Letter from the President, PAHA's New Board and April 15 Deadlines

MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT

April 8, 2013

Dear Friends,

Allow me to begin these remarks with an expression of gratitude to the members of the Polish American Historical Association for allowing me the honor of serving as president of our organization and to my predecessor Professor Neal Pease and, indeed, to all the Officers and Board Members of the last two years for the diligent and professional manner in which they have guided PAHA. I pledge to do my best to fulfill the duties which have been entrusted to me and to continue the work which our previous administration has so ably initiated and managed.

At the same time, I must also note that members of PAHA have surrounded me with extraordinarily talented and dedicated fellow Officers and Board Members. Dr. Grażyna Kozaczka, Dr. Anna Mazurkiewicz, Dr. James Pula, Mr. Thomas Duszak, Dr. Pien Versteegh, Dr. Maja Trochimczyk, and twelve exceptional Board Members guarantee that PAHA is in good hands.

The work of this team is already evident in the next two scheduled meetings of PAHA. Under the energetic and skillful guidance of Dr. Anna Mazurkiewicz, PAHA will hold its Midyear Meeting in Buffalo, NY, on May 15-16, 2013. In addition to conducting the midyear business of PAHA, the meeting will include events with the Polish Arts Club of Buffalo and with the Polish Studies Program, the Department of Transnational Studies, and the Department of History of the State University of New York at Buffalo. This will give PAHA an opportunity to connect with one of the most active Polish American communities in the nation and with scholars who share common interests.

In a similar way, under the direction of First Vice President Grażyna Kozaczka and Executive Director Pien Versteegh, PAHA’s next Annual Meeting is taking shape. The meeting will be held on January 2-4, 2014, in Washington D.C. At this meeting the Officers and Board Members will conduct PAHA’s Annual Business Meeting; but the heart of the Annual Meeting will, of course, be the scholarship presented and discussed over three days both formally in panels and sessions and informally in conversations.

I encourage all PAHA members to consider proposing papers or panels for the Annual Meeting. PAHA is the perfect forum for the dissemination of research on Polonia. We are also exploring the possibility that the Embassy of the Republic of Poland will be able to host PAHA’s Awards Reception.

The Polish American Historical Association is a unique scholarly organization dedicated to the promotion and dissemination of scholarly materials focused on Polish American history and culture and on their European origins; this is a mission to preserve and evaluate the past of our community and to help shape its future—a future which looks bright.

Please share this newsletter and your commitment to PAHA with others.

Thomas Napierkowski
PAHA President

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APRIL 15, 2013 - DEADLINE FOR PROPOSALS FOR PAHA’S ANNUAL MEETING IN WASHINGTON, D.C. (2-5 JANUARY 2014)

PAHA's 2014 Annual Meeting will be held in Washington, D.C., on January 2-5, 2014 as part of the American Historical Association's Annual Conference. The proposals will be selected by a panel chaired by Dr. Grażyna Kozaczka, First Vice President of PAHA. The deadline is on April 15, 2013. Email the abstracts of your proposals to Dr. Grażyna Kozaczka at gkozaczka@cazenovia.edu.

Proposals from all areas of Polish-American studies are encouraged, including history, sociology, critical studies, communications, language, history, ethnography, and the arts. Presenters must be PAHA members in good standing.

APRIL 15, 2013 - DEADLINE FOR PROPOSALS FOR PIASA'S 2013 MEETING IN WASHINGTON, D.C. (14-15 JUNE 2014)

The 71st Annual Meeting of the Polish Institute of Arts and Sciences of America will be held at Hyatt Arlington Hotel, on Friday, June 14, and Saturday, June 15, 2013. The Program Committee encourages submissions in all aspects of Polish Studies. Complete sessions are preferred, but individual papers will be considered. Sessions are two hours in length and include three papers of about 25 minutes, with Moderator and, where possible, Commentator. Panels of up to five shorter presentations can also be proposed. Proposals should be sent to Paul W. Knoll at: knoll@usc.edu by 15 April 2013.


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OFFICERS AND THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS 
OF THE POLISH AMERICAN HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION

President: Dr. Thomas Napierkowski

First Vice President: Dr. Grazyna Kozaczka
Second Vice President: Dr. Anna Mazurkiewicz
Secretary: Mr. Thomas Duszak
Executive Director: Dr. Pien Versteegh
Treasurer, Editor of Polish American Studies: Dr. James S. Pula
On-line Communications Director and Newsletter Editor: Dr. Maja Trochimczyk

Polish American Historical Association Council:

Dr. Mieczysław B. Biskupski
Dr. John Bukowczyk
Dr. Iwona Drag-Korga
Dr. John M. Grondelski
Dr. Ann Hetzel Gunkel
Dr. Anna Jaroszyńska-Kirchmann
Mr. Mark Kohan
Dr. Stephen M. Leahy
Dr. Neal Pease
Dr. Dorota Praszałowicz
Dr. John Radzilowski
Dr. Theodore L. Zawistowski

Photo of the Capitol by Maja Trochimczyk