Health Services Management and Leadership Alumni Association (HSMLAA)

A History of the Program

The proposition that hospitals and other health care institutions, because of their complex operations, might be better administered by persons trained to deal with those complexities was an idea that came into its own after World War II. At The George Washington University, the idea took root in the fall of 1959 when President Thomas H. Carroll gave his blessing to an MBA program in Hospital Administration, housed in the then School of Government, Business, and International Affairs.

Now, over forty years later, a new School of Public Health and Health Services, formally established on July 1, 1997, ranks as the first school of public health in the city and the first school of public health and health services in the nation. Together with the School of Medicine and Health Sciences, its offices are located in The George Washington University Medical Center, a far cry from the renovated quarters its predecessor programs once occupied at 815 21st Street.

In keeping with University's tradition of rising to meet national needs, it is worth noting that in 1961, the year before the GW program graduated its first class in health care administration, more than 20 million Americans were hospitalized annually in some 6000 institutions. With an annual budget of more than seven billion dollars, hospitals were among the nation's six largest industries. Today, the field of hospital administration encompasses the training of health care specialists in administration, education, organization, and community advisement. GW's expanding programs in these areas have kept pace with the nation's needs from the days of the baby boom to today's explosion of senior citizens.

Frederick H. Gibbs and the Formative Years (1959 - 1967)

First to chair GW's Department of Health Care Administration was Frederick H. Gibbs, a retired full colonel who had developed conceptual frameworks for medical administration in the Army's Office of the Surgeon General. Among those who helped Gibbs frame the GW curriculum were University Provost and Dean of Faculties, Oswald S. Colclough, Chairman of the Department of Business and Public Administration, James C. Dockeray, Associate Dean of Faculties, John Latimer, and School of Government, Business and International Affairs Dean, Archibald M. Woodruff.

By the early 1960s, Gibbs had launched a two-step master's degree program comprising thirty-six semester hours of academic work and a full-year of on-site hospital training. The course work addressed the general and technical aspects of hospital administration, administrative theory and practice, and problem solving in the area of managing hospitals, nursing homes, and similar institutions. The hospital training, which followed, remained during the first twenty years of the program, its greatest strength. Under the tutelage of designated preceptors, students worked in hospitals across North America, filing monthly reports to the school and receiving at least one visit from an assigned faculty member. They capped their experience by writing a major report, essentially a thesis, on an assigned research topic.

All candidates also took comprehensive examinations in such areas as general administration, hospital management, theory and techniques of financial control (with emphasis on statistical evaluation) and with attention to social and economic factors at the community level. Full-time students usually completed both phases of the program in 21 months, part-time students in 36 months.

The first MBA class with Hospital Administration (1962) numbered fifty-seven students on campus and approximately thirty then assigned to 12-month hospital residencies. Although Chairman Gibbs' full-time staff included only an associate and an assistant professor, Leon Gintzig and Robert E. Griffith, respectively, it flourished with enthusiastic support from local health care leaders. The latter served as advisors, lecturers, and preceptors, providing on-site training opportunities and giving generously of their time. Among those to whom the young program owed a special debt were: Amelia Carter, Suburban Hospital; Charles Goff, Alexandria Hospital; Frederick Iams, Fairfax Hospital Association; Richard Loughery, Washington Hospital Center; and Harry W. Penn, Jr., Prince George's General Hospital. Also supporting the program were such consultants as Block, McGibony and Bellmore Health Advisors, Gordon Freisen, Charles Letouneau, Fred MacNamara, and Jack Ryan.

During these formative years, Professor Gibbs and his staff also engaged in consultative work, did research, and conducted seminar-like institutes relating to hospital and nursing home administration here in the city and nearby states.

Curriculum

From the outset, health care administration as a field of scholarly concentration found a place among the options open to School of Government and Business Administration (SGBA) doctoral candidates in Business Administration, admission based on previous academic credentials, estimated capacity for creative scholarship, and such demonstrated personal qualities as dedication.

By 1963-64, scholarly concentrations at the master's degree level had spread to include the administration of such long-term facilities as chronic disease hospitals, nursing homes, and homes for the aged. Also in 1964, GW offered the first program to address the administration of hospital health records, and was fortunate to find a coordinator for this program in Marjorie Quandt, R.R. L., the past President of the American Association of Medical Records Librarians, and Chief of Medical Records Library Staff of the Veterans Administration. The program consisted of two semesters of academic courses followed by a four-month internship.

