Study Group Vision
The Augustan Society, Inc., bills itself as an "association of scholars". The Society also emphasizes an interdisciplinary approach to the field. Indeed, our ability to span conventional topic boundaries is one of the Society's great strengths. As such, there are many activities which do not fall neatly into one of the topical departments. For this reason, and because they don't need discipline-specific oversight, it is appropriate to create these projects as Study Groups under administration separate from the topical departments.
The Coordinator of each Study Group is appointed by and serves at the pleasure of the Dean of Studies, who also creates, activates, and deactivates the Study Groups. We have experience with Coordinators (or Committee Chairmen) who take on more than they can handle, and one group will receive attention only at the expense of others. We think that it's preferable to leave a group dormant than for it to be active but neglected.
Proposal: The Society should adopt a policy limiting Coordinators of Study Groups to being in charge of only one such group at a time. If two groups are related—such as Anthropology and Archaeology—then the groups could be merged under a single Coordinator. Membership in additional Study Groups would not be constrained.
Contents
Active Study Groups
Family of Augustans Study Group
The objective of this project is to computerize lineages of Augustans whose genealogies are stored at Headquarters or have appeared in various Society publications with the intent to demonstrate our interrelatedness, and to identify common ancestors, both for the sake of fraternity and to assist one another with genealogical research.
Proposal: The Society should document and publish the process by which the Family of Augustans Study Group is to be pursued.
Proposal: The Society should place the combined lineages included in the Family of Augustans Study Group online for use by members. This should take the form of a useful web site, not just a collection of GED files. Data on events after 1950 should be redacted.
First Peoples Study Group
Proposal: The Society should oblige the First Peoples Study Group to create a statement of purpose.
Photo Collection Study Group
The objective of this project is to identify the individuals and locations shown in the Society's collection of photographic prints. The plan is to scan and upload the images to a public site, then ask members to assist in the identification. There is some sense of urgency in this, as members pass and memory fade.
Proposal: The Society should work to identify the individuals and locations (and to the extent possible, the dates) of the prints in the Society's photo collection.
Inactive Study Groups
There are many inactive Study Groups, some of which have significant histories. Any maybe reactivated at the call of any member.
Proposal: The Society should, on a rotating basis, advertise the potential of the inactive Study Groups to the membership in an effort to reactivate as many as may have support.
Proposal: The Society should, through the office of Dean of Studies and guided by the Member Interest Survey, invite specific members to reactivate particular Study Groups, and to create more for new topics.
