MANECCS Business Meeting, Arlington, Virginia, October 5, 2008

MANECCS BUSINESS MEETING

ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA

OCTOBER 5, 2008

1. The minutes for the November 16, 2007 joint MANECCS/SACS business meeting at Toronto were distributed and accepted as submitted.

2. Bob Bence presented the Treasurer’s Report for the past year. Our balance as of October 1 was $24,720.05. This includes a Government of Canada grant of $10,400 and 2008 membership and conference registration of $7415. Expenditures include $6000 spent on this conference to date, with the final figure close to $12,000. Other expenses for this conference were $1638.74 for the Executive Board, $247 for speaker transportation costs, $103.90 for awards, speaker fees of $1875.90, $250 reimbursement to SACS for registration fees, and $103.90 in other conference expenses. Expenditures since October 2007 also include $212.78 for website maintenance; $460 in attorney fees; a $15 Commonwealth of Pennsylvania filing fee; $600 in Scholar Exchange Grants to each of Clarkson University, SUNY Plattsburgh, and Edinboro University; Young Scholars Grants of $2500; and $250 for the newsletter editor.

The membership unanimously accepted the Treasurer’s Report.

3. Bob Bookmiller announced that MANECCS has given eight Young Scholars Grants. He thanked Marsha Tate for crafting the requirements for this program and for soliciting some of the scholars. We can sponsor four of five new young scholars with $500-$600 grants each year. Bob solicited nominations for this grant. We expect to request similar funding for 2010.

4. Bob presented the slate of officers for the 2009-2011 Executive Board: President: Andy Holman Executive Vice President: Marsha Tate Vice President for Conference Planning: Tony Cicerone Vice President for Membership: Joan Whitman Hoff Secretary: Howard Cody Treasurer: Bob Bence Past President: Bob Bookmiller Councilors at Large: Richard Kay, Brendan Burke, and Bob Timko

Bob explained that Howard will have to advertise the third Councilor at Large as a change to the by-laws at least sixty days before the change takes effect on January 1, 2009. This will allow Bob Timko to remain on the Executive Board after his term as Past President has ended.

The membership unanimously accepted the proposed new Executive.

5. Bob Bookmiller turned the meeting over to President-elect Andy Holman. Andy moved a vote of thanks to Bob Bookmiller for serving us well as President. The membership unanimously supported the motion.

6. Andy proposed that we hold our next biennial on the same weekend two years from now in Providence. He suggested that Tony Cicerone would negotiate with Providence hotels for favorable rates. The members expressed approval for this initiative.

7. Andy brought up the problem of no-shows. This time we had five or six late cancellations and an added five or six outright no-shows. We decided to consult with ACSUS. We may adopt a policy similar to theirs, or require that all attendees whose names appear on the program pay their fully nonrefundable registration fee at least thirty days prior to the conference.

8. Andy mentioned that a merger of MANECCS and SACS has been raised as a possibility. The Executive Board wishes not to pursue this project at this time.

9. Andy raised possible changes to our conference panel scheduling, namely holding one session in each time slot rather than two, and limiting each panel to a two paper maximum. The members rejected both proposals as hindering MANECCS members’ chance to present papers. Bob Timko noted that many members cannot get travel assistance from their institutions unless they present papers.

10. Andy asked MANECCS members to send him Canada-related news of past or future events at their institutions for him to place in the newsletter. He should have it by January if possible.

11. Andy announced the spring 2009 colloquium that MANECCS will hold in Saskatoon with the Diefenbaker Centre to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the St. Lawrence Seaway. MANECCS can pay travel expenses for about six of its members to present papers on the Seaway at this colloquium. A call for papers will go out soon.

Howard Cody Secretary