S-USIH ExCom Minutes 5.26.2015

S-USIH ExCom Meeting, May 26, 2015: Conference Call, 4pmEST

Present: Dan Wickberg (president, 14-15), Kevin Schultz (president, 15-16), Natalia Mehlman Petrzela (treasurer, 15-16), Ray Haberski (secretary, 14-15), Cara Burnidge (secretary, 15-16), Tim Lacy (chair publications, 15-16)

Absent: Andrew Hartman (conference chair, 2015), Jennifer Burns (conference chair 2016)

Transition meeting

Dan opened the meeting with an explanation of the meeting’s focus and the new executive committee’s responsibilities.

Dan turned over the floor to Kevin as the incoming president and as the immediate past treasurer.

Kevin:

provided details on the office of treasurer: $20,000 in bank, mostly in membership dues;

Continuous membership income

Membership software has made things easier and should help the society encourage more membership

Transitioning from Bank of America to PNC Bank because it exists in Indiana and other states around the country

Kevin has negotiated good rates for transactions with the bank and will get everything ready to turn over to Natalia

Natalia: questions about expenses?

Kevin: fees for the website, conference fees, scholarship funds

Kevin: PNC bank signatory transition can be done by conference call

Natalia: asked about the maintenance of the budget and presentation of it

Kevin went over the need to update membership at the annual conference

Ray;

gave an overview of the secretary’s position

Discussion of the Administrative Officer

Questions about term for the AO

Review process of the AO each year

Specific things that the institution (IUPUI) would provide

Need catalog the society’s business in an archive that IUPUI might be able to create

Motion on the floor, discussion and discussion of introduction of amendments

Vote: no objections, approved acclamation

Cara:

will get all the passwords, codes and other things related to the website from Ray

Cara will be the person who brings all revisions and initiatives regarding the website to the ExCom and will decide on what needs to be done

Cara will relay to Ray (AO) what needs to be done at IUPUI Liberal Arts

Tim:

Reported on new book review assistant editors Brian Purcell and Ethan Chitty

Matt Linton is the new podcast editor

Goal: stabilize changes and groom the next pub com chair for 16-17

Ray asked about the podcasts

Tim explained that Matt will get the podcasts format up and running by July

Dan:

Winner for the book prize: Ruben Flores, Backroads Pragmatists

Runner-up: K. Stephen Prince, Stories of the South: Race and Reconstruction of Southern Identity

Explained to Kevin how the book prize committee functions and the need to get a committee together very soon for the 2016 book prize

Majority of work is done Feb 1 through May

Affiliation status with OAH translates to S-USIH have two panels at the national conference

Ray added that he would like the ExCom to create an advisory committee—past presidents, junior scholars, book committee members

Kevin: wants to create something along these lines and to make them active fundraisers; members who are senior in the field will help develop wings of the society

Kevin: create website areas for past presidents, awards, and committees

Dan closed the meeting at 4:56pm EST