Report on Membership Fees from the June Ordinary General Meeting

Report on Membership Fees from the June Ordinary General Meeting

Fred Carruth, Director of Membership

Kevin Ryan, Director of Treasury

JALT voted to increase its fees, and this takes effect September 1, 2015. As Directors of Membership and Treasury, Fred and I are especially keen on informing you of your options.

 While trimming expenses and looking for new avenues of revenue generation have been on the plate for years, we see that as an organization, we need to provide the services members expect, and have come to the conclusion that a rise in fees is the only option available. The EBM (Executive Board Meeting) agreed, and the OGM (Ordinary General Meeting) did too. 

 Regular members will see their annual fees rise from ¥10,000 to ¥13,000, but this will also include options to join both a SIG (Special Interest Group) and a chapter. Taking this option shows your support for the parts of JALT you find important, and will have a direct economic effect on those parts. With the option of including a SIG as well as a chapter as part of your annual membership, we are looking to restructure JALT to cater to both interests and geographic location in an effort to bring SIGs and chapters into parity over the next few years. 

 Of course, membership includes subscriptions to our two main print publications, The Language Teacher and JALT Journal, as well as access to online resources at <jalt.org> and <jalt-publications.org>.

 Joint, Group, Senior, Student, and Overseas membership fees also will see about a 30% increase. If you choose to join more than one SIG, that too is increasing by about 30%. 

 This is our first increase since 1998, and we think that, along with your increased choice options, JALT will continue to grow and serve its members in the most effective way possible. 

 Since our last fee rise, we have seen JALT grow in many different dimensions, increasing the number and importance of SIGs, moving parts of publications online, and our new status as an official NPO in Japan.  The best way to sign up or renew is online, but a postal furikae form at the back of  every TLT is also available. 

New JALT Associate Member

Springer Science+Business Media, or Springer, founded in 1842 in Germany, is a global publishing company that publishes books, e-books and peer-reviewed journals in science, technical, and medical (STM) publishing. Springer also hosts a number of scientific databases, including SpringerLink, Springer Protocols, and SpringerImages. Springer published roughly 2,400 English-language journals and more than 9,000 new books in 2014, and the group is home to the world’s largest STM e-Book collection, as well as the most comprehensive portfolio of open access journals. Book publications include major reference works, textbooks, monographs  and book series, with more than 168,000 titles available as e-books in 24 subject collections. Springer has major offices in Berlin, Heidelberg, Dordrecht, and New York City.  

At Springer, we recognize that our authors are the heart of what we do and we are committed to providing the resources, support, and advice you need to help you succeed. Those interested in obtaining more information about book and journal publishing are welcome to contact our publishing editor for Education and Language, Lawrence Liu at <Lawrence.Liu@springer.com>.

Position Available

TLT Associate Editor

The Language Teacher is seeking a qualified candidate for the position of Associate Editor, with future advancement to the position of Coeditor. Applicants must be JALT members and must have the knowledge, skills, and leadership qualities to oversee the production of a regularly published academic publication. Previous experience in publications, especially at an editorial level, is an asset. Knowledge of JALT publications is desirable. Applicants must also have regular access to a computer with email and word processing capabilities.

This post requires several hours of concentrated work every week editing articles, scheduling and overseeing production, and liaising with the Publications Board. Applicants should be prepared to make a minimum three-year commitment with an extension possible. The assumption of duties is tentatively scheduled for early Autumn 2015. Applicants should submit a curriculum vitae (including details of publication background and published works), a cover letter, and a statement of purpose indicating why they would like to become Associate Editor (and later advance to Coeditor) of The Language Teacher, to: Jerry Talandis Jr., JALT Publications Board Chair <pubchair@jalt-publications.org>. This position will remain open until filled.