3 September 2008, University of Glasgow
Present: Professor Rosalind Pritchard [Chair], Dr Lore Arthur (Chair elect) and members as listed in the Minute file
1. Apologies: As listed in the Minute file
2. Minutes of the 2007 AGM: Approved with the proviso of a minor amendment to item 3 in order to modify the statement.
3. Matters arising: There have been continuous efforts to review the Constitution and to develop transparent and democratic engagement processes with members.
It was agreed that a sentence should be inserted into the Constitution to state explicitly that the Chair should normally be chosen from the serving members of the Executive Committee. The word “normally” should be included in the Constitution.
For the election of Chair and Vice Chair, nominated individuals should provide a CV and Statement of Intent, which will be circulated to all members before the AGM for ratification. The arrangement will be included in the Constitution’s Bye-Laws.
4. Executive Committee Membership
4.1 Election of Chair and Vice Chair: It was noted that earlier this year the nomination of Dr Lore Arthur (The Open University) as Chair was approved by all Executive members;this was ratified by the AGM.
4.2 Dr Michele Schweisfurth (University of Birmingham), was proposed as Vice Chair by Professor Clive Harber, and seconded by Dr Malcolm Mercer. Members present expressed their support for these nominations and duly ratified them.
4.3 Election of Executive Members: Following Professor Clive Harber’s resignation, one replacement nomination was received for executive membership. It was, therefore, ratified that Dr Gu Qing (University of Nottingham) be accepted as an Executive Member. It was noted that Professor Rosalind Pritchard resigned as a member of the Executive Committee and thanks were expressed to her and Professor Clive Harber for their longstanding commitment to and engagement with BAICE.
4.4 Election of Student Representative: Following the resignation of Tareq Al Bakri as Student Representative on the Executive Committee, it was noted that arrangements for the election of a successor were in progress.
5. BAICE President 2008/09: It was reported that Professor Robin Alexander (University of Cambridge) had been approached to act as the Association’s President for the academic year 2008-2009, and that he had accepted the invitation. Members present whole-heartedly supported this proposal and confirmed the appointment. The Chair thanked Professor Julia Preece for her work and continuous support as President from 2006-2008.
6. Report from the Chair: Professor Pritchard reported that the past year had been very successful for the Association, which is in a position of stable finances, active membership and a thriving journal with Compare. It was noted that the goals proposed in her initial statement of intent have been realised, including the development of a strategic plan, the revision of the Constitution, extending the regionalisation of the Association to cover all of the UK, offering of a BAICE prize, designing a new visual identity, offering an increased number of services to members and tightening the relationship with Compare. Professor Pritchard congratulated the respective organisers on the success of a 1-day writing workshop convened jointly by the Universities of Birmingham and Bristol, a BAICE Research Student Workshop on Professional Development held at the University of Sussex, and the Writers’ Workshop organised by Compare. It was noted that the BAICE History &Archive Project, coordinated by Professor Michael Crossley (University of Bristol) and Professor Keith Watson (University of Reading), commenced in February 2008. The suitability of the conference venue in Glasgow and efficient organisation through DACE was praised and Professor Michael Osborne, Kathy MacLachlan, Joyce Lang and Sarah McCulloch were thanked by all members for making the BAICE 2008 conference possible. Professor Pritchard expressed her thanks to the Executive Committee for their support in the past year.
Dr Lore Arthur, in her role as Chair, warmly thanked Professor Pritchard for all her hard work and commitment to BAICE over several years and in her role as Chair, 2006-2008. Dr Arthur also acknowledged the hard work undertaken by the appointed officers, in particular Dr Niens, the Treasurer and Jane Anthony, the Membership Secretary, both of whom had to deal with a number of complex circumstances during the past year. She also thanked Dr Sheila Trahar, Secretary to BAICE, for all her hard work on behalf of BAICE.
