Dear Colleagues:
I am writing to congratulate you on a wonderful and productive virtual conference. I trust that you enjoyed your own panels, as well as those of others. I also hope that you found the forums and the experience enriching.
As always, I hope that you had open and respectful conversations that advanced our purpose at the ISA as scholars, public intellectuals, and citizens of the world. I know that these are trying and contentious times for all of us and, therefore, that we come to these events to ask difficult but necessary questions about the future of the world, specifically the pertinencies of our respective research agendas to needed solutions. I commend you for your being solicitous of each other, both as individuals and collectives. As you are fully aware, the ‘better world’ that we all seek depends on our ability to consider, even in disagreement, the views of those we engage regardless of status, identity, and points of origination. In these regards, you have always met the occasion and, I, as outgoing president, am grateful for it.
Speaking personally, and perhaps on behalf of many, we are fortunate to have as our current president, Audie Klotz, and incoming president, James Goldgeir. Their collective experience has and will continue to serve us in the future. Of course, we are all grateful to our Executive Director, MJ Bosia, and our able and generous staff at Headquarters. Without them, we would be lost and unable to function.
Finally, I thank you personally for the opportunity to serve this wonderful association. It gave a boy from the rainforest of Guinea, who grew up, in the slam of the capital city of his country (‘Compost’) to meet the world, literally.
Have a wonderful summer or winter, depending on your location.
Sincerely,
Siba Grovogui
Professor, Outgoing President, ISA
