ACTC 1, INTRODUCTION:

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1 An ACTC-Board-Approved Transition Plan presented by the current Executive Director for ACTC to Hire an Associate Director who will become the new Executive Director on or about May 1, INTRODUCTION: After 22 years of operation and growth, ACTC has become an effective, well-known, and, in important circles, a reliable, prestigious, international liberal arts professional association promoting the use of core texts. ACTC has become a network of professors and administrators that circles the globe. Enjoying the support of about 70 institutions around the world, of about 100 active volunteers, of 225 participants in its various Institute projects and events, over participants in its Annual Conference each year, and more than 1000 returnees who circulate through ACTC s Annual Conferences and Institute projects, ACTC s growth has been accomplished with one full-time Executive Director and one part-time administrative assistant, plus, the support of the Board, (three) Presidents, and the aforementioned institutions and volunteers. We are recognized as standing for solid liberal arts education, using texts from the West and other major civilizations. We are pluralistic, avoiding ideological public conflicts, while we have persuasively helped to build examples of core text programs and faculty cooperation. ACTC s network of contacts includes U.S. government agencies (NEH), foundations (Apgar, Bradley, Teagle among others), a number of professional associations (AIS, AGLS, CASE, ALL), researchers, college presidents and provosts, and innumerable administrators who support, even when they do not attend, ACTC activities. Through friends of ACTC, its indirect reach to other prestigious individuals and institutions is larger, still. ACTC, unlike many comparable associations, is able to sustain the activities indicated above through leveraging assets and friendly help in achieving partnerships with ACTC institutions or foundations which are interested in sponsoring the Conference or funding Institute events. The growth of these assets, in particular, has effectively addressed a long-standing issue of publishing the proceedings, with ACTC recently contracting a managing editor for publications, and these assets will make a transition to a new ED possible. The complexity of ACTC s network and support are intertwined: a) it is an association with a loyal membership but also a dynamic coalition of "friends" and philanthropic institutions, and b) its finances are sound but also contingent on tested persuasive efforts, available resources, and careful, long term planning and decision making. Both the network of individuals and institutions and the allocation and use of that support must be learned over considerable time by a new associate/executive director. Supporting, often guiding, operations is a financial, accounting, fund-raising, and budget system that assures sustained income and retained earnings, cash flow, continuity of support giving, and affordable pricing for the Conference and the Institute events. The maintenance and growth of these structures, activities and products, along with the accompanying financial organization that sustains them, has been approved by the Board over many years of decisions. 1

2 The principle in shaping the transition of ACTC to a new Executive Director is that the survival, maintenance and growth of ACTC is paramount. Therefore, given ACTC s minimal infrastructure and extensive relations, the Executive Director and Board believes that ACTC will be best served by a transition period in which an Associate Director will be hired, trained, given increasing autonomous responsibilities and, finally, assumes the Executive Director position. (A FY 2017 Budget document indicates the financial viability of the proposed transition plan.) To indicate the staging of such a transition, the increasing assumption of responsibilities by the new hire, and the guiding hand that the current Executive Director will (decreasingly) provide until end of April 2018, this document contains: and a) A generalized list of the Executive Director s functions b) A detailed timeline of the hiring, development, and increasing responsibilities of an Associate Director until full assumption of Executive Director responsibilities in April This document is, thus, a focused way to achieve a successful transition while maintaining the growth of ACTC and, indeed, insuring it survival during the transition. 2

3 A) GENERALIZED LIST OF EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR S FUNCTIONS: Understanding and articulating mission Administration: Informs and consults with the President of ACTC and the Board on issues related to governance, budget, and specific projects; Formulates the budget of ACTC for review and acts (with professional support) as ACTC s primary accountant; signs contracts and grant obligations; oversees tax, payroll, all legal reporting obligations Manages personnel, paid and voluntary. Personnel: Supervise Administrative Assistant Manage Payroll Direct Managing Editor of Publications Fundraising: Soliciting Supporting institutions Writing grants for foundations, government agencies Finance and accounting: Accountability of Assets, Liabilities, Income, Expense Classification of the above according to Division Cash flow Data entry Works in conjunction with ACTC Treasurer, Enrolled Agent, and Board sub-committee Banking: supervises deposits, withdrawals, credit lines, bank accounts Budget: review 3 x per year for Conference and Institute Divisions Conference formation and sponsorship Solicitations of sponsors Formulation with sponsors of conference theme Work with sponsors on recruitment, conference events, logistics Recruitment Conference Institute support and participating institutions Institute Projects and Board Recruitment and retention of members Proposal and development of projects Relations with Concordia University--Irvine With sister organizations With constituencies and institutions With individuals Board communications and functions Consult with President on issues 3

