Yang Wei, professor of political science at the Shih Hsin University, president of the Vanguard Institute for Policy Studies, Taipei, Taiwan, and president of the Sino-American Cultural and Economic Association of the Republic of China, passed away on March 3, 2004, after a valiant battle with cancer. A political scientist of international standing, Dr. Wei's career encompassed many different fields that included professorships in political science teaching and research, along with presidencies of academic and professional associations, and service in the Republic of China (ROC) cabinet and parliament.

Committee Members (Kristen Moore, Leonie Huddie, and Susan Clark) from the Task Force on Mentoring were instrumental in securing funding for a recent APSA workshop held on Friday March 5, 2004 to discuss the career advancement of women in political science. The attendees included 25 political scientists from around the country as well as National Science Foundation program officers. The workshop was funded in part by an NSF Small Grant for Exploratory Research (SGER).

When I arrived in Washington, D.C. to attend the first APSA Conference on Teaching and Learning, I did not know what to expect. Although I have been a regular participant in the APSA Annual Meeting and attended many workshops on teaching and curricular development, this didn't seem to be the same. All of my contacts with the program committee and APSA had seemed more informal, specific, and intense. They had clear expectations of this small group of 40. Unlike the Annual Meeting, we would not be presenting our research for 15 minutes, answering questions from the audience, responding to the discussants' comments, and then spend the remainder of the conference as a passive observer. At the plenary session the expectations were made more explicit. We would spend more time in our groups of 10 or 15 throughout the weekend—but we would still only have approximately 15 minutes to formally present our work. Our curiosity was palpable, how would a group of academics spend the remainder of our time?

APSA is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2004 Small Research Grant competition. This year, awards averaging $1,636 went to 11 scholars. The Small Research Grant Program supports research in all fields of political science. The intent of these grants is to support the research of political scientists who are not employed at Ph.D.-granting institutions. For more information on the program and application procedures, please visit the APSA web site <www.apsanet.org/opps/apsagrants.cfm>.

For a generation of political scientists witnessing dramatic declines in social and political participation and rising distrust in government at all levels, APSA President Margaret Levi's research program addresses fundamental issues concerning the bases for and effects of legitimacy, compliance, and consent in democratic regimes. Levi's scholarship has made pioneering contributions to understanding enduring questions about the conditions for and consequences of trust and distrust, compliance and resistance, and individual versus collective action. Animating this research agenda are Levi's commitment to greater authentic democratic participation, enhancing trust between the governed and those who govern, and the quest for social justice.

The Carl Albert Congressional Research and Studies Center at the University of Oklahoma seeks applicants for its Visiting Scholars Program, which provides financial assistance to researchers working at the Center's archives. Awards of $500-$1,000 are granted for reimbursement of travel and lodging. The Center's collections are described at <www.ou.edu/special/albertctr/archives/>. The Visiting Scholars Program is open to all applicants, though emphasis is given to those pursing postdoctoral research in history, political science, or other fields. For more information, contact [email protected].

The executive director's report each year represents APSA's annual report and provides an opportunity to comment on current issues facing the Association and the discipline. This year's report touches on activities in all of our major program areas. In this preface, I'd like to mention several priority areas in which the Association took new steps in the last year. This should be acknowledged in the context of our substantial on-going agenda to meet the basic responsibilities of the Association by advancing the discipline of political science through our highly pro ductive Annual Meeting, three strong journals, broad com munity building activities through or ganized sections, status committees, special projects, and much more.

The APSA Nominating Committee welcomes your suggestions for candidates for 2005–2006 Council seats and offices. This year, eight Council seats, three vice-presidencies, and the offices of president-elect, treasurer and secretary are open. Please note, the office of treasurer “should be from among members of the Association who, at the time of nomination, are serving as members of the Council or have completed service during the preceding year” (APSA Constitution, Art. V Sec. 5). Council members and the treasurer serve staggered two-year terms. The president-elect, vice presidents, and secretary all serve one-year terms.

The American Political Science Association and a consortium of scholarly organizations have developed Political Research Online (PROL), a new resource for political scientists. Made possible through generous funding by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, PROL is a comprehensive electronic archive of pre-published research in political science.

DeWayne Lucas, assistant professor, Hobart and William Smith Colleges

House and Senate Budgetary Committees are set to soon unveil allocations for 13 appropriations subcommittees for the discretionary portion of federal spending. In an election year, and with the national debt reaching previously unfathomed depths, experts do not expect much in the way of non-defense discretionary spending. In the House, presumably any proposed increases will have to be hashed out, perhaps leaving the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) out in the cold. Experts expect that if the NEA and NEH are left out that increases will be proposed on the floor for the agencies. Congress is looking for myriad solutions to quickly appropriate funds for FY2005. Among these are potential proposal is one to present an early, full omnibus bill and one to group the 13 appropriation bills into three or four “mini-omnibus” bills. Proposals akin to that offered this year for NEH funding would appear much more difficult to secure this year.