of the issues after a discussion at the Board Meeting in September. The Board members will think hard about how we can improve the ATJ using the members’ highly constructive suggestions.

The top issue for every member of the ATJ now should be: How we can ensure the success of the Advanced Placement (AP) Program, for which the College Board has chosen Japanese as one of the three new targets? We have established an ad hoc AP Program committee chaired by our former President Laurel Rodd and initiated a conversation on the best way to realize this important long-range project. The exact amount of financial support we will need for the project is not currently known, but we are optimistic about the possibility of acquiring funding. If we succeed in launching the AP Japanese Examination in 2006, pre-college Japanese education will be streamlined along with college Japanese education based on proficiency and national standards-based Japanese education. Needless to say, the AP Examination has professional training as a prerequisite. We must mobilize our pedagogical and (applied) linguistic intelligence to create a set of standard Japanese examinations so that high school students who pass can take advanced Japanese courses in college.

Last but not least, I would like to draw your attention to the good news that our former President Laurel Rodd has been chosen as the recipient of the Walton Award, given annually by National Council of Organizations of Less Commonly Taught Languages. Congratulations, Laurel!

それでは、みなさん、秋に備えての体力づくり、さらには、普段出来ないことを実現する、実りの多い夏をお過ごしください。

Seiichi Makino

It is a great honor and privilege to be given an opportunity to serve the ATJ as its president. Together with Professors Makino and Wetzel, I will do my best to promote the Association and the teaching of Japanese. During the last decade, thanks to able leadership, the ATJ has grown in its programmatic scope and organizational strength. I will continue to promote the many ongoing activities of the ATJ and the Alliance—SIG activities, study abroad initiatives, development of the Japanese AP program, and others. I would also like to strengthen our ties and dialogues with other related organizations both here and abroad, and for that purpose we might envision holding an international conference on the teaching of Japanese. Securing stable funding for the operation of the ATJ and its various activities is an issue of vital importance, and we must put renewed effort into increasing our membership and raising the necessary funds. I am looking forward with enthusiasm to working with the two other presidents, the board, and the members of the ATJ.

Naomi Hanaoka McGloin