Call for New BFE Committee Members

Deadline for Nominations: Friday 16 March 2018

Dear BFE members,

The British Forum for Ethnomusicology seeks nominations for election for 5 positions on the BFE Committee. The terms of some current members of the BFE Committee members are coming an end; some Committee members will be standing down while others intend to stand for re-election.

It is vital for the future of the BFE that we have a strong Committee so please do consider nominating yourself. We are looking for committed committee members who will make an important contribution to the day-to-day running and future development of the BFE. In line with our equality ambitions as a subject association, we welcome nominations that will help the Committee reflect the diversity of our membership and discipline.

General responsibilities of Committee members include:

  • attending 2-3 BFE Committee meetings each year;
  • engaging proactively in BFE business;
  • contributing creatively to BFE strategies and initiatives;
  • engaging in regular email communication with the Committee;
  • writing short reports on BFE activities for the annual Chair’s Report;
  • participating, when necessary, in working groups on specific BFE tasks.

The specific roles for committee members in this election round are:

1) Conference Liaison Co-Officer

The Conference Liaison Co-Officers (Dr Stephen Wilford will remain in post as one of these) are jointly responsible for:

  • organizing the BFE’s Annual and One-Day conferences, study days and other events in conjunction with local conference arrangement committees.
  • representing the BFE at the January BFE–RMA Research Students’ Conference (each January), at meetings of the RMA Flagship Conferences Subcommittee (2 or 3 per year), and through regular correspondence with the RMA and other subject associations (e.g., Analytical Approaches to World Music, Société Française d’Ethnomusicologie).
  • providing oral reports on conference activities at BFE committee meetings

2) Membership Liaison Officer

This role includes:

  • Developing strong relations between the membership and the Committee.
  • Working on membership and marketing initiatives in conjunction with Taylor & Francis, the BFE Administrator (Dr Morgan Davies) and the Membership Administrator (Dr Ruard Absaroka).

3) Treasurer

This role includes:

  • Being responsible for all aspects of managing the finances of the BFE, working closely with the BFE Administrator.
  • Preparing a financial report at the end of each year. Previous experience of accounting is desirable.

4) Website Administrator

This role includes:

  • Being responsible for all aspects of the running of the BFE website and email accounts. Previous web experience and IT knowledge (Drupal, CiviCRM etc.) is desirable.

5) Prizes Officer

This role includes:

  • Being responsible for coordinating the announcements and panels for the various BFE awards and prizes (e.g. Book Prize, Fieldwork Grants, Student Prize, Conference Bursaries).

If you wish to stand for election you must be nominated and seconded by two BFE members. Please send a proposal of no more than a single side of A4, which will be forwarded to the BFE membership by email and our list serve prior to voting. Include:

  • your name and a contact address;
  • your current employment;
  • the names of the BFE members who have nominated and seconded your candidacy (it is not necessary for the nominators to email the Chair separately about the nomination).
  • length of time you have been a BFE member;
  • the specific role - from the 5 roles listed above - you would like to be nominated for;
  • a statement outlining why you think you are suitable for being a member of the BFE Committee, highlighting relevant skills, experience, or previous time served on the Committee.

Nominations must be sent by email to Barley Norton (BFE Chair) chairatbfe.org.uk () by the end of Friday 16 March 2018.

In order to vote you need to be a current member so please renew your membership for 2018 if you have not done so already. Online voting will take place soon after the deadline for nominations and results will be announced at the AGM at the annual conference at Newcastle University on Saturday 14 April. I look forward to seeing many of you in Newcastle.

Barley Norton, BFE Chair