Happy New Year Colleagues, I trust you're well today. Today I'm CELEBRATING the HBCU Library Alliance Leadership Institute, one of the benefits of membership in the HBCU Library Alliance. The Leadership Institute is a component of the HBCU Library Alliance Leadership Program, and is most generously funded by a grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. The Institute kick-off is scheduled on Thursday, February 16th at the TWELVE Atlantic Station Hotel in Atlanta, Georgia and will culminate in November at the Atlanta University Center Woodruff Library (GA). The Leadership Institute is a nine-month intense training and development opportunity designed to provide in-depth educational leadership programming using technology to form networks and information-sharing among participants. The curriculum includes dynamic topics such as components of successful leadership, relationship management, measuring the effectiveness and impact of library services, and aligning performance with strategy. Monthly web-based classes will be taught using expertise from the HBCU Library Alliance community. A mentoring component will provide effective mentorship during the Leadership Institute and strengthen mentoring on individual campuses and within the network of leadership in the HBCU Library community. I'm excited to announce that twenty participants from thirteen institutions have been awarded the Leadership Institute scholarship and accepted into the program. The participating institutions are Alabama State University, Bennett College (NC), Claflin University (SC), Coahoma Community College (MS), Delaware State University, Johnson C. Smith University (NC), Lincoln University (MO), Mississippi Valley State University, Saint Augustine's College (NC), Savannah State University (GA), University of the Virgin Islands, West Virginia State University and Winston-Salem State University (NC). Dr. Flavia Eldemire is the lead consultant for the Institute and is President of Eldemire and Associates. Her area of specialty is leadership development, self-leadership, and organization development change management. Flavia has provided consultation services to the Alliance and brings excitement and energy to the Leadership Institute. Thanks are in order for HBCU Library Alliance Board Chair Mary Jo Fayoyin, Savannah State University (GA) and Board Vice-Chair Cynthia Henderson, Howard University (DC) for their assistance with selecting participants for the Institute. I look forward, with great anticipation, to a successful Leadership Institute and will keep you posted as events occur. Respectfully, Sandra SANDRA M. PHOENIX Executive Director HBCU Library Alliance sphoenix@hbculibraries.org<mailto:sphoenix@hbculibraries.org> www.hbculibraries.org<http://www.hbculibraries.org/> 404.592.4820 Skype:sandra.phoenix1 1438 West Peachtree Street NW Suite 200 Atlanta, GA 30309 Toll Free: 1.800.999.8558 (Lyrasis) Fax: 404.892.7879 www.lyrasis.org<http://www.lyrasis.org/> Honor the ancestors, honor the children.