Modern Greek Studies Association

Standing Committees & their Mandates

Article IV §13 of the MGSA Constitution states that the Executive Board “shall have the power to create any standing or ad hoc committees . . . [and] shall appoint the personnel thereof from among the membership of the association.”

All standing committees are expected to submit written reports of their deliberations to the board.

Here are mandates for the current standing committees:

Administration

Chair: Elizabeth A. Davis

Monitors the association’s institutional structure and operations. In doing this, it considers ways to make the association more effective in carrying out its mission. It

evaluates the performance of the board and officers
evaluates the performance, and salary, of the executive director
considers the best method for appointing committee members and chairs
evaluates the performance of standing and ad hoc committees
reviews committee mandates and modifies them as needed
examines how various projects are funded
works closely with the Nominations Committee

Endowments Funds

Oversees the MGSA's endowment funds and, in particular, applies and oversees a long established formula for the procedural withdrawals of funds.

Its members are Peter Bien, Thomas Gallant, Van Coufoudakis, Peter Allen, and the MGSA Treasurer, Katerina Zacharia.

Fund Raising & Long-term Planning

Chair: Katerina Zacharia

Explores ways to improve the association's finances by identifying fund-raising opportunities. In recommending strategies for exploiting such opportunities, it may

suggest the use of fund-raising consultants;
cultivate relationships with foundations and other relevant agencies;
consider a regular public fund-raising event;
foster contacts with relevant officials in the Greek and US governments;
work closely with the Membership and Publicity Committee;
concern itself with the association's public image.

It also evaluates current programs and considers possible expansion or contraction while its concerns include

the quality and relevance of our symposia
the quality and relevance of JMGS
the quality and relevance of the Bulletin
the quality and relevance of our website

Financial Advisory Committee (FAC)

Comprised of four members of the Association, one of whom is the Treasurer of the MGSA. The FAC must elect from its membership a Chief Investment Officer charged with chairing the Financial Advisory Committee, convening a minimum of two meetings per year, and communicating the minutes of those meetings, including recommendations, to the Executive Board. The FAC serves at the pleasure of the Executive Board, which can dissolve the FAC and convene a new one if it deems it necessary to do so.

Frank Hess (Chair)

In consultation with the Executive Director and Treasurer of the Association, the Financial Advisory Committee (FAC) shall oversee the Association’s finances regarding investment strategy and asset allocation to promote the long-term growth of principal as well as income generation for the Association’s annual operating budget. In so doing, it shall take the following specific actions:

Assess biannually the asset allocation of the Association seeking the preservation of principal with moderate to conservative growth
Make recommendations regarding asset allocation and types of investments to be held in the Association’s Endowment
Determine the amount of funds to be withdrawn annually from the growth and income earned from the Endowment (to be based on the formula approved by the Executive Board and the MGSA Endowment Funds Committee)
Preside over the investment of surpluses from the Association’s operating budget and income earned from the Endowment

Recommendations made by the FAC to the Executive Board of the MGSA shall be approved by the Executive Board before coming into effect. Approved recommendations shall be implemented by the Executive Director of the MGSA, working in consultation with the Treasurer.

Digital Communications and Social Media

Chair: Sakis Gekas

Provides MGSA members with electronic resources and aids them in utilizing those resources. It concerns itself with the web site, list-serve, information delivery, and the membership data base. It also provides a forum for electronic exchange for librarians in charge of Modern Greek collections.

Publications

Chair: Nikos Panou

Concerns itself with the quality, usefulness, and appeal of the association's publications. It may offer recommendations to the board concerning JMGS, the Bulletin, various bibliographies, etc. However, editorial responsibility for JMGS rests entirely with the journal's editors and editorial committee.

Library

Liaison: Artemis Leontis

Facilitate communication among librarians involved with Modern Greek Studies collections and the MGSA membership on collection matters.
Cooperate internationally with other library and area studies organizations on projects of mutual concern and benefit.
Compile and disseminate information relating to Modern Greek Studies collections and resources.
Identify areas for needed reference and research tools and initiate projects to bring these materials to fruition.
Encourage cooperation among librarians involved with Modern Greek Studies collections in areas such as acquisition, bibliographic control, preservation and digitization.

Transnational Studies

Chair: Panayotis League

The Committee on Transnationalism has the following goals and responsibilities both short and long term:

To foster and strengthen the relationships between programs, Centers, and Departments of Modern Greek Studies globally through collaboration on intellectual and academic projects. The Committee will seek to initiate such collaborative projects in a spirit of parity among participating entities.
To find ways to enact an intellectual, institutional, and academic dialogue among various organizations, colleagues, and independent scholars.
To maintain and enhance the overall mission of The Greek American Studies Resource Portal, providing information on research, activities, and resources in the field of Greek American Studies broadly defined.

Graduate Studies

Chair: Artemis Leontis

Explores ways to make the association more sensitive to the needs of graduate students and provides them with support and encouragement. To facilitate this mission, it keeps a list of current graduate students and of dissertations in process; gathers and disseminates information regarding job opportunities perhaps arranges mini-conferences for graduate students; fosters the maximum exposure of graduate students at the MGSA biennial symposia; organizes a social event for graduate students at the biennial symposia.

In addition, it constitutes a Dissertation Prize Committee sub-committee and develops rules for how this sub-committee shall operate in holding a competition for a dissertation prize. Ideally, the winner should be announced at each of the biennial symposia.

Undergraduate Studies

Chair: Elsa Amanatidou

Explores ways to support and enhance the development of undergraduate programs in Modern Greek. It does this by examining and recommending teaching methods and resources, including electronic resources, enhancing cooperation among the various programs, disseminating information about research resources, including those on the web.

Membership & Publicity

Chair: Joanna Eleftheriou

Explores ways to expand the association's membership. It does this by furnishing the executive director with lists of individuals (plus their addresses) who should be invited to become members, recommending ways to publicize the association's activities, and working with the local arrangements committee for each of our biennial symposia.

Nominations

Chair: Elsa Amanatidou

Established by the Executive Board at the third to last meeting of its term. The composition and duties of this committee are specified in Article IV §6 of the MGSA Constitution.The committee works in cooperation with the Administration Committee; ideally, there will be some overlap in membership between the Administration Committee and the Nominations Committee.