PHILOSOPHY of EDUCATION SOCIETY
February 2002 UPDATE
UPDATE OVERVIEW
This mailing contains information on the 2002 PES Annual Conference, a copy of the preliminary conference program accompanied by an Advance Registration Form, a ballot for the Executive Board and COPA, and a dues notice (for those who have not yet paid their 01-02 dues only).
INVITATION FROM THE PRESIDENT Barbara Houston
I cordially invite all members to join us in Vancouver and to join in the serious work and serious fun that is highlighted in this Update. The conference program enclosed here offers many opportunities for thinking together; the invitation to participate in the Presidential Follies and the Vancouver Sun Run points to work/fun of a different kind! I also invite and urge all to vote in the election announced below. We all contribute to a vital PES by doing so.
58th ANNUAL MEETING: April 19-22, 2002 Heeson Bai
The Annual Meeting is fast approaching and it's time to make your reservations at the Coast Plaza Hotel and Suites at Stanley Park in Vancouver. The hotel is strategically located near the English Bay with "spectacular ocean, mountain or city views." Amenities include an indoor pool, whirlpool, exercise room, saunas and squash courts. Reservations can be made by calling 1-800-663-1144. All reservations must be made by March 18th, 2002. The Hotel is offering PES members a special discount rate for the conference. Standard guest rooms are $129 Cdn. per night for a single or a double, with a $20 charge for each additional person. Anyone who has traveled lately knows that this is an attractive rate, especially given US/CDN exchange rates! Suites are available for $149 Cdn. The conference rate will apply for the three nights prior to the meeting and the three nights after, based upon availability, for those members who want to extend their stay in Vancouver.
The Hospitality Committee, chaired by Heesoon Bai with the able assistance of Ann Chinnery, Jerry Coombs, Pamela Courtenay-Hall and Gerda Wever-Rabehl, is beginning to develop web pages that will highlight restaurants, attractions, etc. Check the PES site at http://philosophyofeducation.org/current.htm for information. The meeting itself will include two cash bar receptions: the Kneller Reception for New Members on Friday (with a complimentary drink for each new member) and the Presidential Reception on Sunday evening. Attendees can expect coffee service and rolls each morning and an afternoon snack on Saturday.
N.B. Special Opportunity!! (This tip comes courtesy of Maureen Stout). Sunday, April 21st is the Vancouver Sun Run, the second largest 10K event in the world. 45,000, including Maureen!, will be running. PES participants can consider entering runners, walkers, walk-joggers. The run starts at 9 AM and goes through downtown, passing quite near the conference hotel. For entry information, check out www.sunrun.com.
Electronic registration via the website is available.You may reserve a spot for the Presidential Luncheon as well; the additional charge is $25 US ($12 US for grad students).
PROGRAM COMMITTEE - Scott Fletcher
An excellent program awaits those who come to Vancouver in April. Talks by Cheshire Calhoun, Anthony Weston and our very own Barbara Houston anchor a schedule of papers and special sessions that is as diverse as our membership. A copy of the tentative program is enclosed in this mailing and is also available at www.philosophyofeducation.org/2002Program.htm. Thanks are due to the members of the Program Committee who completed their reviews expeditiously and make the crafting of the program easier.
AUDITIONS FOR PRESIDENTIAL FOLLIES - Lynda Stone
OK, we lied. You don't have to audition. All you have to do is volunteer. We are in need of chorus members for the "event" (we're not sure what else to call it) that will occur during the Presidential Luncheon. We already have serious talent lined up including Denis Phillips, Cris Mayo and Harvey Siegel. Well, actually, they aren't in the chorus, but we can't tell you anymore or we'll give it all away. Email Lynda "Babe" Stone (lstone@email.unc.edu) or Barb "I Feel Pretty" Stengel (barbara.stengel@millersville.edu) if you are willing to volunteer. Talent is not a requirement don't let the presence of Phillips, Mayo and Siegel scare you off. We need you!
MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE Michael S. Katz
As has been past practice, new members will receive special treatment at the Vancouver conference. Name tag stickers that identify new members will allow officers and others to extend a warm welcome. The Kneller New Members Reception on Friday evening will enable new members to introduce themselves to folks they haven't met. And the committee will be organizing "dinner expeditions" for those who seek to connect with members and other new members over a meal. More information on the dinner expeditions will be available at registration.
GRADUATE STUDENT ROOMS AVAILABLE
PES is continuing to offer subsidized rooms for graduate students at this year's meeting. There are still a few spaces available. If you are interested in subsidized accommodations (four per room at $20 per night), please send a note indicating your name, email address, gender, nights needed, and full payment to Barbara Stengel/PES, Educational Foundations, Millersville University, P. O. Box 1002, Millersville, PA 17551. We cannot hold rooms without payment at this point in time. If you have any questions, please contact Ann Whitmire at help@philosophyofeducation.org.
