MINUTES FINAL SHAFR Council Friday, January 7, 2011 8:00 am-12:00 noon Marriott Boston Copley Place Massachusetts Room Present: Laura Belmonte, Frank Costigliola, Jeffrey Engel, Brian Etheridge, Peter Hahn, Mitch Lerner, Erin Mahan, Andrew Preston, Andrew Rotter, Chapin Rydingsward, Thomas Schwartz, Brad Simpson, Annessa Stagner, Marilyn Young (presiding), Thomas Zeiler (1) Welcome and announcements Young called the meeting to order at 8:00 A.M. and welcomed everyone. Young announced that the next Council meeting is scheduled for June 23 between 8:00-12:45 pm at the Hilton Alexandria Mark Center in Alexandria, Virginia. Young also reported that the Berks Conference panel sponsored by SHAFR under Rotter’s direction had been accepted and that she looked forward to the cultivation of the SHAFR-Berks relationship in future years. (2) Resolutions of thanks to retiring Council members Young introduced a resolution thanking recently-retired Council members Ken Osgood and Catherine Forslund and past president Richard Immerman for their valuable service as officers of SHAFR. Council enthusiastically passed the resolution. (3) Recap of motions passed by e-mail vote Hahn reviewed the three motions approved by Council via e-mail since its previous meeting in June 2010. Council approved the June 2010 minutes, extended the Summer Institute and the Diversity/International Travel Grant Program through 2012, and allocated $5,000 to National History Center in Washington D.C. (4) Motion to accept 2010 financial report Hahn presented a written and oral report on SHAFR’s finances. He encouraged Council members to examine closely the written report and indicated that he would answer questions at any time. Hahn highlighted certain revenues and expenditures in 2010 and reviewed the projected budget for 2011. He reported that SHAFR’s financial status remains sound and that the endowment is recovering well from the decline it experienced during the economic downturn. Schwartz thanked the executive director for his sound management of SHAFR’s finances. Schwartz also pointed to SHAFR’s financial health over the past three years as a positive indication that the Society can and should continue to fund the many valuable programs it initiated during that period. Hahn noted that the contract that generates most of SHAFR’s revenue expires at the end of 2012 and that while it is reasonable to expect an equivalent revenue flow under a subsequent contract, nothing is guaranteed. Council unanimously passed a motion to accept with thanks the 2010 financial report. (5) Motions from Ways & Means Committee Rotter reported that Ways & Means Committee sought Council’s guidance regarding two proposals submitted by Zeiler on behalf of the Membership Committee. The proposals were:
- That SHAFR allocate $7,500 on a one-time basis to cover the travel expenses of three international graduate students to participate in a round table panel at 2011 SHAFR meeting organized by the Membership Committee.
- That SHAFR allocate $10,000 annually for three years on a trial basis to fund a proposed CGISS to be administered by the Membership Committee. The $10,000 would be used to offset the travel expenses of five international students selected by the Membership Committee to participate in a special panel at the annual SHAFR meeting at a rate of $1,500 per student. The remaining $2,500 would go to support an international scholar who would participate in the special international panel and possibly deliver a formal conference address.