By 1966, Health Care Administration offered programs in Hospital Administration, Long-term (Extended) Care Administration-Nursing Homes; Chronic Disease Hospitals; Mental Hospitals and Clinics and Facilities for the Aged, Health Records Administration and the International Institute. Study at the University included Master's, Post-Master's, and Doctoral degrees, the certificate program (18 to 30 hours) and the Continuing Education-non-degree program.

Frederick H. Gibbs (1959 -1967)

First appointed to chair the program in 1958, Professor Frederick Harrel Gibbs guided the program through its formative years, stepping down in 1967 but remaining in a teaching capacity until 1972.

"In May, 1985, Professor Emeritus Frederick H. Gibbs, the founder and first Chairman of the Department of Health Care Administration at The George Washington University died after a brief illness. Before coming to The George Washington University in 1959, Professor Gibbs had a long and distinguished Army career. He rose from the rank of Private in 1925 to retire as full Colonel in the Medical Service Corps, Army Medical Department, in 1957.

Through the 1940s and 1950s, Professor Gibbs was engaged in stimulating, organizing, performing, and evaluating management research in the Office of the Surgeon General of the Army. Many significant and lasting improvements in military medical administration resulted from the contributions that Professor Gibbs made to the development of conceptual frameworks and their application to administration. From 1952 to 1957 Professor Gibbs was the Director, Department of Administration, Medical Field Service School and the Course Director for the Baylor University Graduate Program in Hospital Administration at Fort Sam Houston, Texas. From 1956 until 1967, Professor Gibbs was the Director of the Interagency Institutes for Federal Hospital Administration and Veterans Administration Hospital Institutes. This continuing education program for federal health care executives has recently returned to The George Washington University. Professor Gibbs had a distinguished career as a soldier, teacher, researcher, administrator, and consultant. He was a member of numerous health professional organizations and he authored a wide variety of professional papers and articles. Professor Gibbs was truly one of the great pioneers in developing graduate education programs in health services administration in the United States.

One measure of his success is reflected in the many successful careers of those who were fortunate to be his students. Professor Gibbs' influence will be felt for many years. His strong character left a clear imprint on the Department of Health Services Administration. Professor Gibbs' influence has extended into succeeding generations through the professional careers and personal development of those he taught. His insistence on excellence pushed students and graduates to the outermost limits of their capabilities.

To honor this man who has meant so much to us all, the Frederick H. Gibbs Award for Excellence in Graduate Education honors one of our residency preceptors for dedication and skill in his tradition. Additionally in his memory, Frederick H. Gibbs scholarships are awarded annually to graduate students on campus." 1998 Gibbs Oration Leaflet

Dr. Leon Gintzig and the Middle Years (1967 - 1979)
Program Development and Curriculum

Leon Gintzig, who earned his doctorate in hospital administration at the University of Iowa in 1958, came to the GW program as an associate professor at the outset of Frederick Gibbs' chairmanship. He became a full professor in 1964 succeeding Gibbs as chair of Health Care Administration in 1967.

Early in his tenure (1968-1969), he added scholarly concentration in the administration of short-term and long-term hospitals, and other related health care facilities within SGBA programs leading to such degrees as Master of Business Administration and Master of Public Administration. In 1969, he instituted a new Master of Arts degree requiring 45 hours of course work in health care administration which eventually became a Master's Degree program in Health Services Administration. Gintzig's chairmanship also saw the development of a concentration in health information systems, designed to prepare individuals to supervise and coordinate data collection, thereby recognizing the growing utility of computer-based information systems in a decision-making. As a form of outreach, his tenure also brought into being a Bachelor of Science Degree in Health Care Administration offered to navy personnel at the Naval School of Hospital Administration.

Women in Health Administration

The number of women admitted to programs in hospital and health care administration has steadily increased over the years, reflecting the changes in the nation's overall social and economic environments since 1961. Many from earlier classes will remember the disproportionate ratio of men to women when the programs were just beginning. The addition of more women to the faculty also will not go unnoticed. Dr. Gintzig was in the forefront of those that understood that women, as well as men, would assume leadership roles in health care institutions throughout the nation.

