Did you know that eighty percent of all decisions at a university are made at the department level (Sarros, et. al., 1999)? That is why leadership from the chairperson is so crucial. New to the Blastoff for 2011 is a track of sessions just for department chairs. All the basics are covered including budget (10:00 a.m.) and institutional effectiveness (11:00 a.m.) with a special session on leadership from Dr. Vicky Farrow, who held the department chair position until May and will share her personal insights at the 9:00 a.m. session in 138 Galloway Hall. It all begins with registration and continental breakfast at 8:30 a.m. in Galloway. Along with the twelve sessions offered for faculty development, the Blastoff is the largest event of this kind ever held at LU and promises to be outstanding. Make plans now to attend. By the way, if you have been struggling with how to improve the delivery of electronic resources for your classes via Blackboard, take a look at the three sessions planned for the Blastoff. These sessions, delivered by the outstanding staff in our Center for Distance Education, will be packed with valuable information to make your teaching more efficient. We received a few new topics for potential Faculty Learning Communities but are still accepting suggestions. If you have an idea, send them to us at the CT+LE today. We have noticed that a few of you have ventured up to the sixth floor of the Mary and John Gray Library (MJGL) to take a look at the new quarters for the CT+LE or to peruse the special bookshelves containing our recommended books on various faculty development issues. We hope to see more of you as the fall semester moves into full swing. Peter Eubanks has written an interesting op-ed piece on grade inflation for Inside Higher Ed. He notes that "while institutions are increasingly taking measures to combat grade inflation, there are several key pressures faculty members face when assigning grades, and these may cause us to feel uneasy or hesitant about immediately subscribing to a strict regimen of grade deflation." Interestingly enough, Jeffrey R. Young with the Chronicle of Higher Education, also has a story about grade inflation that involves the Western Governors University.