President Maggie McGuinness’ Inaugural Letter

Dear Colleagues

I would like to take this opportunity to tell you about what I hope to accomplish during 2013.

First, I am very pleased to report that the Catholic Historical Review will soon be available in an electronic format. ACHA members will be able to choose whether they wish to receive a print version of the CHR or access it electronically. You will be hearing more about this in the coming months, but you should know that the cost of an electronic subscription will be less than that of a hard copy.

In addition, we have begun the process of reconstituting committees that are mandated by our By-laws and Constitution. I have sent Bentley Anderson, S.J., our Executive Secretary/Treasurer a list of nominees to serve on the Program, Electronic Media, and Finance committees. These three committees will work closely with the Executive Secretary/Treasurer to make the ACHA a more viable organization.

Other than working with the CUA Press to make sure that we are ready to go “paperless” in 2014, a good deal of my work this year will be devoted to planning for the future of the association. I will work closely with Daniel Bornstein, our vice president, Bentley Anderson, and the members of the EC to develop a strategy that will both attract younger scholars to the association and ensure that our financial investments will carry us into the future. It is my hope that the planning process and subsequent implementation will keep the ACHA around for many, many years.

I invite you to email me and offer any suggestions, comments, and even criticisms you might have  that could lead to making a very fine organization even better.

In closing, I would like to thank my immediate predecessor in this office, Dr. Thomas F.X. Noble, as well as Bentley Anderson, for the fine work they did laying the groundwork for an electronic version of the CHR. It will make my work that much easier.

All good wishes for the remainder of the winter and the coming spring,

Maggie McGuinness
President, American Catholic Historical Association