ANA EXPANDING SUMMER SEMINAR TO INCLUDE CLASSES AT CONVENTIONS
COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO – The American Numismatic Association will expand its Summer Seminar schedule to include programs at both annual conventions, beginning with the National Money Show in Charlotte, N.C., next March.
The enhanced program will make Summer Seminar classes available to students who can’t travel to Colorado Springs during the summer, or who don’t have the time to attend a weeklong event. The traditional Summer Seminar in Colorado Springs will continue to be presented during two weeks in July.
ANA officials held two public meetings with Seminar students, on July 6 and 9, asking students’ for their thoughts on the traditional Summer Seminar program in Colorado Springs. Students overwhelmingly called for the continuation of the twoweek session, but were mixed on prospects of expanding courses at ANA conventions.
“We asked for input and heard a very clear message,” said ANA Chief Operations Officer Sheryl von Blucher. “Many who attended two open meetings spoke passionately about their experiences in Colorado Springs. They loved the option of taking more than one course and being able to choose from more than one session. And they emphasized the value of having the resources of the library and museum readily available.”
von Blucher emphasized that the continued commitment to maintaining the “classic” Summer Seminar session (two weeks since its expansion in 2000) reflects the ANA’s renewed commitment to listening to and acting on input from its membership.
She said the ANA will continue to look for ways to expand its educational program, and is committed to presenting Summer Seminar-quality courses immediately preceding its annual conventions.
While developing the ANA strategic plan, ANA staff concluded that while Summer Seminar is popular, it only reaches about 1 percent of association membership with its comprehensive educational offerings. Expanding the program was unanimously approved by the Board of Governors during open session in Atlanta this past April.
“The commitment to expanding educational courses means students have the option of taking Summer Seminar-type classes in three locations at three different times of the year,” von Blucher said.
The ANA Board of Governors stresses that education is a pillar of the ANA, and that the 32,000-member association must find a way to reach more members with its educational programming to ensure that the interest in numismatics flourishes in coming generations.
“It’s really about passing on our legacy and opening up and sharing the world of numismatics to a wider audience,” von Blucher said.
Currently, 280 students are attending Summer Seminar classes in Colorado Springs; 76 of those participants are first-time students. ANA Executive Director Chris Cipoletti said he expects significantly more students will be able to enroll in Summer Seminar courses when they’re offered at different dates and locations. Cipoletti also expects thousands of numismatists will be able to combine educational pursuits with convention travel. “Those students will immediately take what they learned in their classes and apply that knowledge on the bourse floor,” he said.
The educational programs preceding the conventions will be renamed, but the educational approach will remain the same. “The same commitment will be made to the quality of both the curriculum and the instruction,” Cipoletti said.
Tuition, fees and other details are being finalized; the new programs will be offered immediately preceding the National Money Show in Charlotte, March 16-18, 2007, and the World’s Fair of Money in Milwaukee, Aug. 8-12, 2007.
Information on these educational programs at the conventions will be updated regularly on the ANA website at www.money.org, and made available at the ANA booth during the Denver World’s Fair of Money, August 16-19.
The American Numismatic Association is a non-profit educational organization dedicated to educating and encouraging people to study and collect money and related items. With nearly 33,000 members, the Association serves the academic community, collectors and the general public with an interest in numismatics. The ANA helps all people discover and explore the world of money through its vast array of programs including its education and outreach, museum, library, publications, conventions and seminars.
For more information about the ANA, call 719.632.2646 or visit www.MONEY.org.
Originally Release Date: July 11, 2006
ANA Contacts: Phone: 719-482-9864
Email: beeton@money.org