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IMPORTANT MEMBER NEWS
Change to AAR Bylaws: Vote November 18
A recent review of the AAR's Bylaws revealed a small textual error that needs to be corrected. The bylaw in question (Article VII, Part I, Section 4) currently states that the Member-At-Large Director will serve on the Nominations Committee. The correction would strike the Member-At-Large Director and replace it with the Member Advocate Director. The proposed change is shown at the bottom of this e-mail and online. Vote at the Annual Business Meeting in Chicago on Sunday, November 18, at 7:30 am.
AAR Elections Are Open: Vote Today!
By now, you should have received notice of the electronic ballot for the 2012 AAR elections. Four positions are to be filled during this election. You can view the candidates' bios and statements here. The successful candidates will take office at the conclusion of the 2012 Annual Meeting. This is a wonderful opportunity to influence the governance of the AAR, so please cast your vote for the candidates now. Elections close October 24, 2012.
If you have not yet received a link to the ballot, please notify us via e-mail at nominations@aarweb.org. Be sure to include your full name and the e-mail address to which you would like the link to the ballot sent.
Religious Studies News: October Issue Now Available!
We are very pleased to announce the release of the October issue of Religious Studies News. The issue can be accessed by going online to www.rsnonline.org.
In this issue, you will find lots of information on our upcoming Annual Meeting in Chicago, Illinois. You can also read about pertinent matters in the field of religion in our Features, News, and Resources sections. Our Spotlight on Teaching issue delves into teaching religious studies in stand-alone MA programs.
AAR Teaching Survey
The AAR Teaching and Learning Committee invites your insights into the role of teaching in our academy! Please take just a few minutes to help us assess the needs and desires around teaching methods, theories, and practices. We appreciate your ideas! Take me to the survey!
Renew Your Membership for 2013
Don't miss a beat – renew your AAR membership for 2013 today!
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ANNUAL MEETING NEWS
Annual Meetings Registration and Housing
AAR Annual Meeting Registration and Housing is now open! You must be registered to secure housing. Special rates on hotel rooms are not guaranteed after October 24, 2012 – arrange your housing today!
Online Annual Meetings Program Book
Check out the Online Annual Meetings Program Book! The print Program Book was mailed to all AAR meeting registrants in early October; look for it to arrive any day. An Annual Meetings Program Update will be in the tote bag at the Annual Meeting, available onsite in the registration area of the McCormick Place Convention Center this November.
Employment Center Deadline is October 24
The Employment Center, sponsored by the AAR and SBL, is open for candidates through the Annual Meeting registration system. Employers can register through the AAR and SBL job advertisement submission websites. The deadline to preregister for both candidates and employers is October 24, 2012.
Women's Mentoring Luncheon
The Status of Women in the Profession Committee, Status of Racial and Ethnic Minorities in the Profession Committee, and the Women's Caucus invite women who are graduate students and new scholars to a luncheon on Sunday, November 18, at the Annual Meetings. Women will have the opportunity to mentor and be mentored in a context where every question is valued. Lunch costs $10 per person; sorry, no refunds. Registration is limited to 100 – as of October 15, only 22 spaces remain, so register soon! Click here to register.
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AAR STUDENT NEWS
Students of Color: Subsidies Available for the Annual Meetings
AAR's Status of Racial and Ethnic Minorities in the Profession Committee provides registration waivers to AAR student members of color who are presenting papers at the Annual Meeting in Chicago.
If you are a student of color on the AAR Annual Meeting program and who are not receiving institutional support, you are eligible to have your registration fees waived (or reimbursed). To apply for this assistance, please complete the short questionnaire no later than November 1, 2012.
Call for Student Desk Editor – Deadline: October 31, 2012
Religious Studies News (RSN) is the newspaper of record for the field especially designed to serve the professional needs of persons involved in teaching and scholarship in religion (broadly construed to include religious studies, theology, and sacred texts). Published quarterly by the American Academy of Religion, RSN is received by some 10,000 scholars and by libraries at colleges and universities across North America. Religious Studies News communicates the important events of the field and related areas and examines critical issues in education, pedagogy (especially through the bi-annual Spotlight on Teaching) research, publishing, and the public understanding of religion. It also publishes news about the services and programs of the AAR and other organizations including employment services and registration information for the Annual Meeting and related activities.
For more information on how to submit your materials for the position, please see our student announcements.
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AAR AWARDS AND GRANTS NEWS
2012–2013 International Dissertation Research Grants: Deadline December 1
The 2012–2013 International Dissertation Research Grants applications process is open. These annual grants, designed to support AAR student members whose dissertation research requires them to travel outside of the country in which their school or university is located, are intended to help candidates complete their doctoral degrees by offsetting costs of travel, lodging, and other dissertation research-related expenses. The application deadline is December 1, 2012.
Religion and the Arts Award Nominations
Nominations are being accepted for the Religion and the Arts award, which is presented annually to an artist, performer, critic, curator, or scholar who has made a recent significant contribution to the understanding of the relations among the arts and religions, both for the Academy and for a broader public. Nominees need not be AAR members. Please, no self nominations. To be considered for the 2013 award, nominations must be made by February 1, 2013. For submission requirements and more information, please see here.
Martin E. Marty Public Understanding of Religion Award Nominations
To nominate someone for the AAR's Martin E. Marty Award, which recognizes extraordinary contributions to the public understanding of religion by those whose work speaks to the public as well as to scholars, please see here. The deadline for nominations is January 25, 2013.
