President's Message

立春—the air is still chilly, but you can feel the slow approach of spring in the brighter sun. I hope ATJ members are making travel plans for the upcoming ATJ seminar on March 26 in conjunction with AAS Annual Meeting in Chicago. The Seminar Committee has done a fabulous job of putting together an excellent array of presentations. The keynote speech by Beate Sirota Gordon, who is known for her part in the drafting of the Japanese Constitution, should be of great interest to all. You will find the full schedule of the seminar in this Newsletter.

With spring also comes the growing excitement about graduation. For those graduating seniors who have worked hard in their Japanese, won't you consider getting their names recognized by the Japanese National Honor Society? Please see how you can do that in this issue of the Newsletter.

As you know, the Development task force, led by Professor Wesley Jacobson, has been working hard on fundraising. I am pleased to say that we accepted a generous gift from the Center for Japanese Studies at the University of Michigan. In addition, we have our first corporate sponsorship, from The Japan Times. These contributions indicate both the support we have from the field and the responsibility we have to it. Each of us can make a difference. Let's keep the momentum going! If you would like to make a donation to the ATJ Endowment, the Bridging Scholarship Fund, or professional development projects, please visit the new "Donations" section of our website at www.aatj.org/donate.html.

ATJ Board members have been busy with two important tasks. By the time you read this message, you should have voted on the recommendation of the Bylaws revision task force. The revision intends to make the officers of the Association more stable and effective while making the board members better represent the Association's membership. Another is the work of the task force that is examining the feasibility of a merger between ATJ and our sister organization, NCJLT. I look forward to hearing the task force's report on their findings at the general meeting during AAS.

As I'll be passing the baton of the President to Tohsaku-sensei after this message, I want to take this opportunity to thank all members for their professional work and especially the members of the Board and the Secretariat staff for their thoughtful hard work that has supported the association.

I look forward to seeing everybody at the ATJ Seminar in Chicago.