THE WORLD'S LARGEST ORGANIZATION DEVOTED 
TO  THE SCHOLARLY STUDY OF FILM AND MEDIA
May 2017 - In This Issue:

IMPORTANT DATES

MAY 12
Nominations for Committee Volunteers Due, 5:00PM CST

MAY 15
Conference Bulletin Board Opens

MAY 26
Deadline: Self-Nominations to serve on 2018 Host Committee

JUNE 30
2018 Conference Call for Proposals
(Pre-Constituted Panels, Open Call Papers, Workshops, Roundtables, and Seminars)

Submissions for SCMS Awards begins.

JULY 14
Deadline for seminar proposals, 5:00PM CST

JULY 17
Conference Bulletin Board Closes

AUGUST 1
Deadline for awards submissions, form closes online, 5:00PM CST

AUGUST 3
Deadline for awards submission materials to be received by Home Office, 5:00PM CST

AUGUST 31
Deadline for all other conference proposals, 5:00PM CST
(Pre-Constituted Panels, Open Call Papers, Workshops, Roundtables)

As we announced at the 2017 Members' Business Meeting and in the April News Brief, we will have two new options for presentations this year.

We are adding the new category of roundtables as means of differentiating this format from workshops.  Roundtable proposals will go through the usual submission process and be subject to normal submission rules.  Details on roundtables can be found here as well as on the Conference FAQ page here.  

We are also offering on an experimental basis the option of seminars.  In 2018, the number of seminars will be limited and seminars will all occur on Sunday. In 2018, seminars are exempt from the policy that people can only propose one role.  This means you can do a seminar and one other role at the conference, such as an open call paper, pre-constituted panel, workshop, or roundtable. Once we see how they work in 2018, we will decide whether to include them as a regular part of the schedule and in what number, and whether they will be included in the one-role policy.

Seminars are sessions in which participants will submit short papers in advance and everyone will read each other's papers before the conference.  The seminars will therefore function as a colloquium.

Seminars will be vetted separately from other proposals, and will have an earlier deadline.  Proposed seminar topics are due  Friday, July 14th, 5:00PM CST.  The seminar topics selected and a call for participants will then be posted in the August News Brief.   Full descriptions of seminars and instructions on submitting can be found here.


Conference Survey - Thank you!
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Thank you to everyone who participated in this year's conference survey.  We received 326 responses this year, all of which will be carefully reviewed by the Board of Directors, Home Office, and Conference Manager.

As planning for each conference begins several years in advance, change takes time and is based on many considerations intended to serve the needs of the membership as a whole. Using your feedback, we have incorporated many improvements and cost-saving measures, and will continue to do so. 

Executive Director's Note
Dear SCMS Members, 

I hope everyone is well and beginning to see some light at the end of the spring term tunnel. 

For members of the SCMS staff and Board of Directors, the end of one conference marks the beginning of preparation for another. We are already well into the planning phase for 2018 Toronto. It is shaping up to be another great year with the potential for featuring some exciting events inspired by our host city and its many highly regarded cinema and media programs and venues. 

We are already experiencing an abundance of riches in the number of inquiries we are receiving from our Toronto scholars wishing to serve on the 2018 Host Committee. We will be considering all names at our upcoming board meeting on June 9 and 10 in Chicago. I encourage you to contact us if you would like to know more about what is required for Host Committee service, or if you wish to throw your hat in the ring to be considered. You may do so before May 26 by emailing next year's Conference Program Chair, Nick Davis (Nicholas-davis@northwestern.edu) and me (scms-director@ou.edu). 

As we discussed at this year's Members Business Meeting and recapped in the April News Brief, there will be two new presentation options for 2018: seminars and roundtables. Please don't miss the descriptions and key dates we have provided for each in this issue. 

On the topic dates, while the Home Office has confirmed several for the 2017-18 year and included them in this issue under "Important Dates," we are still working to finalize quite a few more. It is our goal to have more of the 2017-18 timeline locked and ready to share with you in June. 

