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DIG DEEPER, REACH HIGHER
THE 17吃瓜STRATEGIC PLAN, 2016-2020
Adopted (unanimously) by the 17吃瓜Board on April 17, 2016
Executive Summary
For the past five years (2011-2015), 17吃瓜has been well guided by the Strategic Plan adopted by the Board of Trustees in April 2010. But 17吃瓜is a constant work in progress, so there is always more to be done. ASOR鈥檚 goals for the next five years (2016-2020) are (I) to build on the accomplishments realized between 2011-2015 in four key program areas (Strategic Goals Nos. 1-4), and (II) to undertake four new initiatives that serve ASOR鈥檚 increasingly diverse membership (Strategic Goals Nos. 5-8).
The four key program areas addressed in Strategic Goals Nos. 1-4 are the 17吃瓜Annual Meeting, 17吃瓜Publications, ASOR鈥檚 relationships with its affiliated Overseas Research Centers, and the ASOR鈥檚 Fellowships and Grants programs. Between 2011-2015, 17吃瓜significantly enhanced the quality of each. Going forward, 17吃瓜aims to achieve still more in these key program areas and to respond to several emerging challenges: for instance, integrating digital publications into our Publications program.
Strategic Goals Nos. 5-8 comprise new initiatives that address 17吃瓜members鈥� increasingly diverse interests, as well as the membership鈥檚 increasingly diverse constituencies. For example, Strategic Goal No. 8, which concerns cultural heritage, addresses 17吃瓜members鈥� increasing interest in heritage protection, preservation, and presentation. Strategic Goals Nos. 5, 6, and 7, which concern fostering the next generation, greater enfranchisement of ASOR鈥檚 international members, and public outreach, address the interests of student members, members who are just beginning their professional careers in the study of the Near East and wider Mediterranean, members whose professional expertise lies elsewhere, and international members. In addressing diversity, 17吃瓜also intends better to enfranchise ethnic and minority communities that have been traditionally underrepresented within the organization.
Accomplishing these goals will require hard work, the development of expertise in emerging areas (such as digital publishing), and sufficient funding. Yet though our plans are ambitious, ASOR鈥檚 115+ years of success assure us that our aspirations can be realized. By 2020, 17吃瓜will have advanced its long-standing position as a premier international organization dedicated to exploring, understanding, presenting, and preserving the history and cultures of the Near East and wider Mediterranean.
STRATEGIC PLAN 2016-2020 (outline)
Part 1 Programmatic– I. Strengthening ASOR鈥檚 Key Program Areas
(Strategic Goals Nos. 1-4)
Strategic Goal No. 1: ASOR鈥檚 Annual Meeting
Our goal: Conduct an exceptional professional meeting dedicated to scholarship on the history and cultures of the Near East and the wider Mediterranean world.
1A. Promote the Highest Quality Content in the Academic Program
1B. Maintain the Current Number of Paper-Presentation Sessions
1C. Increase Annual Meeting Revenue
1D. Re-Evaluate the Annual Meeting鈥檚 Time and Location
Strategic Goal No. 2: Publications
Our Goal: Enhance ASOR鈥檚 monograph publishing program and develop new publishing venues appropriate to the twenty-first century.听听
2A. Expand the Monograph Publication Program
2B. Develop a Digital Publication Program
2C. Expand Open Access
2D. Determine the Structure for Publications Oversight
Strategic Goal听 No. 3: ASOR鈥檚 International Affiliations
Our Goal: Strengthen relationships with ASOR鈥檚 affiliated Overseas Research Centers and develop more robust organizational ties both with other Overseas Research Centers and in regions and countries where overseas research centers are not currently found.
3A. Enhance Relationships with ASOR鈥檚 Affiliated Overseas Research Centers
3B. Form Stronger Relationships with Other Overseas Research Centers
3C. Establish More Overseas Committees
Strategic Goal No. 4: Fellowships, Grants, and Other Forms of Support for 17吃瓜Members
Our Goal: Increase the fellowships, grants, and other forms of support available to individual 17吃瓜members and to the faculty, students, and staff of institutional member schools.
4A. Assess Membership Benefits for the Twenty-First Century
4B. Fund More Fieldwork and Fieldwork-Related Research Grants
4C. Create Other Fellowships and Grants that Support 17吃瓜Members
4D. Develop In-House Resources in Support of Archaeological Fieldwork
Part 2 Aspirational– II. Serving ASOR鈥檚 Diverse Membership (Strategic Goals Nos. 5-8)
Strategic Goal No. 5: Fostering the Field
Our Goal: Advocate frequently and forcefully on behalf of the scholarly study of the Near East and wider Mediterranean within the academic community and elsewhere, and through this advocacy and other means, engage vigorously in processes and programs that promote the success of the next generation of scholars of the Near East and wider Mediterranean world.
