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Letter from the President
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Dear Council Leaders, Friends, and Supporters:
I can think of a half a million reasons why I love Academic WorldQuest, but my reasons for loving it just doubled:
Our $1 million AWQ Endowment Campaign, unveiled at the WACA National Conference last fall with an initial $100,000 pledge, has just received a major new commitment of $500,000 that takes us to 60% of our goal! (This is not an April Fool's joke!)
The donor and this unprecedented gift to WACA will be officially announced at this year's AWQ National Competition, on April 24-25, in Washington, DC. What could provide more inspiration to our WorldQuest students, teachers, local Council hosts, and the entire network - and spur our endowment campaign's momentum - than this marvelous act of generosity!
Fundraising was a major topic at our Spring Leadership Meeting in Atlanta last week. A luncheon presentation by Tolli Love, VP of Fundraising & Marketing at CARE, and a discussion with Jim Falk, WACA Board member and WAC Dallas/Fort Worth CEO, provided several excellent insights and tips. Thanks also to the nearly 30 attendees, including presenters Craig Snyder, CEO of WAC Philadelphia, and Tony Culley-Foster, CEO of WAC-DC, for sharing best practices.
In addition, we discussed WACA's draft Strategic Plan, on which I invite the entire Council network to comment, by April 17, prior to my submitting it to the WACA Board of Directors.
Special thanks to WAC Atlanta CEO Charles Shapiro and his entire team for the exceptional southern hospitality they provided to our Council Leaders, and to Atlanta Federal Reserve Bank CEO Dennis Lockhart for hosting a reception and engaging in a talk with our group.
With a bright spring season upon us at last, let's all discover many reasons to love Academic WorldQuest as we continue our good efforts to deliver value and service to our respective memberships.
Bill Clifford
President and CEO
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WACA Leadership Mission to Taiwan
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 The World Affairs Councils of America is pleased to announce that the
Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office (TECRO)
will host a WACA Leadership Mission to Taiwan from April 26 to May 2, 2015.
Note: Flights will leave on Saturday, April 25
, arriving in Taipei on Sunday, April 26.
TECRO's sponsorship will cover air fare and in-country expenses for the delegation, including lodging, meals, and local transportation. Delegates are asked to pay an administrative fee of $1,800 to the World Affairs Councils of America.
The 10-person Leadership Mission will be comprised of a TECRO escort, WACA President Bill Clifford, and eight delegates from the Council network. We welcome applications for these eight slots. Prospective delegates can find the application details here.
The deadline to apply is April 2, 2015
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1918 Society Trip to Centro Fox in Mexico
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The World Affairs Councils of America will host a special 1918 Society Members Trip to Guanajuato, Mexico to visit Centro Fox, the presidential library of former Mexican President Vicente Fox.
The trip will be held May 21-24, 2015. Details
 During the four-day visit, attendees will dine with President and Mrs. Fox, receive tours of Guanajuato City and Centro Fox, visit the tequila distillery Corralejo Hacienda, and more. All attendees will stay at Hacienda San Cristobal.
The cost of this trip is $1499, payable to the World Affairs Councils of America, and does not include airfare. This opportunity is open to current 1918 Society members.
or 202-833-4557 to register and for more information.
About Guanajuato
 Located in the state of the same name, the city of Guanajuato is a World Heritage Site and a historically rich area. Guanajuato is known for its fascinating architecture, which was heavily influenced by its background as a mining town, and its unique layout, which follows the natural terrain of the valley instead of the standard grid plan of colonial towns in New Spain.
About Centro Fox
 Centro Fox, official name The Vicente Fox Center of Studies, Library and Museum, is a presidential history center founded by former President of Mexico Vicente Fox on the site of his childhood home in San Cristobal. The mission of Centro Fox is to "contribute to the training of leaders based on social values."
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Cover to Cover Author Series
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This month's Cover to Cover will feature
Steve LeVine
on his book
The Powerhouse
. WACA President Bill Clifford will moderate the call.
The call will take place on
Wednesday, April 15, at 2:00 PM ET
.
 A worldwide race is on to perfect the next engine of economic growth, the advanced lithium-ion battery. It will power the electric car, relieve global warming, and catapult the winner into a new era of economic and political mastery. Can the United States win? The Powerhouse is a real-time, two-year account of big invention, big commercialization, and big deception. It exposes the layers of aspiration and disappointment, competition and ambition behind this great turning point in the history of technology.