THIRD CALL FOR 2001-2002 DUES
Dues status can be checked by examining your mailing label. Next to your name is the dues year you are paid through. If your label says "01-02" or later, you are current and will not be receiving a dues notice in this mailing. If your label indicates "00-01" or earlier, a notice and envelope are included. (Note that the PES fiscal and dues year runs from July 1 through June 30.) Prompt dues payment insures continued publications and a fiscally healthy organization!
BALLOT ENCLOSED
The Election Committee, chaired by Ann Diller, has selected candidates for the Executive Board and for the Committee on Professional Affairs. Karl Hostetler (University of Nebraska-Lincoln) and Michael S. Katz (San Jose State University) are the candidates for the Board; and Ron Glass (Arizona State University West) and Deborah Kerdeman (University of Washington) are the candidates for COPA. Please return the attached ballot by April 1, 2002. A postage paid envelope is provided.
ANNOUNCEMENTS OF POTENTIAL INTEREST
Below are open positions that have come to our attention. For more information, contact the person or site noted. (Additional jobs postings can be found on this web site at http://philosophyofeducation.org/jobs.htm
Syracuse University: Assistant Professor, Cultural Foundations of Education. http://soeweb.syr.edu and http://www.syr.edu. Review of applications will begin January 15, 2002 and continue until the position is filled. Contact Sari Biklen, Phone: 315-443-3343; e- mail: skbiklen@syr.edu.
University of Akron: Department of Educational Foundations and Leadership. Assistant Professor, Social Foundations of Education. Contact Dr. Suzanne MacDonald, Search Chair, at (330) 972-7118. E-mail: scm@uakron.edu. http://www.uakron.edu/education/announce/jobsearch.html
Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto: tenure track position in Philosophy of Education. "We are strongly committed to building a collaborative research community within our Philosophy of Education Specialization that takes seriously the moral and political aspects of social differences such as race and gender." Go to http://www.oise.utoronto.ca/depts/tps/Philosophy_posting_2001.pdf for the job description. If you would like more information about the position, call Dwight Boyd at 416-923-6641, ext 2504 or email at dboyd@oise.utoronto.ca
Virginia Tech: Department Head in Teaching and Learning . For more information search, http://www.tandl.vt.edu. Address questions to Dr. Susan Asselin, Professor and Search Committee Chair; 540-231-8206; FAX 540-231-9075; email sasselin@vt.edu.
Millersville University: Educational Foundations Department. Three tenure track positions in masters and undergraduate level teacher and school leader preparation. Teaching responsibilities in social foundations, public policy, leadership, school law, supervision, educational technology, educational psychology or combinations. For a complete job posting, go to http://muweb.millersville.edu/~joblink/executive.html#EdFound-3. For questions, contact Barb Stengel at 717-872-3785 or barbara.stengel@millersville.edu.
The Society for Phenomenology and the Human Sciences will meet in conjunction with The Society for Phenomenology and Existential Philosophy Thursday October 10th through Saturday, October 12, 2002 at Loyola University, Chicago, IL. SPHS welcomes submissions on all topics within the human and social sciences concerned with a reflective appreciation of the nature of experience. Presentations may take the form of individual papers and media presentations, panels, and workshops. For individual papers and media presentations, please submit completed papers of no more than 12 pages, or abstracts of 1000-1500 words. For panels and workshops, please submit abstracts or proposals of 1000 words. Submission Deadline: March 15, 2002. Send all submissions and direct all inquiries to: Philip Lewin, Program Chair, SPHS, 865 Shalar Court, Eugene, Oregon 97405, Telephone: 541-485-3541, Email: pmlewin@yahoo.com. Additional information about the conference may be found on the website of SPHS: www.towson.edu/sphs
Papers are called for the 8th Biennial INPE conference to be held August 8-11, 2002 at University of Oslo, Norway. The theme of the conference is "The many faces of philosophy of education: Traditions, problems and challenges. Full papers should be 3000-6000 words. Abstracts for workshops/symposia/work in progress should be 250-500 words. Submission deadline: March 1, 2002 Submissions should be sent to Programme Chair Tone Kverbbekk, either by email: tone.kvernbekk@hil.no or by fax: + 47 61 28 81 88 or by mail: Tone Kvernbekk, Lillehammer College, AKMS-Education, P.O.Box 1004, N-2626 Lillehammer, Norway.
Audrey Thompson sent word of a new Whiteness listserv: The Whiteness Theory mailing list is a discussion forum for those interested in the theory and practice of anti- racism as it has been informed by whiteness theories, critical race theory, critical race feminism, LatCrit, TribalCrit, and related theories. Membership on the list is open to anyone interested in these theories. Although critical race and critical whiteness theories are obviously theoretical, we are also interested in practical questions, including pedagogical, policy,and political questions. For information or to sign up, see: http://www.pauahtun.org/mailman/listinfo/whitenesstheory
MEMBERS ON THE MOVE
Ines Dussel is now director of the Educational Research Unit at the Latin American Faculty for the Social Sciences, as well as Assistant Professor at the University of San Andres, both in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Dan Butin (Ph.D. University of Virginia) has a faculty position at Gettysburg College in Pennsylvania.