5A. Champion the Study of the Near East and Wider Mediterranean
5B. Secure the Success of the Next Generation
Strategic Goal No. 6: An Increased International Identity for ASOR
Our Goal: Expand ASOR鈥檚 increasingly large community of international members (about 22% of our membership, from 35 countries outside North America) and enhance ASOR鈥檚 engagement with them.
6A. Increase International Members鈥� Access to ASOR
6B. Ensure ASOR鈥檚 International Members are Fully Enfranchised
Strategic Goal No. 7: Outreach
Our Goal: Expand our outreach efforts to, and听engagement with, the general public.
7A. Strengthen Current and Future Outreach Efforts
7B. Provide Staffing Support
Strategic Goal No. 8: Cultural Heritage
Our Goal: Participate energetically in worldwide efforts to protect, preserve, and present to the public all aspects of the cultural heritage of the Near East and wider Mediterranean.
8A. Protect and Preserve Cultural Heritage
8B. Promote Site Preservation, Documentation, and Presentation
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STRATEGIC PLAN 2016-2020 (full text)
Preamble
For the past five years (2011-2015), 17吃瓜has been well guided by the Strategic Plan adopted by the Board of Trustees in April 2010. In fact, 17吃瓜has achieved many of the goals identified in the 2011-2015 Strategic Plan, especially with respect to the 17吃瓜Annual Meeting, 17吃瓜Publications, excavation fellowships, programs in public outreach and education, and the promotion of the highest ethical standards of scholarship and public discourse.
17吃瓜also successfully implemented the organizational restructuring that the 2011-2015 Strategic Plan put forward and realized many of the Strategic Plan鈥檚 fund-raising goals, through the enormously successful 鈥淏uilding a Foundation for 17吃瓜Campaign.鈥� This campaign raised $1.7 million (approximately 30% more than our $1.3 million goal) between July 2011 and June 2014.
These accomplishments all provide 17吃瓜with the solid infrastructure it needs to move forward. ASOR鈥檚 goals for the next five years (2016-2020) are (I) to build on the accomplishments realized in four key program areas鈥攖he 17吃瓜Annual Meeting, 17吃瓜Publications, ASOR鈥檚 relationships with its affiliated Overseas Research Centers, and the 17吃瓜Fellowships and Grants program (Strategic Goals Nos. 1-4)鈥攁nd (II) to undertake four new initiatives that serve ASOR鈥檚 increasingly diverse membership. Hereby, it is affirmed that 17吃瓜values diversity, both the diverse interests of its membership, as well as the membership鈥檚 many diverse constituencies.
Strategic Goals Nos. 5-8 address this diversity. For example, Strategic Goal No. 8, which concerns cultural heritage, addresses 17吃瓜members鈥� increasing interest in heritage protection, preservation, and presentation. Likewise, Strategic Goal No. 5, which concerns fostering our field and the next generation, speaks to 17吃瓜members鈥� growing apprehensions about the diminishing support (in institutions of higher education and elsewhere) for the study of the Near East and wider Mediterranean and outlines strategies for sustaining the 17吃瓜constituents who are most vulnerable in the face of this crisis: ASOR鈥檚 student members and members just beginning their professional careers.
Strategic Goals Nos. 6 and 7, which concern the greater enfranchisement of ASOR鈥檚 international members and public outreach, address the needs of ASOR鈥檚 international constituency and of members whose professional expertise lies elsewhere than the Near East and wider Mediterranean. In addition, 17吃瓜commits to making its diverse constituencies鈥攊ncluding members from ethnic and minority communities that have traditionally been underrepresented within ASOR鈥攂etter represented among 17吃瓜fellowship and grant awardees and Annual Meeting session chairs and in 17吃瓜committees and other governing bodies.
Who We Are and What We Do:
ASOR鈥檚 Mission Statement
ASOR, founded in 1900, is an international organization whose mission is to initiate, encourage, and support research into, and public understanding of, the history and cultures of the Near East and wider Mediterranean, from the earliest times, by:
- Fostering original research, exploration, and archaeological fieldwork;
- Encouraging scholarship in the region鈥檚 languages, texts, traditions, and histories;
- Disseminating research results and conclusions in a timely manner, through a robust publication program, annual meeting, and other venues;
- Adhering to the highest ethical standards of scholarship and public discourse;
- Upholding the highest academic standards in interdisciplinary research and teaching;
- Promoting educational opportunities for undergraduates and graduates in institutions of higher education around the world;
- Developing engaging programs of outreach for the general public;
- Supporting and participating in efforts to protect, preserve, and present to the public the historic and cultural heritage of the Near East and the wider Mediterranean and to raise awareness of its degradation.
I. Strengthening ASOR鈥檚 Key Program Areas
(Strategic Goals Nos. 1-4)
Strategic Goal No. 1: ASOR鈥檚 Annual Meeting
Our goal: Conduct an exceptional professional meeting dedicated to scholarship on the history and cultures of the Near East and the wider Mediterranean world.
