Happy New Year and Welcome to 2004. The past couple of years have not been kind to our nation’s economy and therefore to a lot of businesses and the people that work for them. We have seen a decrease in the overall number of jobs available, especially in the IT field. And we find that most people are working harder and longer trying to do more than it seems that one person is able to do. Everyone finds themselves multi-tasking at a faster and sometimes alarming rate. We in the AITP are no different.
     Towards the end of 2003 we as an organization had to re-group and re-tool. We have downsized and are attempting to recreate ourselves as a newer and much more viable entity for the Alabama IT market. We, like any good business, are trying to learn from the past and develop a course that, over the rest of this New Year, will take us into a new era. We want to be sure that we have the right Tools in place and that our Product is something that others will want to buy.
     Just as a New Year is a time of fresh starts for a lot of people, it is also a time for a fresh start for AITP. One of our main goals at the start of this New Year is to increase our focus on the Student Chapters. Any organization, and AITP is no different, flourishes with the addition of fresh, eager, young talent that is willing to work hard and make things happen. What we have to do is to foster an effective teaming arrangement with the Student Chapters to help them achieve the goals that they have set for themselves and to help us meet our objectives of creating a new foundation for the future of AITP.
     I know this looks daunting. We are all working long and hard. But only those that are willing to plow the ground, plant the seeds, fertilize the soil and pull the weeds will be able to enjoy fruits of all the labor. We each have to balance our professional and our personal lives and work within our boundaries. But I have been very impressed with the quality of people that we have in our organization. And I believe that from quality people, you get quality results.
     I want to thank each of you for time, effort and positive attitude. We can use generous helpings of each this new year.

Chapter President