The Getty Conservation Institute, the American Institute for the Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works (AIC), and the Association of North American Graduate Programs in Conservation (ANAGPIC) will hold a Directors' Retreat May 23–25, 2006, in Austin, Texas. The focus of this retreat will be on ways to employ Web-based technology more effectively to achieve teaching and learning goals in conservation education.

The AIC–ANAGPIC–GCI Directors' Retreat draws upon each organization's experience and growing interest in using the Internet in conservation education, which includes AIC's integration of distance education into its program of continuing professional development, ANAGPIC's interest in the Web in academic teaching and learning, and the GCI's exploration of resource sharing and distance mentoring via the Web. The retreat's objectives are to gather ideas, to develop a better understanding of the potential of Web-based technology for conservation education, and to consider ways of building upon a growing collective experience.

The retreat will be attended by directors of academic programs in conservation with interest and experience in using the Web for teaching. The participants will be primarily from academic programs in North America, with several participants from Europe and Australia. In addition to discussions and interactive sessions, participants will visit the University of Texas at Austin campus, including the Kilgarlin Center for Preservation of the Cultural Record at the School of Information, the Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center Conservation Department, and the new Blanton Museum of Art.

The Directors' Retreats for Conservation Education are an ongoing series of meetings that aim to promote collaboration and strategic thinking among conservation educators internationally. For more information, please visit the Getty Web site.