Zeiler noted that the above proposals had been designed to allow the Membership Committee to pursue more effectively SHAFR’s ongoing mission to internationalize. Costigliola noted that the two lectures scheduled at each SHAFR conference are typically reserved for the Presidential address and a keynote speaker selected by the President. Concerns were voiced that the initiatives might generate tension between the Membership and the Program Committees. Costigliola proposed that any Membership Committee initiative at the annual meeting must be contingent on approval by the Program Committee. Lerner noted that the Teaching Committee currently organizes a panel every year at the SHAFR conference and if the proposals under debate were to be approved, the Teaching Committee might be inclined to make a similar request to advance more effectively its mission. Schwartz supported the proposed CGISS, noting that Council had been pressing the Membership Committee to involve itself more directly in SHAFR’s strategic vision. Young emphasized that the Program Committee should maintain ultimate authority on issues concerning the conference program. Zeiler noted that the Membership Committee understood that its plans were contingent on approval by the Program Committee. Schwartz drew attention to the potential for operative overlap between the $25,000 currently allocated for the Diversity/International Travel Fund and the funds under requested by the Membership Committee. Schwartz noted that Council could reapportion a percentage of SHAFR’s Diversity/International Travel Fund to support the proposed CGISS. Along this line, Hahn noted that of the $25,000 allocated for the Diversity/International Travel Fund approximately $18,000 has typically gone to support diversity and $7,000 to support internationalization. Rotter moved (Costigliola seconded) that Council allocate $7,500 on a one-time basis to support travel by three international scholars to participate at a SHAFR roundtable at the 2011 SHAFR meeting in June. The motion passed unanimously. Rotter moved (Lerner seconded) to allocate, beginning in 2012, $10,000 annually for 3 years on a trial basis to the Membership Committee to initiate the proposed CGISS with the understanding its implementation would be contingent upon approval by the Program Committee. The motion passed unanimously. Rotter reported that the Ways & Means Committee received a request from Engel to allocate $1,500 a year to sponsor a SHAFR plenary session at the Transatlantic Studies Association meeting. Engel noted that the Transatlantic Studies Association would be eager to forge a link to SHAFR. Rotter noted that Ways & Means Committee viewed favorably this request but wanted to increase SHAFR’s level of support to $2,000. After further discussion, Council passed a resolution moving that the President respond favorably to a request by the Transatlantic Studies Association to have SHAFR sponsor a plenary session at the annual Transatlantic Studies Association meeting. On behalf of the Ways & Means Committee, Rotter sought Council’s guidance on a proposal to allocate $4,000 to the Teaching Committee to pay students to digitize Teaching Committee lesson plans and post them on SHAFR’s website. Rotter reported that the Ways & Means Committee was amenable to this proposal but requested direction from Council as to how best to allocate funds. During discussion, it was noted that the Teaching Committee’s proposal was consistent with SHAFR’s mission to extend its profile and further its commitment to the teaching of U.S. foreign relations. It was suggested that for efficiency purposes Council could channel the requested funds for use by the Teaching Committee through the SHAFR web budget. Lerner noted that in making this request the Teaching sub-committee assumed that the funds would be allocated directly to the Teaching Committee. After further discussion, Rotter moved (Costigliola seconded) that $4,000 be allocated to the SHAFR web budget and earmarked for use by the Teaching Committee to pay student hourly wages for the digitization of SHAFR lesson plans and the posting of said lesson plans on SHAFR’s website. The motion passed by majority vote. Rotter informed Council that the Ways & Means Committee recommended approval of a request submitted by Jonathan Winkler of Wright State University that SHAFR allocate $300 to support the 2011 annual meeting of the Ohio Academy of History. A motion so directing passed unanimously. Rotter reported that the SHAFR Webmaster asked Council to reformat his compensation. It was noted that the Webmaster’s annual compensation included a $3,000 stipend and a $4,000 course buyout subsidy, and that at the Webmaster’s new place of employment there was no need for a course buy-out. After discussion, Young introduced a motion that Council consider Etheridge’s suggestion. The motion passed unanimously. (6) Nominating Committee desiderata and transition to e-voting Hahn drew Council’s attention to the suggested Nominating Committee desiderata circulated among Council members and approved by the Nominating Committee, President, and Vice President prior to the meeting. After vigorous discussion a consensus emerged in support of amending the proposed desiderata as follows (underlined words are new; strikethrough shows deletions): Factors involved in overall composition of ballot:
- Ensure adequate representation on Council from American research-intensive institutions
- Ensure adequate representation on Council from American teaching-intensive institutions
- Ensure adequate representation on Council from international institutions
- Ensure adequate representation on Council from underrepresented groups
Vice-president
- Member of SHAFR in good standing
- History of active service in SHAFR, including at least one term on Council
- Record of publication in field or related fields, record of teaching in field or related fields, or other related service or experience.
