Minutes of ISSCO-Membership Meeting

Peking University Sep. 22, 2007, 15.30-16.30

1. Call to order

2. Brief Report by the President

3. Brief Report by the Secretary/Treasurer

4. Election of Officers for 2007-2010

a. President

b. Vice President

c. Secretary/Treasurer

5. Election of Directors to the ISSCO Board 2007-2010

Southeast Asia:
Northeast Asia:
Europe:
North America:
Latin America:
Africa:
Oceania:
China:
Taiwan:
Hong Kong:
At-large Representative (2):

6. Application for the next international ISSCO conference in 2010

7. Membership fees

8. Other business

Minutes 

1. Call to order
Teresita Ang See called to order.

2. Brief Report by the President
Teresita Ang See announced the next international conference in 2010 to be in Singapore. Local conferences up for bit in 2008 and 2009 are Panama, Djakarta, Hong Kong, Reunion, and New Zealand. The Board will investigate these proposals.

The issue of lifetime membership was postponed to the next Board to discuss.

3. Brief Report by the Secretary/Treasurer
Mette Thunø reported that taking over the job as secretary and treasurer in 2004 meant a transfer of the ISSCO headquarters from California to Copenhagen. The first task in 2004 had been to establish a complete member database on the basis of the old conference participant lists and to design an ISSCO webpage through which new academics with an interest in Chinese overseas studies may obtain useful information about the asssociation.

To support the work of ISSCO, members submit membership fees of annually 50$. Half of this fee goes to the subscription of Journal of Chinese Overseas. Half of the fee goes to support the work of ISSCO such as informing about new publications, conferences and helping local conference organisers.

ISSCO’s financial situation is positive with approximately 4.000 US$ on accounts in Copenhagen and Manila. Compared to the activities wanted to be undertaken this amount is, however, limited, but in light of the fact that in 2004 no funds were held, ISSCO is now in a better financial situation than previously.

The logistics related to the functioning of ISSCO as an academic association is on tracks and the financial situation is made transparent. ISSCO should be able to prosper in the direction of becoming more democratic and supportive of new academic activities.

4. Election of Officers for 2007-2010
Nominated officers were elected as follows:

a. President: Leo Suryadinata, Chinese Heritage Centre, Singapore
b. Vice President: Peter Li, University of Saskatchewan
c. Secretary/Treasurer: Teresita Ang See, KAISA, the Philippines

5. Election of Directors to the ISSCO Board 2007-2010
Nominated officers were elected as follows:

Southeast Asia: Teresita Ang See, KAISA, the Philippines
Northeast Asia: Cheong Young-Rok, Seoul National University
Europe: Mette Thunoe, University of Copenhagen
North America: Ling-chi Wang, USA
Latin America: Juan Tam, Panama
Africa: Karen Harris, University of Pretoria
Oceania: Manying Yip, University of Auckland
China: Wu Xiaoan, Peking University
Taiwan: Tang Shi-yeoung, National Taiwan University
Hong Kong: Khun Eng Kuah Pearce, Hong Kong University
At-large Representatives: Li Minghuan, Xiamen University; Evelyn Hu Dehart, Brown University

6. Application for the next international ISSCO conference in 2010
Leo Suryadinata presented the international conference in Singapore as a great challenge that the Chinese Heritage Centre and Nanyang Technical University will undertake. He asked for the support from all members to make a high quality conference.

7. Membership fees
The Board had had no time to discuss this matter in depth, but Teresita Ang See called for suggestions to new ideas regarding membership fees. Many PRC scholars are not paying members and all participants were encouraged to come forward with ideas to improve the ISSCO funding situation.

Members raised issues for the new Board to decide on regarding life time membership, higher membership fees and fundraising for an endowment fund.

8. Other business
None

---