Minutes for the ACLA Board Meeting
Sunday, December 28, 2008, 8:00-10:00 AM

Parc 55 Hotel, San Francisco
55 Cyril Magnin St.

Present: Bermann, Saussy, Eckhardt, Komar, Yao, Felski, Horta, Beall, Montenegro, Chen, Brodzki

Called to order at 8:11

1. Approval of minutes from 4/25/08 (moved by Saussy, seconded by Yao, unanimous)

2. Financial, Fundraising, Membership, and Election Report (Richmond-Garza):
a. Discussion of need to increase institutional memberships
b. announcement of election results:

1. Vice President: Françoise Lionnet
2. Board: Joseph Slaughter, Efrain Kristal, David Quint, Eric Hayot, Chandani Patel (student), Atia Sattar (student)

3. Report of the President (Bermann)
a. success of Harvard plans and of 2008 MLA panels
b. update on the MLA president's choice of translation as her presidential forum as advantageous for the field of Comparative Literature
c. comments on the flexible, collaborative nature of CL as helpful in this economic environment; discussion of frozen searches; expression of concern for graduate students
d. announcement of, and thanks for, the signing of a new contract to continue the support of the ACLA at the University of Texas through 6/30/2011

4. Report of the Vice-President (Saussy)
a. continued efforts to initiate a monograph series
b. currently seeking suggestions and approaching individuals to serve as the editor

5. Report of Finances Committee (Saussy)
a. ACLA has experienced typical loss for the endowments
b. fortunately three of the accounts are heavily in cash, and only in mutual funds/equities has the ACLA realized a loss
c. thanks to Ellen Sandler for continuing to offer her pro bono expertise to the ACLA

6. ACLA 2009 Harvard (Damrosch, attached)
a. presentation of conference report in absentia
b. thanks expressed to Harvard for keeping the student registration fees low
c. project to update the conference planning guide for future conferences, working with the Secretariat, once the conference is past

7. ACLA 2010 New Orleans (Saussy) and 2011 Vancouver (Horta)

a. 2010: the Hotel Monteleone contract has been signed; Tulane University will act as the ACLA's partner with venues for events; the ACLA is committed to supporting the city by bringing its conference to New Orleans
b. 2011: Simon Frasier University has already secured funds for the conference, but will also apply for a national grant (if successful that national grant would replace the local funds); SFU and the ACLA will shortly formalize an arrangement; since this is a new campus and young program there is a need for conference assistance from colleagues outside SFU Bermann, Eckhardt, and Yao volunteered to assist.

8. Update from ADPCL (Eckhardt, postponed)

9. Discussion of the future relationship of ACLA to the journal Comparative Literature (Rowe/Straib, attached)
a. Updates on the past discussion and continuity with George Rowe and the new conversation and initiatives with Erich Straib at Duke UP
b. need to broaden discussion to include other journals (especially to the Yearbook of Comparative and General Literature and Comparative Literary Studies which publish the ACLA prize winners)
c. decision to retain in-house responsibility for the ACLA member database (moved by Eckhardt, seconded by Komar, approved unanimously);
d. discussion of the status of CL as the sole official journal of ACLA

1. many organizations are more active regarding their official journals
2. in the past the ACLA had more affiliated journals: Comparative Literature, Comparative Literary Studies, Yearbook of Comparative and General Literature and the Canadian Review of Comparative Literature
3. discussion of the implications of multiple journals: need, cost, self-definition, etc.
4. consensus reached to request a copy of the contract with Duke and to continue discussion with Rowe and Duke about how the relationship of the journal to the ACLA might be enhanced and strengthened
5. consensus reached that CL will remain the sole ACLA official journal through 2009
6. motion to delay a decision until the March board meeting based on new circumstances and pending new information from CL (moved by Yao, seconded by Felski, approved unanimously)

10. Discussion of exact language for the new MA and Undergraduate essay prizes (see 4/25/08 minutes)
a. Yao, Montenegro, Chen volunteered to serve on a subcommittee which will report at the March board meeting.

11. Discussion of Advertising at ACLA (Richmond-Garza)
a. Inquiries are being made with the ACLA's CPA

12. Student Representative Report (Beall/Montenegro):
a. Based on the success of the last roundtable in Long Beach, proposals were made for Harvard roundtables for graduate students who are teaching large courses with media and for the job market

13. Other business
Topics were proposed for the 2009 MLA Panels on "Translation: Global/Local and Major/Minor" and the practice of translation and its implications.

Adjourned 10:12 AM.