- 4. Record of teaching in field or related fields
- 5. Other related service or experience
Council and Nominating Committee – non-students
- Member of SHAFR in good standing
- History of active service in SHAFR
- Record of publication in field or related fields, record of teaching in field or related fields, or other related service or experience.
- 4. Record of teaching in field or related fields
- 5. Other related service or experience
Council – graduate students
- Member of SHAFR in good standing
- History of active involvement in SHAFR (at a minimum attendance at one SHAFR conference)
Council unanimously approved a resolution to amend the Nominating Committee desiderata according to the changes indicated above. Hahn drew Council’s attention to SHAFR’s plan to shift in 2011 to an online election process. He reminded Council that last year a motion to hire a private vendor to conduct SHAFR’s elections failed to pass by a 6-6 vote. Hahn reported that he was currently having discussions with another service provider, the company that manages elections for another large historical association and other organizations. After discussion of estimated costs, expected services, and the merits of having a private company administer SHAFR’s elections, Council authorized the executive director to explore the options for hiring a vendor and bring specific proposals to Council in time to administer SHAFR’s 2011 election. (7) Petition to revise Link-Kuehl Prize stipulations Young directed Council to consider a recent petition received by the chair of the Link-Kuehl prize committee, urging that the prize be granted to a book published in the 1990s and thus disqualified by the current two-year publication restriction. Council unanimously passed a resolution to eliminate the time restrictions imposed on books nominated for the Link-Kuehl Prize and to direct the Link-Kuehl Prize Committee to implement the rule on a timetable of its choosing. (8) Motion to change name of Passport Lerner addressed Council as the editor of Passport. He drew attention to the publication’s subheading: The Newsletter of the Society for Historians of American Foreign Relations. Lerner conveyed the concern of Passport’s editorial board that the publication had outgrown its official label as a “newsletter”. It was noted that each Passport issue contains substantive articles on topics of intellectual interest to the SHAFR body and the field at large. Lerner also noted that the reluctance of potential contributors to Passport frequently stems from the publication’s presumed status as a mere newsletter. In light of these concerns, Passport’s editorial board recommends changing the publication’s name to better reflect its status and image. Lerner presented a list of potential alternative sub-titles that he had developed in consultation with Hahn and the editorial board. Lerner invited Council to deliberate on these issues and sought approval for any name change. Council discussed the impetus behind the proposed name change and the relative merits of the proposed alternatives. During discussion a consensus emerged in favor of changing Passport’s subheading to The SHAFR Review. Council directed Lerner to confer with Passport’s editorial board and to report back with an implementation plan. (9) SHAFR participation in C-SPAN history program Lerner reported that he had recently been contacted by Luke Nichter, the new executive producer of C-SPAN’s American History TV series, to discuss the potential for a collaborative relationship between SHAFR and C-SPAN. Nichter responded favorably to Lerner’s initial suggestion, advanced in consultation with Young, Rotter, and Hahn, that C-SPAN cover SHAFR’s 2011 Conference in June. Council was unified in support of this type of outreach. It was also noted that C-SPAN broadcasted Rotter’s 2010 Presidential address in Wisconsin. Young appointed Lerner, Simpson, Belmonte, Mahan, and Selverstone to head a task force to devise and present to C-SPAN a series of proposals to increase cooperation between SHAR and C-SPAN, at the 2011 SHAFR meeting and after. (10) Motion to approve mission statement of Teaching Committee Council passed a motion unanimously approving the proposed mission of the SHAFR Teaching Committee: “The mission of the SHAFR Teaching Committee is to promote and facilitate the teaching of the history of U.S. foreign relations. It does so through such means as creating and sponsoring conference programs, publishing teaching-related articles in Passport, and developing and maintaining on the SHAFR website an array of the most useful resources for SHAFR members and