Gintzig also recognized the educator's responsibility for imparting knowledge and information to the trustees of health care institutions, a responsibility he carried forward in his fifteen-years of volunteer service as a Board member, Officer and President of the Hospital Commission of Prince George's county, Maryland and its member institution, the Prince George's General Hospital and Medical Center. Also serving as a consultant to numerous boards of directors, he frequently appeared at conferences and meetings on their behalf.

Impressions

"Leon Gintzig was a true professional, a man totally dedicated to any task he undertook. His life touched and influenced the development of literally thousands of men and women who are now carrying on the mold he helped fashion. These students of his are working across this land and around the world."

"As a teacher, a counselor, an administrator and a friend, he was a rock, a touchstone that epitomized the solid foundation in a changing world. He was truly one of a kind, and he set the high standards to which, we all must aspire if we are to be worthy of the efforts invested in each of us." Memorial Service Remarks

Dr. Leon Gintzig

"Dr. Gintzig earned his Diploma in Nursing from McLean Hospital School in 1938 and his Bachelor of Science degree from Boston University in 1947. In 1954, he completed requirements for a Master of Science degree in Hospital Administration from Northwestern University, and went on to earn his Doctor of Philosophy degree in Hospital Administration from the University of Iowa in 1958.

Following service on Iowa's faculty and employment with the Veterans Administration, Dr. Gintzig came to The George Washington University in 1960 as an Associate Professor in the Department of Hospital Administration. In 1964, he was appointed to full professor and in 1967 became Chairman of GWU's Department of Health Care Administration. In 1979, he was named Associate Dean in GWU's School of Government and Business Administration.

Dr. Gintzig held fellowships in the American College of Health Care Administrators (1967), the American Public Health Association (1955), and the American College of Hospital Administrators (1954). He was also a member of the American Academy of Clinical Counselors (diplomat, 1960), professional societies and hospital boards. Dr. Gintzig died after a brief illness on January 7, 1984." The Leon Gintzig Commemorative Annual Educational Luncheon, 1984

The Alumni Association

Formed in June 1962, the GW Alumni Association for Health Services Management and Policy has grown into one of the largest and most successful alumni associations of its kind, its purpose to promote the professional development and continuing educational interests of those who hold GW degrees in health care. The Association also helps to develop, implement, and evaluate the graduate programs in Health Services Management and Policy (HSMP).

Nearly twenty percent of those who continue their affiliation with the association are chief executive officers and/or presidents of health care related entities. Still larger proportions are directors and vice presidents of such organizations and play leading roles in their professional associations. A disproportionately large number have served in American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE), in positions ranging from Regent to Board of Governors, and Chairman of the College.

Alumni, students, and faculty proudly point to an association membership whose handful of graduates in 1962 has grown to an alumni body of over three thousand. Its men and women serve with distinction throughout the nation's health care system, and its faculty are widely recognized for their teaching, research and publication, and perhaps most importantly, for their ability to instill in students a sense of dedication to their chosen profession.

The Association owes much to its leaders. William "Bill" Parker, a graduate of the first GW health care administration class in 1962, was the Association's first president and principal organizer during its first two years. Until his death in January 1992, Parker served as the Association's unpaid Executive Director. His influence in alumni affairs was far-reaching. Besides his success in strengthening the ties between the Associations and the Department, he also served as a preceptor for administrative residents and taught a class in the program. Students remember with appreciation his willingness to encourage and assist them in attaining their professional goals.

Others also have made distinctive contributions. Charles B. Van Vorst, MBA '68 President of the Association from 1984 to 1986, recognizing the need for closer involvement among alumni at the state level, created the State Representative Directors system that exists to this day.

Frank P Iacobell, MBA '63, who succeeded Van Vorst in 1987, played a critical role in chairing the Gintzig fund-raising campaign. Proceeds from the Gintzig Commemorative Fund underwrite the annual Gintzig lecture at the American College of Healthcare Executives Congress in Chicago. Iacobell remained active on many fronts over a span of more than twenty years. Since the early 1960s, he has presided over five meetings of the HSMP alumni in Chicago, but he is perhaps best remembered as a preceptor in the residency program. Having sponsored and mentored some 25 GW health care professionals over the years, he was honored with the Frederick H. Gibbs Award for Excellence in Graduate Education in 1994.