4 Raise issues of concern to Board in timely manner Report to Board at Conference Board Meeting Public Communications Website Media articles or comments Via internet and social media Public addresses Publications Proceedings Editorial Board, editors, managing editor, publication venues Special publications Government regulation and Tax compliance Works with ACTC s Enrolled Agent in CA B) TRANSITION OUTLINE: The training period lasts one year, four months. The proposed chronological sequence runs as follows: 1. Summer/Fall 2016; a Board hiring committee, appointed by the President, drafts a hiring notice and job description. 2. Fall 2016; job listing is posted in October; job interviews begin by Skype or a teleconferencing service. Decision to hire takes place by late December/early January. The new AD reports to the ED, but may contact the President of ACTC as any time. Conference Division Training: 3. January 2017-April 2017; the new Associate Director begins to work with the Executive Director and the ACTC Administrative Assistant on the panels/agenda of the conference, the continuous recruitment up to the conference, the logistics of the conference, the planning of the Board meeting and dinner, etc. AD will form panels using his/her judgment. In conjunction with the AD, ED seeks editors for the 2017 proceedings. AD introduced to Website maintenance company. AD updates website conference materials. AD can suggest and develop any new website enhancements about the conference (or the site in general). 4. February on: Personal introductions of new AA, via conference calls, to Board members not on hiring committee. 5. February April. Review by ED with AD of Board meeting agenda and spring Budget documents. 4

5 6. February-June 2017; the ED and AD work with the 2018 sponsor to find a hotel and to find cosponsoring institutions. The ED and AD site visit hotels; the AD observes and participates in contract negotiations. 7. April 2017-June and beyond. The AD assumes the Series Editor position of the 2017 proceedings and beyond. Over the next year, AD works with our Managing/Photocopy/Permissions editor, our style editor, and our (remaining volume editors) to get out proceedings. 8. June 2017-July 2017; ED and AD work with 2018 sponsors and co-sponsors to determine conference theme and speakers. After determination of theme and speakers, the AD assumes all responsibilities for structuring the conference programming, in conjunction with sponsors and co-sponsors, including any new initiatives or activities at the Conference. 9. June-August, AD works with AA and ED on updating conference call-list materials. 10. Under ED direction, AD begins to learn and assume (QuickBooks) bookkeeping and budget construction. This includes: Summer Budget Projections, Accounting (proper assignment of assets, liabilities, income and expense), Bill-paying, and, later, Fund Raising. 12. August AD prepares the conference announcement and works with Administrative Assistant to get it out. The AD may wish to develop a new distribution system or new website pages for the conference promotion. 11. August-October-December, AD writes and sends out plenary invitation letters on behalf of 2018 Sponsoring and Co-sponsoring institutions. AD does follow-up contacting and arranging with plenary speakers over the fall and early winter. 12. Early September. ED and AD begin to work together on constructing the ACTC Conference and Institute support appeals. ED and AD sign those letters. See below for further INSTITUTE DEVELOPMENT. 12. September November, AD, in cooperation with ED, fashions budget for fall Board Budget sub-committee meeting. AD runs teleconference meeting which ED attends. Includes 2017 year-end preliminaries with statements of profit and loss. 13. AD assumes primary responsibility for recruitment (old and new) of conference attendees. 5