7. Treasurer’s Report: Dr Ulrike Niens circulated a Statement of Accounts for the year ending 31st July 2008 which had been prepared by Coppers@ Co. She reported to members that 2008 had been a successful transitional period during which the Compare finances were moved under the auspices of BAICE. It was noted that a substantial increase in Royalties of just over £13,000 was received which was accompanied by a slight increase in spending, resulting in a surplus of funds of £8,500. A savings account had been opened, which currently contains £40,000. It was reported that the Executive Committee had decided not to apply for charitable status based on the advice from an external financial consultant. Expense guidelines have been approved by the Committee to increase transparency of expenditures. The Treasurer was thanked for her work over the past year.
8. Report from the Membership Secretary: Jane Anthony reported that there are currently 264 BAICE members from 39 countries and that this includes a substantial number of new student and full members who joined BAICE in 2007/2008. It was noted that a slight decrease in the actual figures was partly due to members recruited through BAICE conferences failing to renew their membership and due to some standing order payments not having been received over the past year. Procedures for non-paying members have been tightened over the past year, which resulted in prompt reminders for outstanding payments and more regular up-dates of the membership lists. It was reported that difficulties with the distribution of Compare have been addressed successfully. The Membership Secretary was thanked for her efforts and commitment.
9. Report from the Editors of Compare: Professor Karen Evans reported that the journal was flourishing and attracting an increasing number of high quality papers. It was reported that due to this success, resulting in a continuous flow and subsequent backlog of manuscripts, Compare will be increased to six issues per year. It was noted that four new members had been appointed to the advisory board last year: Dr Shajlaja Fennell (University of Cambridge), Dr Theresa Lillis (Open University), Dr Elizabeth McNess (University of Bristol) and Dr Christopher Williams (University of Birmingham). Professor Carlos Torres (University of California) has been welcomed to the International Advisory Board. The editors were thanked for their work on behalf of the Association.
10. Report on BAICE website: Members agreed that the BAICE website has been developed to a high professional and user friendly standard over the past year.
11. Any Other Business: The UKFIET/BAICE conference will take place in Oxford in 2009. The location for the BAICE conference 2010 still needs to be confirmed. Comments concerning the conferences should be sent to the Chair.
12. Date of next Annual General Meeting: UKFIET Conference, Oxford, September 2009.
Present: Professor Rosalind Pritchard [Chair], Dr Lore Arthur (Chair elect) and members as listed in the Minute file
1. Apologies: As listed in the Minute file
2. Minutes of the 2007 AGM: Approved with the proviso of a minor amendment to item 3 in order to modify the statement.
3. Matters arising: There have been continuous efforts to review the Constitution and to develop transparent and democratic engagement processes with members.
It was agreed that a sentence should be inserted into the Constitution to state explicitly that the Chair should normally be chosen from the serving members of the Executive Committee. The word “normally” should be included in the Constitution.
For the election of Chair and Vice Chair, nominated individuals should provide a CV and Statement of Intent, which will be circulated to all members before the AGM for ratification. The arrangement will be included in the Constitution’s Bye-Laws.
4. Executive Committee Membership
4.1 Election of Chair and Vice Chair: It was noted that earlier this year the nomination of Dr Lore Arthur (The Open University) as Chair was approved by all Executive members;this was ratified by the AGM.
4.2 Dr Michele Schweisfurth (University of Birmingham), was proposed as Vice Chair by Professor Clive Harber, and seconded by Dr Malcolm Mercer. Members present expressed their support for these nominations and duly ratified them.
4.3 Election of Executive Members: Following Professor Clive Harber’s resignation, one replacement nomination was received for executive membership. It was, therefore, ratified that Dr Gu Qing (University of Nottingham) be accepted as an Executive Member. It was noted that Professor Rosalind Pritchard resigned as a member of the Executive Committee and thanks were expressed to her and Professor Clive Harber for their longstanding commitment to and engagement with BAICE.
4.4 Election of Student Representative: Following the resignation of Tareq Al Bakri as Student Representative on the Executive Committee, it was noted that arrangements for the election of a successor were in progress.
5. BAICE President 2008/09: It was reported that Professor Robin Alexander (University of Cambridge) had been approached to act as the Association’s President for the academic year 2008-2009, and that he had accepted the invitation. Members present whole-heartedly supported this proposal and confirmed the appointment. The Chair thanked Professor Julia Preece for her work and continuous support as President from 2006-2008.