At the June board meeting, we will be discussing new assignments for both standing committee vacancies, and annual committees for 2017-18. There is still time to volunteer for service or nominate one of your peers at: https://cmstudies.site-ym.com/?page=Volunteer_service. This year's deadline is Friday, May 12 at 5:00 PM CDT

As always, don't hesitate to let me or any member of the board know if you have any questions or concerns. 

Jill Simpson

SCMS OFFICE STAFF
Executive Director

Financial Analyst

Program Coordinator 

Program Assistant 
SCMS EXECUTIVE COUNCIL
OFFICERS
President, 2015-2017

President Elect, 2015-2017

Secretary, 2015-2018

Treasurer, 2014-2017

BOARD MEMBERS
Mary Beltrán
2014-2017 
2014-2017

2015-2018
2015-2018

2016-2019

2016-2019

NON-VOTING MEMBERS 
Cinema Journal Editor, 2012-2017

Web Content Manager

Past-President, 2015-2017

Conference Manager

Representative of Home Office

Executive Director
REMINDER: Deadline for Committee Volunteer Nominations
Friday, May 12, 5:00PM CST 
--

SCMS depends on the dedicated work of our membership. Each level of our governance, from the Officers and Board of Directors to members of Standing and Annual Committees are volunteers.  If you are interested in taking an active role in SCMS leadership, we urge you to volunteer for Committee service.  

To learn more about the various types of Committees that serve the SCMS membership,  click here.  

To volunteer to serve on a 2017-2018 SCMS committee, or to nominate a fellow SCMS member,  click here.  

Please note, all committee members must be current SCMS members in good standing.  The deadline for nominations is  May 12, 2017 at 5:00PM CST.  

If you have any questions regarding SCMS service, please contact the Home Office at  scms-office@ou.edu.

UPDATES: Call for Proposals and Travel Grant
--
Correction: the 2018 Conference Call for Proposals and the link to submit proposals will be live on Friday,  June 30 , rather than the previously printed date of June 1.We apologize for this error in the conference program. Please update your calendars accordingly.  
In March, the board approved changing the amount awards in yearly travel grants from $600 to $550.   By reducing the amount for all grants by $50, SCMS is able to award at least three additional travel grants each year, extending the reach of these funds to more members.
The SCMS Fieldnotes project is pleased to present a new interview with foundational film and media studies scholar Jane Gaines.




Jane Gaines
interviewed by Shelley Stamp
See all Fieldnotes interviews at: http://www.cmstudies.org/?page=fieldnotes 

Upcoming interviews include:
Michale Renov, interviewed by Patricia Zimmermann
Ana Lopez, interviewed by Cristina Venegas
Michele Hilmes, interviewed by Neil Verma
Lynn Spigel, interviewed by Elena Levine

Fieldnotes is an SCMS project to conduct, circulate and archive interviews with pioneers of film and media studies. In addition to recognizing the contributions of key scholars, the project also aims to foster knowledge of and interest in the diverse and dynamic developments that have shaped -- and continue to shape -- our expanding field.

Announcing Cinema Journal 56.3
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Cinema Journal's latest volume is now available! 

Cinema Journal is published quarterly by the University of Texas Press, in cooperation with the Society for Cinema and Media Studies. Members of the society receive the journal as one of the benefits of membership. 
COMMUNITY NEWS AND EVENTS
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Important message from the NHA

Last week, Congress passed an appropriations package for the remaining five months of Fiscal Year 2017 that increases funding to the National Endowment for the Humanities by nearly $2 million! 

The bill also increased funding for the Institute of Museum and Library Services and the National Historical Publications and Records Commission. Read the National Humanities Alliance's analysis here.
This is due in large part to the record-setting number of calls, messages, and op-eds over the first
four months of 2017. 

We can take a moment to celebrate, but new challenges to the NEH lie ahead.  President Trump's proposal to eliminate funding for the NEH, NEA, and IMLS, among other programs, is for FY 2018, which will begin October 1, 2017. Congress is now starting to consider that proposal as it begins the FY 2018 appropriations process. 

The NEH has set up a new Take Action page for a slew of things than can be done right now to #SavetheNEH and support humanities funding. 

For more information, go to National Humanities Alliance at http://www.nhalliance.org/

SCMS is able to continue its mission because of your support and generosity.  Please consider making a contribution today.