others to draw upon for their teaching.” (11) Proposed revisions of Bylaws Hahn reported that in response to the revisions of the bylaws approved by referendum in late 2010, a SHAFR member suggested the following additional change to the Bylaws ARTICLE II, SECTION 5(a) to provide that a candidate winning a majority vote in a race involving three or more nominees would be declared the winner and that no run-off election would be needed. The proposed revision (underlined words indicate the proposed new insertion): “(a) Elections shall be held annually by mail ballot. The candidate for each office who receives the highest number of votes is elected. When more than two nominees are slated for a particular office and no candidate receives a majority vote, a run-off election will be held between the candidates with the two highest vote totals.” Hahn also reported that in the 2010 referendum, the deadline for the Executive Director to mail the ballots was advanced from September 15 to August 15 (penultimate sentence of 5(e), below). Hahn suggested the following revisions to the bylaws ARTICLE II, SECTION 5(d) and (e) to restore the one-month timeframe between completion of Nominating Committee work and the new mailing deadline (underlined words are new; strikethrough shows deletions): “(d) Additional nominees for any office shall be placed on the ballot when proposed by petition signed by twenty-five members in good standing; but such additional nominations, to be placed on the ballot, must reach the Chair of the Nominating Committee by July August 1. “(e) The Chair of the Nominating Committee shall certify the names to be placed on the ballot to the Executive Director by July August 15. The Executive Director shall mail the completed election ballot to the membership not later than August 15 for return by October 31. The election results, certified by the Nominating Committee, shall e announced as expeditiously as possible.” Council unanimously passed a motion amending the bylaws in accordance with Hahn’s suggestions and directed Hahn to send these items to a membership referendum. (12) Abolition of the Distinguished Lecturer Program Hahn directed Council’s attention to SHAFR’s Distinguished Lecturer Program. The program had been approved three years earlier along with several other new initiatives designed in part to dispense increased revenues. Hahn reported that the Distinguished Lecturer Program had been designated to vice presidents for administration but for a variety of reasons had never gotten off the ground. In discussing this issue, a consensus emerged in favor of abolishing the Distinguished Lecturer Program. A motion so directing passed unanimously. (13) Report on AHA Prize stipulations Young directed discussion to the ongoing issue concerning the current award stipulations of the AHA-administered Louis Beer Prize as well as two additional AHA prizes pertaining to European history. All three of these awards are reserved for U.S. citizens/permanent residents. Young reported that according to the AHA, the prize stipulations in question reflect the desire of the original donors to facilitate scholarship on European history by U.S. historians. During discussion, Council reaffirmed SHAFR’s desire to facilitate scholarship and scholarly dialogue and community across national boundaries, but remained divided as to whether these sentiments ought to be expressed through formal opposition to the AHA prize stipulations. Young introduced a motion to table this issue indefinitely. The motion passed unanimously. Reports (14) Historical Documentation Committee Young reported on the recent recommendation by Chester Pach on behalf of SHAFR’s Historical Documentation Committee (HDC) to have the SHAFR representative on the Historical Advisory Committee (HAC) serve as chair of the HDC. The recommendation was premised on the belief that the SHAFR HAC representative, by virtue of his/her work on the committee and familiarity with issues of declassification and records access, would be in a strong position to oversee the work of the HDC. After a brief discussion, Young introduced a motion to table this recommendation pending its full discussion and review at the Council meeting in June. The motion passed unanimously. (15) 2011 Summer Institute Zeiler reported that he and Carol Anderson would be hosting the 2011 Summer Institute at Emory University in June. The topic of the 2011 Institute will be “Freedom and Free Markets: Globalization, Human Rights, and Empire.” Zeiler reported that 17 applications have been received so far and that the deadline for applications is February 