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IN THE FIELD ANNOUNCEMENTS
Are you interested in the latest happenings in the field of religion? Would you like to post an announcement of an event, award competition, or other news of importance in the field? In the Field is your resource for news of events and opportunities for scholars of religion and theological education, published online by the AAR.
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ACADEMIC ABBY: Professional Advice from Your Colleagues
Do you have a question about life in academe that you are at a loss to answer by yourself but don't feel you can approach your colleagues with it? Ask Academic Abby! Academic Abby is able to answer questions large and small, from dealing with faculty dilemmas, to tenure issues, to work/life balance troubles. Questions can be submitted anonymously through an online form. Members of the AAR Status of Women in the Profession Committee will respond to each question received. The question and answer will be posted on the Status of Women in the Profession web page and issues of Religious Studies News.
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ASK THE DIVA
If you are experiencing issues of special concern to LGBTIQ scholars of religion, the Diva can help! What questions do you have about graduate school, career development, teaching, etc.? Questions can be submitted anonymously through an online form. Members of the LGBTIQ Persons in the Profession Committee will respon. Your confidentiality is assured; the answers can be e-mailed to you privately if you wish. With your permission, the questions and answers will be posted anonymously in Religious Studies News.
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AAR MEMBER NOTES
Awards and Accomplishments
Shawn Landres, Jewish Jumpstart
Featured as a "spotlight innovator" and speaker at the July 2012 White House Faith-based Social Innovators Conference, where he spoke about bridging the gap between faith-based and secular social entrepreneurship. "Faith-based need not mean faith-bound," Landres said, "and secular social enterprise need not isolate itself from faith-born creativity."
Career Transitions
Jean Ehret, Grand Séminaire de Luxembourg
Appointed Professor of Dogmatics and Spirituality at the Grand Séminaire de Luxembourg and the Institut de Pédagogie Religieuse.
Books and Major Publications
Brian Arthur Brown, Rowman & Littlefield
Three Testaments: Torah, Gospel, and Quran. Rowman & Littlefield, August 2012. The scriptures of Abraham's family together for the first time, Brian Arthur Brown editor, commentary by Ellen Frankel, Marc Brettler, Henry Carrigan, David Bruce, Laleh Bakhtia.
Jason Ānanda Josephson, Williams College
The Invention of Religion in Japan. University Of Chicago Press, October 2012.
Michael O'Sullivan, Dublin City University and Bernadette Flanagan, eds. Spiritual Capital - The Practice of Spirituality in Christian Perspective. Ashgate, 2012.
Michael Craig Rhodes, North Park University
Mystery in Philosophy: An Invocation of Pseudo-Dionysius. Rowman and Littlefield, 2012 ISBN 0739134345
Wojciech Maria Zalewski, Stanford University
Crucible of Religion: Culture, Civilization and Affirmation of Life. Wipf & Stock, March 2012. ISBN 13:978-1-61097-828-6
Let your AAR colleagues know about your professional milestones! Submit your Member Note online.
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PROPOSED CHANGES TO AAR BYLAWS
To: AAR Members
From: Jack Fitzmier, Executive Director
Date: 15 October 2012
Subject: Revision to AAR Bylaws
A recent review of the AAR's Bylaws revealed a small textual error that needs to be corrected.
During its consideration of the recommendations of our Governance Task Force in 2010, our Board of Directors agreed that our Member Advocate would serve on the Nominations Committee. However, the bylaws that were passed (specifically, Article VII, Part I, Section 4) do not contain this provision. Rather, they state that an At-Large Director will serve on the Nominations Committee.
The Governance Task Force considered several possible structures for our Board of Directors. Under one proposal, we would have four At-Large Directors, one of whom would serve as Member Advocate Director. Under another, we would have three At-Large Directors and one Member Advocate Director. The Board approved the latter plan. Unfortunately, this distinction was not included in the Bylaws noted above. Our Board has considered this matter and brings you the following recommendation.
Recommendation: In order to correct an error that occurred when the bylaws were drafted, and in order to make the bylaws conform to Board policy, we recommend that the words "an At-Large Director" in Article VII, Part I, Section 4 of the AAR Bylaws be replaced with the term "the Member Advocate Director," as follows:
Section 4. Nominations Committee. The Nominations Committee shall present to the Board at least two candidates to run for each AAR Director position elected by vote of the membership. The criteria for nomination include distinction in scholarship, teaching, and service to the Academy. The Committee selects candidates so as to bring the rich diversity of the AAR membership to the Board of Directors. The Committee shall be composed of five members: three Members who are not on the Board of Directors, the immediate past president of the Academy, and an At-Large Director the Member Advocate Director. The three non-director Members shall serve a term of three years and may not serve additional consecutive terms. The Nominations Committee may also recommend to the Board policies and procedures concerning elections to leadership positions. The Executive Director shall staff this committee.
Our bylaws may be amended by a two-thirds majority vote of the Board of Directors, followed by a two-thirds majority vote of the Members present and voting at a meeting of the Members. Notice of the proposed revisions and meeting must be distributed to all Members of the Academy at least thirty days (30) prior to the meeting at which they are to be considered. (See Article X of the AAR Bylaws.) Our Board has voted for the change by the required majority. This memo serves as an announcement of the recommendation at least thirty days in advance of a meeting. This recommendation will be brought to a vote of the members present at the AAR Annual Business meeting, to be held on at 7:30 AM on Sunday, November 18, 2012 in McCormick Place West room 175 A.
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