Report from the Chair: Professor Pritchard reported that the past year had been very successful for the Association, which is in a position of stable finances, active membership and a thriving journal with Compare. It was noted that the goals proposed in her initial statement of intent have been realised, including the development of a strategic plan, the revision of the Constitution, extending the regionalisation of the Association to cover all of the UK, offering of a BAICE prize, designing a new visual identity, offering an increased number of services to members and tightening the relationship with Compare. Professor Pritchard congratulated the respective organisers on the success of a 1-day writing workshop convened jointly by the Universities of Birmingham and Bristol, a BAICE Research Student Workshop on Professional Development held at the University of Sussex, and the Writers’ Workshop organised by Compare. It was noted that the BAICE History &Archive Project, coordinated by Professor Michael Crossley (University of Bristol) and Professor Keith Watson (University of Reading), commenced in February 2008. The suitability of the conference venue in Glasgow and efficient organisation through DACE was praised and Professor Michael Osborne, Kathy MacLachlan, Joyce Lang and Sarah McCulloch were thanked by all members for making the BAICE 2008 conference possible. Professor Pritchard expressed her thanks to the Executive Committee for their support in the past year.
Dr Lore Arthur, in her role as Chair, warmly thanked Professor Pritchard for all her hard work and commitment to BAICE over several years and in her role as Chair, 2006-2008. Dr Arthur also acknowledged the hard work undertaken by the appointed officers, in particular Dr Niens, the Treasurer and Jane Anthony, the Membership Secretary, both of whom had to deal with a number of complex circumstances during the past year. She also thanked Dr Sheila Trahar, Secretary to BAICE, for all her hard work on behalf of BAICE.
7. Treasurer’s Report: Dr Ulrike Niens circulated a Statement of Accounts for the year ending 31st July 2008 which had been prepared by Coppers@ Co. She reported to members that 2008 had been a successful transitional period during which the Compare finances were moved under the auspices of BAICE. It was noted that a substantial increase in Royalties of just over £13,000 was received which was accompanied by a slight increase in spending, resulting in a surplus of funds of £8,500. A savings account had been opened, which currently contains £40,000. It was reported that the Executive Committee had decided not to apply for charitable status based on the advice from an external financial consultant. Expense guidelines have been approved by the Committee to increase transparency of expenditures. The Treasurer was thanked for her work over the past year.
8. Report from the Membership Secretary: Jane Anthony reported that there are currently 264 BAICE members from 39 countries and that this includes a substantial number of new student and full members who joined BAICE in 2007/2008. It was noted that a slight decrease in the actual figures was partly due to members recruited through BAICE conferences failing to renew their membership and due to some standing order payments not having been received over the past year. Procedures for non-paying members have been tightened over the past year, which resulted in prompt reminders for outstanding payments and more regular up-dates of the membership lists. It was reported that difficulties with the distribution of Compare have been addressed successfully. The Membership Secretary was thanked for her efforts and commitment.
9. Report from the Editors of Compare: Professor Karen Evans reported that the journal was flourishing and attracting an increasing number of high quality papers. It was reported that due to this success, resulting in a continuous flow and subsequent backlog of manuscripts, Compare will be increased to six issues per year. It was noted that four new members had been appointed to the advisory board last year: Dr Shajlaja Fennell (University of Cambridge), Dr Theresa Lillis (Open University), Dr Elizabeth McNess (University of Bristol) and Dr Christopher Williams (University of Birmingham). Professor Carlos Torres (University of California) has been welcomed to the International Advisory Board. The editors were thanked for their work on behalf of the Association.
10. Report on BAICE website: Members agreed that the BAICE website has been developed to a high professional and user friendly standard over the past year.
11. Any Other Business: The UKFIET/BAICE conference will take place in Oxford in 2009. The location for the BAICE conference 2010 still needs to be confirmed. Comments concerning the conferences should be sent to the Chair.
12. Date of next Annual General Meeting: UKFIET Conference, Oxford, September 2009.