Dear ASECS members,
We hope this message finds you all well. We are writing today with a brief update about the member survey. As you know, this year ASECS conducted its first survey of the membership to gather information about who makes up our Society; why members joined and why they remain; what interests, concerns, and needs are and are not being met; and what reforms are in order to build a more robust, effective, and inclusive academic Society. Along with the listening sessions and Town Hall, the survey forms part of a broad effort to engage our membership in shaping the future of the Society. Under the leadership of Rebecca Messbarger, Gladiator Consulting was hired to develop this survey. Gladiator Consulting specializes in working with non-profit organizations and in particular with non-profits that are working to center racial equity and inclusion as part of their mission. Board members Lisa Freeman and Jennifer Germann were tasked with working with Gladiator and have met weekly with them to develop the survey and identify other resources that can inform their findings. In addition to the survey, Gladiator is conducting focus groups with members who have been in leadership positions across our caucuses, affiliates, and publications, and they have also collected and are reviewing materials related to the history, organization, and management of our Society and its activities.
We are pleased to report that the response rate for the survey was very high —675 members or 37% completed the survey—with a good cross-section of the disciplinary areas of the society represented at all ranks from graduate students and early career scholars to senior members and emeritus faculty. This is an indication of the strong commitment of ASECS members to the future of our organization, and we want to thank members for sharing their experiences and views of the society. Gladiator is now working to analyze both the raw results and the more than 400 discursive comments. This will take some time, but we do expect that they will be able to submit their report to the Board early in the new year. That report will include both a summary of the survey findings and recommendations regarding our organizational structure and governance. The Board looks forward both to sharing those results with the membership and to charting a path forward together based on those recommendations. Please do keep your eye out for further information about the survey.
In the meantime, we would like to remind members of the resources that are always available for you:
- ASECS website: https://www.asecs.org/
- Ombuds: Nyree Gray, ombuds@asecs.org
- Executive Board members: https://www.asecs.org/executive-board
And as always, please feel free to reach out to our Executive Director Mark Boonshoft, (asecsexecutivedirector@gmail.com), or to other members of the Board should you have any questions or concerns about the ongoing work of the Society.
Sincerely,
Lisa A. Freeman, Second Vice-President
Jennifer Germann, Member-At-Large
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