Div. 20 (Adult Development and Aging)
Executive Committee Mid-Year Meeting
Gerontological Society of America (GSA) Meeting
Thursday, Nov. 14, 2020 from 7:00 - 9:00 AM
JW Marriott Austin, Rm 306, Level 3
In attendance: Jennifer Margrett, Lisa Brown, Joann Montepare, Gloria Luong, Neika Sharifian, Lauren Stratton, Naomi Meinertz, Jeanine Parisi, Nancy Sin, Patrick Hill, Nicholas Turiano, Kelly Cichy, Laura Zahodne, Harvey Sterns, Becca Levy, Lisa Hollis-Sawyer, Grace Caskie, Pat Parmelee, Jennifer Stanley
Welcome and Overview: Div. 20 President Jennifer Margrett opened the meeting with introductions. Secretary Montepare noted that detailed committee reports were distributed via email prior to the meeting. Select highlights of reports were reviewed today.
Council Report: (P. Parmelee) – The pending bylaw was discussed regarding voting rights for graduate students, members with MA degrees and doctoral candidates. It was reported that Council Representatives had diverse opinions about the rights and implications of different groups, which were shared and discussed. Div. 20 members were reminded to cast their “10 for 20” apportionment ballots. Div. 20 Council Rep. Susan Whitbourne received the second-place vote for APA president and is considering another run for the office in the upcoming election.
Program committee: (L. Zahodne, J. Blaskewicz Boron) – Preparations for APA’s 2020 convention in Washington, D.C., (Aug. 6-9) are underway. Div. 20 was involved in 13 collaborative proposals. Those not accepted will be considered for divisional programming. APA is no long accepting paper or conversation hour submissions, only skill-building sessions, data blitzes, symposia/discussions and posters will be considered. The Science at Sunset Poster competition will be continued, with an early July deadline. As in the past, an off-site dinner will be organized, as well as an on-site social hour supported by various Div. 20 sponsors.
Discussion followed around the upcoming 75th anniversary (2021) of Div. 20 and how it might be leveraged for programming and fundraising. Brainstorming generated several ideas (e.g., 75 reasons to join Div. 20, 75 points of excellence, profile of 75 members, Div. 20 Birthday Cards, $75 for Div. 20). Suggestion was made to apply for CODAPAR funding to support a video archive “at 75” project. Julie Patrick and Harvey Stern will continue to pursue ideas.
APF updates: (notes from J. Gaugler) – Fundraising is ongoing. There is a continued need to develop a plan to acknowledge donors as well as identity specific initiatives to which funds are tied as donor incentives (e.g., early career development). Suggestion was made to feature an article in the Div. 20 newsletter about the APF initiative. It was also suggested that Div. 20 host a “day of giving, $75 for 20, although APF consultants do not always see such small-scale efforts as the best fundraising strategy.
Early Career Teams: (submitted by Nicole DePasquale, Shelley Condon, Britney Wardecker, Soomi Lee) - The Career Task Force recently completed its member recruitment effort of 2019 for the Special Interest Groups (SIGs) initiative. Discussion was focused on how to better engage graduate students in early career activities. Suggestions included email blasts to student Listservs; organized stream of email information about opportunities such as scholarships, mentoring, APA programs, special job alerts; teleconference once-a-semester with a guest speaker; and informal get-together at APA conference.
Treasurer’s Report: (G. Caskie) – Div. 20 funds continue to be on track “per normal” and favorable with some surpluses as a result of program sponsorships and steady membership. Some changes can be expected in the total assets when all costs for the APA conference are tallied.
Given the favorable state of APA funds, it was suggested that Div. 20 consider hosting a Hospitality Suite (with embedded conversation hour as CONA as done), which could also serve as a place to gather ideas for the 75th anniversary planning.
Awards committee: (no new updates) – Div. 20 members were reminded of the excellent awards guidebook Karen Hooker helped organize and refer to it for information about upcoming awards and process.
Election Committee: (P. Hill, N. Sin) – The upcoming election will involve voting on the following positions: president-elect, secretary, Council Representative and two members-at-large. Self- or other-nominations for these positions are welcomed. The committee will be reaching out shortly to potential candidates as well as previous candidates to gauge their interest in running again for these positions.
Education Committee: (J. Stanley, K, Cichy) – Members were invited to look over the Div. 20 webpages to help identify updates that are needed as a number of resources are presently outdated and need to be revised. The suggestion was made to develop an “update” button that would operate via Google docs. Teaching Tip submissions are also needed.
Discussion followed about how Div. 20 might collaborate with GSA’s Academy for Gerontology on Higher Education (AGHE) around teaching initiatives, especially given that many Div. 20 members are also GSA/AGHE members. AGHE provides a number of education services/resources APA does not but are of interest to gerontology educators and programs (i.e., AGEC accreditation, Program of Merit (POM), AGHE Standards and Guidelines for Gerontology and Geriatrics, The Gerontology Competencies for Undergraduate and Graduate Education).
Questions were raised about the extent to which Div. 20 is contributing to meeting the needs of workforce development and supporting colleagues transitioning through retirement. It was suggested that the topic of retirement could serve as a focus for 75th anniversary programming.
Membership Committee: (G. Luong) - Membership trends continue to be fairly steady, with a focus on student and early career professionals. Suggestion was made to develop a Div. 20 newsletter column around “What I wish I had known” that would provide job market and related career development advice. It was also suggested that a Listserv be developed specifically for students.
Social media and related communications: (L. Hollis-Sawyer, J. Montepare) – There is a steady Div. 20 presence with some growth on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. Suggestion was made to consider also using Instagram and/or Snapchat as a social media outlet. Chat rooms were suggested as a way to engage people around special issues or to network.
The Executive Committee Listserv presently being used is DIV20EXEC-L@LISTS.UFL.EDU which was organized by M. Marsiske for efficiency sake during his tenure as Div. 20 president. Div. 20 will need to revert back to its original DIV20EXEC-L@LISTS.APA.ORG in the coming year.
As Div. 20 secretary over the last several years, J. Montepare has archived related information on her DropBox account. Div. 20 will need to decide where to transfer and store these materials as she transitions off this position.
Newsletter: (G. Caskie) – The upcoming deadline is in March. The feature of presidential statements was well received, and it was suggested some form of this be continued, perhaps with Div. 20 Council Reps reaching out to candidates for statements.
Additional comments: Div. 20 discussed the possibility of submitting materials to the Psychology Archives housed at the University of Akron. B. Levy raised an interest in collaborating on programming/initiative around intersectionality of ageism and sexism. She reminded Div. 20 members of leadership awards for women for which members are eligible.
All members agreed that Div. 20 could use an opportunity to engage in concerted strategic planning. As well, members agreed that monthly EC calls would help to make Div. 20 activities more efficient, especially of the calls focused on specific issues to address.
Meeting was adjourned at 9:00
Respectfully submitted,
Joann M. Montepare
Div. 20 Secretary
Director, RoseMary B. Fuss Center for Research on Aging and Intergenerational Studies
Lasell University/Lasell Village