In-plant Conferences: Consolidate and Thrive

What I will suggest in this column will shock and probably dismay many of my friends, and honestly I mean no disrespect. I suggest this course of action for several reasons. First and most important is that we must maximize our travel expenditures to attend those events that provide the most benefits. My problem with the system as it exists is there are too many meetings: ACUP, IPMA, TACUP, SUPDMC, NGPA, Big 10, Big 12—it is just crazy. This fact came to our attention in dramatic fashion this year when ACUP was cancelled. It was no one's fault, it just happened. The HardCopy higher-ed listserv was filled with stories of budget cuts and travel restrictions.