American Association of Teachers of German

Minutes for the Business Meeting
of the American Association of Teachers of German
Convention Center, Baltimore, MD
Saturday, November 19, 2005

Vice-President Anne Green opened the meeting at 18:35.

Anne introduced the current Executive Council, president-elect John Stark, and the incoming representatives from Midwest and Northeast regions.

President Jo Sanders continued the meeting and called for nominations for Northwest (pre-collegiate) and Southeast (college level) regional representatives, and for the presiding officer of the chapter presidents’ assembly (post-secondary).

She thanked this year’s Annual Meeting program chairs Monika Chavez, Deborah Lund, and Margit Sinka; and the UP/GQ editors Ali Moeller, Tom Lovik and Friederike Eigler for their service.

Helene Zimmer-Loew, Executive Director, and the office staff are introduced and recognized for their excellence.

Jo called for a motion to approve the minutes of last year’s meeting; moved by Jeff Moeller, seconded by Kathy Fegley, accepted unanimously.

Jo gave the president’s report. She attended the IDT in Graz and gave many workshops throughout the year.

Bill Petig presented the treasurer’s report.

• AATG is in very good financial shape due to the Executive Director’s skills
• The dues make up about 24 % of the organization’s income
• Organization has a surplus of about $18,000.

A motion to accept the treasurer’s report was made and seconded. Accepted unanimously.

Legislative Update by J. David Edwards

• FL remains a growth industry
• Window of opportunity from 9/11 is beginning to close, but still provides opportunities
• Intelligence community is developing language centers at universities
• There are about three dozen FL bills in the senate and house right now
• FL Assistance Program (FLAP) received an increase in funding
• Higher Ed Act Senate version passed and includes more outreach K-12, more study abroad opportunities, loan forgiveness for teachers who go into teaching
• According to Senate Bill: FL is a CORE area, more specific a high need CORE area – one of only 3 high need core areas!
• Bill to see every American student study overseas
• All the information is available on http://www.languagepolicy.org 

Lynne Tatlock – Endowment Scholarship Fund
Founded eight years ago, this fund is at $180,000. Three students were sent to Germany last summer. New goal: Raising an additional $15,000 each year; $250,000 targeted by 2010-11. Last year $36,000 was raised.  $20,000 of that was raised at last year’s meeting.

The fund is set up so the principal is not to be touched, but invested, and the interest will send the students abroad.

Lynn shared letters from former students and donors. She pledged $1,000 in honor of her parents and invited other to give.

• Jo donated the $500 award she just received from ACTFL.
• Bob DiDonato matched the $500.
• Donna Van Handle donated her $500 award from ACTFL.
• Ali Moeller followed suit and donated hers as well.
• John Stark pledged $600, followed by Sarah DeMaris with $1,000.
• Anne Green challenged the Executive Council to give $20 per person in honor of Helene Zimmer-Loew’s 20 years of service to the organization.
• Kathy Tosa pledged $3 per member from the MI chapter
• Alaska, Massachusetts, Colorado, and Tennessee matched this pledge.
• The following members pledged $100 in memory of Ursula Meyers: Rosmarie Morewedge, Maureen Helinski, and Kathy Fegley.
• Elisabeth Dick pledged $150 in honor of two of her educators, who were present.

Jo announced that five anonymous donors have pledged $1,000 each for a total of $5,000 to be matched by any NEW gift of $50 or more that has been received by January 31.

Approval of honorary member (Ray Clifford) and honorary fellows (Ulla Berkewicz, Karin Gündisch, Michael Krüger). Honorary fellows are individuals of letters, and honorary members promote the study of FL.  Vote: unanimously

There was no new business and no comments from the Executive Director.

Anne Green gave commendations for the outgoing members of the Executive Committee: Deborah Orth, Charles James, Jo Sanders.

Be it resolved that Deborah Orth, representative from the Northeast region, be commended for her work on the Executive Council. Her energy and enthusiasm were valuable to the council and to the committees on which she served.

Be it resolved that Charles James, representative from the Midwest region, be commended for his work on the Executive Council. The wealth of experience in German teaching and scholarship that he brought to the council, his contributions to the publications and professional development committees, as well as his regular participation on the listserv have been invaluable.

Be it resolved that Jo Sanders be commended for her work as president of AATG in 2004 and 2005. It is not possible to express how much Jo has done for the profession in the past two years, much less the past 4 decades. We stand in awe of her contributions, her amazing energy and tireless dedication. She represents the best of the best in the teaching of German, and we thank her from the bottom of our hearts.

Outgoing President Jo Sanders passed the gavel to President-elect Anne Green and thanked the Executive Committee and Helene Zimmer-Loew for four years of a wonderful working relationship.

