Expanding our membership is key to a thriving NCEW: straight talk from J.R. Labbe.

An author's skill in putting an issue in historical context is an important aspect of good opinion writing. Sure, it's a cliche, but that doesn't mean it's not accurate: You don't know where you're going if you don't know where you've been. Since the new president's first Masthead column is supposed to discuss where he or she hopes to lead NCEW during the upcoming year, I started to gather my thoughts by looking at the list of NCEW's presidents throughout the organization's sixty years.

Big mistake. Those names represent men and women I have admired from afar and some whom I've come to know as respected peers and dear friends. It was humbling, darn near intimidating. How'd a wise-cracking, gun-toting libertarian from Texas get her name on that list? Just goes to show that collectively, editorial writers have a delightful if somewhat twisted sense of humor.

Since its inception, NCEW has been committed to providing its members with the tools needed to enhance the quality of their editorial writing. That will not change in 2006. From critique sessions at the annual convention (September 13-16 in Pittsburgh) to regional conferences, international travel, and the May 1-2 State Department briefing; to the content on our website (ncew.org) and in The Masthead, the board is determined to provide opportunities for members to improve in the craft.

In return, the board in 2006 is asking members for their assistance in keeping NCEW strong. An engaged membership is what maintains an organization's viability and relevance. Like other professional groups, NCEW must continually work to recruit new members and then provide opportunities and services that keep them interested in remaining members. I hope that all NCEW members will view themselves as part of the Membership Committee. If you have a new writer on your staff, or know of someone at another newspaper or TV station in your region who is eligible for membership, please alert headquarters. And don't forget about online opinion writers. Sherid Virnig, NCEW's director of administration, has membership packets at the ready.

The other membership area I would like to bolster in 2006 is students. What masquerades as reasonable debate in this country is a far cry from the quality of critical thinking and civil discourse that NCEW members hope to bring to their pages, websites, and broadcasts. With a disturbingly low number of accredited journalism schools offering opinion writing as a core subject, how are tomorrow's editorial writers supposed to learn the skills that will serve them and the future consumers of opinion? By joining NCEW.

For a pittance--twenty-five dollars annually--college students can join. Better yet, you can sponsor a student from a school in your area. (Applications are available for downloading on our website.) Many of our members are regular visitors at local colleges and universities, telling war stories and providing insight to journalism students and newspaper staffs. Ask the advisor or professor to recommend a student whom you can sponsor. Consider it an investment in the future of editorial writing.

As I was writing this piece, my e-mail was peppered with messages from Peter Kohler, Becca Rothschild, and Bob Davis, who were organizing the February 14-18 Gulf Coast fact-finding tour. Other messages were coming in from Christian Trejbal, who is the NCEW representative to the Coalition of Journalists for Open Government, and Jonathan Gurwitz, who's riding herd on the International Committee as well as orchestrating the annual State Department trip this year. So much was going on, and it was only the second week of January!

I encourage everyone to go to our website and take a look at the committee opportunities that are available to members. Don't wait to be asked--volunteer to help out!

J.R. Labbe, president of NCEW, is the deputy editorial page editor of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. E- mail [e-mail]