The Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA) board of directors will convene later this summer to act on the recommendations presented to it June 18 by the association’s Headquarters Location Resource Group.
The resource group, which acts independently of the GCSAA board of directors, was formed in the summer of 2003 to determine if the headquarters location has a material impact on the ability of the association to achieve its stated mission, vision and long-term strategic goals. A report and set of recommendations were presented to the board after the resource group surveyed a variety of constituent groups including members, industry partners, allied associations, staff, media, etc.
“I appreciate the dedication and thorough work of the resource group,” said GCSAA president Mark Woodward, CGCS. “After hearing the presentation, the board discussed the report. We decided more time was needed to give the appropriate thought and consideration to the recommendations of the resource group. The meeting later this summer will allow us to do so.”
Woodward said the meeting would likely occur before the board's summer meeting Friday, August 6 in Lawrence, Kan. He said the meeting would result in a decision to: a.) discontinue the study because the Lawrence headquarters location does not negatively affect the effectiveness of GCSAA, nor would moving the headquarters significantly improve the association’s effectiveness; or b.) a second phase of the study would be commissioned because location might be a factor influencing the effectiveness of the organization. Woodward said the recommendations of the resource group would be made public at the time of the board's decision on whether the study progresses.
Woodward also noted that the board of directors did determine that even if the study continued, the issue of headquarters location would not be presented to the membership for a vote at the February 2005 annual meeting in Orlando.
“It is important that we give ourselves the proper time to study and discuss the recommendations,” Woodward said. “To rush the process would be doing the association a disservice.”
