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Dear INFORMS member,

Thank you for being part of another successful year for the Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences. Some of INFORMS 2011 accomplishments include:

• A five percent increase in overall Institute membership showcasing the vitality and growing awareness of the value our profession delivers;
• Successfully rebranded and highly popular Analytics Conference in Chicago, Illinois, that set attendance records and attracted a large number of analytics professionals new to INFORMS, C-level executives and analytics employers;
• Wide acceptance and participation in our first healthcare thematic meeting in Montreal, Canada;
• Strong abstract submission for the Annual Meeting in Charlotte, North Carolina, which bodes well for strong attendance;
• Establishment of INFORMS Section on Analytics that provides an entry point for analytics professionals wishing to learn more about what we do best;
• Introduction of INFORMS upgraded journals platform providing users with greater usability, expanded features, and easier access to journal content;
• INFORMS journals continue to hold four of the top five journal positions in Thomson’s OR/MS article influence rankings;
• Wide acceptance of our digital magazine Analytics, which has become the industry’s go-to source for reliable analytics information;
• Strong movement toward serving the burgeoning analytics field to an even greater extent by laying the ground work to begin offering services such as certification and continuing education in 2012 and beyond;
• Development of concrete plans to successfully engage at the Institute level with government, industry, and analyst organizations;
• An ever-growing series of Podcasts and on-demand video presentations that help to better disseminate new ideas and breakthroughs in the art and science of better decision making; and
• Establishment of a major new award, the UPS George D. Smith Prize, which rewards an academic program or department for effective and innovative preparation of students to be good practitioners of operations research.

We know you share our excitement and enthusiasm for our field, which is enjoying renewed appreciation and truly makes a difference in the lives of people everywhere.

We invite you to renew your membership in the Institute today. Your membership dues show your support for our vitally important field and guarantee uninterrupted access to exclusive member benefits:

• NEW in 2012! To broaden exposure to additional areas or OR/MS, regular INFORMS members may now select TWO online journals with INFORMS membership instead of one;
• NEW in 2012! Service Science -- a fully refereed online journal covering state of the art research, education, practice and breakthroughs in the service sector;
• Discounts of up to 60% or more on additional INFORMS publications;
• Suite of all 13 INFORMS electronic journals at the reduced price of $99 per year for regular members and $50 for retired and student members;
• Members-only savings on renowned topical, regional, national and international meetings, conferences, and workshops where you can present, learn, and network;
• Access to over 100 INFORMS Communities including Societies, Sections, and geographic and student Chapters, providing multiple options for networking with professional peers and enhancing the visibility you need;
• Educational material that you can use to enrich the O.R. classroom including print, electronic, audio, video, and multi-media materials; and
• A Job Placement Service that provides the first word on new job openings for positions in O.R. and related fields along with other career resources for academics, practitioners, and students.

We are looking forward to 2012 with great enthusiasm. We have three exciting and attractive meeting locations. The Analytics Conference will be in beautiful and sunny Huntington Beach, California, in April; the International Meeting takes place in the leading world city of Beijing, China, in June; and the Annual Meeting will be in fun and vibrant Phoenix, Arizona, in October. Our journals continue to publish the very best of O.R. scholarship including coverage of the service sector with the introduction of our newest journal Service Science, and our many awards programs continue to identify and reward meritorious achievement in all aspects of our field.

In 2012 we will continue progress on several strategic fronts. We will serve professionals in the analytics field with products and services to help empower their organization’s decision making ability, further our mission, and strengthen our numbers. We will work to help ingrain O.R. and analytical thinking and decision making in all facets of industry, government, and analyst organizations. And, we will take steps to ensure up to date online systems to enable and encourage access, collaboration, and effective exchange of information. Your membership dues support all of these activities, plus much more, including educational programs and outreach activities to spread the good word about O.R. and analytics.

Please don’t delay—renew your INFORMS membership today.

Sincerely,