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PAST ASOR NEWS, MONTH BY MONTH

FY18 HONOR ROLL OF DONORS

ASOR ANNUAL MEETING

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE AND BOARD OF TRUSTEE MEETING REPORT

Every spring, the ASOR Board of Trustees and the Board’s Executive Committee meet to engage in discussions and undertake items of business that have come forward since the Executive Committee’s and Board’s gatherings at the November Annual Meeting. This year, the Executive Committee and the Board met during the weekend of April 5-6, in Alexandria, VA.

The meeting was an opportunity for the Board to see — at a gala housewarming reception on Friday, April 5th — ASOR’s fabulous new home in Alexandria, at 209 Commerce Street. At that reception, moreover, we were able to announce that at the request of the extremely generous anonymous donor who has taken the lead in contributing to our building fund, ASOR’s new home will be named in honor of our late ASOR colleague, James Francis Strange. I am writing this report on April 15th, a little more than a year after Jim’s death, on March 23, 2018, and it is deeply gratifying to me to know that ASOR is able to mark the anniversary of Jim’s passing with such a permanent and significant memorial.

The ASOR Annual Meeting

The major item on the agenda for this spring’s Executive Committee and Board of Trustees meetings was a discussion of the future location of the ASOR Annual Meeting. The Executive Committee and Board received a long and detailed report (82 data-packed pages!) from the Ad Hoc Committee on the Future of the Annual Meeting, which included recommendations about what ASOR might do going forward.

Most ASOR members know the problem. In 1997, when ASOR separated from the Society of Biblical Literature (SBL), ASOR committed to hold its annual meeting in the same city, or at least in reasonable geographical proximity, to SBL, and within the same general time frame (during the days immediately prior to the start of the SBL meeting). ASOR members, and the ASOR Executive Committee and Board, reaffirmed this decision at the ASOR Annual Meeting in 2007, and I think it is fair to say that this “meet independently, but in geographical and temporal conjunction with SBL” is a model that worked well for ASOR, and especially for joint SBL-ASOR members, through 2013.

But after SBL rejoined forces with the American Academy of Religion (AAR) in 2011, it became harder and harder for ASOR to secure meeting and hotel space proximate to the combined and very large AAR-SBL meeting. That meant we were in Buckhead in 2015, while AAR-SBL was in downtown Atlanta; we were in a suburban resort in San Antonio in 2016, while AAR-SBL was downtown; in 2017, we were at the waterfront Westin in Boston, while AAR-SBL was downtown at the Hynes Convention Center; and we were at the Denver Tech Park in 2018, while AAR-SBL was in downtown Denver.

Going forward, we continue to face challenges, especially when AAR-SBL is scheduled to meet in smaller cities such as San Antonio (2021, 2023, 2029) and Denver (2022, 2026). Already, then, in 2015, I appointed an Ad Hoc Committee on the Future of the Annual Meeting, charged with developing recommendations regarding a way forward. Many of you will remember that this committee conducted an all-member discussion on Thursday of the 2018 Annual Meeting, to allow ASOR’s members to present their views and discuss issues and options. The committee also conducted a member-wide survey on the future of the Annual Meeting in 2016 and again in February of this year. This 2019 survey was especially important: although it was long — 21 questions — about 580 people (more than 1/3 of the ASOR membership) responded. That’s an extraordinary response rate, and I invite ASOR members to review the results, published in both summary form and as a full data set here.

In its report that assimilated and analyzed all this (and other) data, the Ad Hoc Committee recommended that ASOR find a middle ground going forward: a way that could sustain ASOR’s historic ties to SBL and enable the many joint ASOR-SBL members to attend both meetings, yet could correct the issue that many ASOR members clearly find unsatisfactory: meeting in the outskirts of cities like San Antonio (as in 2016) and Denver (as in 2018) because we cannot secure hotel and meeting space downtown. In the end, the Board adopted what we are calling “the flexibility model,” to wit:

ASOR will make all reasonable efforts to meet in its current time frame (Wednesday to Saturday pattern) in the same city as SBL. In years in which it is not reasonable and economically feasible, ASOR will conduct its meeting in a city that best serves the greatest number of its constituencies.

The Board vote in favor of this decision was unanimous.

It remains only for me to thank the members of the Ad Hoc Committee on the Future of the Annual Meeting for their extremely hard work. They are Gary Arbino (Chair), Kent Bramlett, William Caraher, Sidnie White Crawford, Erin Darby, Karen Rubinson, and Eric Welch. I know (because I am on the e-mail chain) that they performed over and beyond the call of duty, and we in ASOR all owe them our deepest gratitude for everything they have done to make sure the Board could make the best informed decision possible.