Donald Vandenberg has retired and returned to the USA to his wife's hometown in Alabama He is "alive and kicking" and can be reached at 737 West Broad St., Eufaula, AL 36027.
EXECUTIVE SECRETARY'S NOTE -- Barb Stengel
I have a few bits of business and several acknowledgments to attend to in this space. I'll attend to the serious stuff first. It is likely that I will recommend a dues increase to the Board in April. We have not increased dues in more than five years despite 2-3% inflation each year. We have lived within our means by investing well, by taking advantage of cost-saving electronic communication, by operating efficiently, and by relying on the generosity of institutional support. At this point, we have cut costs as much as possible, I believe. We have a smaller investment cushion to lean on. And the Society's operations will be shifting to a new (yet unnamed) location where services may not be offered as inexpensively as they have been here at Millersville. While we are in good shape today, I would like to hand the books over to a new Executive Secretary so that he or she won't have to worry immediately about tomorrow. I assure you that I will carefully consider both the structure and the amount of the dues increase to minimize impact on the Society's membership.
On a very different note, there seems to be one piece of unfinished business re the conference program. There was substantial sentiment, and a Board intention I think, to include in this year's program a planned scholarly tribute to Jim McClellan. No individual took responsibility for proposing a session and (I confess) I pushed Scott so hard to get the program done on a specific timeline that we were unable to develop one. I believe there is a time slot and room available Sunday evening and would welcome suggestions for a session that would capture Jim's contribution, both scholarly and personal. Who can help? (Whatever we plan can be listed in the final iteration of the program distributed at the conference and also listed on the web version.)
No tests for the membership this time (did I detect a sigh of relief?), but I do have one funny fallout from my past efforts. Donald Vandenberg wrote that he would like to "write a well- crafted' essay to respond to one of the essay questions" but indicated he was "miffed" because he is not "a basketball player . . . and would much prefer to suggest who should be on a track squad or swimming team." For others like Don, who felt left out because I focused on Jim Garrison's passion, I apologize. Don also scribbled a P.S. that said "The Ann Marie Pinti Scholar-Athlete Award (referred to in the July newsletter) is for the person who wins the mile and two mile in the same year, or who runs six miles and is seventy years old." I was left to wonder who in our membership might win such an award (perhaps Don?) and responded saying that I thought his Ann Marie Pinti comment was pretty funny. Now I don't know Professor Vandenberg well enough to know if he was pulling my leg or more forgetful than I am but he replied that he didn't remember anything about Ann Marie Pinti. He wondered if I misread his handwriting and he actually wrote Merleau-Ponty???? I am still laughing. . . . And wondering whether I got it wrong to begin with. So Wendy Kohli (the real Ann Marie Pinti winner), just which award did you garner? And I leave it to the rest of you to ponder what might be the qualifications for a Merleau Ponty Scholar-Athlete Award.
After our gathering in Vancouver, I will hand over the Executive Secretary portfolio. I anticipate feelings of both regret and relief. We ask our Executive Secretary to shoulder quite a lot in the service of the Society; it's probably hard to realize just how much until you've juggled database, budget, communications, and assorted requests for information and/or copyright permissions. I mention this by way of encouraging all to be supportive of and patient with our new Executive Secretary as you have been with me for the past three years. And this, of course, is the source of the regret I have already begun to feel. I have enjoyed my interaction with so many of you on both important and trivial matters. I am marked by the spirit of kindness and generosity both intellectual and personal I see in the Society and its members. (Is it an oxymoron to put "kindness and generosity" and "philosophers" in the same sentence? Obviously not!)
I want to thank those at Millersville University who have supported me in this role: former Dean Ben Berhow, Dean Jane Bray, former Chair Mary Klinedinst, and Chair Cheryl Desmond. Two quite brilliant and competent undergraduate students have done our dirty work and saved me on more than one occasion: thanks to Lisa Gorman and Ann Whitmire. PES Presidents Jim Garrison, Nick Burbules, and Barbara Houston have responded to my constant nagging with good grace and (often) immediate responses. I extend a particular thank you to Craig Cunningham who, as web builder, has responded quickly and concretely to my efforts to enable us to operate more effectively and efficiently. The Ed Theory crowd, Diane, Diana, and Tim have been both helpful and instructive. It has been a pleasure to work with them. A final thought: the conference site is inviting, the program looks swell, and the social planners are at work. There is no excuse not to come to Vancouver in April! I'll see you then.
CONTACT: PES Executive Director Jeff Milligan
850-644-8171; milligan@coe.fsu.edu