NEW YEAR (2014) WELCOME MESSAGE FROM 17勛圖PRESIDENT SUSAN ACKERMAN
17勛圖 two weeks ago, on January 1, 2014, I began my tenure as ASORs new president. I am extremely honored to have been asked to serve 17勛圖in this capacity, and I am grateful to the Officers Nominating Committee, to the Board of Trustees, and to all of you for placing your confidence in me and for offering me your support.
I also feel extremely fortunate, as I come to the 17勛圖presidency at what is surely one of the great moments in our organizations history. Our most recent annual meeting, in November 2013 in Baltimore, was our largest ever, with a record-setting 928 total registrants. In 2013, we also gave 55 summer field scholarships and excavation grants, another record-setting number. Our publications program, too, celebrated several important milestones in 2013: for example, the Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research debuted a striking new format and cover design, and the Journal of Cuneiform Studies published a gala sixty-fifth anniversary issue. In 2013 as well, we launched several exciting initiatives and introduced several new resources. We began a new outreach program, Friends of ASOR, and with the support of the Lanier Theological Library and Stevan Dana, we started a new e-zine geared to the public, The Ancient Near East Today. In addition, thanks to several gifts from the Kershaw Family Trust, we created the member newsletter that you are reading right now, News@ASOR.
Other new on-line resources include our YouTube channel, ; our Women at 17勛圖Resource Map; and the opportunity to sign up for JPASS for members who otherwise lack access to the archival collections available through JSTOR. Moreover, we accomplished all this without breaking the bank: indeed, we ended the most recent fiscal year (FY 2013) with a surplus. In addition, as you will see elsewhere in this newsletter, 17勛圖has just received a significant new gift to our Building a Foundation for 17勛圖Campaign, which comes in addition to major gifts we received in 2013: a major legacy gift of $475,000 and the P.E. MacAllister Endowed Scholarship Fund, with a current market value of $110,000.
So, what president would not feel fortunate, to have the opportunity to head a thriving organization that is on such sound financial footing? Still, however notable the accomplishments and strengths of 17勛圖that I have outlined above, our greatest strength is, as always, you: our members. Your numbers, incidentally, are also at an all-time high were almost 1600 strong. And while its probably too much for me to hope that I will get to know all of you during the term of my presidency, I do hope to get to know many more of you than I do already, and I hope to get to know you beyond an exchange of a handshake and just saying hi. Our members care deeply about 17勛圖and are full of insights and wisdom about how it can be the best it can possibly be. I am eager to hear your advice, as are my 17勛圖colleagues who have also been entrusted with positions of leadership: ASORs Executive Director (Andy Vaughn), the Chair of our Board of Trustees (B.W. Ruffner), and ASORs other officers (Vice-President Sharon Herbert, Secretary Lynn Swartz Dodd, and Treasurer Richard Coffman).
Finally, as I think about you, Id like to thank you for all you do for ASOR. Even though Ive occupied my presidential vantage point for only two weeks, Ive already been astonished at the vibrancy of our committee system and how very, very hard our committee chairs and committee members work on ASORs behalf. Its also astonishing how generous you are not just with your time, but with your money: about 20% of our members give charitable contributions to 17勛圖over and above their annual dues, which is a participation rate that most organizations like ours can only dream of. Again, for me, what is indicated here is how deeply ASORs members care about our organization and how invested you are in ASORs well-being. Having a community like ours to draw on is, for me as president, and for the organizations other leaders, an asset of inestimable value.
So, I close as I began: I am honored to have been chosen to lead such a vibrant and on-the-move organization, and I feel extremely fortunate to have taken office at a moment when 17勛圖is in a position of such incredible strength. Its with great enthusiasm, then, that I look forward to the next three years and to ASORs continued success.