1A. Promote the Highest Quality Content in the Academic Program
The current quality of the academic program is high. Applications to present papers exceed the number of sessions available, with the result that only the best papers are accepted. Maintaining the current number of sessions for paper presentations (below) will guarantee that the quality of this aspect of the academic program continues. To guarantee this further, the Program Committee will review the Annual Meeting鈥檚 鈥淎SOR-Sponsored Sessions,鈥� to make certain they best represent 17吃瓜members鈥� primary areas of scholarly interest and engagement. Session chairs are also encouraged to recruit paper presenters whose contributions will enhance the quality of the academic program.
Members鈥� research is also productively disseminated through mechanisms other than papers, and 17吃瓜will expand opportunities for poster presentations, roundtable discussions, and similar events at its Annual Meeting. In addition, the 17吃瓜staff will follow the model of other learned societies and enhance the co-curricular component of the Annual Meeting program, by offering museum visits, networking opportunities for various interest groups, movie events, and similar activities.
1B. Maintain the Current Number of Paper-Presentation Sessions
The current number of paper-presentation sessions (approximately 96 sessions over the course of a three-day meeting) should remain roughly as is (i) to preserve the intimacy of the meeting, and (ii) to allow meeting participants to attend most (or all) of their desired sessions, with minimal scheduling conflicts.
1C. Increase Annual Meeting Revenue
The Annual Meeting is not financially self-sustaining. To be self-sustaining, 17吃瓜would need to raise the meeting鈥檚 registration fees, and/or attract more exhibitors, sponsors, and advertising, and/or grow Annual Meeting attendance by 15-20%. Preserving the intimacy of the Annual Meeting, however, is a priority (above), and considerations regarding the meeting鈥檚 affordability, especially for scholars who might struggle financially to attend (e.g., junior scholars, international scholars, non tenure-track scholars, independent scholars, retirees), are a priority as well (below).
The 17吃瓜staff will be tasked with developing strategies for increasing Annual Meeting revenue while keeping competing priorities in mind: for example, incrementally growing Annual Meeting attendance in a way that enhances the meeting鈥檚 quality by bringing in papers about geographic regions and chronological periods in which 17吃瓜members increasingly work (central Asia, the western Mediterranean, medieval archaeology). Increasing the number of exhibitors and sponsors would also increase the quality of the Annual Meeting.
1D. Re-Evaluate the Annual Meeting鈥檚 Time and Location
Given the reunification of the American Academy of Religion (AAR) and the Society of Biblical Literature (SBL), and the consequence鈥擜SOR鈥檚 increasing inability to access hotel space reasonably close to the AAR/SBL meeting鈥�17吃瓜must re-evaluate whether meeting at the same time and in the same location as AAR/SBL remains a viable prospect. Alternatives include (i) meeting on our own; (ii) meeting in conjunction with AAR/SBL every other year; or (iii) meeting in conjunction with another learned society: for example, the Archaeological Institute of America (AIA), the Society for American Archaeology (SAA), the Middle East Studies Association (MESA), or the American Oriental Society (AOS).
17吃瓜will appoint an ad hoc Annual Meeting committee to address this issue. This committee鈥攚hich will include, among others, representatives from the current Program Committee鈥攚ill be charged with (i) evaluating the meetings in Atlanta (2015) and San Antonio (2016), to gauge the impact of the lack of geographical proximity to AAR/SBL and the number of 17吃瓜members affected, and (ii) making recommendations about the way forward. These recommendations should be made in time for 17吃瓜to implement potential schedule changes for 2020 (currently scheduled for Boston) or 2021 (currently scheduled for San Antonio). This committee will also consider whether 17吃瓜should approach other organizations, such as the American Research Center in Egypt (ARCE) or the American Research Institute in Turkey (ARIT), to assess whether these organizations are interested in participating in ASOR鈥檚 Annual Meeting.
Strategic Goal No. 2: Publications
Our Goal: Enhance ASOR鈥檚 monograph publishing program and develop new publishing venues appropriate to the twenty-first century.听听
2A. Expand the Monograph Publication Program
17吃瓜reaffirms its historic commitment to monograph publishing, as this investment in knowledge production and knowledge dissemination is an important service 17吃瓜provides to its members and to our discipline. As part of this commitment and investment, 17吃瓜will continue to publish three monograph series鈥攖he Annual of the American Schools of Oriental Research (AASOR), the Archaeological Reports Series (ARS), and the Journal of Cuneiform Studies Supplement Series鈥攁nd will seek to resume publishing the 17吃瓜Books Series.
In order to facilitate members鈥� publication efforts, 17吃瓜will seek funding for grants to subsidize subventions for members who publish in ASOR鈥檚 monograph series. Consideration should be given to using the (historically modest) revenue generated by the 17吃瓜Books Series as seed money for this subvention fund.
2B. Develop a Digital Publication Program
17吃瓜acknowledges that publishing in the twenty-first century, especially the publication of archaeological data, requires digital modes of publication that make possible the presentation of hypermedia, videos, three-dimensional reconstructions, and animated fly-throughs and that allow for the presentation of the voluminous bodies of evidence now collected during archaeological excavations.