The ASOR Budget

Another major item on the agenda for the ASOR Board’s spring meetings is always the budget, both a review of the budget for the current fiscal year (FY 19), which will come to an end on June 30, and approving the budget for the upcoming fiscal year (FY 20), which starts on July 1. The FY 19 budget is balanced – indeed, almost perfectly so, as we imagine ending the year with just a small surplus of $23! For FY 20, the Board approved a budget that also is projecting a small surplus, of $750, with projected revenues of $1,738,000 and projected expenses of $1,737,250.

In both FY 19 and FY 20, our budget — both on the income and expenses side — has a major new item: designated gifts for our new building and its furnishings and maintenance, In FY 19, we anticipate receiving $600,000 in revenue from these designated gifts, income that we will then apply to the purchase price of our building ($1.1 million) at closing (scheduled for April 24th!) and to paying down the balance we owe (financed through a short-term equity line of credit). In FY 20, we will likewise use the $400,000 in revenue we anticipate receiving as designated gifts to pay down our equity loan

We also received, in February, an additional and extraordinarily generous pledge of $450,000 that is conditional to a 2:1 match: i.e., for every $2 of the pledge, we need to raise $1 (or $225,000 total). So far, we have done exceptional work in meeting this challenge, as we have already raised $156,000 in the two-and-a-half months since the challenge was announced. Nevertheless, we need everyone’s help in raising the last $69,000. If we can raise this last $69,000, that will bring our total fund-raising up to $1.6 million, enough both to buy the building, pay financing, inspection, and closing costs, and to establish a $450,000 endowment (with a $22,500/year payout) to cover building maintenance and annual operating expenses.

ASOR Officers

My term as ASOR’s President and the terms of ASOR’s Board Chair, Richard Coffman, and ASOR’s Vice-President, Sharon Herbert, all expire at the end of December 2019, and the Officers Nominations Committee (ONC) worked hard before the Board meeting to identify how these positions should be filled going forward. The ONC continues, moreover, its hard work, as it is still deliberating regarding a new Vice-President.

But I am thrilled to announce that Sharon Herbert has been elected as ASOR’s new President, for an initial three-year term, and that Richard Coffman has been elected to serve for a second three-year term as Board Chair. Both terms will run from January 1, 2020, through December 31, 2022. Having worked with Sharon as ASOR Vice-President for the past six years, and with Richard as in his role as Board Chair for the past three-and-a-half years (and before that in his role as ASOR Treasurer), I can say unreservedly and with complete authority that ASOR going forward will be in the best possible hands. I join all the Board’s members in congratulating both Sharon and Richard on their appointments, and I know all of us offer them our gratitude and thanks for their willingness to serve ASOR in such important leadership roles.

In addition, the Board welcomed three new members: Emily Miller Bonney and Eric Welch (both Membership-elected Trustees) and Ann Sahlman (a Board-elected Trustee). We’re very happy to have these new colleagues on our Board.

Other Business

The Board finally considered several other matters of ASOR business. Probably most of note for ASOR members, the Board affirmed the President’s and Vice-President’s initiative regarding the creation of another Ad Hoc Committee, this one charged with developing a Code of Conduct for the ASOR Annual Meeting. Many other learned societies have developed such codes, and recent events at the meetings of organizations such as the Society of Classical Studies (see here and here) and the Society for American Archaeology (see here) demonstrate the need for ASOR to have a similar Code of Conduct in place. Relatedly, the Board was pleased to affirm the recently Developed Code of Conduct for Fieldwork Projects that had been put forward by the Committee on Archaeological Research and Policy (CAP).

* * *

Overall, the Board and Executive Committee had a busy set of meetings—but also a productive one, and I am thankful, as I always am, for all that ASOR’s Board members do to ensure that ASOR continues to thrive.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column border_color=”rgba(170,170,170,0.01)” width=”1/6″ css=”.vc_custom_1496684098866{margin-right: 5px !important;margin-bottom: 20px !important;border-right-width: 2px !important;border-bottom-width: 2px !important;padding-top: 30px !important;padding-right: 10px !important;padding-left: 10px !important;background-color: #ffffff !important;border-right-color: rgba(227,228,228,0.75) !important;border-bottom-color: rgba(227,228,228,0.75) !important;}”][vc_wp_posts title=”BROWSE THE NEWS ARCHIVE” number=”4″][/vc_column][vc_column border_color=”rgba(170,170,170,0.01)” width=”1/6″ css=”.vc_custom_1496684008271{margin-right: 10px !important;margin-bottom: 30px !important;border-right-width: 2px !important;border-bottom-width: 2px !important;padding-top: 30px !important;padding-right: 20px !important;padding-left: 20px !important;background-color: #ffffff !important;border-right-color: rgba(227,228,228,0.75) !important;border-bottom-color: rgba(227,228,228,0.75) !important;}”][vc_column_text]Tweets by ASOResearch [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

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NEWS@ASOR E-NEWSLETTER

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PAST ASOR NEWS, MONTH BY MONTH

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ASOR ANNUAL MEETING

Naming of ASOR Office in Memory of Jim Strange Celebrated at Reception

Painting of the new ASOR office. Building will be named in memory of Jim Strange.

