Confucius

Plotinus

 President's Page

 Duties and Helpful Hints

Ø       The TPA President is responsible for organizing the annual TPA convention.
Ø       As co-sponsor of the convention, the President’s home institution is expected to contribute $100 towards organizational costs.
Ø       To these ends, the President should (in approximate sequence):

• Set the dates for the convention and do so ASAP.  Typically, the convention is held in early November beginning on a Friday evening, and ending the following Saturday afternoon. The conference is held in Furman Hall on the Vanderbilt campus.  Work with the chairman of the Vanderbilt Philosophy “public events and colloquium” committee.  Seek to avoid dates that coincide with Vanderbilt home football games. 
• Start the process of “recruiting” the Keynote speaker.  Consult with the chairman of the Vanderbilt Philosophy “public events and colloquium” committee regarding persons you would be interested in recruiting and as to the honorarium you can offer.  It would be generally desirable to find a speaker who will have broad appeal: someone who has gained enough of a reputation to be known among a wide range of philosophers.  Do not be afraid to “shoot high.”  Well-known philosophers are “taken” early so the sooner you get on this task, the better.
• Issue a call for papers.  Email it to the TPA Secretary who will post the call on TPAWeb and send the notice to the membership.  The call should specify all relevant parameters including length, format, deadline (early October?), and mode of submission.  (Traditionally, the reading-time limit for papers has been 20 minutes and that for commentators has been 10 minutes; these numbers are, however, entirely up to the convention organizer.)
• Issue reminders of the call, preferably near the end of the Spring term (May) and near the beginning of the Fall (late August).
• In late August or early September, ask the Vanderbilt Philosophy Department’s Administrative Assistant to arrange for a block of hotel rooms to be available for convention attendees.  The Administrative Assistant will also help with travel arrangements for the keynoter, reserve the meeting rooms in Furman, and arrange for the food and beverage needs of the convention.
• As soon as hotel arrangements have been finalized, ask the TPA Secretary to post reservation information on TPAWeb and to notify the membership by e-mail.
• When the papers to be presented have been selected, you may wish to have the TPA Secretary issue a call for commentators.
• Confirm with the Vanderbilt Philosophy Department Head any refreshment needs.  Traditionally, there is a “spirited” reception following the keynote, available bagels and coffee before the Saturday sessions, and a luncheon buffet during the noon break on Saturday.
• Prepare a program for posting on TPAWeb.  Print about 100 hard copies to distribute at the convention.
• Introduce the keynoter... and enjoy the great convention you have put together!

Contacts

• The TPA Secretary maintains the TPAWeb site and the membership/mailing list.  Send to the Secretary any mailings for the membership and anything to be posted on TPAWeb.  Charles Cardwell (cecardwell@pstcc.edu) is the current secretary.
• Vanderbilt is always (along with the President’s institution) co-host of TPA conventions.  Vanderbilt makes a considerable financial contribution in addition to providing the facilities.  Contact information at Vanderbilt can be found at http://www.vanderbilt.edu/AnS/philosophy/contact.html.
• The Vanderbilt Philosophy Department Head should be involved in setting meeting dates and reserving rooms, kept informed of convention plans, and consulted regarding all expenses.
• The Vanderbilt Philosophy Department Administrative Assistant will help with innumerable operational details.
• The chairman of the Vanderbilt Philosophy “public events and colloquium” committee should also be consulted regarding the keynote speaker.

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