17吃瓜will thus investigate developing a high-quality digital publishing program that makes possible the publication of scholarly works incorporating evolving digital media. 17吃瓜will also investigate the digital publication of classroom resources, such as state-of-the-art textbooks or course modules on various aspects of the archaeology and history of the Near East and wider Mediterranean.
2C. Expand Open Access
In 2015, 17吃瓜made available through Open Access 65 volumes from its various monograph series that were previously available only to Hathi Trust subscribers.听 Indicated here is ASOR鈥檚 deep and fundamental commitment to broad-based knowledge dissemination, which dictates that as appropriate and as economically feasible, 17吃瓜will expand its Open Access offerings. This is especially important in the case of 17吃瓜monographs, for while 17吃瓜journals are widely (albeit not universally) available in electronic form, the monographs are not.
2D. Determine the Structure for Publications Oversight
The Committee on Publications (COP) will continue to oversee ASOR鈥檚 scholarly publications (the three journals and the monograph series).
ASOR鈥檚 outreach publications (currently News@ASOR, The ANE Today, the 17吃瓜Blog, and the 17吃瓜website) are central to ASOR鈥檚 presentation of itself to academics and the general public鈥攁ll of whom are prospective new members and sources of support. It is critical that the content and presentation of these outreach publications be engaging and of the highest quality. It is also important that distribution of the outreach publications steadily increase. Responsibility for their oversight must be determined to ensure excellence and a wider distribution. The Chairs Coordinating Council (CCC) should decide whether this responsibility should be assigned to the Committee on Publications (COP), to the Membership and Outreach Committee, to the Friends of 17吃瓜subcommittee, or another body.
鈥淥versight鈥� of our outreach publications also must be precisely defined. For example, once oversight responsibility for these publications is determined, the designated committee must make decisions regarding the need for a periodic review of the editor of The ANE Today, limits to this editor鈥檚 term of service, and editorial policy for the 17吃瓜Blog.
Strategic Goal听 No. 3: ASOR鈥檚 International Affiliations
Our Goal: Strengthen relationships with ASOR鈥檚 affiliated Overseas Research Centers and develop more robust organizational ties both with other Overseas Research Centers and in regions and countries where overseas research centers are not currently found.
3A. Enhance Relationships with ASOR鈥檚 Affiliated Overseas Research Centers
ASOR鈥檚 relationships with its affiliated Overseas Research Centers (ORCs)鈥攖he W. F. Albright Institute of Archaeological Research in Jerusalem, the American Center of Oriental Research in Amman, Jordan, and the Cyprus American Archaeological Research Institute in Nicosia, Cyprus鈥攁re foundational and distinguish 17吃瓜from many other learned societies. 17吃瓜enthusiastically endorses these relationships and commits itself to exploring how to make them more effective, functional, and mutually beneficial to both 17吃瓜and the affiliated ORCs.
For example, 17吃瓜will provide its excavation fellowship recipients in Israel, Jordan, and Cyprus with information about each country鈥檚 affiliated ORC, so that the fellowship recipients might stay at, or otherwise connect with, the affiliated ORCs and so the ORCs could help 17吃瓜cultivate a fellowship alumni network (below). Connecting excavation fellowship recipients with the affiliated ORCs also sends recipients a powerful message that 鈥�17吃瓜is there for you in-country.鈥�
In addition, 17吃瓜and the affiliated ORCs鈥攊n conjunction with the Council of American Overseas Research Centers (CAORC)鈥攚ill explore working together on funding projects: for example, permanent funding to support the Directors鈥� Exchange program, funding for multi-center fellowships for 17吃瓜members, and funding to bring the affiliated ORCs in-country associates to the 17吃瓜Annual Meeting. Also, we will explore ways that 17吃瓜could pair its commitment to protecting and preserving cultural heritage (below) with the affiliated ORCs鈥� in-country infrastructure to establish programs in sustainable archaeology and heritage protection and preservation (including programs that offer employment opportunities in-country).
17吃瓜will also explore using the affiliated ORCs as part of ASOR鈥檚 outreach initiatives (below): for example, developing a travel program that used the affiliated ORCs for lodging and/or other sorts of programming.
3B. Form Stronger Relationships with Other Overseas Research Centers
While 17吃瓜assigns high priority to enhancing its relationships with its affiliated ORCs, 17吃瓜also seeks to develop stronger relationships with ORCs located in other regions where 17吃瓜members work: for example, the American Academic Research Institute in Iraq (TAARII), the American Academy in Rome (AAR), the American Institute for Maghrib Studies (AIMS), the American Institute for Yemeni Studies (AIYS), the American Institute of Iranian Studies (AIIrS), the American Research Center in Egypt (ARCE), the American Research Institute in Turkey (ARIT), the American Research Institute of the South Caucasus (ARISC), the American School of Classical Studies at Athens (ASCSA), and the Palestinian American Research Center (PARC).
