Minutes 2008 – Kansas City, Kansas

Saturday, March 8, 2008

President of the Society, Nicholas von Maltzahn called the meeting to order at 8:30 a.m.

In attendance were: Nicholas von Maltzahn, Sean McDowell, George Klawitter, Jacob Blevins, Vitaliy Eyber, Joan Faust, and Timothy Raylor.

The President distributed an agenda for the meeting.

1. Previous minutes

Approval of minutes of 10 March 2007. The minutes of the March 2007 meeting (San Antonio) were approved.

2. Business arising from the minutes

  1. MLA Session
    The President conveyed gratitude to Nigel Smith for arranging a session on Marvell at the December 2007 meeting of MLA. This was well attended, despite its early hour. The suggestion was raised that there is scope at MLA for future Marvell sessions and that any move towards MLA affiliation will need to be preceded by the demonstration of a strong track record there. There are no known plans for a Marvell session at MLA in December 2008. Vice-President McDowell noted that since the proposal process is almost over the next opening would be December 2009.
  2. Marvell issue of Explorations
    President von Maltzahn thanked Sean McDowell for taking on the editing of a special Marvell issue of Explorations, featuring Annabel Patterson’s 2007 plenary lecture. Vice-President McDowell reported that the volume is coming together nicely, with a publication date of winter 2008 or spring 2009.
  3. Hull History Centre
    President von Maltzahn reported on progress towards the establishment of a Hull “super-archive,” bringing together various local collections, some of Marvellian import. President von Maltzahn renewed his suggestion that the society should seek to offer guidance and that members should submit copies of their publications to promote the potential of the archive as a centre for Marvell studies.

3. New business

  1. Election of Vice-President. Professor Nigel Smith was proposed and duly elected Vice-President. He will shift into the presidency in two years, after the business meeting of the 2010 gathering.
  2. Election of Members to Executive Committee. Professors Joan Faust and Jacob Blevins were proposed and duly elected to the Executive Committee.
  3. Expansion of Executive Committee. Vice-President McDowell proposed a motion to increase the membership of the Executive Committee from two to six, each member serving with a staggered three-year term. The motion passed.
  4. Next meeting of Executive Committee. It was agreed that the Executive Committee would meet at the next SCRC meeting, prior to the AGM.
  5. SCRC 2009 Sessions. SCRC will meet March 5-7 2009, in Hot Springs, Arkansas.
    1. The following topics for sessions at SCRC 2009 were proposed and approved: Marvell and Milton, Royalist Marvell, Marvell and Europe, Marvell’s Poetry and the Sister Arts.
    2. A workshop on Marvell’s dialogue or debate poems was proposed by Professor Joan Faust. Professors Faust, McDowell, and Raylor agreed to provide papers.
    3. The Executive Secretary will work with the Vice-President to craft a CFP and distribute it to the membership, and to those who have recently published on Marvell, by the end of spring 2008.
    4. The Executive Secretary will attempt to urge the Program Coordinator to ensure that the Donne sessions , Milton sessions, and Marvell sessions not be run in parallel.

4. Other business

Past President George Klawitter proposed a motion to thank retiring President von Maltzahn for the exemplary leadership and panache of his presidency, during which the society has enjoyed a period of unprecedented growth. The motion was enthusiastically approved.

The outgoing President adjourned the meeting at 8:58 a.m.

Respectfully submitted

Timothy Raylor
Executive Secretary