Dear CIES Members:

At the last Board of Directors meeting in Salt Lake City during the 2004 Conference, the Board approved a proposal for an online electronic newsletter. The rationale for this reasoning were:
" Online newsletter allows for a more expansive content
" Ease of Publication and update of information
" Ease of distribution to members especially those who are temporarily in one location by virtue of their work
" Saves the association approximately $10,000 yearly

In making this decision, the Board also took into consideration the plight of members who were either not technologically savvy, preferred hard-copy or simply do not have access to the internet. As such, the Secretariat still sends hardcopy of the newsletter upon request by any member.

Since the debut of the online newsletter with the May issue, we are working to make the newsletter more aesthetically pleasing and easy to navigate. This is part of a project in the pipeline for a total renovation of the CIES website. Given limited resources, we are working to secure funds that will enable the secretariat to embark on a restructuring of the website.

In the meantime, we ask that you bear with us as we work to make these changes. Should you have any suggestions or ideas of what should be incorporated into the CIES website, please do not hesitate to contact us at secretariat@cies.ws

We are also open to recommendations on resources both technical and financial to enable the swift completion of this project.

Thank you very much for your cooperation.

Sincerely,
Lynn Ilon
CIES Secretary