It's a dark and gloomy Tuesday here at MENC. The rain is so needed that it's hard to be grumpy about it, though. I'm collecting the proposals that were due yesterday for a major Web site project we're undertaking, hanging out on a couple of conference calls for other projects, going to various meetings. We've got the year's Tri-M promotions out to the printer, and Collegiate promotions will be starting this week. (These are promotions to new prospects that the marketing department handles; the Student Programs department has already been hard at work for weeks getting out materials to active chapters so they can renew before the school years starts.) We're also about to drop a major regular membership acquisition mailing in about two weeks.
Have you heard about this? The New York Times recently published an article on a new book, "The Role of Art In Schools" by Ellen Winner and Lois Hetland, that's causing a bit of a stir. Americans for the Arts was able to publish, online, a letter to the editor from their CEO, Bob Lynch. Also, Nick Rabkin, a leading researcher in arts education, blogged on the topic.
Moving on, on Sunday I was attending more outdoor music (Pat Benatar!) and the crowd was asked to rise to sing the national anthem. Which we did, and of course I know it, and sang along, but that has never happened before at any rock concert I've attended. Interesting.
Onward - EWL
