Improvements to the Annual Conference and Study Tour Programs

Over the past few years, SAH has asked for your feedback after each conference and study tour with the hope of being able to make improvements and provide a better experience for all of you. As a result of the feedback received, SAH is implementing the following improvements and additions. Some may be familiar and others are brand new.  

Annual Conference

Session Schedule
Moving the few sessions on Saturday morning to Thursday or Friday, with the other sessions offered, allows for a more cohesive presentation of the intellectual content of the conference.

We have found that inviting the local community to participate during the SAH Saturday Seminar, has added to the discussion of not only historic preservation but of many other issues and hot topics that are of interest to both the local community and SAH members. The seminar in Austin was a success and the attendance by both members and the local community increased 60%.

 In order to accommodate the 35 paper sessions and the Graduate Student Lightning Talks, we will use a three-track module for Thursday and Friday. The schedule used in Austin received a lot of feedback, and we have modified it to allow more time for midday tours, meetings and programs. This will prevent an overlap of sessions and tours. The new schedule for Thursday and Friday paper sessions will be:

Track 1: 8:15-10:30am
Track 2: 10:45am -1:00pm
Mid-day break: 1:15 – 2:45pm
Track 3: 3:00-5:15pm

Session Chairs
In order to give as many people as possible the opportunity to participate in the paper sessions and Graduate Student Lightning Talks, session chairs will not be able to present a paper at the conference of the same year they chair a session for the 2016 conference and beyond.

Calls for Papers
The Call for Sessions, the Call for Papers, the Graduate Student Lightning Talks Call for Topics and the GSLT Call for Presenters will be on the same submission schedule for the 2016 conference and beyond. Be sure to read the SAH Newsletter, SAH Opportunities and the SAH website for updates and details. An official Call will be emailed to all SAH members, and we ask that you share this communication with colleagues as SAH continues to experience a global presence in the field.

As a reminder, only one submission per conference, a maximum of two authors per abstract, and all must attend and present at the conference to be listed in the printed and online program, but more importantly, to be listed in the JSAH which is the official record. SAH uses the Chicago Manual Style, and all submissions should be presented using this style.

Opening Reception
You suggested extending the Opening Reception to allow more time to catch up with friends and colleagues and get to know those who are new to SAH and the conference. As a result of this suggestion, the SAH Opening Reception will be 90 minutes.

SAH Annual Business Meeting and Awards Ceremony
You suggested shortening the time and presentation of the information at the SAH Annual Business Meeting and Awards Ceremony. As we continue to plan the schedule and the content to be presented and required by the bylaws of SAH, a concerted effort will be made to shorten the amount of time for these important events during the Annual Conference. We ask that you support those being recognized for their achievements.

Registration Fees
As the conference continues to grow in content and resulting related expenses, we find that the registration fees will need to increase. SAH has not had an increase since 2008. The new fee structure’s modest increases will continue to help those who find attending academic conferences financially imposing, but recognize the SAH conference as beneficial and a way to advance one’s career.

The fees for 2015 are as follows and will increase 2% each year moving forward:

The SAH Member and SAH Non-Member fees are $100 more if the registrant chooses not to stay at the conference hotel(s). Students are exempt.

SAH will be implementing a Day Rate structure to the conference fees for general attendees. (Speakers, session chairs and SAH Board members are not eligible for this rate.) This will allow those interested in experiencing the conference to attend and is no longer limited to those living within an 80-mile radius of the conference city. The rates are as follows:

Example: You wish to participate on Thursday only. The Day Rate will apply, and you will able to partake in the sessions scheduled on Thursday, the Awards Ceremony and Plenary Talk, as well as any of the midday programs. You are then eligible to register for receptions and tours offered on Thursday at an additional expense.

We are currently working on offering a limited number of Guest Passes for each session to allow family and/or friends to listen to specific papers. Once the details are finalized, we will make an announcement. Each Guest Pass will be $40. Watch for further details and information.

Use of Alternate Hotels
In 2014, SAH waived the additional $100 registration fee due to a restriction on the number of hotel rooms available to SAH when we met in Austin. SAH will be reinstating the $100 fee for 2015.  

Study Tour Programs

SAH is expanding the current study tour programs to include seminars, lectures and roundtable discussions in addition to many site visits. We want to be able to properly reflect that change to help our members and potential members understand the high level of content presented in SAH’s educational programs. Many of you can and do attest to the high quality of our tours, and we will continue to present the quality you have come to expect and raise the bar once again.

We are removing the term tour from the program title. The SAH International Study Tours will now be known as the SAH Field Seminar. SAH has a growing global presence, and we wish to ensure that all of our members feel included in any of the programs presented by SAH, and to better reflect the level of analysis and discussion of the visited sites.

SAH Study Day
This will remain the same.

SAH Field Education Program
This is a new program being developed by SAH that will offer a hands-on/onsite experience and is intended to attract faculty who are in the midst of building up their basic course offerings in architectural history or those who are looking to expand their knowledge and experience of the built environment, with a special focus, at least at first, on American architecture. Thus, its purpose is to provide participants with core pedagogical material for a special-focus course. The week-long seminar would be comprised of daily enrichment activities including lectures by noted scholars, roundtables, panel discussions and site visits so participants can experience firsthand the relevant architecture, landscapes and urban design. The seminar will include a “tool box” of essential items that participants can customize for their own courses at their university, local SAH chapter or other organization. Those tools will include a seminar syllabus, bibliography, readings, sample assignments, copies of all PowerPoint lectures, and instructions in the use of SAHARA and SAH Archipedia. Participants also will have the opportunity to take their own photographs on afternoon excursions. Each day will end with a social hour where lecturers and participants can discuss the topic of the day, the nature of teaching architectural history, as well as their own work. The SAH Education Seminar fulfills a key mission of the SAH study tour program: to provide faculty, adjuncts, graduate students, independent scholars and others with highly focused lectures and site visits that can be adapted easily to coursework. To simplify planning for participants, the Seminar will be scheduled for the same time every year. The first seminar is being planned for the summer of 2015. 

Kathy Sturm
SAH Director of Progams