A Message From the Executive Secretary-Treasurer

Dear Members:

Last week, on October 1st, marked my first year in office. First, let me thank you all for your support during this period of transition; it has been greatly appreciated. I have enjoyed these past twelve months and look forward to serving you in the future.

Let me highlight the accomplishments of this past year in order to discuss what lies ahead.

The move to Fordham. As you can well imagine the move from D.C. to NYC was a bit trying, but I have received a great deal of support from the administration here at Fordham University, which has made all the difference in the world. I do hope the move also brings stability to the office of the Executive Secretary and Treasurer (ES/T) as there have been five different individuals, including myself, occupying the office of ES/T or assistant ES/T, over the past seven years.

Membership. Our total membership stood at 495 in July 2011 (this included regular members, retirees, grad. students, and lifetime members). Through the efforts of our current ACHA president Tom Noble and my office to invite lapsed members back to the fold and new recruiting efforts, we are now 677 strong. Attracting and retaining members is a challenge, but I know that we can increase our numbers if everyone becomes an active recruiter for the Association.

Constitutional changes. This past January at our Chicago meeting we passed necessary legislation to bring the Association up to date as a scholarly organization and to reflect the move to Fordham and the changes that that brought, including clarifying terms of office and refining the way we nominate individuals for office. We have to have a diverse and engaged group governing the ACHA. I believe the recent slate of candidates for the Executive Council reflects this desire. Our Elections Board, chaired by Una Cadegan of the University of Dayton, reviewed the recommendations and suggestions of the membership, producing a group of candidates that represented regional, gender, institutional, and academic discipline diversity.

Electronic initiatives. Our website continues to be a source of information for our members, and we conduct over 90% (actually 93%) of the Association’s business via the Internet. Proposals for our annual and spring meetings have been organized via the web. Information regarding our conferences is communicated via the web; registration is conducted via the web. And we have held two elections via on-line voting. I hope we can exploit this resource more fully in the coming year.

New Grants. Next year, as part of the Executive Secretary-Treasurer initiative, we will offer three new grant awards in 2013: Graduate Student Research Grant, Junior Faculty Research Grant, and Institutional Challenge Grant. While these grants will be offered on a year-to-year basis, they are the kinds of scholarly initiatives the ACHA should be funding and promoting on an annual basis.

Finances. Here I must be frank with the membership. I am alarmed by the financial history of the ACHA. Below is a review of our finances for the past 25 years. Since 1988 we have run a deficit–this cannot continue. The deficit spending of the past ten years, if continued, will bankrupt us in the very near future. In New Orleans I will be making recommendations to the Executive Council regarding ways of reducing the deficit. This may call for drastic measures, but we cannot continue to run deficits in the $10-30K range for much longer. The figures below are based on the information provided in the treasurer’s report to the general membership at the annual meeting, which can also be found in the April issues of The Catholic Historical Review.

+$200.00(1983)
+$1.2K (1984)
+$77.00 (1985)
+$3.7 (1986)
+$1.8 (1987)
-$1.2K (1988)
-$6.6K (1989)
-$2.8K (1990)
-$10.6 K (1991)
-$575.74 (1992)
-$12.1 K (1993)
-$17.9K (1994)
-$7.2K (1995)
-$10.5K (1996)
-$13.3K (1997)
-$21K (1998)
-$11.2 (1999)
-$14.9K (2000)
-$16.6K (2001)
-$14.3K (2002)
-$9.8K (2003)
-$23.5K (2004)
-$16.9K (2005)
-$5.5K (2006)
-$23.5K (2007)
-$25.5 (2008)
no data available (2009)
-$37.5K (2010)
approximately -$35K (2011)*

*Because of the transition, I was not provided with enough information to produce a full and complete financial report for 2012. The deficit, nevertheless, was comparable to that of 2010.

We can and will reign in our expenses. We have to raise revenue as well. I have cut as much fat from the budget as possible (e.g., eliminating one staff salary at $19K), but we will have to do more to see a surplus. I ask for you help and cooperation in bringing about a positive revenue picture.

Looking to the future. The ACHA is a historical organization that promotes scholarship and research in the field of Catholic history. This is why we were established and this is what we are about. Funding research, acknowledging scholarly accomplishments, and promoting Catholic studies, this is the ACHA. I am honored to serve as your Executive Secretary and Treasurer in promoting these ideals and endeavors, and I thank you for this privilege.

R. Bentley Anderson, S.J.
Executive Secretary-Treasurer