SCMLA Governance
The South Central Modern Language Association officially includes the states of Texas, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Louisiana, Arkansas, and Mississippi, but our members now range far and wide, both in the United States and abroad. Our mission is to enhance our members’ involvement in scholarship, teaching, and research in the modern languages and literatures. We accomplish this through an annual conference held in one of our region’s popular cities; awards supporting travel, research, and conference papers; two annual newsletters containing calls for papers, grant announcements, member news, etc.; and the three times a year journal, South Central Review. We welcome new and established scholars to join us in promoting emerging and traditional approaches to language and literary study.
SCMLA 2024 Executive Committee
Lowry Martin, President (2022-2024)
University of Texas – El Paso
Paul Nelson, Past President (2021-2022)
Louisiana Tech University
Luis Cortest, Executive Director
University Of Oklahoma
Richard J. Golsan, Editor (2013-2023)
South Central Review
Texas A&M University - College Station
Nicholas Lawrence, Managing Editor (2013-2023)
South Central Review
University of North Carolina Lancaster
Scott Baugh, English (2022-2024)
Texas Tech University
French Representative - Vacant (2024-2026)
Susanne Hafner, German (2022-2024)
Fordham University
Moira Di Mauro-Jackson, Other Modern Languages (2022-2024)
(Formerly Russian and Less-Commonly-Taught Languages)
Texas State University
Erik Ekman, Spanish (2022-2024)
Oklahoma State University
Member At-Large Vacant (2024-2026)
Jaime Cantrell, At Large (2022-2024)
Texas A&M University, Texarkana
American Literature Representative - Vacant (2024-2026)
Graduate Student Representative - Vacant (2024-2026)
SCMLA Committee Assignments For 2023
Grants/Awards Committee: Paul Nelson, Jane Evans, Nick Lawrence
Book Prize Committee: Lowry Martin, Jane Evans, Joy Smith
Program Committee: Joy Smith, Paul Nelson
Nominating Committee: Lowry Martin
CONSTITUTION OF THE SOUTH CENTRAL MODERN LANGUAGE ASSOCIATION
I. NAME
The name of the Association shall be: THE SOUTH CENTRALMODERN LANGUAGE ASSOCIATION.
II. PURPOSE
The purpose of this non-profit Association shall be the advancement of scholarship, teaching, writing, and related professional activities within the modern languages, including their literatures and cultures. The Association serves a regional, national, and international membership from its base in the South Central region, consisting of the states of Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Texas.
III. MEMBERSHIP
1. Any individual interested in the purposes of the Association may be admitted to membership by the payment of stipulated annual dues and may be continued as a member in good standing by the payment of such dues.
2. Any institution and/or department may obtain a non-voting membership by payment of the stipulated annual institutional dues.
3. Individual dues and institutional dues shall be determined by the membership and both shall be subject to revision at any annual meeting. All members shall be entitled to receive the publications of the Association.
4. A) Especially deserving members of the Association who have been active supporters of and leaders in the Association may be granted Life memberships requiring no further payment of dues. Such memberships will be recommended by a committee on Life and Honorary Membership, approved by the Executive Committee, and announced at the annual Business Meeting. The number of Life Memberships will not exceed twenty.
B) Scholars and artists and active patrons of languages who are not otherwise members of the Association may be elected to Honorary Membership by the Executive Committee on nomination by a Committee on Life and Honorary Membership. New
honorary members will be announced at the annual Business meeting. The number of Honorary Memberships will not exceed twenty.
IV. OFFICERS
1. The Executive Officers of the Association shall be: a President, a Vice-President, a Past President, an Editor of the Review and an Executive Director.
2. Their duties shall be those usually pertaining to their respective offices.
3. The President and the Vice-President shall be elected by ballot prior to the annual convention for a term of one year.
4. The Editor of the Review and the Executive Director shall be elected by the Executive Committee for a term of three years.
5. The institution of the Executive Director shall provide whatever means may be necessary for the proper maintenance of the executive offices. If the individual holding this office severs his or her connection with the sponsoring institution during three-year term, the location and personnel of the office shall be promptly reconsidered by the Executive Committee.
6. If an officer of the Association is unable to carry out his or her duties for any reason, the Executive Committee shall have the authority to take appropriate action.
V. EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
1. The administration of the Association shall be in the hands of the Executive Committee composed of the President, Vice- President, the Past President, the Executive Director, the Editor of the Review, and eight members elected by the Association by ballot.
2. The eight elected members of the Executive Committee provided for in Section 1 of this article shall serve for two years, two or three members to be elected each year.
3. The members of the Executive Committee shall be selected so as to represent as fully as possible the geographic distribution and the cultural groups of the Association.
4. The Executive Committee shall elect five members to constitute a Nominating Committee, who will canvass the membership and nominate persons to fill offices and vacancies on the Executive Committee and on the staff of Consulting Editors. The Nominating Committee shall make its report to the Executive Committee for its concurrence, being careful always to consider the various cultural groups and geographical distribution in the Association. In nominating candidates for the Presidency it shall see that the same cultural group is not represented two years in succession. Any additional nominations must conform to the above stipulations.
5. The Executive Committee shall administer the affairs of the Association and take action necessary to carry out the purposes and promote the interests of the Association, including publications.
6. The Executive Committee shall submit a report of its activities at each annual meeting, and its policies and actions shall be subject to the direction and approval of the membership of the Association.
7. A majority shall constitute a quorum of the Executive Committee.
VI. MEETINGS
The Association shall hold an annual meeting at such place and times as the Executive Committee shall determine.
VII. PROGRAMS
1. The Executive Director shall be responsible for the coordination of the programs for the annual meeting.
2. The Program of each section shall be arranged by its chair, who shall be elected by the section at the annual meeting. The section chair shall submit a program to the Executive Director at least three months before the annual meeting.
3. Local arrangements for the annual meeting shall be the responsibility of a local committee of the host institution(s), acting in consultation with appropriate officers of the Association.
VIII. THE REVIEW
The Association shall publish a Review three times per year staffed by an Editor, a Business Manager, two Associate Editors, and six Consulting Editors who shall be elected by the Association for a term of three years, staggered so that two new Consulting Editors are elected each year. The Review shall be a scholarly journal for members of the Association and the profession at large.
IX. AMENDMENTS
Proposed amendments to this constitution shall first be approved by the Executive Committee; they shall then be published in the winter newsletter and be ratified by a majority at the next annual meeting of the Association in order to become effective.
X. DISSOLUTION
The Association shall be dissolved by a vote of 2/3 of the membership in good standing after the matter has been moved and discussed in two consecutive annual meetings. In the event of such dissolution any remaining assets shall devolve on the
Modern Language Association of America.
Adopted 27 October 1967
Amended 30 October 1969
Amended 27 October 1972
Amended 22 October 1988
Amended 28 October 1993
Amended 30 October 1997
Amended 31 October 2002
Amended 30 October 2009
Amended 5 October 2017