Facilitating relationships with these ORCs鈥攅specially if paired with posting information about them on the 17吃瓜website鈥攚ould inform 17吃瓜members about the resources of these various centers, as well as informing the ORCs about each other鈥檚 resources as they relate to ASOR.
3C. Establish More Overseas Committees
17吃瓜seeks to expand its formal organizational ties in regions and countries beyond those with affiliated and non-affiliated ORCs (e.g., Sicily, Lebanon, and Libya) by establishing overseas committees within its governance structure, analogous to the already extant Baghdad Committee, Saudi Arabia Committee, and Damascus Committee. These overseas committees could especially help develop programming for relevant sessions at the 17吃瓜Annual Meeting.
Strategic Goal No. 4: Fellowships, Grants, and Other Forms of Support for 17吃瓜Members
Our Goal: Increase the fellowships, grants, and other forms of support available to individual 17吃瓜members and to the faculty, students, and staff of institutional member schools.
4A. Assess Membership Benefits for the Twenty-First Century
17吃瓜thrives because of its dedicated individual and institutional members, whom 17吃瓜strives to support by providing them with tangible benefits. Historically, these benefits have included subscriptions to 17吃瓜journals. Now, given the ready access many 17吃瓜members have to electronic resources such as JSTOR, and even more so in a world of Open Access, this benefit is no longer as attractive. 17吃瓜must thus identify and provide new and different membership benefits to sustain and grow its individual and institutional membership base, including significant new fellowships and grants. As these fellowships and grants are developed, 17吃瓜will need to determine mechanisms for vetting applicants and awarding funding.
The 17吃瓜staff will also conduct a review of its membership fee structure, in order to ensure ASOR鈥檚 membership fees鈥攅specially for students and recent graduates鈥攁re compatible with the realities of the contemporary academy.
4B. Fund More Fieldwork and Fieldwork-Related Research Grants
17吃瓜has excelled in developing fellowship funds that support students engaging in archaeological fieldwork (approximately $270,000 in endowed funds raised since 2012). However, 17吃瓜has not met the goal outlined in the 2011-2015 Strategic Plan to fund fieldwork grants to support dig directors. 17吃瓜thus seeks to augment its current Harris Grant program (which awards about $6000 in funding per year) by raising comparable funds to facilitate key yet discrete activities to benefit dig directors鈥� archaeological fieldwork: for example, funds to purchase a special piece of equipment, to pay the fees for otherwise unfunded laboratory tests, or to cover the cost of hiring a particular specialist. The Joe D. Seger Excavation Fund, inaugurated in November 2015 with an endowment of $50,000, marks an important initial step in this development project.
17吃瓜also seeks to raise funds for grants to support archaeological fieldwork in other ways: for example, grants for subsidizing publication subventions, especially for 17吃瓜monographs (above); grants that help subsidize pre-publication work; and grants demonstrating ASOR鈥檚 commitment to the communities and countries in which 17吃瓜members work by supporting fieldwork projects that engage surrounding communities or otherwise enhance ASOR鈥檚 engagement with local or national interests. ASOR鈥檚 increased commitment to cultural heritage protection and preservation (below) also suggests the development of grants to protect and preserve sites that are at risk.
4C. Create Other Fellowships and Grants that Support 17吃瓜Members
17吃瓜seeks to raise funds for fellowships and grants to support the work of its members in areas beyond fieldwork-related projects, such as (i) 鈥渢ravel to collections鈥� grants (e.g., funding to conduct work in museum collections; fellowships to work in the 17吃瓜archives); (ii) grants to support travel to and registration for the Annual Meeting, especially for junior scholars and international scholars, as well as for non tenure-track scholars, independent scholars, and similar scholars who otherwise lack the funds to attend; and (iii) grants to support publication of non-fieldwork related scholarship (e.g., publications in the reinvigorated 17吃瓜Books monograph series).
4D. Develop In-House Resources in Support of Archaeological Fieldwork
To encourage the proper archiving of fieldwork records, and to meet the challenge of digital archiving and data recording, 17吃瓜will work to develop and promulgate standards for archiving documentary records in all forms. In order that these archives be of maximal use, and maximally accessible, 17吃瓜will also develop a database documenting the location of fieldwork records, especially the records of ASOR-affiliated projects.
In addition, 17吃瓜will develop web resources to facilitate the work of fieldwork projects by, for example, providing a place for directors to list fieldwork projects that are looking for volunteers, or by providing directors with advice on best practices about running a field school and about the increasingly important issue of site curation (including long-term site preservation and public presentation). ASOR鈥檚 website will also provide links to the guidelines and regulations of various Departments of Antiquities that are available on the Internet.
ASOR鈥檚 web resources will also serve all 17吃瓜members and the members of 鈥淔riends of ASOR鈥� by functioning as a clearinghouse for information about archaeological fieldwork in the Near East and wider Mediterranean world.