Jack Buckley, MBA '69 (1995 -1997), during his long and continuing alumni career, devoted major efforts to organizing programs to support the Gibbs Scholarship programs, along with establishing the Frederick H. Gibbs Award for Excellence in Graduate Education, recognition given annually to an outstanding preceptor.

Dr. Phillip N. Reeves, the first GW graduate to serve as Program Chair of Health Services and Management Policy, presided over a Master's Degree program in Health Services Administration that had two areas of concentration. To develop versatility and broad perspectives, candidates were encouraged to take a common core of courses with at least one advanced course from each area of concentration. The program centered on health service delivery - the administration of hospitals, mental health and long-term care facilities. Elective courses dealt with advanced financial management, issues in aging, and comparative health systems. During Reeves' chairmanship, the Bachelor's Degree program for naval personnel was discontinued.

Dr. Phillip N. Reeves

Phillip N. Reeves was born on October 26, 1926 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He received his Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Chicago in 1959 and his Doctor of Business Administration from The George Washington University in 1970. He was a commissioned officer in the United States Air Force from 1945 to 1967. His work at GW included: Associate Professor in the Department of Health Services Administration from 1969 until 1974; Associate Director of the CHP Council of Northern Virginia, 1974; and Professor in the Health Services Administration, 1975 to 1979. He served as professor and Chairman from 1979 to 1982.

Dr. Richard F. Southby, Chair 1982 to 1998, Associate Dean of the School or Public Health and Health Services, 1988 - Present

During Dr. Richard Southby's sixteen years of leadership, the Health Care Management and Policy program moved adroitly to meet the ever-growing diversification of career disciplines in health care. It was also during Southby's tenure, in 1991, that the HSMP program became a formal department within the School of Government and Business. Here it remained until it was incorporated in the new School of Public Health and Health Services in 1997.

Dr. Southby's watch also saw GW's continued participation in the Interagency Institute for Federal Health Care Executives. Dating from the Days of Frederick Gibbs when the University offered a two-week course in current issues in health care, the purpose of the Interagency Institute has been to bring together seasoned, practicing federal health care executives to explore their potential impact on the federal health care system. Dr. Southby has been Director of the Institute since 1984.

Richard F. Southby, Ph.D.

"Dr. Richard Southby is Associate Dean for Health Services and the Gordon A. Friesen Professor of International Health and Health Policy, School of Public Health and Health Services, The George Washington University Medical Center. Dr. Southby joined The GW faculty in 1979. From 1982 to 1998 he served as Chairman of the Department of Health Services Management and Policy, the longest serving Chairman of the Department since its establishment.

After attending Geelong Church of England Granunar School, he graduated with a Bachelor's Degree from The University of Melbourne, Australia, in 1965; a Master's Degree from Cornell University, New York in 1967; and a Doctoral Degree from Monash University, Australia, in 1973. Professor Southby is a Fellow of the Australian College of Legal Medicine. In addition to his appointment at The George Washington University, Dr. Southby is Adjunct Professor of Preventive Medicine and Biometrics at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, Maryland. Since 1984 he has been the Director of the Interagency Institute for Federal Health Care Executives, the major continuing education program for senior health care executives from the US Army, US Navy, US Air Force, US Public Health Service, and the Department of Veterans Affairs. Immediately prior to his present academic appointment, Dr. Southby was Director of Health Services Research and Teaching in the School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine at the University of Sydney, Australia. He was a member of the faculty of the Department of Social and Preventive Medicine at Monash University from 1968 until 1978. In 1975 Dr. Southby served as a full time Commissioner on the Australian Hospitals and Health affiliated with the Faculty of Medicine, Monash University.

Dr. Southby is a member of numerous professional organizations. He is Vice President of the Royal Society of Medicine Foundation, New York; Board Member of the Asia Pacific Academic Consortium for Public Health; and Past President and Board member of the International Health Policy and Management Institute. He was President of the Australian Public Health Association.

Dr. Southby is a Board Member of the Navy Marine Coast Guard Residence Foundation and the Vinson Hall Corporation, a Continuing Care Retirement Community, where he also serves as Chairman of the Strategic Planning Committee and a member of the Project Oversight Committee for a new dementia care facility. He is also Senior Warden of Saint David's Episcopal Church in Washington, D.C.

