Dear Friend of the Mountain-Plains Philosophy Conference,

In 2005, I attended the 59th annual meeting of the Mountain-Plains Philosophy Conference—Michael Brown and the philosophy department at Creighton University took submissions and assembled the program and Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado hosted the gathering and our keynote speaker, John Searle. For the last 10 years, I’ve been a member of the executive committee of this very loosely organized group. Over time, the conference has steadily grown, not so much in size (though it is somewhat larger than it was in the early days), but especially in terms of the number, quality and geographical diversity of the submissions we receive. For several years running the program featured a truly international collection of presentations. At the same time, the group meeting has retained an intimate and collegial character that I’ve not seen duplicated in any other conference.

Has your institution participated in or led a Mountain-Plains Philosophy Conference in the past? Would it be willing to consider leading one in the future? Hosting the conference meeting can be an important and invigorating event in the life of a philosophy department and makes an important contribution to the academic vitality of a campus. Another option is to serve as the program chair for the conference. Working with referees and reading the wide variety of submissions is a wonderful and intellectually stimulating undertaking. Making the choices that result in a final conference program can be a profoundly satisfying creative exercise. We all have opportunities and obligations to serve our profession, and I have observed that doing this with the Mountain-Plains Philosophy Conference invariably enriches those rendering the service, and also provides the same kind of fun that is associated with throwing a good party. And especially in light of the benefits received, the work is not too much of a burden (I can speak from experience: I’ve recently done local arrangements in 2001, and the program in 1999 and 2004).

If you think you’d be interested in doing this once more, or trying it for the first time, approach a member of the executive committee before or during the annual October meeting. We’d all be glad to tell you more, and possibly put your name in the hat with the other invitations we receive for the coming years.

Very Best Regards,

Carl Ficarrotta

Mountain-Plains Philosophy Conference Executive Committee