6 14. Fall 2017 and Winter Network development. AD and ED attend AIS, AGLS, and, possibly, ALL fall conferences to introduce new AD. AD and ED personally may visit certain institutions in get acquainted calls. 15. Fall 2017-Winter 2018, ED and AD travel to institutions to meet and greet individuals and institutions important to ACTC. 16. October-February, AD begins to make appeals to find a sponsor and co-sponsor for (There is currently one sponsor prospect for 2019.) 17. End of December, beginning of January: Board subcommittee review of AD s performance to date, using this plan as benchmarks of performance. 18. January, 2018, AD assumes full responsibility for all Conference activities and support, including agenda, invoicing, collecting conference institutional support, logistics, planning, moving forward. Institute Development: The Institute is the special projects arm of ACTC; it also represents the administrative infrastructure of ACTC through the positon of the Administrative Assistant. Its location is at Concordia University Irvine. The current Executive Director has repeatedly shown and argued that there is a feedback loop between development of Institute special projects and attendance at the conference. Trips to overseas conferences, sponsorship of Institute conferences or support of related conferences (the Euro conference in 2016), special projects (Tradition and Innovation, Qualitative Narrative Assessment), support of recurring events (the Student Conference) have all brought two demonstrable benefits to ACTC s annual conference: attendance and institutional support. Generally, it is under the aegis of the Institute that new strategic fundraising initiatives by the AD in transition to becoming the ED can be undertaken. All Institute projects take time to develop, the average being two to three years, sometimes more. October Current ED sends out appeals to ACTC member institutions for submitting student paper proposals for ACTC Student Conference at Concordia University. February 2017, in preparation for the spring Board Meeting the AA and ED discuss Institute projects and initiatives. March ED and AD attend ACTC Student Conference at Concordia University Irvine. AD works with Laura Kicklighter of Agoraonline to determine three student papers to be published. April With ED, AD attends ACTC Liberal Arts Institute Board Meeting during conference. The projects below will be in various states of development and/or completion. It is these that will be discussed at the Meeting. 6

7 The AD may suggest new initiatives which can be undertaken as future Institute projects. Any initiatives that the new AD suggests will be subject to a review by the current ED and an Institute subcommittee during the summer. After acceptance, then the AD becomes responsible for those projects. August 2017-March ED in conjunction with AD writes appeals to maintain and increase institute membership. April 2018, Conference: AD assumes chairmanship of Institute meeting at the Conference. The new ED heads the Institute as of May 1, and determines any ACTC participation after April of 2018 in all projects. The following activities and projects are under development or discussion by the Institute, its members and interested parties. Development includes grant writing as well as project planning: 2 nd Euro conference in Winchester in Fall Winchester University, Amsterdam University; Leuphana University; Universidad de Navarra. Qualitative Narrative Assessment project completion and publication: 2018; possible generation of a third iteration. General Education and Asian Core Texts Conference (New York University, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Pepperdine University, St. John s College (SF), and Concordia University Irvine) Possible third Tradition and Innovation seminar (Columbia, with possible new grant applications to Bradley, Teagle,and Apgar foundations.) Women and the Core Conference (widespread general interest) Reviving and Rejuvenating the Liberal Arts in Core Text Programs (possible NEH seminar; 10 interested individuals from Institute, Board, and non-board schools) 2019 ACTC Student Conference Overseas visits, particularly to China, for continued recruitment to ACTC. (CASE, Chinese University of Hong Kong, St. John s College Santa Fe) Mid-April ACTC Conference, beginning with the Board Meeting: AD leads most discussions of Board Agenda, with current ED and new President as supporters. AD is presented to the Conference as the new Executive Director, effective May 1. Current ED retires to the Board, April 30, 2018 May 1, 2018: The new ED takes over the Institute leadership upon transition to becoming the ED, including the pursuit and discussion of these various projects. The current ED, retiring to the Board, would lead Institute participation in the Winchester conference (2017), completion of the manuscript/photo-copy ready second edition of QNA (late 2017/early 2018), (as a Board Member) leadership of the Reviving and Rejuvenating (NEH) seminar, and as a simple participant (or advisor) in other projects, excluding the 2019 Student Conference. 7

8 Submitted by J. Scott Lee Executive Director, ACTC March 30, 2016 Affirmed by vote of the Board of ACTC, April 21 8