One of the highlights of the ASOR Board Meeting was a celebratory, drop-in reception held at ASOR’s new home—209 Commerce Street in Alexandria, Virginia. Even though ASOR had not officially purchased the building—we close on April 24th—there was much to celebrate.

First and foremost, ASOR trustees and guests celebrated the announcement that the new building building will be named in memory of longtime ASOR member, trustee, secretary, and friend, James F. Strange. While the name of the building was unanimously approved by the ASOR Executive Committee at its meeting on February 3, 2019, and while the ASOR Board was informed of this vote in Susan Ackerman’s President’s Report, we made the first public announcement at the reception on April 5th. A more complete announcement will follow in a subsequent issue of News@ASOR, and a naming ceremony will take place next spring (2020).

We also celebrated the naming of the building by giving Jim’s beloved wife and current ASOR trustee, Carolyn Midkiff Strange, a painting of ASOR’s new home. Following a brief announcement and presentation of the painting by ASOR Executive Director Andy Vaughn, Carolyn thanked everyone in attendance and share how pleased Jim would have been. She said that a permanent ASOR office had been a dream for Jim, and she was confident that he would have thrilled at our success in raising the funds and finding such a wonderful location in Alexandria.

Last, but certainly not least, all of the attendees at the reception enjoyed fabulous food and beverages. The ASOR staff and family pitched in to prepare a feast—including tenderloin, fresh-baked rolls, and selected foods and beverages from Virginia.

We hope that all ASOR members will check future issues of News@ASOR for updates on ASOR’s New Home and our move. The previous owners just moved out of the building three days ago (April 13th). New internet will be installed today (April 16th), and new phones will arrive on Thursday (April 18th). We close on the purchase next Wednesday (April 24th).

For the time being, the ASOR staff is functioning well with folding tables and temporary furniture and filing cabinets. Our files, copier/printer, some furniture, and archived books and journals will arrive from Boston on May 4th. All of the staff look forward to welcoming all of our members to our new home and to sharing further updates as we get settled and furnish the building.

Attendees at the reception celebrating ASOR’s new home

Finally, we want to remind all ASOR members that we cannot celebrate too much until we meet our fundraising goals and “earn” an extraordinary challenge gift of $450,000. As announced a couple weeks ago, ASOR has received a new challenge gift of $450,000 that will ensure that ASOR meets and even exceeds our $1.5 million goal to purchase. We only need to meet two challenges to “earn” this additional $450,000:

• First, we need to demonstrate that we are all behind the purchase of ASOR’s new home and ASOR’s other initiatives by securing “450 for $450,000”: that’s 450 donors donating $10 or more to ASOR in this fiscal year (July ’18-June ’19). As of April 15th, we are at 240 donors, so we need gifts from 210 more individuals, companies, or organizations.
• Second, we need to match the challenge of $450,000 by raising $225,000 in new gifts and pledges (made after February 1st), or $1 for every $2 of the donor’s gift. And we are well on our way, as we have received pledges of $156,000 in the past month—so we only need $69,000 more.

How You Can Help. We are almost there! If you have not already made a gift, please consider joining the “450 for $450,000” campaign by donating to ASOR before June 30, 2019 (all gifts, including programs other than the building qualify). If you have already pledged or made a gift to support our new home, please think about increasing your gift or pledge to the building so that we can raise the last $69,000 needed to qualify for this $450,000 challenge.

To recognize your support, we offer naming opportunities at the following levels:

• Naming of conference room or floor = $300,000
• Naming of an individual office (sizes vary) = $100,000 – $250,000
• Name recognition on smaller office spaces = $25,000 – $99,999
• Name on plaque recognizing major donors = $10,000 or more
• Name on a plaque recognizing all donors at “brick” level or higher = $250 or more

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NEWS@ASOR E-NEWSLETTER

ANCIENT NEAR EAST TODAY E-NEWSLETTER

PAST ASOR NEWS, MONTH BY MONTH

FY18 HONOR ROLL OF DONORS

ASOR ANNUAL MEETING

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2018 ANNUAL MEETING SUMMARY

[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]By Geoff Emberling, Helen Dixon, Arlene Press

The 2018 ASOR Annual Meeting was held November 14-17 at the Denver Marriott Tech Center in Denver, Colorado. Over the three days there were 100 sessions and workshops and more than 450 presentations given, as well as numerous meetings and social events.

