Professor Craig Gibson has indicated his intention to complete his term as Editor of TAPA at the 2018 Annual Meeting. The Society for Classical Studies, therefore, invites applications and nominations of scholars for this position. The Editor, who must be a member in good standing of the Society, is initially appointed for four years, with the possibility of extension for a maximum of two additional years. The new editor's term officially begins in January 2018 and will cover volumes 148-151 and the years 2018-2021. As Editor Designate, however, the new editor will begin to receive submissions in early 2017 and spend the summer and fall of that year preparing the 2018 issues for the press. Professor Gibson will complete the two issues for the year 2017.
The editor of TAPA has sole responsibility for editorial content, and must acknowledge submissions, select referees, and inform authors whether submissions have been accepted. In addition, the editor must work closely with the journals division of Johns Hopkins University Press, which typesets, produces and distributes each issue. A lively interest in the future of scholarly publishing in the digital age will be a welcome qualification.
The editorship requires care, tact, judgment, and efficiency. Authors have a right to expect that their submissions will be evaluated fairly, courteously, and promptly, but securing appropriate referees is not always an easy task. To help with this, the editor has an Editorial Board of scholars in different fields. Professor Gibson established this Board recently; it consists of six members serving staggered terms. The the new editor will be responsible for choosing new members of this Board as the current ones rotate off. The editor contacts most potential referees and receives their reports by email. Referees do not always agree, and the editor must evaluate their evaluations. Most articles are significantly revised before final acceptance, and the editor frequently advises authors on matters of both substance and style. Many younger scholars submit work to TAPA, and the editor often needs to provide them extra help.
The editor is an ex officio member of the Committee on Publications and Research and prepares an annual report for the Committee. The editor also hosts a meeting or reception for editors of classical journals at the SCS annual meeting. The editor receives an honorarium of $5,000 annually (paid in two installments as each issue is mailed), and the Society pays for the editor's travel and lodging for the annual meetings during the term of office. The Society also provides some financial support for the establishment of the new editorial office, e.g., for computer equipment and stationery. As in the past, short-listed candidates will be asked to determine what support their home institutions would be willing to provide to enable them to undertake this work.
Potential candidates should submit a current CV and a statement detailing relevant experience to the chair of the search committee, Professor Michael Gagarin (gagarin@austin.utexas.edu) no later than October 15, 2016. The committee is also eager to receive suggestions for suitable candidates to invite to apply. The other members of the search committee are Kirk Freudenburg and Laurel Fulkerson, as well as 2016 President Roger Bagnall and incoming Executive Director, Helen Cullyer.