Search

Join | Renew

Blog

Message from the Secretariat: May 2015

As the conference draws near...

Dear all,
As the conference draws near, here are some updates on recent activity at the Secretariat.

  1.   We are so looking forward to the Princeton Conference in June.  It has been quite a while since Brazil was the focus of a SALALM conference, and as Luis González has explained so eloquently in his Presidential messages Brazil is a timely choice as it is undergoing fundamental changes.  I am very impressed with the program, the choice of speakers, as well as the panel topics.  Then again, it should come as no surprise since it has all been in the very capable hands of Luis, who is also a Brazilianist historian.   As for the logistics, Fernando Acosta and his team at Princeton are doing a superb job.  So far, everything has gone very smoothly.  It is a joy to work with both of them, and I know they have prepared a very solid and memorable conference that we're all looking forward to.  Conference information packets were e-mailed in February and registrations have been coming in steadily to the Secretariat.  As of yesterday, we have a total of 118 participants and 26 exhibitors. Please remember that pre-registration period for the SALALM 2015 conference ends tomorrow May 13.  Registration fees and forms, including an Online Registration Form, are all available at http://salalm.org/Conf/registration/.  
  2.   In terms of membership numbers, as of today, we have 242 personal and 84 institutional members, including 23 sponsoring institutions.  This is a total of 326 members overall.  For comparison, we ended the 2014 fiscal year back on August 31 with a total of 227 personal and 91 institutional members, including 19 sponsors, for a total of 318.  So we have already surpassed last year's total membership.  Thanks to all who renewed on time in the fall.  A big thank you also to those personal members who helped us increase our institutional sponsorship this year by reminding their institutions to send in their payment promptly.  This is no small feat in times of shrinking library budgets.
  3.  I also want to let you know that we are finally up to date with incorporating all of the Executive Board decisions.  All EB decisions up to the 2014 meeting in Salt lake City have now been added into the existing Code of Executive Board Decisions which you can find at http://salalm.org/about/organization/code-of-executive-board-decisions/
  4.   Congratulations again to our newly elected SALALM leaders elected last month.  Carol and I look forward to working with you in the coming years:
    Vice President/President Elect:  Daisy V. Domínguez
    Executive Board Members At Large, 2015-2018:  Alison Hicks and Ricarda Musser.
  5.   As for future conferences, I had the chance to speak at length once again with Miguel Valladares, chair of local arrangements for 2016 in Charlottesville, and he and Paloma Celis our President-elect have a very special conference planned, in tandem with members of the Consortium for Latin American Studies Centers (CLASP) around the topic of the future of Latin American studies.  In addition, Miguel, who can't be accused of thinking small, is working on some very exciting plans regarding on-site events and partnerships. I can't wait to hear more as their plans develop.  With respect to the 2017 conference, there are two venues that are being explored, but we have no confirmation that either of them will pan out.  If you think you might be able to host for 2017, please write to me soon.  In advance, thanks to all who are interested and willing to expend some time even in the early stages of finding out if hosting is feasible at your institution.  It is incredibly generous to do so.
  6.  Finally, the Secretariat sent out in April the SALALM LVIII Paper: Indigenism, Pan-Indigenism and Cosmovisionism: The Confluence of Indigenous Thought in the Americas. This was the 2013 conference hosted by the University of Miami and the Florida International University.  Congratulations to Martha Mantilla for completing this publication!

Stay tuned for more updates at the meeting next month.  I look forward to seeing everyone again!

Hortensia

Hortensia Calvo
Executive Director

 

Archive

Archive