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This page describes the governance structure of SCS as of 2016. For a summary of changes approved for 2017 and their relationship to the current structure, see https://classicalstudies.org/about/society-classical-studies-governance

Board of Directors

Board of Directors oversees all Association activities. The vice presidents of its five divisions (see below) are all members of the Board as are the President, President-Elect, immediate Past President, two Financial Trustees, and six Directors at large. Each of these directors and officers is elected by the membership. The Chair of the Development Committee, who is appointed by the President, and the Executive Director, who is appointed by the Directors, are non-voting members of the Board. The Board meets in person three times each year: for 3 to 4 hours at the beginning and the end of each annual meeting in January and for a day and a half in September of each year. In addition, the Board meets by conference call for 2 hours each June to review a proposed budget for the next fiscal year and to conduct other pressing business and with the Association's auditor for an hour in late January or February to review the financial statement for the previous fiscal year.

Committees on Governance and Administration

  • Committee on the C.J. Goodwin Award of Merit consists of three elected members, normally of complementary scholarly interests, to evaluate books, monographs or articles by members published within a period of three years before the end of the previous calendar year, in order to identify three outstanding contributions to classical scholarship worthy of the only honor for scholarly achievement given by the Association. Over the next few years, the Committee will be expanded gradually with the aim of having five members by January 2016. The Committee reaches its decisions by e-mail and, if necessary, by conference call.
  • Development Committee assesses the Association's needs for outside support, recommends fund-raising goals for adoption by the Board of Directors, helps to develop appeals for fund-raising campaigns, and participates in the identification of potential donors and, where appropriate, the solicitation of contributions. The Committee meets by conference call several times during each year and for two hours in person at each annual meeting.
  • Finance Committee is responsible for establishing and overseeing the annual budget of the Association, and supervising its investments. Committee members monitor the Association's bank accounts and invested funds and regularly advise the Executive Director on Association policy and practice. It meets in person for a full day in May and for 2 to 3 hours at each annual meeting. In addition, it holds 2 to 3 conference calls each year, usually to meet with the Association's auditor or investment advisor.
  • Membership Committee develops strategies and materials that will recruit new members of the Society and encourage the continued participation of current members. The Committee conducts much of its business via e-mail and also meets in person at the annual meeting.
  • Nominating Committee is elected by the membership to compile a slate of candidates for all elected positions of the APA. Two new members are elected each year to serve three-year terms, and members serve as co-chairs of the Committee in the final year of their terms. The immediate Past President serves a one-year term on the Committee. The Committee prepares a ranked list of potential candidates for each office and committee where vacancies are scheduled to occur, and the co-chairs then ask the preferred members listed whether they are willing to run. It meets in person twice during the year, for a full day in October or November, and for 4 to 6 hours at the very beginning of each annual meeting, i.e., on the day (usually a Thursday) before sessions begin.
  • Outreach Prize Committee reviews nominations for and selects the winner of a prize that recognizes an outstanding work of an APA member or members that makes an aspect of classical antiquity available and attractive to a non-specialist audience. The project or event to be considered must have been developed entirely or in part within ten years of the nomination deadline; candidates for the prize must currently be APA members. The Committee conducts all its work in late Summer by e-mail and (if necessary) by conference call.
  • Pearson Fellowship Committee oversees the annual selection process and award of the Pearson Fellowship which enables an outstanding student who majored in Classics or a related field in a North American college or university to study for a year in a university in the United Kingdom. The Committee reviews applications for the Fellowship in early November of each year and meets in person with its 4 top-ranked candidates for 3 to 4 hours at each annual meeting

Education Division

The Education Division of the Association is responsible for all of the Association's activities in the fields of elementary, secondary, and post-secondary education.

