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Audio
Visual Support
Call for
Papers
Example
#1
Example #2
Example #3
Websites for Posting CFP's
UPenn's
Site for CFP's
H-Net's
Site for CFP's
Forming Panels
Template
for Forming Panels
Download
Template (MS Word)
Examples of Letters
Acceptance
Letter
Download
Letter (RTF)
Need more Information? Contact:
Sally Sanchez
Program Coordinator
SW/TX PCA/ACA
pcaacaswtx@sbcglobal.net
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Congratulations
on your position as an Area Chair with a nationally established organization!
The following
represents the typical expectations and duties of an Area Chair, including
ideas for how to be an effective Area Chair (tips for the newcomer and
veteran chair).
- Duties:
As Area Chair your responsibilities are
- To write
and post calls for papers (CFPs) and/or abstracts
- To accept
presentatons
- To organize
panels for your area
- To act
as a liaison between your panelists and the conference organizers
- To provide
your panelists with updates of current information
- To be
your Area’s representative at the conference
- Term:
The organization expects new Area Chairs will serve a minimum two-year
term in order to establish continuity and growth.
- Many
Area Chairs have been serving the organization for several years and
represent a significant resource to consult.
- Being
an Area Chair represents significant service for your profession and/or
area of interest, and provides an excellent opportunity to network within
your field.
- Writing
Calls for Papers (CFPs): CFPs need to provide the following information:
- Official
Conference Title, Dates, and Hotel
- Area
Title
- Description
of Subject Area and Special Interests/Topics
- Deadline
for Submissions
- Your
Contact Information
Please
remember to proofread all of your CFPs carefully before posting them.
- Posting
Calls for Papers:
a)
A number of websites and listservs provide forums for CFPs.
The following sites reach thousands of scholars, and should represent
the primary areas for posting your CFPs. Area Chairs should also post
calls on websites and listservs within their own discipline. After
a brief review of their rules for posting, putting out your call to
these sites is easy, even for the technologically challenged.
b)
Area Chairs should also seek to send calls
- To colleagues
in your field
- To experts
in your field
- To special
Centers and Programs
- To newsletters
in your field or to interested groups
- To colleagues
you meet at other conferences and forums
- To graduate
students working in these areas
- Responding
to Queries:
- Forming
Panels:
- Form
panels as you continue to accept presentations. Seek to place four people
per panel.
- Arrange
your panels per the program panel guidelines for easy submission to
the Program Coordinator on or before
December 5, 2008.
Template for Forming
Panels | Download
Template (RTF)
- Cluster
presenters by panels that have some sort of theme; providing titles
for the individual panels can attract an audience.
- Assign
“Panel Chairs” to your panels, who will be responsible for chairing
the session and making sure presenters keep within the time limits.
- Sending
Updates to Participants:
- Update
your accepted panelists from time to time. Remind them to pay registration
fees before the deadline and to book hotel space early.
- Emphasize,
especially 2-3 weeks before the conference, that panelists need to present
within a time limit of 15 minutes per panelist, reserving 5 minutes
per panelist to respond to questions.
- Tips
from Seasoned Area Chairs:
a)
About the presentation:
- Encourage
graduate students to submit papers to one of the organization’s awards
(see homepage).
- Ask participants
to practice presenting the paper before the conference.
- Note
to participants that professional attire is important to their presentations
and future networking.
- Request
that participants not read their papers so much as present orally.
- Define
your area’s policy on papers presented in absentia; a representative
of the Libraries, Archives, and Museums and Popular Culture Area suggests,
“if someone has a last minute catastrophe, etc., we really prefer that
they send us the paper for an Area Chair to read, rather than have a
gap on the panel; we've so far not found people abusing this option—this
year was the first time that we've exercised that option; we think that
it should be up to the discretion of the Area Chair whether to permit
them. However, the person must still pay registration fees to be included
in the program in order to have the paper read. Thank you notes for
an in absentia presenter should state that the paper was presented in
absentia, so that situation is clearly on the record.”
b)
At the Conference (some of these ideas are humorous but still
insightful and worthy of inclusion here):
- Encourage
graduate students to be professional at all times. You never know who
might remember you or who might be friends with somebody at your institution.
- Don’t
be the last person in the bar before an 8:00 a.m. presentation.
- Bathe
and brush your teeth.
c)
After the Conference:
- Follow
up in a timely fashion with thank-you notes to the presenters; be specific
about the title and contents of the presentation, because some people
need this for their expense reports (to prove they were there); and,
Chairs should invite the presenter to attend the next conference. If
you can give the date and place of the next conference, you should do
so. A thank-you note should be on your professional letterhead so it’s
official, and if possible should be sent no more than a week after the
end of the conference.
- Send
an update during the year to encourage participants to return to the
conference next year. Ask them to invite their colleagues as well.
- Other
Important Matters:
- Please
respond quickly to the Program Coordinator’s or Executive Program Director’s
requests for information. Meet deadlines for such things as printing
the conference posters and programs depends largely on receiving timely
responses from Area Chairs.
- Please
treat all prospective participants with professional courtesy and respect.
Many of our participants have been members of the Southwest/Texas PCA/ACA
for years, and continue to return to our conference.
- Good
organization makes for time-saving efficiency.
- Remember
that you have an important position and that the organization and/or
your profession is grateful for your good work. Pat yourself on the
back from time to time to lift your spirits!
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Duties
of an Area Chair