II. Serving ASOR鈥檚 Diverse Membership
(Strategic Goals Nos. 5-8)
Strategic Goal No. 5: Fostering the Field
Our Goal: Advocate frequently and forcefully on behalf of the scholarly study of the Near East and wider Mediterranean within the academic community and elsewhere, and through this advocacy and other means, engage vigorously in processes and programs that promote the success of the next generation of scholars of the Near East and wider Mediterranean world.
5A. Champion the Study of the Near East and Wider Mediterranean
17吃瓜is acutely aware that in contemporary institutions of higher education, programs dedicated to the study of the Near East and wider Mediterranean increasingly find themselves under threat. 17吃瓜thus commits to advocate on behalf of academic colleagues whose departments face cuts by their institutions鈥� administrations. Moreover, 17吃瓜will continue to support the development of new programs and the advancement of existing programs dedicated to the study of the Near Eastern and wider Mediterranean world.
17吃瓜will also seek to promote the study of the Near East and wider Mediterranean by regularly and consistently engaging the national humanities community. For example, 17吃瓜will work with the National Humanities Alliance to advocate on behalf of the field of Near Eastern and wider Mediterranean studies and to assert the overall value of the humanities.
In addition, 17吃瓜will in addition increase its involvement in public advocacy in the federal arena: for example, by speaking out in support of (i) continued or increased NSF funding available to the social sciences (and so to archaeology); (ii) continued or increased funding for the ECA grants that help support ASOR鈥檚 affiliated ORCs; and (iii) continued or increased NEH funding available for humanities research. 17吃瓜also will speak out, as appropriate, about funding decisions that negatively affect our mission: for example, the recent NEH decision to cease funding overseas summer institutes and seminars.
In undertaking these efforts, 17吃瓜will seek to work together with other organizations that share these same goals: for example, scholarly organizations such as the AIA, SAA, MESA, AOS, and SBL and like-minded federations such as CAORC. 17吃瓜will also seek to work with individual scholars whose interests intersect with those of ASOR: for example, 17吃瓜will seek to engage cultural resource specialists in discussions about ASOR鈥檚 work to safeguard and preserve cultural heritage.
5B. Secure the Success of the Next Generation
The threats to programs dedicated to the study of the Near East and wider Mediterranean in contemporary institutions of higher education (above) affect most profoundly and alarmingly the career prospects of scholars within these programs, especially the scholars of the next generation. 17吃瓜is thus committed to doing all it can to advance the careers of these scholars.
For example, in addition to raising funding support to help these scholars participate in ASOR鈥檚 Annual Meeting (above), 17吃瓜will look for ways to increase the involvement of graduate students and junior scholars in the Annual Meeting as part of their training and development as academics. In particular, 17吃瓜will explore ways of enhancing graduate students鈥� and junior scholars鈥� engagement in modes of research presentations (poster presentations, roundtable discussions) that are emerging alongside traditional paper presentations (above).
17吃瓜will also increase the number of junior scholars who serve as session chairs, perhaps pairing them with more established chairs to increase mentoring and networking opportunities. 17吃瓜also stands ready to support its junior scholars at their home institutions by, for example, writing in support of junior faculty members鈥� reappointment and tenure cases.
At the same time, 17吃瓜recognizes that faculty positions in institutions of higher education are no longer as likely a career option for scholars in Near Eastern and wider Mediterranean studies. 17吃瓜thus seeks opportunities to support the professional development of scholars who may not pursue, or who are no longer pursuing, a career as a faculty member in an institution of higher education. 17吃瓜will present programming on various career tracks at its Annual Meeting: for example, NGOs, government agencies, IT, consulting, cultural resource management, museum work, and publishing and journalism. 17吃瓜will also explore using its various publications as venues for discussing careers outside the academy.
The Junior Scholars discussion at the Annual Meeting is another place where conversations about different career tracks is likely to take place, and this event will be better publicized. 17吃瓜will in addition work to enhance its job posting site by using part of the site to post non-academic jobs and to link to other sources for non-academic careers (e.g., , to search for federal positions available in archaeology).
Finally, 17吃瓜recognizes that the 鈥渘ext generation鈥� includes not just current graduate students and recently minted Ph.D.鈥檚, but undergraduates and K-12 students. As part of its expanded outreach programs (below), 17吃瓜aims to build on the very successful teacher educational workshops that have been held in conjunction with the Annual Meeting to develop resources that individual members and regional societies can use in other contexts: for example, to reach out to local K-12 schools. Excavation scholarships are the primary way 17吃瓜reaches out to undergraduates (as well as graduate students). 17吃瓜will increase its engagement with those students by increasing excavation fellowship award amounts and by cultivating a fellowship 鈥渁lumni鈥� community.
Strategic Goal No. 6: An Increased International Identity for ASOR
Our Goal: Expand ASOR鈥檚 increasingly large community of international members (about 22% of our membership, from 35 countries outside North America) and enhance ASOR鈥檚 engagement with them.
