Feedback May 2002 (Vol 43 No 2)

SEARCHBEA 2003Theme: The Next GenerationMark Tolstedt, 2003 Convention ChairConcept: In many respects, we are the next generation. Our teachers, our mentors,are leaving academia and have entrusted with us the future of the discipline. They gaveus the skills and critical thinking abilities to continually evaluate and add to theknowledge base of our field. In other respects, as an association of educators, we areresponsible for the next generation of media and broadcast practitioners as well asbroadcast educators. We are helping our students to understand the shape, scope, andfuture of broadcasting from a variety of different perspectives. For all of us, ourstudents have and will become the next generation of broadcasters and broadcasteducators. I hope to see BEA celebrate The Next Generation.Challenge: We can celebrate The Next Generation by looking at where we are now,while at the same time trying to understand where we are going. I’d like to see eachinterest division, as members of the next generation, program to this challenge bylooking at their own mission statements and goals. Part of this challenge would entailevaluating how they have met and can continue to meet their objectives. I would againchallenge each interest division, as educators training the next generation ofpractitioners, to plan/program with the future of the next generation in mind.A Second Challenge: As Convention Program Planner, I am challenging the interestdivisions to have one new BEA member on each invited program/panel. If we are trulyhelping to mentor The Next Generation of broadcast educators, what better way isthere than to bring them to the BEA annual convention! mtolstead@uwsp.eduBEA—Educating tomorrow’s electronic media professionals 45