Weather changes, leaves turn colors, the days become shorter, harvesting begins – all signs that Fall is once again upon us. This change in season also means the MCA Fall Institute is just around the corner! After several months of planning and hard work, the MCA Fall Institute Committee has once again put together a fabulous 3-day event you won’t want to miss! Please take a few moments to visit our website for registration and training/activity schedule information. This issue of the Forum also contains other conference and contact information. But hurry, the registration deadline is October 1st.

Over the past several months, I have attempted to keep the membership updated on the work and activities of the MCA Board of Directors and committee members. Updating and modifying the Operations Manual and By-Laws has proven to be the most difficult, time-consuming project to date. The good news is, these documents have now been completed and are inserted in this edition of the Forum, and will also be posted on our website. I would ask that you take a few moments out of your busy schedule to review these documents. The MCA membership will vote on these changes at our Business Meeting at the Fall Institute. A big thank you to all the Committee Chairs, Committee members and the Executive Board for their diligence in getting this monumental project completed.

In the ever changing world of technology, MCA recognizes that we are becoming increasingly reliant on the internet to conduct our business and communicate with members and others. Therefore, we felt it was important to develop and maintain a contemporary, professional web page. The MCA Board recently approved expenditures to up-date our current website and also the Minnesota Corrections website we continue to host. Functional operating improvements, accessibility and professional appearance are our top priorities. Our Technology committee recently took on this task and started work on developing this website, though there will likely not be any full-scale changes until after the Fall Institute. Stay tuned.

Our Membership committee is currently in the process of obtaining bids to purchase a new MCA banner. This banner will be displayed at our Fall Institute, joint MCA/MACPO conference, several colleges throughout the year and other events to promote MCA. The new banner will not only have a fresh new look, but will be much easier for members to transport and set up. The MCA Board has also elected to continue the services of a Legislative Tracker and is currently negotiating terms for a contract for 2008. Over this past Legislative year, MCA recognized the value of this service, but will continue to assess and modify as need be throughout the year.

Our Training and Education Committee is wrapping up work on the joint MCA/MACPO conference that will be held in Bloomington in February of next year. This committee is also seeking an individual from the northeastern part of the state and one of our correctional facilities who are interested in becoming Regional Representatives for MCA. These representatives will assist this committee and also work on sponsoring trainings for their particular region. Contact the Training and Education Committee for more information.

In my next (and final) article for the Forum, I will update the readership on the work of our other talented MCA committees. We are fortunate to have such dedicated Chairs and Committee members, but they could always use some additional help from others. If you find a committee that interests you, please consider joining. Become a voice that can make a difference. And please continue to contact us with your ideas and feedback. We love hearing from you!! See you at the Fall Institute!