1. Zeiler was also happy to report that Emory University recently awarded a $15,000 grant to support the 2011 Summer Institute. This revenue source reduces significantly the funds SHAFR will have to allocate to run the 2011 Institute. (16) Passport Lerner reported that Passport had a fine year and is in good financial standing. In 2010, Passport cost SHAFR approximately $4,000. For comparative purposes it was noted that the production of the former SHAFR Newsletter cost SHAFR $10,000 per year. Lerner noted that Passport received a $2,500 grant from the Mershon Center at The Ohio State University. He cautioned, however, that this source of funding is not guaranteed in future years. Lerner also briefed Council on various issues related to Passport in 2010, all of which were resolved without significant problem. (17) Diplomatic History Zeiler submitted his biannual report on Diplomatic History both in writing and orally. Since July 2010 DH has received 53 new manuscripts for review, an increase of over 50 percent from the second half of 2009. It has 30 manuscripts currently under peer review and has accepted fewer articles for publication and rejected outright more submissions than it had during this period last year. Zeiler reported that the January issue will feature Rotter’s presidential address and 35 book reviews, in an effort to get DH readers reviews as quickly as possible and to lower the backlog of reviews ready for publication. The April and June issues will showcase seven and five articles, respectively, and eleven total reviews. The September issue will include Barbara Keys’ Bernath Lecture and a forum organized by Robert Dean on “Cultures of Secrecy.” Additional forthcoming issues will feature a special forum on genocide and another on music. Zeiler reported that the number of reviews ready for publication after the June 2011 issue has dropped drastically from this time last year—from 31 to 12. The combination of the January special issue and an effort to solicit fewer reviews accounts for this reduction. In a further attempt to clear up space for more reviews, single-book reviews now have a limit of 1,200 words instead of 1,500. Zeiler emphasized that the DH editorial board supports consideration of expanding the journal’s page allotment during future contract negotiations. Council enthusiastically passed a resolution thanking Bob Schulzinger and Tom Zeiler for their superb editorship of DH. Council also unanimously passed a resolution extending of best wishes to the SHAFR Editor-in-Chief Robert Schulzinger and unanimously passed a resolution empowering Executive Editor Tom Zeiler to act as Editor-in-Chief until such time as Schulzinger is able to return to this duties. (18) SHAFR Guide to the Literature Zeiler informed Council both orally and in writing on the 2010 updates to the SHAFR Guide to the Literature. In 2010, fourteen chapters were updated significantly, adding 261 entries to the Guide. The editor for Chapter 20 significantly revised the introduction, and the title of Chapter 10 changed to “The Spanish-Cuban-American War, the Philippine-American War, and U.S. Empire,” with significant reorganization to that chapter. In consultation with Zeiler, editors on the other chapters decided to accumulate more sources in 2011. It was noted that three new editors have signed on to the project, replacing three editors who had long worked on the Guide and wanted to retire. Paul Chamberlin of the University of Kentucky replaced Jim Goode on Chapter 16; John Sbardellati took the place of Dick Melanson on Chapter 31; and Mark Gilderhus was replaced on Chapter 12 by Mark Benbow of Marymount College. (19) Summer Institute Oversight Committee Council unanimously passed a resolution to hold the 2012 Summer Institute at the University of Connecticut in conjunction with SHAFR’s 2012 annual meeting in June. Hahn noted that Costigliola had recently issued a 2012 Summer Institute program statement. (20) 2011 annual meeting On behalf of the 2011 program committee, Simpson reported that the 2011 SHAFR meeting will be held June 23-25 at the Hilton Alexandria Mark Center in Alexandria, Virginia. The 2011 Conference theme is “Waging War, Making Peace, Crossing Borders.” Simpson reported that a high number of quality proposals were received, indicating that SHAFR’s recent outreach and the expanded 2010 conference format have elevated significantly the interest in the SHAFR conference and the Society generally. The committee received approximately 100 panel proposals and plans to accept 64 panels. Simpson also interpreted the sustained high level of interest in the SHAFR