Society for Ming Studies, Meeting of Board of Directors, March 27, 2009, Sheraton Chicago.

Present: Ted Farmer, Kim Besio, Harriet Zurndorfer, Bruce Rusk, Sarah Schneewind, Ken Hammond, Leo Shin, Martin Heijdra, David Robinson, Roland Higgins, Maram Epstein, Chiu Pengsheng.
President Jiang Yonglin presided.
    Farmer noted that the Society lives off the journal subscriptions, and that its only annual expense is this breakfast.  New software at the University of Minnesota makes it impossible to determine whether the Society  is merely broke or actually in debt: probably just at the boundary between the two.
    Farmer explained that the Journal will be run by Maney from #59 and that this will provide us income and mean more professional management.   The Research Series will still be run by the Center for Early Modern History at Minnesota.  Heijdra noted that recent publications (Nimick and Long Live the Emperor!) have not gone through the normal channels for library purpose.  He will remedy this.  
    Hammond reported that Maney is a globe-spanning corporate entity with many offices and an aggressive production staff.  #59 of Ming Studies is papers from a Robin Yates and Grace Fong conference and they are in the pipeline for the end of April.  He has enough materials for a couple more numbers but requested that the Board keep it coming, and encourage submissions from others.  Maney wants to do 3 issues a year.  There is a partly new editorial board who are to be more involved than in the past in getting articles in and processed rapidly.  The Ming Studies editorial board now consists of: Anita Andrew, Ina Asim, Kim Besio, Tim Brook, Katy Carlitz, Ted Farmer, Willard Peterson, Leo Shin, Ann Waltner, and John Wills.  The journal will be larger and have a new cover.
    It was agreed to nominate Lucille Chia President-Elect, and that Schneewind, Michael Szonyi, and Tony Clark would be nominated as Board members.  Maram and Heijdra proposed a student representative, and will contact her when they remember her name; as Heijdra explained, regulations permit appointment without election by the general membership.
    Jiang introduced the new Taiwan liaison elected last year, Chiu Peng-sheng of Academia Sinica.
    Zurndorfer proposed that next year’s panel at the open meeting involve Si-yan Fei, and that Fei be asked to serve on the board.  A general urban focus for the panel was mooted and Heijdra proposed the title “Urban Spaces.”  He also volunteered to dig up an archaeologist to speak on the panel.  There was also discussion of the panel addressing the use of CHGIS for specific projects.  Ka Chai Tam might contribute, and Shin has a graduate student who might be good. 
    Schneewind stated her intention to post translated bits of Mingshi on the web and asked for contributions.  Higgins and others have some.  Rusk will help with copyright, posting, etc.

Society for Ming Studies, Open Meeting, March 27 2009, Sheraton Chicago
    President Jiang convened the meeting at 7:10.     
    All attendees introduced themselves expeditiously by name and institution and very brief topic or time period.  Attendees included time-travellers from the Republican period, one of whom attributed her presence to the excellent reputation of the Ming meeting.
    Journal Managing Editor Farmer reported on the move of Ming Studies to the Maney corporation, who will manage subscriptions after this year.  Maney will make all issues available on line with no delay.  Treasurer Farmer noted that he has no idea how much money the Society does or does not have.  Research Series Editor Farmer mentioned new publications in the Research series (Nimick and Long Live the Emperor!) and circulated an attractive flyer for convenient purchase while supplies last.
    Journal Editor Hammond expressed his gratitude to Farmer for his long years of running the journal subscriptions, production, etc.  President Jiang assured Hammond that more displays of gratitude would be forthcoming. 
    Past-Past President Schneewind announced plans to post translations of Mingshi on the web if a small grant from CIAC were forthcoming and attendees responded positively.
    Board Member Higgins announced that pieces of the Great Wall, the Forbidden City, Yale University, the Tower of London and other sights can be seen embedded in the wall of the Chicago Tribune building.
    Lucille Chia was nominated and unanimously elected President-Elect by acclamation.     
    Schneewind and Michael Szonyi were elected Board Members, the latter in absentia.  Past-Past-Past President Heijdra explained that a student representative would be appointed according to the regulations.
    A double panel was then presented.  Lynn Struve, Ann Waltner, and Sue Naquin spoke on Jonathan Spence’s Return to Dragon Mountain, and Michael Tsin, Harriet Zurndorfer, and Tim Brook spoke on Brook’s Vermeer’s Hat. Discussion followed.

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