ASOR’s Program Committee supervises the assembly of the academic program for the annual meeting. We have a framework of standing sessions chaired by ASOR members that covers the geographical, temporal, and disciplinary range of research supported by ASOR, and each year we also solicit proposals for more focused session proposals from ASOR members. The Program Committee also nominates a small slate of potential plenary speakers for consideration by the Chairs Coordinating Council each year.

The Program Committee (PC) in recent years has been interested in sustaining the traditional strength of ASOR in research on lands of the Bible but also expanding our scope to encompass research on neighboring cultures, earlier and later phases, and new theoretical and methodological approaches. The result has been a steady growth in the size of the annual meeting and an increasing feeling that the ASOR Annual Meeting is an exciting place to present and hear about research on the ancient and medieval Middle East and Eastern Mediterranean regions. We have also been mindful of the desire of many ASOR members to keep the conference to a manageable size, and have worked to find the right balance between those impulses.

We were very pleased to have our 2018 plenary address given by Hélène Sader of the American University of Beirut. The PC had been very interested in having a speaker from the Middle East as a plenary speaker, and Professor Sader’s presentation, “Between Looters, Private Collectors, and Warlords: Does Archaeology Stand a Chance?,” was a thought-provoking presentation of tensions surrounding excavation and site preservation in Lebanon. The presentation can be viewed online at ASOR’s website.

ASOR members who attended the meeting will all have their personal favorites among the sessions presented, but the most popular sessions based on reported attendance included a range of ASOR-sponsored sessions and member-organized sessions that demonstrated the traditional strengths of ASOR as well as some newer directions for research. And before listing those sessions, we hasten to add that the value of a session is not determined simply by the number of people in the room!

With that said, the best-attended session by far was, “The Megiddo Excavations: New Studies Reflecting on the Archaeology and History of Ancient Israel and Beyond,” followed by other sessions on archaeology of the Levant:

– “The Tenth Century B.C.E. Borderlands of the Greater Hesi Region: Implications”

-“The Huqoq Excavation Project”

-“Yerushalayim, Al Quds, Jerusalem”

A number of member-organized sessions drew large crowds and demonstrated the range of current interests of ASOR members:

-“Interrogating Cultural Change—Punctuated Equilibria Models in Near Eastern Archaeology and Egyptology”

-“What’s in a Name? Re-assessing the Oriental in the American Schools of Oriental Research”

-“Ambiguity in the Ancient Near East: In-Between Spaces and Otherworldly Encounters”

The session on “What’s in a Name?” was a workshop format with short presentations and more time for discussion and raised the question of whether ASOR needed to remove “Oriental” from its name. The consensus in the room was overwhelmingly in favor of making that change.

In addition, a number of ASOR-sponsored sessions drew particularly large audiences this year:

-Archaeology of Cyprus

-Approaches to Dress and the Body

-Bioarchaeology in the Near East

-History of Archaeology

It is also worth noting that ASOR has made particular efforts to keep our session on the Archaeology of Iran alive despite current political obstacles. The session this year included presentations by two Iranian Scholars who were able to attend the meeting only because of the support of the American Institute of Iranian Studies.

The Amman research center ACOR’s 50th Anniversary was recognized on the academic program with the session, ACOR at 50: A Retrospective and Prospective for the American Center of Oriental Research. ACOR and the Cyprus center CAARI held a joint celebration of their 50th and 40th anniversaries by sponsoring a reception for all attendees.

The Annual Meeting is a great place to present your research, learn about projects that might connect with yours in perhaps unexpected ways, to see old friends and make new connections. We look forward to working with you all in the coming year to create the program for the 2019 Annual Meeting in San Diego.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column border_color=”rgba(170,170,170,0.01)” width=”1/6″ css=”.vc_custom_1496684098866{margin-right: 5px !important;margin-bottom: 20px !important;border-right-width: 2px !important;border-bottom-width: 2px !important;padding-top: 30px !important;padding-right: 10px !important;padding-left: 10px !important;background-color: #ffffff !important;border-right-color: rgba(227,228,228,0.75) !important;border-bottom-color: rgba(227,228,228,0.75) !important;}”][vc_wp_posts title=”BROWSE THE NEWS ARCHIVE” number=”4″][/vc_column][vc_column border_color=”rgba(170,170,170,0.01)” width=”1/6″ css=”.vc_custom_1496684008271{margin-right: 10px !important;margin-bottom: 30px !important;border-right-width: 2px !important;border-bottom-width: 2px !important;padding-top: 30px !important;padding-right: 20px !important;padding-left: 20px !important;background-color: #ffffff !important;border-right-color: rgba(227,228,228,0.75) !important;border-bottom-color: rgba(227,228,228,0.75) !important;}”][vc_column_text]Tweets by ASOResearch [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

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