At the annual meeting in Minneapolis last year it was announced that I planned to have a to create a dedicated block of time during which discussions could be held about numerous issues facing our society. The Council meetings, held twice a year, do not permit in-depth discussion because of the necessity of carrying out other functions. This retreat was held, and I would like to bring you up to date as to several consensuses developed at the meeting. As I hope to be able to convey to you, the issues that were addressed reflected on the beginnings of this society and what it stands for, how these foundations have been changed, and what further changes seem inevitable. The need for a retreat was readily apparent. The Society has been maturing, but we are probably still in the stage of early adolescence. During the past 24 years, the IDSA has had 23 presidents, 5 secretaries, and 3 treasurers; 50 people have served as councillors. This group of dedicated volunteers has formulated and modified our by-laws, given us an excellent code of ethics, and entered us into the arena of public policy, a very successful venture due to the excellent talents of Dr. Shelly Wolfe from Boston, with the assistance of Mr. Stephen Lawton of Washington, for educating the Senators and Representatives of Washington. Over the years, various fellowships were created that have been awarded by the Society and that have been financed by generous grants from the pharmaceutical houses. Prestigious awards for achievements in infectious disease research and training have been a continuous activity and an important part of our annual meetings. The Journal of Infectious Diseases has been markedly improved as it was taken over by this society and its fine editors; in addition the Reviews of Infectious Diseases was born and has flourished. In its collective wisdom, the IDSA has modified membership categories, an act that has resulted in a rapid