Committees

Each of SAMLA’s committees plays a vital role in the organization's governance. Below are descriptions of the current committees. Follow the links to view a current roster for each committee.

Finance Committee
The Finance Committee consists of four members: the First Vice President, two members elected by the Executive Committee, serving five-year terms; and an Executive Committee member, serving a one-year term. The committee is chaired by the First Vice President of SAMLA. The Finance Committee shall, in accordance with the decisions and policies of the Executive Committee and the President, maintain and manage the investment funds of the Association.

George Mills Harper Graduate Student Travel Fund Committee
The Harper Fund Committee distributes travel grants to graduate students participating in the annual conference. The chair of the committee is the Second Vice President. There are an additional five members on the committee: four members each serving a four-year term and one of the award recipients from the previous year, who serves a one-year term.

Graduate Student Creative Writing Award Committee
The Graduate Student Creative Writing Award Committee honors a graduate student for excellence in prose and poetry. For the inaugural year, this award was given for both poetry and prose. In subsequent years the categories will alternate (e.g. poetry in 2019 and prose in 2020). Committee members each serve a one-year term.

Graduate Student Essay Award Committee
The Graduate Student Essay Award Committee honors a graduate student for excellence in scholarly presentation at the SAMLA Conference. The committee consists of five members each serving a five-year term; members serve as the chair of the committee in their fifth year of service.

Honorary Member Committee
The Honorary Member Committee nominates distinguished writers, scholars, and SAMLA members for their contributions to the Association and their fields as candidates for recognition as an honorary member.

Nominating Committee
The Nominating Committee shall consist of the Past President and three members, one member being appointed each year by the President for a three-year term. The committee shall present nominees for a Second Vice President and two members of the Executive Committee for election by majority vote at the annual Business Meeting.

Program Committee
The Program Committee acts as an advisory body for the conference organizers and a clearinghouse for conference proposals for the annual conference. The committee consists of five members each serving a five year term; members serve as the chair of the committee in their fifth year of service.

SAMLA Studies Book Awards Committees
The SAMLA Studies Awards Committees select two outstanding scholarly books—one monograph and one edited collection—published by SAMLA members in the past year. The two committees each consist of five members; each member serves a five-year term, becoming the chair of the committee in the fifth year of service.

SAR Prize Selection Committee
The SAR Prize Selection Committee selects an essay published in South Atlantic Review in recognition for exceptional scholarship. The committee consists of five members each serving a five year term; members serve as the chair of the committee in their fifth year of service.

Undergraduate Student Essay Award Committee
The Undergraduate Student Essay Award Committee honors an undergraduate student for excellence in scholarly presentation at the SAMLA Conference's Undergraduate Research Forum. Committee members serve one-year terms.

 If you are interested in committee service, please contact [email protected].