6A. Increase International Members鈥� Access to ASOR
Ensuring international members鈥� full access to ASOR鈥檚 programs and benefits is among ASOR鈥檚 highest priorities. 17吃瓜is thus very proud that at its November 2015 meeting, the Committee on Archaeological Research and Policy (CAP) changed its long-standing policy regarding CAP affiliation for fieldwork projects so that ASOR鈥檚 international members are now eligible to apply. This change was unanimously endorsed by the 17吃瓜Board of Trustees.
Going forward, 17吃瓜seeks to do more by developing fellowships to support travel to the 17吃瓜Annual Meeting for (among others) international scholars (above). Other funding sources should also be explored, including (i) formalizing the funding partnership that has recently allowed Iranian scholars to attend the Annual Meeting; (ii) seeking out similar funding to support the participation of Lebanese scholars; (iii) working with the affiliated ORCs鈥攁nd in conjunction with CAORC鈥攖o identify funding (possibly from the Department of State or the European Union) to support travel fellowships for scholars from the ORC countries to come to the 17吃瓜Annual Meeting.
17吃瓜realizes, however, that it is not possible to raise enough funding to support the travel needs of all its international members requiring aid, and 17吃瓜thus aspires to bring the sort of scholarship showcased at its Annual Meeting to its members outside North America. For example, 17吃瓜will explore ways it might participate in international conferences and/or symposia. Possibilities include an 17吃瓜session, or sessions, and/or an 17吃瓜reception or booth, at the International Congress on the Archaeology of the Ancient Near East (ICAANE); ASOR鈥檚 joining as a partner in international symposia being planned by kindred organizations; or a symposium hosted by 17吃瓜and one of ASOR鈥檚 affiliated ORCs. Through these means, 17吃瓜aims to offer its international members a better and more sustained opportunity to experience the benefits of 17吃瓜membership.
17吃瓜does not, however, seek to develop internationally-based programming that competes with its North American meeting. Moreover, 17吃瓜is committed to making any international program completely self-sustaining.
The 17吃瓜Office, in conjunction with the Membership and Outreach Committee, should develop plans for these efforts at internationally-based programming (location, time, financial model), at which point the Chairs Coordinating Council will need to develop structures for oversight (especially of ASOR鈥檚 contributions to an academic program).听听
6B. Ensure ASOR鈥檚 International Members are Fully Enfranchised
ASOR鈥檚 Membership and Outreach Committee鈥攁 key player in ASOR鈥檚 work of better serving its international members鈥攈as committed to expanding its membership to include multiple international members. 17吃瓜aims to build on the Committee鈥檚 work by ensuring that international members are better represented elsewhere on 17吃瓜committees and in other governing bodies and among Annual Meeting session chairs.
ASOR鈥檚 name鈥攖he American Schools of Oriental Research鈥攔eflects profoundly the organization鈥檚 origins and early history: a North American-based organization that established a school (later schools) in the Near East (or, in the parlance of ASOR鈥檚 founders, the 鈥淥rient鈥�) for research purposes. This name, however, may no longer reflect the organization鈥檚 twenty-first century identity. This issue鈥攚hich also has implications for outreach and ASOR鈥檚 work beyond the academy鈥攚ill be taken up by the Board of Trustees.
Strategic Goal No. 7: Outreach
Our Goal: Expand our outreach efforts to, and听engagement with, the general public.
7A. Strengthen Current and Future Outreach Efforts
Public service and outreach are听central to听ASOR鈥檚 mission. Our Board of Trustees听proudly includes trustees whose professional expertise lies elsewhere than the Near East and wider Mediterranean and who play key roles听in ASOR鈥檚 leadership.听In addition, all ASOR听programs are open to the public, and our members听regularly make themselves听available to serve the public through lectures, advising, and other activities. Moreover, ASOR听offers several online and print publications designed specifically to address the general public鈥檚 interests in the ancient听Near East and wider Mediterranean world.
17吃瓜is committed to听expanding its outreach听efforts. For example, 17吃瓜should explore creating a 鈥渃onsumer-friendly鈥� outreach program to be held in conjunction with its Annual Meeting. Because outreach often happens at the local level, we also aim to make resources available鈥攅specially digital resources鈥攆or 17吃瓜members to use in their own communities (e.g., in local schools). 17吃瓜should in addition explore ways in which it could form partnerships to enhance its outreach efforts: for example, partnerships with media outlets or partnerships with digital resource developers.
17吃瓜also听intends to听increase membership in the听鈥淔riends of ASOR鈥� program听by offering those members additional opportunities to engage with ASOR鈥檚 people and programs.
7B. Provide Staffing Support
17吃瓜will seek听permanent听funding for听the听position of听Outreach Specialist in the 17吃瓜Office. The Outreach Specialist will听facilitate听ASOR鈥檚 public service efforts (media contacts, lectures, special events),听outreach publications (News@ASOR, The ANE Today)听补苍诲 social media initiatives (Facebook, the 17吃瓜Blog, Twitter, ASORtv, etc.).
Strategic Goal No. 8: Cultural Heritage
Our Goal: Participate energetically in worldwide efforts to protect, preserve, and present to the public all aspects of the cultural heritage of the Near East and wider Mediterranean.
