The Program Committee for the 2000 meeting of the Western History Association invites proposals for panels and papers for the WHA's 40th annual conference. The 2000 meeting in San Antonio will highlight three themes: concepts of borderlands and West-ness; the millennial West in 1000, 2000, and 3000 AD; and public perceptions of the American West.

The year 2000 evokes many reactions. It specifically connotates reflections on Old Worlds. We will observe the bicentennial of the signing of the Treaty of San Ildefonso, which forever altered the nature of diplomacy and geo-political structures in the American West; the sesquicentennial of the Compromise of 1850, and its impact on all Westerners; and the centennial of the Galveston hurricane, the worst storm in American history. These events are just a few of the significant moments that have inflenced the history of the American West and deserve scholarly scrutiny. The year 2000 also gives us an occasion to ponder New Worlds, the future West. It is important to engage some of the problems that face the region in the future, as we look for guidance in the past. For instance, how will Westerners deal with natural resource limitations? A restless political economy? Shifting borderlands? Or the changing ethnic and racial diversity of the region? Finally, celebrating the millennium by looking into the past and the future causes a sharpening of observations about the present West. How the historic West is presently perceived and how the public derives meaning from the West, such as through viewing epic structures like the Alamo or visiting national parks like Texas' Big Bend or watching recent Western films, are important dimensions to explore.

The Program Committee invites traditional history presentations as well as those that make use of other disciplines, such as music, art, theatre and film, ethnology, and archeology, in explaining the Western past. We encourage local and regional history panels about our host city and state, as well as panels discussing the history of surveying borders and pursuing northern Mexican and western Canadian history. We welcome presentations that embrace the worlds of North America's myriad of peoples. And we invite sessions on teaching Western history.

The 2000 WHA Program Committee issues an invitation to scholars, teachers, students, and the public to gather in San Antonio to enjoy the vibrancy of Western history. Submissions are encouraged for roundtable discussions, entire sessions, and individual papers. Each paper proposal should include a one-page abstract. There should also be a one-page C.V., with an address, phone, and e-mail for each participant. If submitting an entire session, include an abstract that outlines the purpose of the session. One panelist must be designated as the contact person. The Program Committee assumes all listed individuals in a session proposal agree to participate.

Co-chairs for the 2000 WHA Program Committee are Maria Montoya, University of Michigan; John Wunder, University of Nebraska; and William Gwaltney, U.S. National Park Service. All submissions should be sent by August 31, 1999, to Prof. Maria Montoya, Co-chair, 2000 WHA Program Committee, Department of History, 1029 Tisch Hall, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1003. Phone: 734-647-4617; FAX: 734-647-4881; e-mail: mmontoya@umich.edu