NCFR's 75th year in review

by Diane Cushman, Executive Director

NCFR topped off its 75th year with the highest number of conference attendees in 13 years at just under 1,200. We found the winning formula for Friday night by offering a great speaker late in the day in Stephanie Coontz followed by a Wiley Blackwell hosted reception and a celebratory 75th anniversary fiesta with live music, food and dancers.

Conference attendees were treated to an oral history of NCFR by Mary Jo Czaplewski and Jason Samuels and a look into the future by President Paul Amato.

Over 20 hours of conference sessions were live-streamed and we have 80 audio-recorded sessions with over 100 hours of content. We are now rolling out selected conference video and audio recordings in curated collections.

Future NCFR conferences

Plan ahead for 2014 in Baltimore, Maryland, November 18-22, at the Hilton Baltimore. The theme is "Families at the Nexus of Global Change." In 2015, the annual conference is in beautiful Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, November 10-14, at the Hyatt Regency.

Changes in board members

This is the time of year when we thank the members of the board whose terms have come to an end -- Maureen Perry-Jenkins, Jennifer Hardesty, Rose Allen and President Elaine Anderson – and welcome new board members William D. Allen (president-elect), Hilary A. Rose and Frank D. Fincham (board members-at-large), Rebecca Ward (Affiliate Councils president-elect), and Rachel R. Engler (student and new professional board representative-elect).

Notable 2013 accomplishments

New in 2013 were the board's innovation research grants. The grants program was designed to enhance interdisciplinary collaborations around issues of importance to family well-being. Twenty-six proposals were submitted. The Board selected submissions from Casey Totenhagen and Ashley Randall for their proposal on the study of daily stress on same-sex relationships and from Kristen Holm for her proposal related to the role of family relationships in adherence to medical therapy.

In 2013 the Board also selected the NCFR member to succeed founding editor Dr. Robert M. Milardo as the editor of the Journal of Family Theory & Review. Dr. Libby Balter Blume will begin her four-year term as editor with the publication of the March 2015 issue but will begin accepting manuscripts in January 2014.

NCFR launched its online educational programming in 2013 with six webinars and webcasts, including "The Domains of Family Practice Model: Differentiating the Roles of Family Professionals" and "Ethical Thinking and Practice" for family life educators. Online programming will continue and expand in 2014.

Policy and NCFR's Global Ends

I've written about NCFR's policy direction in past issues of Report but it bears repeating. NCFR has three over-arching statements called Global Ends that guide the work of the staff and the Board of Directors. They are:

  1. NCFR will provide opportunities for professional development and knowledge development in the areas of family research, theory, education, policy, and practice.
  2. NCFR will support the dissemination and application of research- and theory-based information about the well-being of families.
  3. NCFR will represent the professionals in the field of family science by establishing standards for research, education, and practice and by advocating for the development and advancement of the profession.

Each Global End statement goes on to further articulate how NCFR is to achieve these Ends. Those that relate to policy are included below:

  • NCFR will provide information about the policy-making process and the impact of public policies on families. (This is in the context of Global End #1, above.)
  • NCFR will raise the visibility of family research, theory, and practice to policy makers and the general public. (This is in the context of Global End #2, above.)

The complete set of Global Ends is located on the NCFR website.

We are in the process of developing a strategy for NCFR's work in the area of policy that will include mechanisms for member involvement. NCFR's policy work will continue to be grounded in peer-reviewed research. We are eager to welcome new staff member Dr. Jennifer Crosswhite to NCFR in January; she will be instrumental in working with members and the Board to develop this strategy.

It will be very important for NCFR to develop clear guidelines and an inclusive and transparent process for any policy work that falls under our primary goal of enhancing the well-being of families.