conference as an indication that SHAFR is becoming the defacto home of scholars researching and writing on transnational issues. He noted that approximately half of the panel proposals are transnational is some fashion. Young informed Council that topics under consideration for 2011 plenary sessions include the recent Wikileaks scandals and the tenth anniversary of 9/11. Speakers under consideration for the 2011 meeting include Andrew Bacevich and Michael Geyer. Simpson reported that the Program Committee hired someone to manage the online application process and recommended that SHAFR consider allocating funds in future years, ranging from $500 to $1,500, for the purchase of software that would digitize and render more efficient the application process by means of a front-end application template. (21) 2012 annual meeting Costigliola reported that the 2012 annual meeting will be held in June at the Hartford Marriott in Hartford, Connecticut. Costigliola noted that the University of Connecticut intends to honor the Michael Hogan’s original offer of $15,000 in support of the 2012 conference venue. (22) Lesson Plans Initiative A written report on SHAFR’s Lesson Plans Initiative from John Tully, the Director of Secondary Education, was distributed. Tully noted that the Faculty Partner outreach was a great success. Twenty-seven SHAFR members volunteered. All but five of the twenty-three lesson plans have been assigned and eight are completed. Tully also noted that the Teaching American History (TAH) grants program remains in limbo and that he is keeping tracking the situation through the president of the National Council for the Social Studies and the evaluator of Central Connecticut’s TAH program. (23) Graduate Student Grants & Fellowships Hahn reported on the recent recommendation by the Graduate Student Grants and Fellowship Committee urging clarifying the guideline language for the Stuart L. Bernath Dissertation Grant, the only grant under the Committee’s purview that specifies that funds be used for writing as opposed to research. The Committee had been directed not to see this stipulation as a limiting factor and ultimately decided to issue the awards based on merit irrespective of whether the student was researching or writing. In discussing this issue, a consensus emerged that if no legal stipulations exist dictating the award’s status, SHAFR should change the guideline language accordingly. On behalf of the Graduate Student Grants and Fellowship Committee, Hahn announced that the Stuart L. Bernath Dissertation Grant will be awarded to Sarah Miller-Davenport, the W. Stull Holt Dissertation Grant will be awarded to Stephen Macekura, and the Lawrence Gelfand-Armin Rappaport Dissertation Fellowship will go to Thomas Westerman. It was also reported that Samuel F. Bemis Research Grants for 2010-2011 would be awarded to (in alphabetical order): Daniel Bessner, William Bishop, Shannon Fitzpatrick, Barin Kayaoglu, Jessica Kim, Julia Rose Kraut, Maurice LaBelle, Allison Lauterbach, Katherine Marino, Victor McFarland, Douglas Snyder, and Irene Vrinte, (24) Williams Junior Faculty Research Grant On behalf of the Williams Junior Faculty Research Grant Committee, Hahn reported that the 2011 Williams Fellowship will be awarded to Trygve Throntveit. (25) Hogan Foreign Language Fellowship On behalf of the Michael J. Hogan Fellowship Committee, Hahn reported that the Hogan Fellowship for 2011 would be awarded to Erica Smith. (26) Myrna Bernath Fellowship On behalf of the Myrna Bernath Fellowship Committee, Hahn reported that the Myrna Bernath Fellowship for 2011 would be awarded to Theresa Keeley. Hahn also noted a written recommendation from the committee that chairs of graduate student fellowship committees should coordinate their awarding of fellowships to ensure that individuals are not awarded multiple grants for the same research work. Other Business (27) Announcements and other business Costigliola inquired about the location of the 2013 SHAFR conference. Hahn reported that no decisions have been made. If it continued on its current rotation, SHAFR would hold the 2013 meeting at a Washington-area conference hotel. Hahn encouraged Council to consider the potential cultural and financial benefits of adhering to or deviating from the standard practice. Mahan reported that the Department of Defense Historical Advisory Committee welcomes Council’s recommendations as it begins to reorganize itself in the coming months. Young concluded the meeting by thanking everyone for attending. The meeting adjourned at 11:45 am. Respectfully submitted, Peter L. Hahn Executive Director PLH/cr