President’s Column/SEDAAG Report

Abstract

President’s Column/SEDAAG Report Joann Mossa I am sending a warm welcome to those of you taking the time to read this short column on behalf of the Southeastern Division of the American Association of Geographers (SEDAAG). As President, I have been invited by our journal editors to share some thoughts on the past, present and future of SEDAAG and the Southeastern Geographer. Historically, SEDAAG (founded in 1947) and the Southeastern Geographer (founded in 1962) had a oneway, essentially parental, relationship, as is written in our SEDAAG by-laws that “The Division shall encourage and, as feasible, may sponsor and provide financial aid for appropriate research projects and publications.” As the journal has matured, under the guidance of the last several teams of editors, this relationship has become two-way in that the journal is enhancing SEDAAG’s international visibility and respect. This increased visibility is due in part to the diligence and leadership of our outstanding, outgoing journal co-editors of the Southeastern Geographer, Hilda Kurtz and Deepak Mishra of the Department of Geography at the University of Georgia. Despite its categorization as a “regional” journal, the journal is increasing in prominence and its content has been downloaded through Project Muse in 82 countries. Building on the agreement with Project Muse established by previous editors Derek Alderman and Scott Lecce, Hilda and Deepak began the practice of editing, or curating, virtual issues on special topics that connect with our meetings. Last year, for example, they organized two virtual issues to coincide with the AAG Annual Meeting in New Orleans: one on Geographies of Louisiana, and another on Black Geographies, which was one of the three themes of that year’s AAG meeting. In addition, they added the journal to the Twittersphere @SEGeographer, augmenting SEDAAG’s presence on Facebook and on Twitter @SEDAAG4. We credit our co-editors with elevating the stature of the journal—and in turn SEDAAG—during their four years of teamwork. I encourage all of our membership to give special thanks to Hilda Kurtz and Deepak Mishra for the excellent work in editing the journal, including in-person thanks at the annual meeting. If you are reading a hard copy of this journal, you are probably a member of SEDAAG. There are many good reasons to be a member or a student member (approximately half of our membership are students). SEDAAG hosts very enjoyable, well-attended conferences throughout our region where we get to know and talk with people, not just those in our subfields. We give the best and most student awards of all the regional divisions of the AAG. Every year, we give generous travel supplements to five MVPs from the SEDAAG Geography Bowl held at our annual conference to represent SEDAAG in [End Page 209] the national Geography Bowl coordinated by Dawn Drake at the national American Association of Geographers meeting. Students contribute to SEDAAG by fully participating in the conference by attending sessions, presenting oral papers and posters, by helping with local arrangements, and by taking on various leadership positions within the organization. Students strengthen the Southeastern Geographer by publishing research in the journal, submitting a book review, or participating in the cover art contest at the annual meeting. While the opportunity to serve as an editorial assistant for the journal is more restricted, each year two students gain valuable professional skills by serving as editorial assistants. One of our newest elected officers, the North Carolina state representative, is a student and we are excited about his involvement. Membership in SEDAAG has always been very reasonably priced, includes both a year’s subscription to the Southeastern Geographer, and a discounted registration fee for the annual SEDAAG meeting. As President, I want to thank you for your participation and membership, to extend an invitation to non-members to join, as well as follow both SEDAAG and the Southeastern Geographer on Twitter or SEDAAG on Facebook. We welcome your input and involvement to amplify our joint social media presence. The SEDAAG annual meeting is traditionally held the weekend before Thanksgiving. This year’s meeting will be held in Wilmington, North Carolina, from November 24–26, 2019. Paper and poster submission deadlines are generally...