  • Education Committee consists of elected members who serve as a central resource of information and activity responsive to the educational concerns of teachers and scholars in all fields and at all levels of classical studies. Its members serve ex officio on the Joint Committee (with ACL) on the Classics in American Education (JCCAE - see below) and advises the Vice President of the Education Division on the projects and activities of the other standing committees of the division. The Committee on Education and the JCCAE meet together for 2 to 3 hours at each annual meeting, and the Committee on Education conducts other business by e-mail during the rest of the year.
  • Coffin Traveling Fellowship Committee selects an outstanding secondary school Greek and/or Latin teacher to receive a fellowship to study in classical lands (not limited to Greece and Italy). The Committee conducts all its work in the early Spring by e-mail and (if necessary) by conference call.
  • Committee on Ancient History promotes the study and learning of ancient history at all educational levels. The Committee meets for about an hour at each annual meeting and conducts other business by e-mail during the rest of the year.
  • Committee on Awards for Excellence in Teaching of the Classics reviews nominations and selects up to three recipients annually of the Association's collegiate teaching award. The Committee conducts all its work over the Summer by e-mail and (if necessary) by conference call.
  • Joint Committee (with ACL) on the Classics in American Education (JCCAE) works to improve communication and cooperation among all levels of Classics teachers. One subcommittee selects up to two winners of the Association's award for excellence in precollegiate teaching each Fall, and another subcommittee selects 4 to 6 winners of APA Pedagogy Awards each spring. All award selections are made by e-mail and (if necessary) by conference call. In addition to meeting with the APA Committee on Education at the APA annual meeting as described above, JCCAE meets at the Institute of the American Classical League in June.
  • Committee on Scholarships for Minority Students oversees the annual selection process and awarding of scholarship assistance to undergraduate minority students and considers ways in which more minorities can be brought into the field. The Committee reviews applications in December and selects award winners when it meets for about two hours at the annual meeting in January. In addition, during the annual meeting members of the Committee staff a table collecting donations to its fund-raising raffle.

Outreach Division

The Outreach Division is responsible for promoting a wider public understanding and appreciation of Classics. Its goal is to strengthen the APA's ability to communicate with a broadly constituted audience.

  • Committee on Outreach coordinates the Association's efforts to transmit information about the Classics to an audience beyond its own membership. The Committee meets for about an hour at each annual meeting and conducts other business by e-mail during the rest of the year.
  • Committee on Ancient and Modern Performance promotes the performance of classical texts, both in the original and in translation. The Committee sponsors panels and workshops on new approaches to the performance of classical texts, maintains a guide to resources for the performance of classical texts and a directory of consultants who can assist others seeking to stage classical drama, and presents a reading of a play with a classical theme at the annual meeting. The Committee meets for about an hour at each annual meeting and conducts other business by e-mail during the rest of the year.
  • Committee on the Classical Tradition and Reception fosters research and teaching about the legacy of classical culture not just in Europe but also in the Americas. The Committee meets for about an hour at each annual meeting and conducts other business by e-mail during the rest of the year.
  • Editor of Amphora, in collaboration with an assistant editor and an editorial board, produces one issue each year of this outreach publication which is intended for anyone with a strong interest in and enthusiasm for the Classical world. The Editor is an ex officio member of the Committee on Outreach.

Professional Matters Division

The Professional Matters Division is charged with overseeing the social, ethical, and professional contexts of the discipline of Classics. Its goal is the promotion of equity in all aspects of the profession.

  • Committee on Professional Matters oversees all activities of the Division, including but not limited to promulgation of ethical standards, collection and interpretation of data, proposal of remedies for professional inequities, support for programs under threat, and development of policies and procedures for handling professional grievances, subject to the approval of the Directors. Its Subcommittee on Professional Ethics, consisting of six elected members, considers grievances and complaints pertinent to the APA Statement on Professional Ethics with a view toward providing informal and formal resolution of specific disputes within the Association and outside it, according to policies and procedures established by the Board of Directors. The Committee meets for about three hours at each annual meeting and conducts other business – including that of the Subcommittee on Professional Ethics – by e-mail (and, when necessary, conference call) during the rest of the year.
  • Committee on the Status of Women and Minority Groups (CSWMG) serves as an advocate for the inclusion of women, minority groups, and those with physical disabilities in all aspects of the profession of Classics -- equal access to and support in undergraduate and graduate education, employment, scholarship, and professional service. It sponsors a reception at each annual meeting with the Women’s and Lambda Classical Caucuses. The Committee conducts three surveys in alternating years to monitor the experiences of women and members of minority groups in the placement process, in faculty appointments and promotions, and in publication as authors, book reviewers, and referees. The Committee meets for about two hours at each annual meeting and conducts other business by e-mail during the rest of the year.
  • Director of Classics Advisory Service provides (a) assistance to institutions conducting external program reviews (primarily by providing names of potential outside reviewers); (b) (in cooperation with the Executive Director and other officers) timely support for departments or programs whose future is threatened; and (c) general support and advice on strengthening programs in Classics. The Director conducts the Service’s business by e-mail and telephone and is an ex officio member of the Committee on Professional Matters.
  • Committee on Placement. The Committee on Placement oversees the operation of the Placement Service, monitors current hiring procedures, and suggests modifications and improvements when necessary. It also reviews complaints lodged by individuals or institutions concerning violations of Placement Service guidelines. It meets for about two hours during each annual meeting and conducts other business by e-mail.

