Message from the Chair…………………………………….Tommy Ratliff

In my final message as Chair, I would like to thank Section for providing me the opportunity to serve in this role. I have been involved in the Section in various capacities since I came to Wheaton in 1996, but I did not truly appreciate until serving as Chair how much work goes on behind the scenes by a dedicated group of Section members who graciously volunteer their time despite their other professional and personal commitments. I will not try to list everyone here (since it's almost certain that I would forget someone!), but the next time you attend a Section meeting, get an announcement about a Dinner Meeting, receive the Newsletter, or your students participate in one of the Sections' undergraduate programs, take a minute to think about the people who gave their time to organize the event and thank them when you have the opportunity.

There are several items of particular notice that have happened since the Spring Newsletter came out:

- Congratulations are due to Ken Gross from the University of Vermont for winnning the Haimo award for Distinguished College or University Teaching of Mathematics. This is the highest teaching honor that the national MAA offers. The long line of winners from the Northeastern Section confirms something that we have long known - there are an extraordinary number of extraordinary teachers in the NES!

- Our Spring Meeting at Keene State was a wonderful weekend. Special thanks go to the Program Committee, co-chaired by Vince Ferlini and Frank Ford and joined by Zenaida Ramos, and the Local Arranglements Committee, chaired by Ockle Johnson and joined by Joseph Witkowski. I would encourage those of you who haven't attended a Spring Meeting recently to take a couple of days to visit St. Michael's for the Spring Meeting on May 30-31, 2008.

There are a couple of very exciting events upcoming this fall.

- On October 27, the NES and Bentley College are sponsoring Math at Work: Careers in the Mathematical Sciences Student Conference. You have hopefully received several announcements via email about the conference, which will be a marvelous opportunity for your students to be able to answer the age-old question "So just what can I do with a math major?" Karen Schroeder and the organizing committee have done a fantastic job putting together this conference for our students.

- The upcoming Fall Meeting at Framingham State on November 16-17 promises to be another outstanding event. I won't try to summarize the many exceptional invited talks during the weekend, but please look at the meeting website (linked from the NES homepage) for the complete program, and I think you will be suitably impressed. There are also many opportunities for you and your students to participate in the meeting, from the Contributed Talks Sessions, to Section NExT, to the Student Problem Competition.

Finally, the Executive Committee has discussed forming several committees to focus on the particular tasks of the Section, including committees on Communications, New Colleagues, Student Programs, Professional Development, and Section Meetings, in addition to the existing Section Awards committees. The idea is to provide a structure for coordination among the various groups and individuals who are responsible for the Section activities. If you are interested in participating in any of these committees or have suggestions for their organization, please contact one of the members of the Executive Committee.

Once again, I want to thank you for allowing me to serve as Chair for the last two years, and I look forward to seeing you at the Section events this fall.