I am pleased to announce the launch of the new association website, www.acsus.org. Our Chief Information Officer, Timothy Pasch, and Vice President Munroe Eagles have worked tirelessly for the past year in developing the new site, which is state of the art and much more functional than the previous largely static webpage. An important new feature for members is that you will be able to access your electronic copy of the American Review of Canadian Studies by a single click on a password-protected section of the website. Effective January 1, 2015, membership includes online access to the journal. You are able, however, to order print copies, through the website, at the cost of $6 per copy. The savings achieved by moving from print to online access allows the association to extend the term of membership. Membership is now for two years, at the same price as the previous annual membership. Membership is also on a calendar year basis. By renewing your membership now, you will not need to renew again until January 2017.
The refreshed website also contains the Call for Papers and registration information for the Biennial Conference, which will take place at the Tuscany Suites and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, October 14-17, 2015. I encourage each of you to propose a paper or panel for what promises to be an exciting meeting of the leading scholars of Canada not only from North America but also Europe and Asia. The academic study of Canada has never been more relevant to the humanities and social sciences and to policy makers and opinion leaders than it is now.
The governance section of the website lists the association’s officers and committees. There are vacancies on several of them, including the Rufus Z. Smith Prize Committee, Distinguished Dissertation Award Committee, Martin Lubin Award for the Best Undergraduate Essay in the Social Sciences Committee, Strategic Planning, Membership, and Finance Committee, Committee of Affiliates and the Graduate Student Committee. I urge you to consider serving on one of these important committees. If you are interested, simply send me an email message at kmholland@bsu.edu.
Your Executive Council will meet next in a special meeting in Charleston, South Carolina, March 20 and 21. Your association is in excellent hands. ACSUS’s finances are in solid shape, and the 2015 Biennial promises to be a great success, both academically and financially. The American Review of Canadian Studies continues to be the world’s premier scholarly journal in the field.
The move of the Secretariat from Washington, DC, to the University at Buffalo, under the leadership of Vice President Eagles has been a success. The contact information for ACSUS is 732 Clemens Hall, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY 14260; Phone: (716) 645-0829; FAX: (716) 645-5976; Email: info@acsus.org.
In closing, I ask you to visit the newly launched and improved website and renew your ACSUS dues for 2015 and 2016. I also ask you to consider making a tax-free contribution to the Fund for the Future. I look forward to greeting you in person in Las Vegas this October.
With kind regards,
Kenneth Holland
President