Dr. Southby has been a consultant on health services management and education projects with numerous organizations, including the World Bank and the Pan American Health Organization, in England, Hungary, Jordan, Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, and Turkey.

Professor Southby has edited books and published in academic and professional journals." Biographical Flyer, GW Medical Center, 1998

A New Direction: The School Formation Committee

In April 1995, a "School Formation Committee," appointed by the Medical Center Administration, was tasked to consider the desirability and feasibility of creating a School of Public Health and Health Services that could be accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health. The committee was assisted in its deliberations by the Council on Education for Public Health, the Association of Schools of Public Health, and by former Deans of CEPH Accredited Schools. Committee members included Peter Budetti, Lawrence D'Angelo, Jean Johnson, John Lachin, Steven Paterno, L.Gregory Pawlson, Richard Riegelman, Jorge Rios, Shoshanna Sofaer, and Richard F. Southby, with Nancy Persily as facilitator.

The Creation of the School of Public Health and Health Services

Late 1995 brought the announcement that the Department of Health Services and Management Policy would be joining the School of Public Health and Health Services in 1997. This move anticipated affording HSMP students with opportunities to become more realistically attuned to the needs and concerns of the clinicians in order to make their own roles as executives more effective. This type of interconnection with clinical peers also enables students to build a stronger and wider networking base in the health care, and better prepare them for the "real world" working environment.

The School of Public Health and Health Services was formally established on July 1, 1997. GW's eighth degree-granting unit is housed in the medical center with the School of Medicine and Health Sciences. As noted earlier, it is also the first school of public health in the city and the first school of public health and health services in the nation. The new school combines the former departments of public health, exercise science and health services management and policy.

The School encompasses the Departments of Health Services Management and Policy, Epidemiology-Biostatistics, Environmental and Occupational Health, International Public Health, and Prevention and Community Health. Degree offerings for the School include the Master of Public Health, Master of Health Services Management and Policy, and a Ph.D. in Epidemiology-Biostatistics. Bachelor and Master Degrees in Exercise Science are also offered. The School's Wertlieb Educational Institute for Long Term Care Management has already emerged as a national and international resource for education and interdisciplinary dialogue in long-term care management and finance.

The George Washington University Medical Center

Today The George Washington University Medical Center, an academic health facility, is internationally known for its outstanding education, research, and clinical care.

It is comprised of The School of Public Health and Health Services and The School of Medicine and Health Sciences, The George Washington University Hospital, the Medical Faculty Associates (the faculty practice of clinicians) and The George Washington University Health Plan. The Health Plan, begun in the early 1970s, is the health maintenance organization for more than 89,000 people.

In 1997, The George Washington University and Universal Health Services, Inc. announced the signing of a joint venture partnership agreement for the ownership and operation of the University Hospital. On October 6, 1999 the groundbreaking ceremony for the New GW University Hospital took place. The new facility, replacing the 50-year-old GW University Hospital, will provide both a clinical and administrative training ground for Medical Center students.

The Gordon A. Freisen Professorship

Dr, Gordon A. Freisen served as a lecturer at many universities, including St. Louis University, Columbia, Cornell, Xavier University in Cincinnati, the University of Western Ontario, as well at GW, from which he received and Honorary Doctor of Laws Degree in 1970. Twenty-five years ago, Dr. Freisen established a hospital planning and consulting firm here in Washington and became known through the world for his innovative concepts in hospital design, known as the "Freisen Concepts."

In April 1989, in his honor, the University established the Gordon A. Freisen Professorship of Health Services Administration within the HSMP department. Dr. Richard Southby, its first recipient, will retain this chair in this new role as Associate Dean of the School of Public Health and Health Services.

Hirsh Health Law and Policy Program

The Hirsh Health Law Program endowed by Jane and Harold Hirst, MD, JD, serves as a focal point of health law and law-related policy activities. Based in the School of Public Health and Health Services, the law program collaborates closely with the Law School and the School of Medicine and Health Sciences.

Wertlieb Educational Institute for Long-Term Care Management

The Wertlieb Institute is a national resource for education in long term care management. It sponsors and supports conferences, seminars, for continuing education and distance learning programs aimed at increasing the visibility, academic recognition, and practitioner knowledge of long term care.

