Leadership Opportunities within ASA | American Sociological Association

Thank you for your interest in learning about leadership opportunities at ASA. Below you’ll find descriptions of a variety of opportunities in the association. If you think you might be interested in some of these activities, please fill in this form. Do not hesitate to check multiple boxes. Submitting this form is simply an expression of interest, not a commitment to serve. Most positions only become available annually, and many generate more interested people than there are open spots, so there is no guarantee you will be contacted for a position and you may be contacted after some time passes. But please know your expression of interest will be sent to the relevant people charged with filling the positions for which you have expressed interest. We greatly appreciate your willingness to consider serving the association. Thank you for your generosity of time and spirit.

Please note that all leaders are required to have an active ASA membership throughout their term of service. Prior to service for some positions, members are asked to complete ethics disclosure and conflict of interest forms.

If you have questions, please contact Mark Fernando, ASA Director of Governance and Administration, at [email protected].

Council
Standing Committees
Award Selection Committees
Status Committees
Other Committees, Advisory Boards, etc.
Journal Reviewer
Annual Meeting Roles

Leadership Opportunities

Name(Required)

Email Address(Required)

Council

As per ASA’s Bylaws, Council “exercise[s] all corporate powers and fiduciary responsibility over the affairs of ASA and is responsible for the overall strategic direction and policymaking of the Association.” Council is what ASA calls its board. Typically Council meets virtually in March over two days, in person for two days immediately after the Annual Meeting, and briefly virtually in December. Each meeting requires significant advance reading. Non-standard issues sometimes arise that prompt additional email discussion and virtual meetings. Each position has additional specific responsibilities. Council members-at-large, for example, serve as liaisons to other committees, and the President plans the Annual Meeting. Members of Council are nominated by the Nominating Committee and elected in an ASA-wide election. Read the ASA Bylaws to learn more.

President (with one-year successive terms of President-Elect, President, and Immediate Past President)

Vice President (with one-year successive terms of Vice President-Elect, Vice President, and Immediate Past Vice President)

Secretary-Treasurer (with one-year term as Secretary-Treasurer-Elect and a three-year term as Secretary-Treasurer)

Council Member-at-Large (with a three-year term)

Standing Committees

Click on the name of each committee to learn about their responsibilities.

Awards Committee. This committee typically has one meeting per year that requires some preparatory work. Sometimes non-standard issues arise that prompt additional email discussion or additional virtual meetings. Members are nominated by the Committee on Committees and appointed by Council for three-year terms.

Committee on Committees. This committee works via email April through July gathering names and reviewing potential nominees for leadership positions in the association in preparation for an in-person meeting during the Annual Meeting. Members are nominated by the Nominating Committee and elected in an ASA-wide election for two-year terms.

Committee on Professional Ethics. This committee typically has one fall virtual meeting. Additional virtual meetings are scheduled periodically as necessary to review cases. Members are nominated by the Committee on Committees and appointed by Council for three-year terms.

Nominating Committee. This committee works via email April through July gathering names and reviewing potential nominees for leadership positions in the association in preparation for an in-person meeting during the Annual Meeting. Members are nominated by the Council Members-at-Large and elected in an ASA-wide election for two-year terms.

Publications Committee. This committee typically has two meetings per year, one virtual in January/February and one in-person during the Annual Meeting. Advanced reading is required for each meeting. Sometimes non-standard issues arise that prompt additional email discussion or additional virtual meetings. Often committee members are asked to serve on subcommittees related to, for example, a policy issue or seeking new editors for journals. Members are nominated by the Nominating Committee and elected in an ASA-wide election for three-year terms.

Sections Committee. This committee typically has two meetings per year, one virtual in January and one in-person during the Annual Meeting. There is some preparatory work required for each meeting including, for example, review of annual section reports. Sometimes non-standard issues arise that prompt additional email discussion or additional virtual meetings. Members are nominated by the Committee on Committees and appointed by Council for three-year terms.

Award Selection Committees

Committee members are responsible for encouraging nominations (September – December) and reviewing nomination materials (January – April). This work is typically done via email. Committee members participate in a virtual meeting in April to select a winner. Click on the name of each award below to learn more about it. Award selection committee members are nominated by the Committee on Committees and appointed by Council for three-year terms.

