From the Editors

November 1, 2019

Newsletter News 

The summer season at Bandelier National Monument ends just as the annual meeting scheduling period begins.  It’s a good thing, since not only does it get busier for those who help make the annual meeting a success, but I’m beginning to think that the Monument is having a strange effect on me!  The transition from academic to practitioner has taken a few years and is not quite complete.

This issue of the SfAA News gives you a hint of what to expect from TIGs, PESO, SMA and other groups who will be in Albuquerque this March, celebrating SfAA’s 80^th year.  To get a sense of the type of planning and thought going into our next four decades, read the piece by President Sherlynn Briller.  A summer of strategic planning conversations and the annual fall Board meeting set the stage for you, the members, to share your ideas.  

This is a time where applied social science can contribute to helping a confused nation make thoughtful decisions.  Our work concerning immigration, climate change, energy, education and more should be made visible and accessible.  We need to find a way to explain what we do, what we have learned and what can be done in simple, clear terms. 

This newsletter highlights some ways to talk across conflicting ideas.  Films and books are one route to this.  A reflective essay from a graduate student adds a nuanced layer about inner struggles.  Award announcements, social activism, the on-going oral history project, and notices concerning activities in sister organizations and field opportunities complete this issue of the Newsletter.

We look forward to providing a more complete picture in the winter issue.  Send your thoughts!

The Editors