With the end of the 20th century less than 23 months away, venture capitalists are coming up with ideas for new coffee table books, T-shirts and coffee mugs to stock the shelves in 1999, while computer programmers are writing new codes to accommodate the year 2000, ensuring that the economy will not grind to a halt.

The beginning of the next century is also a time of great anticipation for psychologists. Never before have we been in a more favorable position to contribute in significant ways to solutions for our nation?s most pressing challenges, from concerns about the health and well-being of infants and children to the issues affecting our older citizens and everything in between. We will carry many of our current problems into the next century, and psychology is poised to offer a comprehensive research agenda and viable solutions. For too long, our science and its applications have been underutilized as resources for addressing the serious problems of our nation. The time is ripe for a paradigm shift as we approach the new millennium.

Issuing the call
APA, with its combined strengths in science and practice, addresses many of our significant national problems. And on Dec. 12, the APA Board of Directors approved a resolution to make the years 2000?2010 the Decade of Behavior (see article on page 1). Through a variety of events and outreach, the initiative seeks to demonstrate to the public the importance of behavioral and social science in addressing many of the nation?s significant problems. APA?s Science Directorate will provide modest financial and personnel support in the early stages of the project until a National Steering Committee can be created to engage in fund-raising activities to ensure support over the entire 10-year course of the initiative.

The Decade of Behavior is much larger in scope than APA or the discipline of psychology. We are actively assembling a broad coalition of individuals and groups that will work cooperatively to support the main goals of the project during the first decade of the new century. These include other scientific societies, federal funding agencies, private foundations, academic departments and many other organizations to launch the Decade of Behavior. An early partner in this enterprise is the Federation of Behavioral, Cognitive and Psychological Sciences, which represents 17 scientific societies and many research universities throughout this country. The Executive Committee of the Federation unanimously passed a resolution of support for the Decade of Behavior on Dec. 6.

The possibilities
What can the Decade of Behavior accomplish for the behavioral and social sciences? There are several ways one could answer such a question. One is to point to the success of the Decade of the Brain (1990?99), a major national initiative that continues to support and draw attention to the outstanding work of our neuroscience colleagues. In fact, APA continues as a participant in the Decade of the Brain. We also have the benefit of knowing that such a long-term national effort by a broad coalition of organizations to promote a scientific discipline can be successful. In our case, we have the potential for focusing the efforts of a broad coalition of behavioral and social science organizations in such areas as:

? Developing a public education campaign to inform the public of the contributions of the behavioral and social sciences to addressing areas of national concern.

? Promoting a substantial increase in funding for the behavioral and social sciences so that these disciplines can work on solutions for major societal challenges including drug and alcohol dependence, infant and child care, health promotion, race relations, sexually transmitted diseases, education and job training. Many of these challenges include a significant behavioral component.

? Recruiting the most talented students into graduate programs in the behavioral and social sciences to ensure that the next generation of researchers and practitioners includes the best and brightest young people.

The challenge
We have a great challenge ahead and just a few months to lay the foundation for this effort. Plans are already under way to develop a resolution on the Decade of Behavior, which we hope will be approved by both houses of Congress and signed by President Bill Clinton before the start of the new century. Look for frequent updates on our progress here in the Monitor and in other APA publications. Of course, we need the active support of many individuals to make the Decade of Behavior a success. With any luck, we?ll have Decade of Behavior T-shirts available just in time for your big New Year?s Eve Party on Dec. 31, 1999!