Cox-Johnson-Frazier Award Selection Committee

Dissertation Award Selection Committee

Distinguished Career Award for the Practice of Sociology Selection Committee

Distinguished Contributions to Teaching Award Selection Committee

Distinguished Scholarly Book Award Selection Committee

Jessie Bernard Award Selection Committee

Public Understanding of Sociology Award Selection Committee

W.E.B. Du Bois Career of Distinguished Scholarship Award Selection Committee

Status Committees

Status committees advise and guide the Association on the status in the discipline and profession of those groups that have experienced a pattern of discrimination in society. Generally speaking, the status committees address educational, workplace, research, and visibility issues for each of the respective populations within the discipline of sociology and the ASA membership. Committees can engage in educational outreach efforts, conduct research on specific questions or problems, and propose organizational policy initiatives based on ASA member concerns. They respond to requests for advice from organizational leadership and may also choose to engage in short- and/or long-term projects of their design. Status committees function primarily via email and virtual meetings but may also meet in-person during the Annual Meeting.

Committee on the Status of LGBTQ Persons in Sociology

Committee on the Status of Persons with Disabilities in Sociology

Committee on the Status of Racial and Ethnic Minorities in Sociology

Committee on the Status of Women in Sociology

Other Committees, Advisory Boards, etc.

Annual Meeting Travel Fund Award Selection Committee. The committee is responsible for reviewing applications and making funding decisions for the Annual Meeting Travel Fund. The committee meets virtually in April/May. There is some review work in preparation for the meeting. Members are nominated by the Committee on Committees and appointed by Council for three-year terms.

Honors Program Advisory Board. Members mentor undergraduate students in the Honors Program. Participation is both virtual and in-person. Virtual work includes selecting honors students for the summer program (March/April) and a fall meeting. Members are required to travel to the Annual Meeting to attend Honors Program events and serve as a presider its roundtable session.

Public Engagement Advisory Committee (PEAC). Committee members respond to requests for advice from the ASA communications department such as identifying experts on specific topics who can be pitched to the media or offering insight into how sociological expertise might best be deployed to address an issue currently in the news. Meetings and email discussion happen throughout the year as issues arise. Sometimes email questions are time-sensitive (if they are tied to media requests), but the volume of work is modest. Members are appointed by Council for two-year terms.

Student Forum Advisory Board. Board members represent ASA students, meeting virtually once a month, hosting virtual workshops and writing days, reviewing submissions for Annual Meeting sessions and applications for student travel awards, and attending all Student Forum events at the Annual Meeting. Virtual time commitment can range between approximately 1-6 hours a month, with February to April being the busiest times. Elected by student members, graduate student members serve three-year terms and undergraduate members one-year terms.

TRAILS Editorial Board. TRAILS an online peer-reviewed library of teaching resources, including syllabi, class activities, assignments, lectures, and more. Members review submissions and work with the editor to highlight exceptional resources. The editorial board meet virtually twice a year and in person during the Annual Meeting. The time commitment ranges from 2-6 hours per month.

Journal Reviewer

Journal Reviewer. Editors of ASA journal select reviewers for manuscripts submitted to their respective journals. We will share your interest in reviewing with ASA editors along with the interest areas you have identified in your ASA Membership profile. Invitations to review are sent at editors’ discretion.

Annual Meeting Roles

Regular Session Organizer. Working online January – May, regular session organizers are responsible for the review and selection of submitted papers/extended abstracts, selecting the best submitted papers, and recruiting session presiders and discussants. Students are not eligible to serve as solo session organizer but may serve as a co-organizer.

Roundtable Table Presider. These presiders are responsible for determining speaking order and introducing presenters, keeping the session and presenters on time, and facilitating discussion at the table. Table presiders are required to register and attend the Annual Meeting.

Session Presider. These presiders are responsible for determining speaking order, introducing presenters, and keeping the session and presentations on time. Presiders are required to register and attend the Annual Meeting.

Session Discussant. Discussants are responsible for reviewing papers in advance of the Annual Meeting via the online portal and engaging panelists and audience members in discussion of papers. Discussants are required to register and attend the Annual Meeting.

Department Leaders Preconference Volunteer. Volunteers provide several hours of on-site help at the Annual Meeting by facilitating breakout discussions at the Department Leaders Preconference.

Honors Program Volunteer. Volunteers provide several hours of on-site help at the Annual Meeting assisting with the undergraduate honor student orientation.

Sociology in Practice Settings Symposium Organizing Committee. Working virtually in March, members review and rank submissions and have one virtual meeting.

Teaching and Learning Symposium Organizing Committee. Working virtually in March, members review and rank submissions and have one virtual meeting.

Hidden

Section Leadership

Sections have many opportunities for leadership. If you are interested in section service, please identify the relevant sections and your name and contact information will be forwarded to the Section’s current leadership as each Section determines its own nomination and appointment processes.

2293