Hello and happy holidays everyone! Hope you and your schools enjoy much success and good fortune in the year 2000 and beyond. This letter serves to update you on BONUS news and give business officers and deans a preview of our BONUS 2000 conference in Denver this April. Mission and Purpose of BONUS The purpose of our organization is to advance and enhance the professional skills of personnel working in the administration of nursing education in the areas of business, technology, finance, and administration within nursing schools, and to facilitate networking among members of the Business Officers of Nursing group. The organization also facilitates communications between the staff and officers of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) and the business officers of member schools. We hope all school of nursing deans will support the relevant people in their organizations to be active BONUS members and to attend its annual conference. For more information about BONUS, please visit our web site at www.bonus.aacn.nche.edu. The site includes the history and by-laws of the organization, a list of current officers and members (including their addresses and phone numbers), newsletters, conference information, and other items of interest. The site will continue to be updated and expanded and we hope it will be useful to you. Steering Committee Meeting The BONUS Steering Committee met in San Diego the weekend of October 15, 1999. The purpose of our meeting was to finalize the conference plans for the upcoming Denver conference. We also wanted to look for a suitable hotel in San Diego for our 2001 conference which we had planned to hold in sunny, California. Everything was going wonderfully with our planning (we have a great agenda for Denver) until about 2:45 that Saturday morning when we all woke up rocking & rolling from an unexpected earthquake that hit the west coast (measuring 7.0). In my case, I woke up because the door to my television unit popped open and the window blind rods were dancing crazily and making a huge racket -- an exciting but rather frightening experience. The other Steering Committee members had similar tales and at dinner that night, a decision was made to change the location of the 2001 conference from San Diego to Tucson, Arizona. The by-laws state that the conference location is the Steering Committee's decision and Tucson was the first choice of the majority of members. When I returned to Boston from San Diego, I contacted our AACN liaison, Jennifer Ahearn, who worked quickly to secure a terrific (and affordable) site for us in Tucson -- the Westward Look Resort. For those of you who like to plan ahead, the Tucson conference will be held from April 25-27, 2001. 2000 BONUS Conference Plans are being finalized for our BONUS conference in Denver, Colorado from April 26 - April 28, 2000. The conference is entitled "BONUS 2000 - Investing in the Future of Nursing," and it may be the best one yet! The following topics will be discussed:
accommodation and the largest hotel in Colorado. It is located downtown on Denver's famous 16th Street Pedestrian Mall, a mile-long pedestrian promenade lined with shops, restaurants, and entertainment. Free shuttle buses run its length, providing easy access to all downtown attractions. A special Saturday trip into the Rocky mountains is also being planned for conference participants. More specific conference information and registration forms will follow closer to the date. Officer Nominations Needed During the April 2000 BONUS conference in Denver, our annual business meeting will be held. An election to fill four BONUS officer positions will take place at this time. Please consider nominating yourself or another BONUS member for any of the following four positions: President-Elect, Planning Committee Chair, Special Projects Chair, or Membership Chair. The responsibilities and terms of the positions are described in the BONUS by-laws, available on the BONUS web site: www.bonus.aacn.nche.edu. The nomination process will run through January 2000 and nominations will also be accepted at the annual meeting. Nominations should be sent to Nominating Committee Chair Susie Miller at Auburn University School of Nursing. Please e-mail her at millesj@mail.auburn.edu or FAX her at 334-844-4177. We hope BONUS members will seriously consider running for office. We need new blood and it's a great way to get more actively involved in a most worthwhile organization. Networking and sharing solutions with people encountering similar issues can greatly assist us all in moving our nursing schools successfully into the future. With sincere wishes for a most happy and healthy new year, Susan Donelan |
President's Letter