1. The Stand Alone Conference was a Smashing Success

Being a cautious worrywart, my definition of “success” for our first stand-alone conference was to get 50 personality psychologists in a room together at the same time. The first stand-alone ARP conference exceeded our wildest expectations. More than 250 faculty, graduate students, and undergraduates showed up, participated, and had what appeared to be a great time. The schedule was a bit cramped and we could have had more food (as per your feedback), but most thought it went off well. I would really like to thank the program committee (headed by Dan McAdams) and Bob Hogan, in particular, for making the event run so well both in terms of content and gustatory offerings.

2. ARP is Doing Well

Under the diligent guidance of our past and current presidents (especially Julie Norem, Bill Revelle, and David Funder) our organization is thriving. Until recently our financial situation was tenuous and our membership levels unimpressive. I’m glad to say that with a few shifts in policy and some good moves by the organization that we are now on good financial footing (see Lynne Cooper’s report) and our membership numbers are better than they’ve ever been. We expect this situation to continue, as we are partners in the new journal, SPPS, which means that at some point in the future we should be earning revenue as more libraries subscribe to the journal. We also expect our membership numbers to remain higher than in years past, which is a sign of a healthy organization.

3. ARP and SPSP

There was some consternation expressed at the recent SPSP meeting in Las Vegas that ARP was “splitting off” from SPSP. We assured the concerned individuals that we were still active and motivated partners with SPSP and that all we were trying to do was strengthen the P side of the equation.

I know this issue is contentious, as I’ve had long conversations with many of you about the potential divisiveness of an independent group representing personality psychologists in the U.S. So, let me make my position public (If you don’t agree with my position see item #5). I think that ARP serves a function that SPSP can’t—it helps to strengthen personality psychology in the U.S., which is a good thing. SPSP is dominated by social psychology—rightfully so as social psychologists outnumber personality psychologists by a large margin. Personally, I think a strong personality group will help SPSP in the end, as it will make the organization as a whole much stronger. Finally, I believe that personality and social psychologists need each other—even if small constituencies in each group believe otherwise. We are both incomplete sciences. Someday, when we get over our sibling rivalry, we may actually see the distinction between personality and social psychology come to an end. One can only hope.

4. Changes are a Comin’

We have decided to move the incorporation of ARP to Illinois. Lee Anna Clark and David Watson who handled the original incorporation in Iowa are moving. So, we thought it would be prudent to move the incorporation to a state in which there is a critical mass of personality psychologists (i.e., more than 3). We are also pursuing tax-exempt status, which entails filing voluminous paper work with the IRS. Fun stuff.

We need a new web master. On behalf of Chris Fraley, I would beseech any of you with HTML skills to volunteer. We need someone to manage the site, if not enhance it.

5. Fire Me. Please.

I’ll be the first to admit it, even if David Funder and Lynne Cooper won’t say so. I have outlived my usefulness as EO. ARP deserves better and I hope one or more of you might be willing and able to take over. The only requirement is that you are more conscientious than me—a requirement that should not be difficult to satisfy. As per our bylaws, ARP will send out a call soon for my replacement. I’m sure there are several of you with the requisite skills to take over.