COV&R-Bulletin No. 3 (Sept. 1992)
President's Report
The report from Jim Williams shows that the activities of our Colloquium are proceeding well. The number of members is, to be sure, increasing slowly, perhaps more slowly than some of us had hoped. I myself, however, consider a gradual development to be advantageous, since we can then deal more easily with the crises that inevitably arise during the growth of any organization. I was positively impressed by the 1992 Symposium in Stanford. That Symposium showed that our Colloquium possesses the ability to handle pronouncedly different points of view in a constructive manner. I am also especially pleased with the high degree of collaboration for which I would like to extend my thanks to all. I would like to mention first and foremost the untiring commitment of our secretary Jim Williams. The following also deserve our thanks: Kaeti and Gil Bailie for their work as treasurer and for their significant administrative assistance; Rosemary and Bob Hamerton-Kelly for organizing the spirituality workshop as well as for their fundraising initiatives; and Roel Kaptein for his compelling leadership of the workshop. Wolfgang Palaver serves as the "living link" between Innsbruck and Stanford. Thanks to him, our Bulletin is able to come out at regular intervals. The mimetic theory shows how easily rivalries can arise between human beings. For this reason I am especially pleased that we have been spared thus far such rivalries, and I hope that our situation will remain so for the future. The strong personal presence of René doubtless will be of great benefit in this regard. For this reason I am also pleased with the fact that the next Symposium will be planned and organized by two other members of our Colloquium, Cesáreo Bandera and Judith Arias.
The books and articles already published by members of our Colloquium are signs of their intensive intellectual engagement. Perhaps these research efforts can in the future be still better coordinated. For this reason I would like to remind everyone of the agreement made at the last session of the Advisory Board that our Center for Documentation in Innsbruck be informed of more involved research projects. It is my dream that a major internationally coordinated research project could one day become a reality.
Once again my heartfelt thanks to one and all.
Raymund Schwager (University of Innsbruck)