More Information
 Steve LeVine is Quartz's Washington Correspondent. He writes about the intersection of energy, technology and geopolitics. He is a Future Tense Fellow at the New America Foundation and an adjunct professor in the Security Studies Program at Georgetown University. LeVine is the author of two prior books: The Oil and the Glory, a history of oil told through the 1990s-2000s oil rush on the Caspian Sea; and Putin's Labyrinth, a profile of Russia through the lives and deaths of six Russians. Full Bio
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Academic WorldQuest 2014-2015
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National Competition
The 2015 Academic WorldQuest National Competition will take place Saturday, April 25, 2015 at the Georgetown University Hotel and Conference Center in Washington, DC.
Registration
Teams who have won their local competitions are required to submit team and release of liability forms to WACA to register for the National Competition by March 25, 2015. Visit the link below for more information.
WACA is excited to announce that the
Council on International Educational Exchange (CIEE) will offer eight scholarships totaling $14,000 for their
high school summer study abroad programs
to students on the winning and second-place teams at 2015 National Academic WorldQuest National Competition.
More Information
AWQ 2015 Champion Team: $2500 Scholarship/student
Second-Place Team: $1000 Scholarship/student
Sponsors
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BoardSource Webinars
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BoardSource Webinars: WACA Councils Attend for Free!
Thursday, April 23, at 2:00 PM ET
Cost: Organizational Members $0 (WACA saves you $75) REGISTER
As a leader within the WACA network, you are now eligible to become part of BoardSource's membership community of more than 26,000 nonprofit leaders across the U.S. The National Office encourages all Councils to take advantage and sign up for this complimentary BoardSource membership. Please share the link - with Council colleagues, staff, and all Board members - and enjoy an array of benefits and easy-to-access news, resources, and best-practices webinars in nonprofit board leadership, as well as practical experience and suggestions from other members of BoardSource's community. Be sure to sign up today!
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Global I.Q. Minute from WAC Dallas/Fort Worth
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 World Affairs Council Council of Dallas/Fort Worth President Jim Falk's interviews with recent Council headliners: former Secretary of Defense and CIA Director Leon Panetta and George Friedman, the founder and CEO of Stratfor, the global intelligence firm. Hear what they're seeing in today's world:
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World Affairs Councils in the News
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| World Affairs Council of Dallas/Fort Worth
World Affairs Council of Connecticut
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WACA Spring Leadership Meeting 2015
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 The World Affairs Councils of America thanks the World Affairs Council of Atlanta for graciously hosting Member Council executives, staff, and board members at this year's
Spring Leadership Meeting
. As those of you who have attended past Spring Leadership Meetings in San Francisco, New York, Denver, and Chicago know, the program provides a unique, concentrated opportunity to network with fellow Council leaders and discuss best practices, covered in a variety of workshops.
 The Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta hosted an opening reception on Thursday, March 26. Attendees had the opportunity to engage with Fed Atlanta President & CEO Dennis Lockhart, the founding chairman of the World Affairs Council of Atlanta. Leadership Meeting professional development sessions were held Friday, March 27.
MEETING AGENDA
Using New Media to Extend Council Reach
:
Craig Snyder
, CEO of WAC Philadelphia
The Craft of Development:
Tolli Love, Vice President for Fundraising and Marketing at CARE USA
Global Education Marketing:
Tony Culley-Foster, President and CEO, World Affairs Council - Washington, DC
Fundraising/Building a Development Team for Organizational Growth
:
Jim Falk
, CEO of WAC Dallas/Fort Worth
"Future of Councils" Discussion
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What's Happening in the Network
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There are over
100 World Affairs Council events scheduled this month across the country. Sign up for the
WACA Weekly Digest to receive updates from around the network that include programs you can attend, participate in virtually, get ideas about speakers, or model format. Also be sure to check out
travel programs offered by World Affairs Councils on
our homepage. We encourage you to follow-up with the sponsoring council for more information. If we missed something or if you have a program that you would like highlighted on our website or in the WACA Weekly, please contact Ian J. Byrne at
[email protected].
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| The World Affairs Councils of America 1200 18th St., NW, Suite 902, Washington, DC 20036 Phone (202) 833-4557 Fax (202) 833-4555 Email [email protected] Website www.worldaffairscouncils.org |
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