SOUTH-CENTRAL RENAISSANCE CONFERENCE
MINUTES OF THE BUSINESS MEETING
April 8, 2000
Lafayette, Louisiana
President John Ford called the meeting to order at 8: 10 a.m. Phoebe Spinrad
moved waiving reading, and approval, of the minutes of the previous meeting,
which had been distributed in advance. The motion was seconded by Liana Cheney
and approved by a voice vote without objection.
1. The Executive Secretary-Treasurer reported that the Conference is in excellent shape financially, with $7,617.38 on hand in the checking account, and the "rainy day" CD which had matured having been reinvested in a way that will allow us easy access to $1500 should we need additional money for next year's Golden Jubilee celebration. He expressed concern, however, over a decline in dues-paying memberships from 197 (1998) to 148 (1999), which he suspects is due to the Conference's having met so far out of its traditional region last year, and reported that the Executive Committee is monitoring the situation and discussing actions to bolster membership numbers.
The Secretary-Treasurer then reported on three actions recently taken by the Executive Committee:
- a. A committee has been appointed-- consisting of Don Dickson and Paul
Parrish of next year's host institution, and Raymond Frontain to facilitate
financial planning- to organize next year's gala. Three thousand dollars ($3000)
has been allocated from the treasury to ensure that the Golden Jubilee is
celebrated in a memorable style. Members were encouraged to invite interested
colleagues and graduate students to attend, as well as to alert retired colleagues
and former members to the pleasure they will have in returning for this gala
event.
- b. The Executive Committee has voted to fund a $ 1000 cash prize for the
best paper submitted to an SCRC Essay Prize Committee that will be chaired
by the Vice President and composed of the President and Past President, all
of whom have served recently as Program chair and so have had experience adjudicating
submissions. It is stipulated that the award will be presented at the annual
conference, where the paper will be read, and that Explorations must
be granted the right of first refusal. The prize may be divided into two awards
in the future, but the Executive Committee hopes that offering a large award
the first year will enhance the Conference's visibility in its jubilee year.
In addition, the Committee voted to institute a William B. Hunter Lecture
in Renaissance Studies as part of the annual conference. The lecturer, to
be chosen by the Program Chair, will receive a $500 honorarium to cover his/her
expenses. Both activities (as well as the expansion of Explorations to two
issues per annum) will be advertised as part of our Jubilee year celebration.
- c. To offset the $1500 in new expenses that the Conference will incur annually, the Committee voted to suspend the $400 subvention granted the president to represent us at the annual meeting of the Renaissance Society of America.
2. Tita Baumlin reported that Explorations has a healthy backlog of acceptances, and requested that members who can spare their copy of volume 20 (1994) please send it to her as there are no copies of this issue remaining in stock, limiting our ability to sell complete runs of the journal to libraries.
3. Phoebe Spinrad reported that Ohio State University has renewed funding for Discoveries for a new three-year cycle, and that our biannual newsletter of scholarly notes is now indexed in the MLA Annual Bibliography.
4. Prefatory to the report of the Nominations Committee, Elizabeth Skerpan-Wheeler moved, and Phoebe Spinrad seconded, approval of the change of Executive Committee Members-at-Large's terms from two to three years, as was proposed last year. The motion was approved without dissent. Nominatioins Committee chair Liana Cheney then proposed Don Dickson for President, Katherine Powers for Vice President, George Klawitter as 2001 Program Chair, and Donald Stump for 2002 Program Chair. Christine Getz and Kate Frost were nominated to fill the Members-at Large seats being vacated by Margaret Flansburg and Katherine McIver, and Marguerite Tassi to fill the remaining year of Katherine Powers' term as she ascends to the vice presidency. Dorothy Brown and James Sims were nominated to receive Emerita/Emeritus honors. Phoebe Spinrad moved, and Donald Stump seconded, approval of the slate, which was supported by voice vote without dissent.
5. Donald Stump reported on his subcommittee's research and discussions which led to the creation of the SCRC Essay Prize and the William B. Hunter Lecture. Pertaining to the latter especially, he encouraged members to alert future Program Chairs to younger scholars who are doing important research in their field of Renaissance studies that we would like to have presented at SCRC.
6. President Ford announced that next year's meeting will take place April 5-7 in College Station, Texas; Program Chair George Klawitter asked for suggestions from the membership for special session topics. And in keeping with the Executive Committee's recognition of the need to plan as far in advance as possible, the President announced the Executive Committee's acceptance of an invitation from St. Louis University to meet in St. Louis in 2002; Donald Stump will serve as Program Chair, and David Murphy will coordinate local arrangements.
7. Elizabeth Skerpan-Wheeler moved an official acknowledgment of this year's conference organizers and hosts, with special thanks to Bert and Joan Fields and Bob Schmalz for the warm and gracious reception provided by the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, and to Katherine Powers for organizing the program. Too many seconds were simultaneously voiced for the Secretary to identify any one in particular before the motion was carried by generous applause. The meeting was adjourned at 8:50 a.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Raymond-Jean Frontain, Executive Secretary-Treasurer