The Institute was inspired and initially supported by long-term care administrator Harvey Wertlieb, BS'61, MBA'64 and his wife Linda, who envisioned providing life-long education for dynamic, results-oriented managers. Under the current leadership of Robert Burke, Ph.D., the Wertlieb Institute is poised to continue this outstanding tradition in the field of long term care management.

Alumni Award Recipients

HSMP Distinguished Alumni Award Recipients (HSMP)
Distinguished Alumni Service Awards (DSA) & (DAA)
George Washington Alumni Association Awards (GWAA)

Charles E. Kuebler, CHE, DSA
Lawrence M. Beck, FACHE, DSA
Fred L. Brown, FACHE, HSMP, DSA, DAA
Sister Xavier Ballance, FACHE, HSMP
John J. Buckley, Jr., FACHE, HSMP
Raymond L.Champ, FACHE, HSMP
Frank J. Cronin, Chairman of ACHE, FACHE, HSMP
Gail F. Donovan, HSMP
John P. Ferguson, FACHE, HSMP
Peter S. Fine, FACHE,HSMP
Donald Good, DSA, ACHE Lifetime Service Award
Stanley M. Grube, FACHE, HSMP, DSA
Jordan M. Hadelman, FACHE, HSMP
Gary S. Horan, FACHE, HSMP
Theodore A. Jospe, FACHE, HSMP
Robert G. Keily, FACHE,HSMP
Sister A. Diane Moeller, FACHE, HSMP
Ronald R. Peterson, HSMP
Phillip N. Reeves, Ph.D., FACHE, HSMP
Elliott C. Roberts, LCHE, HSMP, DSA, DAA
Lauren C. Thompson, Ph.D., FACHE, HSMP
David L. Woodrum: HSMP, DSA
Marshall S.Yablon, FACHE, HSMP

Gibbs Preceptor Awards:

Kenneth J. Clark, FACHE
John J. Buckley, Jr., FACHE
Elliot G. Cohen, FACHE
Kenneth B. Cohen, CHE
William Flanagan
Stanley A. Glassman, FACHE
Frank P. Iacobell, LFACHE
Robert G. Kiely, FACHE
Edward J. Smith (UVA)

Past Presidents:

1962-1964 William A. Parker, MBA, '62
1964-1966 James P. Swenson, MBA, '63
1966-1968 Winton D. Ross. MBA, '62
1968-1970 Cecil S. O'Neal, MBA, '65
1970-1972 Alvin M. Powers, LFACHE, MBA, '62
1972-1974 Allan L. Des Rosiers, MBA, '64
1974-1976 David L. Woodrum. FACHE, MBA, '66
1976-1977 Lloyd E. Laurence, MBA, '64
1977-1978 Frank R. Gabor, MBA, '64
1978-1979 Gary A. Singer, MBA, '74
1979-1980 Fred L. Brown, FACHE, MBA, '66
1980-1981 Steven L. Summer, CHE, MBA, '74
1981-1982 Constance Foshay Row, FACHE, Graduate Certificate in HCA, '74
1982-1983 Francis J. Cronin. FACHE, MBA, '67
1983-1984 Charles R. Graf, MBA, '63
1984-1986 Charles Van Vorst, LFACHE, MBA, '68
1986-1987 David W. Gitch, MBA, '64
1987-1989 Frank P. Iacobell, FACHE, MBA '63
1989-1990 James B. McCaslin, FACHE, MBA, '72
1990-1991 Arthur S. Shorr, FACHE, MBA, '70
1991-1993 Donald M. Shaw, MHSA, '74
1993-1994 Lawrence M. Beck, FACHE, MBA, '74
1994-1996 John J. Buckley, Jr, FACHE, MBA, '69
1997-1999 Leslie A. Hawkins, FACHE, MBA '78
1999-2000 Stanley M. Grube, FACHE, MBA. '66

PAST CHAIRS:

2000-2001 Stanley M. Grube, FACHE, MBA '66
2001-2003 Stanley A. Glassman, FACHE, MBA '70
2003-2005 Dennis J. Kain, FACHE, MHSA, '75
2005-2007 Jeffrey A. Falks, CHE, MHSA, '96