69th
MORSS: Sailing into the New Millennium
By Pat McKenna, Jack Keane,
and LTC George Stone
The
68th MORSS at the Air Force Academy was outstanding - almost seven hundred
presentations and nearly a record attendance!
At the Working Group and Composite Group (WG/CG) Session wrap-up of the
68th Symposium, we made preparations to get underway for the 69th MORSS with
the nomination of new WG/CG Chairs, Co-Chairs and Advisors. The skill, analytic reputations, and energy
of the nominees are outstanding. (The
Chairs are listed in the September PHALANX and in the "Call For
Papers" mailing.)
The
theme for the 69th Symposium is "Sailing into the New
Millennium." When setting a course
the wise, experienced sailor takes account of the winds, the seas, the weather,
and ensures that his or her boat is well equipped. As we sail into this new millennium, as analysts we must also
ensure that we take the changes in our profession and our world into account,
ensuring that our skills are honed and that our knowledge and equipment are
complete.
The
key to each Symposium's smooth sailing is the WG/CG Chairs, Co-Chairs and
Advisors. These dedicated volunteers
are responsible for selecting professional presentations and ensuring the working
groups that the rest of us take for granted run smoothly. Without their drive, commitment, and desire
of to improve the Symposium, it would quickly run aground.
The
Working Group/Composite Group (WG/CG) team structure is a great place to
start. While many positions are filled,
there is always room for additional volunteers!
WG/CG
Chair - This person is solely responsible for the overall organization of their
WG/CG to include soliciting quality presentations, developing the agenda,
running the working group during the Symposium, and selecting the best paper
from their respective working group.
Typically, a WG/CG Chair has previous service as a Co-Chair.
WG/CG
Co-Chair - The primary job of a Co-Chair is to assist the Chair in his/her
duties. There is no limit to the number
of Co-Chairs a WG/CG can have ¾
it is simply up to the Chair to determine a
manageable number. Being a Co-Chair is an
excellent way to gain MORSS experience and potentially move to the Chair position.
WG/CG
Advisor -This position is normally filled by senior analysts with past
experience as WG/CG chairs. As such,
they advise Chairs and Co-Chairs on all matters pertaining to running a good
session, selecting presentations and selecting the best paper from their
working group.
WG/CG
Coordinator and Deputies - The WG/CG Coordinator and his or her Deputies assist
the WG/CGs in all facets of running a winning Symposium. They direct prospective presentations to the
correct WG/CG, assist in Symposium logistics, and work closely with the MORS
office to ensure a smooth running Symposium.
Hopefully,
this short insight into the WG/CG structure has peaked your interest. If you
would like to volunteer or just want additional information, please feel free contact
me or my deputies, or browse the MORS web page! I'm sure we can answer your questions and/or put you to work in a
way that will benefit you professionally and provide value to your Society.
By
now you should have received the "The Call for Papers."
In it are all the preliminary details for
the Symposium. If you did not receive
it, you can review it and/or request a hard copy at the MORS web page (http://www.mors.org). "The Call for Papers" contains the prospectus for all
33 working groups. In addition to the
WGs, the Symposium will have seven composite groups, tutorials, special
sessions, poster sessions, etc. This year, there is a new provisional working
group - P1: Warfighting Experimentation.
Mr Rich Kass, P1 Chair, and his team are well on the way to making P1
an outstanding success! This working
group will focus on how to utilize new techniques, technologies, and
specialties to improve military experimentation. P1 will strive to explore imaginative solution methodologies that
will expand the capability of experimentation to provide a sound empirical
support to future decisions.
Each
WG Chair will plan papers for at least seven sessions during the Symposium. Past history has shown that many
WGs will plan sessions over lunch, or split into multiple sub-groups, further
expanding the opportunities to give presentations and, ultimately, the number
of presentations given.
Already,
the WG/CG Chairs are seeking completed work and works in progress to fill out
their agendas. If you have a topic to
present, the first step is to write an abstract (formats, etc. are in "The
Call For Papers"). Next, you can send it directly to the respective Chair,
the MORS Office or myself and we will forward it on to the proper WG/CG for
consideration. You might be thinking,
"I have plenty of time, the Symposium is not until next June," but in
reality you don't! The Chairs have to
submit a preliminary agenda by the 22nd of January 2001.
What is next?
Whether
you are giving a presentation, working as a volunteer, or just attending, make
plans now for the Symposium. Attending
and presenting is a great professional development opportunity! Hope to see you at the Naval Academy in
June.