The 25^th Annual Conference and Anniversary Celebrations were amazing. It was truly heartwarming and gratifying seeing all of you there and having the BPD family back together again. I would like to thank all of you that attended and chose to experience the flavor and the magnitude of the BPD experience. I hope fun was had by all. In addition, I trust that you took the opportunity to attend all the scholarly activities and networking opportunities available. The theme of the conference, Twenty-five years of BPD: Honoring our Past, Celebrating our Present, Affirming our Future was perfect for revisiting our history, addressing current issues, and acknowledging our contribution to undergraduate social work education.

There were many things to take from the conference. We were enriched by a host of presentations, papers, workshops, social networking opportunities and the many special events for the 25^th Celebration. The Salons, which brought the history of BPD to life, were fascinating, and the BPD Gala was extremely memorable. The involvement of the Past Presidents was a special feature of the conference because their presence added such uniqueness. I will always cherish having the opportunity of visiting with them.  Finally, the volume of input on EPAS III was miraculous and allowed the board to prepare a comprehensive response to CSWE. As expected, EPAS generated much controversy among BPD constituents. We are a very diverse group with a variety of sometimes competing interests and perspectives, and the process of developing educational policy and accreditation standards tends to galvanize these differences. The most controversial issues for BPDers were centered on content areas, competencies requirements, the continuum for social work education, administrative leadership, and more specificity with advanced practice. Although we have disagreements, our concerns are driven by what is best for undergraduate social work education. Moreover, EPAS IV has now been approved by the CSWE board. Our challenge is to think strategically and critically about EPAS IV so we can understand and develop curricula to better prepare students for generalist practice.  

In review, BPD has been a critical force in advancing undergraduate social work education. We must continue, however, to hold true to our mission and begin to build relationships with other organizations to advance the professional status for those who graduate with an undergraduate degree in social work. We must also plan to be proactive in preparation for the next review of EPAS. In my Presidential Address, I challenged each of you and your organizations to cross rail road tracks to begin working together to move the profession forward. It is time to embrace our differences and appreciate our uniqueness while working to advance the social work profession. After 25 years of conferencing, BPD is alive and well, but where do we go from here. My “Call to Serve” encourages members to get involved and to participate in the development and implementation of a plan to guide us into the next 25 years. WE MUST BE PROACTIVE. We have some keys issues facing us today. One of the most immediate one is EPAS IV. I suggest you take some time to review this important document and consider the implications for your program.

Secondly, we will continue to explore issues related to Unification. In the next issue of Update we will begin addressing a series of special topics of interest to our membership, like EPAS IV and Unification. I urge our membership to be actively involved. If you are interested in serving on committees, please go to the BPD website and contact one of the chairs that represent your interest.  

I would like to end by giving thanks to the Local Planning Committee under the leadership of Alinda Sledge, Celebratory Committee led by Mit Joyner, and the Conference Planning Committee chaired by Jack Sellers and Amanda Scott, the new Association Manager for BPD. You all did a fantastic job with the conference. I am grateful and impressed by everyone who worked so hard to make our conference a success.

We are also in the process of planning for next year’s conference in Phoenix. The conference theme, BSW Generalist Practice: The Future is NOW is so validating of how far we have come and need to go. We must embrace generalist practice as the foundation of social work education and BPD must serve as the vehicle for advancing undergraduate education. The 2009 Phoenix conference will provide the opportunity for us to showcase our knowledge, values and skills in understanding and advancing generalist practice.  The 2009 Conference Planning Committee is chaired by Sue Bowden and the Local Planning Committee is chaired by Suzanne Bushfield. They are working diligently in preparing for another great conference. Please look for the Call for Proposal.

I hope you enjoyed the conference and reading this issue of Update. I also hope you will join us throughout the year, as we continue to celebrate our accomplishments and strive to prepare professional social workers as practitioners and for graduate education.