8A. Protect and Preserve Cultural Heritage
17吃瓜seeks to promote engagement with and understanding of all aspects of cultural heritage in the Near East and wider Mediterranean world. 17吃瓜recognizes that the protection and preservation of the cultural heritage of the region is at the core of its mission and an area of profound interest to its membership.
ASOR, especially through its Cultural Heritage Initiatives Program, will continue to participate in large-scale governmental and non-governmental projects to protect, preserve, and promote awareness about all aspects of the cultural heritage of the Near East and wider Mediterranean world, provided such projects are appropriate, effective, financially viable, and can be managed within the resource structure of the organization. 17吃瓜also commits to encourage complementary initiatives and efforts by its members.
8B. Promote Site Preservation, Documentation, and Presentation
17吃瓜seeks to use its membership and host-country facilities and contacts to develop resources and programs for site preservation, documentation, and presentation. 17吃瓜commits to promote activities to encourage public engagement with, and advocacy for, the cultural heritage of the region.
Conclusion
Firmly grounded in its long-standing mission and distinguished history, 17吃瓜continues to aim ever higher. Indeed, this Strategic Plan propels 17吃瓜on a trajectory that is both wider in the scope of its research and programs and more intentionally focused on supporting its increasingly diverse members. Over the next five years, as 17吃瓜accomplishes the eight strategic goals outlined above, the organization will enhance its long-standing position as a premier international learned society dedicated to examining, understanding, presenting, and preserving the history and cultural heritage of the Near East and wider Mediterranean. Through the ongoing participation and committed support of members, friends, and enthusiasts, 17吃瓜will carry out this vision to dig deeper and reach higher.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column border_color=”rgba(170,170,170,0.01)” width=”1/6″ css=”.vc_custom_1490571214409{margin-right: 10px !important;margin-bottom: 30px !important;border-right-width: 2px !important;border-bottom-width: 2px !important;padding-top: 30px !important;padding-right: 20px !important;padding-left: 20px !important;background-color: #ffffff !important;border-right-color: rgba(227,228,228,0.75) !important;border-bottom-color: rgba(227,228,228,0.75) !important;}”][vc_wp_posts title=”BROWSE THE NEWS ARCHIVE” number=”4″][/vc_column][vc_column border_color=”rgba(170,170,170,0.01)” width=”1/6″ css=”.vc_custom_1490225688999{margin-right: 10px !important;margin-bottom: 30px !important;border-right-width: 2px !important;border-bottom-width: 2px !important;padding-top: 30px !important;padding-right: 30px !important;padding-left: 20px !important;background-color: #ffffff !important;border-right-color: rgba(227,228,228,0.75) !important;border-bottom-color: rgba(227,228,228,0.75) !important;}”][vc_column_text] [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]
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In 1910, the School鈥檚 managing committee declared its first ten years a success. However, the outbreak of World War I in 1914 and the Ottoman Empire鈥檚 entry into the war led the director, James Montgomery, to close the school. 17吃瓜reopened in Jerusalem in 1919 and published the first volume of the (BASOR). By the next year, William F. Albright, a fellow at the Jerusalem School, had been appointed director鈥攁 post he held for nine years. The first and the second volume of BASOR were published that same year, a propitious beginning for our young school.
The 1940s were a time of change. The Baghdad School founded the in 1947. The began production in 1948, based on the private newsletters of Nelson Glueck. In that same year, the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered and brought to ASOR, where John Trever, acting director, recognized their authenticity. 17吃瓜staff worked to photograph and publish the first scrolls in 1950. War left the Jerusalem headquarters damaged by mortars and small arms fire, and in 1949, 17吃瓜ended up on the Jordanian side of the city鈥攕till in contact with all of Jordan but cut off from Israeli scholars and sites.
The 1970s saw numerous ASOR-affiliated excavations taking place around the eastern Mediterranean, and from 1975 to 1979 at Carthage as well. The (CAARI) was founded in 1978 to foster research into the history of the island, particularly the Phoenicians, and to support the excavation of Idalion.
17吃瓜is a non-profit 501(c)(3), scholar-directed society, comprised of individual members and a consortium of institutions dedicated to Near Eastern archaeology. ASOR’s mission is to initiate, encourage, and support research into, and public understanding of, the history and cultures of the Near East and wider Mediterranean world, from the earliest times. 17吃瓜continues to be a dynamic group of professionals with an unparalleled record of success in reawakening the Middle East鈥檚 past, making unearthed antiquities speak eloquently.
In 2010, then-17吃瓜President Tim Harrison heeded 17吃瓜members鈥� call for a comprehensive professional conduct policy that would be consistent with ASOR鈥檚 Mission and Strategic Plan. To accomplish this goal, President Harrison created an ad hoc Ethics Working Group to support a broad consultation and policy development process. This process has continued with robust support from current (2019) 17吃瓜President Susan Ackerman.