Letter from SAC President 1-31-18

Dear Members and Enthusiasts of the Society for the Anthropology of Consciousness:

In the challenging times we are living in, there is a tremendous need for our work and interest in human consciousness. Now, perhaps more than ever, we need to come together, share our wisdom, and rekindle our passions. For many years, the SAC Spring meeting has been a time for our community to gather and revitalize. Every year we see old faces and new, preserving and passing on cultural wisdom that holds so much potential. What we do with that is an open question, and this year we planned a special visioning circle to co-create our future. We need to ask ourselves, “What might we be?” and “How might we get there?,” and then usher in a new generation of leadership. This is an opportunity for students and young professionals to build valuable experience into their resume. Several positions on the board are opening up and the time for re-election is fastly approaching. If you are interested, please respond to the call for candidates.

Unfortunately, we face a serious challenge. In the past two years, participation had declined despite efforts to collaborate with institutions that hold similar interests. Our online engagement is rising, but meeting participation waning. In the coming months we will be reaching out to each of our members, asking what they’re needs are and how we can best serve them. But right now we need engagement. We need our community to come together and envision the future. To this end we have extended the submission deadline for the Spring 2018 conference until Feb 15th. This is the time to speak up and join in. You don’t need to have an academic paper to present. We need your passion and ideas. Tell us what you want to speak on and we will give you the opportunity.

Without your support we will be forced to cancel the Spring meeting, silencing the visioning process we so critically need. Please contact us with any questions or offers of help to make 2018 happen. For conference questions and submission, please email Sean Hinton, our coordinator, at conferencesac@gmail.com. You can reach me personally at dr.bryanrill@gmail.com.

Respectfully,

Bryan Rill
SAC President