The motion to adjourn was made and seconded at 7:45, motion carried. Meeting adjourned.

Respectfully submitted,
Angelika Becker
Secretary, Executive Council
Presiding Officer, Assembly of Chapter Presidents

Minutes for the Business Meeting
of the American Association of Teachers of German
Palmer House Hilton, Chicago
November 19, 2004

The annual business meeting was called to order 3:10 pm by President Jo Sanders, followed by her welcoming the members, introducing the Executive Council members and recognizing and thanking the sponsors.

J. David Edwards gave a legislative up-date, and gave a brief over view of the “big picture” in Washington.  For current information, check http://www.languagepolicy.org

Jo Sanders shared the results of the 2004 elections.

• Voting electronically has been quicker and easier.
• New representatives: Mary Ashcraft, Central Representative
                                Marilya Veteto, Southwest Representative

Tom Lovik has been appointed new editor of Die Unterrichtspraxis/Teaching German

She called for nominations for the 2005 election for the following Executive Council positions:

• Pre-collegiate (K-12) vice president (2006-07), then president (2008-09)
• Midwest pre-collegiate (K-12) representative
• Northeast college/university representative

Jo requested the approval of minutes from the November 2003 business meeting.  Richard Rundell moved to approve the minutes.  William Hopkins seconded the motion.  The minutes were approved unanimously.

Jo Sanders gave the president’s report.

As she traveled around the country presenting workshops, she encountered the same concerns everywhere: retention of programs; and motivation and professional development of teachers.  During the Year of Languages, we hope that this media campaign will support all languages

The following external committees were announced:

• Kinder- and Jugendliteratur, Anne Green, chair
• Maintaining the Momentum, Charles James and Tom Lovik, co-chairs
• Deutsch für Fortgeschrittene, Mary Ashcraft, chair  

Bill Petig presented the treasurer’s report.

• AATG is a 1.19 million dollar business, and  we are in the “black”
• He points out that the $30,000 loss is not a “real” loss but due to the change of the membership year.
• Dues cover only about 25% of the operation costs.

The motion to accept the treasurer’s reports was made by Karl Otto and seconded by Chris Wickham. The vote to accept was unanimous.

Endowment Scholarships
Lynne Tatlock established the endowment fund during her tenure as AATG president. Since 1997 we have collected $150,000 and the new goal is to collect another $100,000 over the next 10 years. The endowment has supported student travel to Germany since 2000. Those who participated are likely to be the future leaders. She strongly urged those attending to give after citing her own pledge.

New Business
Renate Schulz started a fund-raising drive by pledging $500 if matched, and Cecilia Cloughy matched it.  Karl Otto continued by pledging $1,000, which was matched by several donors. Overall about $15,000 was raised, and Lynne Tatlock thanked all who donated. All donors remained for a picture for the Newsletter.

Mary Ashcraft commended Keith Cothran, President of ACTFL, for his accomplishments and dedication to the profession.

Anne Green gave commendations to the following persons:

Be it resolved that Thomas A. Lovik, representative from the Central region, be commended for his committed work on the Executive Council. His leadership as chair of the Awards committee and his wealth of experience in German teaching and scholarship have been invaluable. His patience and his thoughtful consideration of issues pertaining to his region have set the standard for regional representatives.

Be it resolved that Ingeborg Schmidt, representative from the Southwest region, be commended for her work on the Executive Council. Her willingness to step in as representative in the middle of a term shows her dedication to the profession and to her region.

Be it resolved that Susanne Kord be commended for her work on the German Quarterly during a time of transition. Her skillful management and monumental effort allowed the journal to be published without interruption. For her careful and dedicated work on the German Quarterly, we commend her.

Be it resolved that Jeff Mellor be commended for his faithful and productive work as editor of the Unterrichtspraxis/Teaching German. His selection of journal topics, addition of teaching tips, and continual updates to the Web site have been of great benefit to all German teachers. He has performed this outstanding service to the profession for the past 4 years and we salute his work.

Be it resolved the Aleidine Moeller be commended for her service to the profession as interim editor of the Unterrichtspraxis/Teaching German during a time of transition. Her boundless energy, her willingness to take on new tasks, and her dedicated leadership provide inspiration for all of us in the field. For her unceasing labors on behalf of the profession, we commend her.

Renate Schulz made the motion to adjourn the meeting.  Karl Otto seconded, and it was passed unanimously.  The meeting adjourned 4:10 pm.

Respectfully submitted,
Angelika Becker
Secretary, Executive Council
Presiding Officer, Assembly of Chapter Presidents