Each year, the University Relations Committee plans the "Forum" for the Annual UCAR Members meeting.

Past Forums have focused on a broad range of topics, including the role of a national center in our community; the future of the research university; and private, public, academic partnerships for weather and climate research and services. For the 2005 meeting, the URC decided that the Forum would be a community "Open House" comprised of tours, a poster session, and a plenary discussion. The goals of the Open House were:

1. To engage the university participants and UCAR staff in a two way dialogue on the following Open House Challenge:
   

   What is the UCAR program doing for the community? What are university capabilities and needs in this area? How could we be working more closely together in this area to reach an outcome that we can’t achieve separately?

2. To stimulate ideas about collaborations and partnership in the tours and poster sessions and present them during the plenary session.
   

   Summary of the plenary discussion Poster session

3. To incorporate collaborative and community ideas, as appropriate, into UCAR strategic planning.