The Society?s Move to CSU Fresno
This year, as most of our
members now know, the Society for Armenian Studies moved its Secretariat
from The Armenian Center at the University of Michigan, Dearborn, to the
offices of the Armenian Studies Program at Californian State University,
Fresno. This is in keeping with the steady growth of the Armenian Studies
Program at Fresno, the details of which are set out elsewhere in this issue.
It is hoped that this will be the source of a long, fruitful, and mutually
advantageous association.
The Secretariat wishes to thank
Dennis Papazian for his years of dedicated service to the Society, and
for his e-mail dissemination of information relevant to our field, a most
valued service since the Newsletter comes out but three times a year and
much of our information on lectures and conferences appears after they
have taken place. Thanks are also due to Dr. Papazian?s assistant, Mr.
Gerald Ottenbreit, for his dedicated work on our Journal.
The editor apologizes for the
late arrival of this issue of the Newsletter, a result of the move of the
society?s headquarters.
Society for Armenian Studies
Annual Business Meeting
Minutes
Saturday, November 17, 2001
9:00-10:00 PM
1) SAS President Barlow Der Mugrdechian called the meeting
to order at 9 p.m.
Executive Council members present: Levon Chorbajian (treasurer),
Peter Cowe (vice-president), Robert Hewsen (at large).
A sign-up sheet was circulated of the ten members in
attendance.
2) The agenda proposed for the meeting by the president was approved.
3) The president informed the meeting that the Executive Council had approved the minutes of the 2001 annual business meeting and these had been published in the Newsletter.
4) Treasurer's Report: Levon Chorbajian noted that the
Society has over $13,000 in its account, primarily because no Journal was
published this year. The Society's financial state in general was quite
healthy after receiving dues pay-
5) Membership Report: the president noted that the Society's secretariat had moved in January from the Armenian Research Center at Dearborn to the Armenian Studies Program, Fresno, while the balance on hand was transferred to Fleet Bank in Massachusetts in March. Currently, since membership records are going to be maintained in Fresno, members are asked to send renewals there, after which the president will pass on checks to the treasurer for deposit.
As of November 1, the Society has 221 members (139 regular; 19 student; 27 retired; 36 supporting). Over the last year our one institutional member had been dropped after neglecting to maintain membership over the last few years. Similarly, ten members who are four years in arrears and have been contacted on various occasions by letter, e-mail, and personal call will be informed that their membership has expired.
6) Journal Report: The president reminded members that
the last number of JSAS was published last year as the last in the series
under Professor Dennis Papazian's editorship. Currently, the search for
a successor continues. Acting on Dickran Kouymjian's timely initiative,
as an interim measure to maintain continuity of publication, it has been
determined to put together the next volume by building on materials already
in hand. Forty-five books had been sent for review: Peter Cowe is to check
their current status and co-ordinate submission for publication. In addition,
there are four articles approved and others have been promised. New submissions
will be sent to JSAS board members for peer review.
Prospects are good for bringing the volume to publication
by the end of next year.
The president will be in overall charge of efforts to
send the volume to press.
7) Newsletter Report: The president stated that three issues of vol. 25 had been prepared this year and were sent to a list of almost 500 recipients at an overall annual running cost of $2,263.26. They could also be viewed on the CSU Fresno Armenian Studies website. This was the fifth year that Barlow Der Mugrdechian had served as editor and he was now resigning from the post as he had intimated previously. He is being succeeded by Robert Hewsen, who can be contacted with material for the newsletter this year at Fresno.
8) SAS Executive Council actions: The president informed
the meeting of two important decisions, which the board had taken on their
behalf over the last year.
i) The board had unanimously approved raising the level
of travel reimbursement for SAS sponsored panel presentations by members
from outside North America from $200 to $300. The rate for presenters from
North America remains at $200.
ii) A new category of membership had been approved for
scholars from the Armenian Republic, who would possess voting privileges
and receive the newsletter (but not the journal) for an annual fee of $10.
New Business
9) Elections: The president announced that the terms of Peter Cowe and Dickran Kouymjian on the executive council had expired. Members had sent in seventy-eight acceptable ballots. The candidates elected to fill the two vacancies are Garabet Moumdjian and Christina Maranci.
10) Nominations Committee: Levon Marashlian and Anahid Aramouni Keshishian were proposed and accepted as members of the new nominations committee. Aram Arkun was also proposed as the third member.
In 2002 the terms of Robert Hewsen and Richard Hovannisian would expire, and so there would be two vacancies to fill. No candidates were proposed from the floor.
11) SAS graduate student prizes: The president reminded
those present about the two prizes offered annually:
i. Paper presented at a scholarly conference (to be submitted
in finalized form by the end of February 2002), which would be reviewed
by the SAS executive council.
ii. Article submitted for publication in the next number
of JSAS, to be reviewed by the editorial board.
Correspondence concerning both prizes should be addressed
to the president.
12) SAS Roster: The president informed members that the latest version of the roster should be ready by the end of 2001. It would also contain the constitution and other information on the Society.
13) Directory of Armenian Studies Programs: Since there are now already fourteen Armenian Studies chairs or positions in the USA, it was decided to compile a listing of the various programs and their offerings for publication. Robert Hewsen is directing this project.
14) Acknowledgements: On behalf of the Society, the president expressed his appreciation for the contribution of the two retiring members of the executive council, to Professor Dennis Papazian for his singular service as JSAS editor and in hosting the secretariat at his research center, and to Gia Aivazian for her assistance in arranging the Armenian component of the MESA FilmFest.
15) Standing Committees: The SAS by-laws call for the creation of standing committees, which might encompass areas such as development and panels. The president called on anyone interested in serving in that capacity to contact him. He reiterated that, in addition to MESA, SAS is affiliated with the American Historical Association (AHA) and the American Association for the Advancement of Slavic Studies (AAASS) and can field panels at their meetings also.
16) MESA 2002: Next year's meeting will be in Washington,
DC and the deadline for submission of panel abstracts is February 15. It
was determined to make a special effort to have Armenian Studies represented,
perhaps with a plenary session involving the Armenian Embassy or other
governmental figures. The need for collaboration with the local Armenian
community was underscored.
It was highlighted that there have been two important
changes in MESA's policies with regard to panels:
a) sponsorship by affiliated organizations like SAS does
not guarantee that the designated panel will be accepted by the MESA organizational
committee, but simply adds the moral weight of the society's support.
b) the previous appeal mechanism has been abolished,
so that MESA committee rulings are final.
17) First World Congress for Middle Eastern Studies: Mainz, Germany, September 8-13, 2002. The President conveyed to the meeting the gist of a letter from Prof. Jos Weitenberg, president of the SAS sister organization Association Internationale des Etudes Arméniennes, to the effect that he was open to collaborate on creating joint panels of Armenian interest for this important scholarly forum. It was decided that the president should be in touch to determine more concretely what form of collaboration SAS could take part in.
18) Vote of thanks with a warm round of applause was awarded the president in recognition of his enthusiastic involvement and dedicated leadership over the last year and his excellent editorship of the Society Newsletter over the last five years.
19) The president adjourned the meeting at 10:07 p.m.
Minutes respectfully submitted by ad hoc secretary Peter Cowe.
Society for Armenian Studies Dues
Dues for membership in the Society for Armenian Studies
are now payable.
For membership information, please contact the SAS Secretariat,
at Armenian Studies Program, California State University, Fresno, 5245
N. Backer Ave, M/S PB4, Fresno, CA, 93740-8001
Telephone (559) 278-4930 or email barlowd@csufresno.edu