Program Division

The Program Division is responsible for the Annual Meeting which the Association holds jointly with the Archaeological Institute of America.

  • Program Committee consists of elected members who read proposals and abstracts submitted by panel organizers, affiliated groups, and individual scholars, selects appropriate ones for presentation at the annual meeting, and decides on special sessions and events. It also reviews applications by groups and individuals seeking charters to issue calls for abstracts. Committee members receive submissions electronically and rate proposals online during the Spring. Traditionally the Committee has met for one day in April and for two days in June but is currently (2013) experimenting with a single two-day meeting in June.
  • Local Arrangements Committeeassists the APA Office by recruiting volunteers to perform various functions at the annual meeting and by providing information about the city in which the meeting takes place.

Publications and Research Division

The Publications and Research Division has charge of all of the Association's activities in fostering scholarly research and publication and the development of scholarly materials.

  • The Committee on Publications and Research oversees the Association’s involvement in scholarly projects, sets policy for the Association's publications and research programs, allocates the money budgeted for them, approves publishing contracts with authors, sets the page limit of the Transactions, monitors costs of all publications, and manages the APA's relationships with its publishing partners: the Oxford University Press for books and the Johns Hopkins University Press for Transactions. The Committee meets for two hours at each annual meeting and conducts business via e-mail during the rest of the year.
  • Committee on the Web Site and the Newsletter sets editorial policy for the APA's web site and its Newsletter. It consists of the Information Architect, Chair, the President, President-Elect, the five vice presidents, and the Executive Director. It meets for two hours at each annual meeting.
  • Committee on Translations of Classical Authors identifies ancient works needing translations and helps to produce such works. It meets for about an hour at each annual meeting and conducts business via e-mail during the rest of the year.
  • Editor of TAPA identifies unpublished articles by members of the Association or papers given by participants at the Annual Meeting that deserve to be made available to the scholarly community. The Editor examines submitted manuscripts, has them refereed, and decides to reject or publish them after weighing the recommendations of referees. In collaboration with the Johns Hopkins University Press, the Editor sees accepted articles through all phases of preparation to final publication in the journal. Two issues of the journal are published each year. The Editor is an ex officio member of the Committee on Publications and Research.
  • Advisory Board to the American Office (AO) of l'Année philologique supervises the operations of the AO and maintains the Association's relationship with the Société Internationale de Bibliographie Classique. The Board meets for an hour at each annual meeting and conducts business via e-mail during the rest of the year.
  • TLL Fellowship Committee awards a fellowship funded in large part by the National Endowment for the Humanities that permits a scholar from the United States to work at the Thesaurus Linguae Latinae project in Munich. The Committee reviews applications in November and December and meets for five to six hours at each annual meeting to conduct interviews with a short list of candidates and to select the Fellow for the subsequent academic year.

Delegates and Representatives

  • Representative to American Classical League. The Representative attends the League’s Institute each June and reports on its activities to the membership.
  • Delegate to the American Council of Learned Societies. The Delegate attend the annual meeting of the Council each May and reports on it to the membership. The Delegate receives all communications sent to the Board of Directors and may attend Board meetings.
  • Representatives to the Ancient World Mapping Center. The Representatives serve as members of the Advisory Board to the Center.
  • Delegate and Alternate Delegate to the Federation Internationale des Associations d’Etudes Classiques (FIEC). The Delegate and Alternate Delegate attend the General Assembly and the Congress organized by FIEC and report on these meetings to the membership.
  • Representatives to the Advisory Board of the Thesaurus Linguae Graecae (TLG). The Representatives serve as members of the Advisory Board to the TLG.
  • Representative to the Thesaurus Linguae Latinae (TLL). The Representative attends the meeting of Commission of the TLL which takes place every three years.

For further details of individual programs see the Association's By-Laws and Regulations.