Dear Colleagues,

We hope you are as excited as we are that the NCURA membership will “Reconnect” for the 63^rd Annual Meeting August 30^th to September 2^nd live at the Washington Hilton in Washington DC or virtually from every corner of the world. There is no verb that better resonates our membership’s desire to share their research administrative knowledge than “Reconnect”. This year’s annual meeting promises to be unique with NCURA offering a hybrid version of events through a combination of virtual and in-person experiences. This is the first hybrid meeting and the AM 63 Annual Program Committee is working diligently to recruit the best learning experiences regardless if the session will be virtual or in-person. There will be something for everyone from young professionals to the most senior executives.  

We are finding ways for in-person attendees to reconnect and network with every safety precaution in place. At the same time, the AM63 program committee is building a top-quality virtual program for those who cannot attend in-person. And, we are finding ways for the in-person and virtual communities to share some common experiences through live question and answer opportunities with both audiences. Planning multiple programs at the same time in a rapidly changing environment is an incredible juggling experience, however we are confident we have the best team of research administrators and talented NCURA staff who will make “Reconnect” a meeting not to be forgotten. 

We are proud and excited AM63 will serve as the connection gateway between our existing virtual lives and our future return to in-person meetings. With some recent loosening of pandemic related regulations, we anticipate the number of in-person participants will be many more than we would have envisioned even just a month ago. 

By the time we come together for AM63, the impacts of COVID will have been felt for 18 months. We recognize this year and a half has challenged us all both personally and professionally and we hope the AM63 offerings will give you a sense of hope and normalcy regardless if you choose to participate virtually or in-person! Along with the AM63 Program Committee, we look forward to the opportunity to reconnect!

Supporting Research…together,

Ara Tahmassian, NCURA Vice President

Kris Monahan, Co-Chair

Dave Richardson, Co-Chair, NCURA Distinguished Educator