The National Hotel

Letter From the President

Dear Colleagues:

Larry Lund

In the November edition of Online KeyNotes, I wrote how Lambda Alpha is a unique organization because our membership is by invitation in recognition of an individual’s accomplishments in the field of land economics. Membership in Lambda Alpha also provides an obligation that Richard T. Ely, the well-known 20th century economist and the philosophical inspiration for Lambda Alpha called, "The Social Law of Service." That means that we, as professionals, must contribute to our community. LAI can contribute to our communities by providing a forum for the vigorous discussion of land economic issues.
 
Each of our local chapters has found ways to vigorously discuss land economic issues in their communities through programs, workshops, symposiums, and publications. This has allowed members to take a leadership role in their communities. My goal as international president is to provide the local chapters an opportunity to draw from LAI’s resources on an international scale to develop forums for discussion and debate on land use issues. 
 
One major step to achieving this goal will come through coordinating our efforts with the Land Economics Foundation. Under the leadership of its new president, Dr. Stan Hamilton, we will be initiating ways to bring LAI talent to local chapters. Additionally, we will also be offering awards for seminal publications that address important land use issues. 
 
To promote the exchange of ideas and talent among our local chapters, LAI’s website now offers two new fields for individual members to provide information regarding their expertise and availability for speaking engagements. Local chapters can easily use an internet browser to locate LAI speakers for workshops or symposiums. We will also be developing other initiatives, such as an international discussion board on our website.
 
I look forward to hearing from you on how we can use the immense talent in our organization to fulfill our mission. Please join me over the next two years as we continue to move our organization into an important leadership role in shaping land use policies. 
 
Best wishes for the Holiday Season and New Year
 
Larry E. Lund
International President
LarryLund@LAI.org

Daniel Coffey (Ely), principal of Daniel P. Coffey & Associates Ltd was awarded the prestigious, Chicago Firm of the Year Award from the American Institute of Architects.