ACAG Division Information

President / Président

Secretary-Treasurer / Secrétaire-Trésorier

Members-at-Large / Conseillers

Student Representative / Représentant Étudiant

Webmaster / Webmestre

At the 2011 annual meeting, the following regular rotation scheduled was adopted:

• 2012:  Saint Mary's University, Halifax, NS
• 2013:  Université de Moncton, NB
• 2014:  Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, NL
• 2015:  Mount Allison University, Sackville, NB

Membership in ACAG is defined in two ways:

• FORMALLY, THROUGH CAG:  All members of the Canadian Association of Geographers (CAG) who live in the Atlantic Provinces (determined by postal codes) are automatically registered as members of ACAG.  For information about joining CAG, visit the CAG Home Page.  For each member from Atlantic Canada, a rebate of $5 from the CAG membership fee is returned to ACAG.

• INFORMALLY:  All others interested in joining ACAG may do so, at no charge, by contacting the President or the Secretary-Treasurer of the Executive Committee.

CONSTITUTION OF THE ATLANTIC DIVISION OF
THE CANADIAN ASSOCIATION OF GEOGRAPHERS 
(as adopted June 4, 1988, amended September 24, 1988, and September 28, 1996)

1.   Name
The association will be called the Atlantic Division of the Canadian Association of Geographers.

2.   Membership
All paid members of the Canadian Association of Geographers residing in New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland and Labrador shall be members of the Division.  Membership may also be accorded to any other person upon request to the Secretary/Treasurer.

3.   Purpose
To support the objectives of the Canadian Association of Geographers in the encouragement of geographical study, teaching, research and application in Atlantic Canada.

4.   The Executive
 i) The elected executive shall consist of a President, a Secretary/Treasurer, and three Executive Members-   at-large. 
 ii) The major duties of the President are to convene and chair an annual meeting, and to convene such other    activities as the executive deems appropriate.
 iii)  The Secretary/Treasurer shall be responsible for notifying all members of details of the annual meeting at   least one month in advance of that meeting.  He/She shall have charge of the finances of the Division, and shall keep the files of the Division.  The Secretary/Treasurer shall also provide liaison between members.
 iv) The three Executive Members-at-large will be responsible for assisting the secretary with liaison between   the Executive and the general membership.  They shall also assist in conducting the business of the division.

5. Terms of Office
 The terms of Office of the Executive shall be:
 i) The President shall have a three-year term.
 ii)   The Secretary/Treasurer shall have a three-year term.
 iii)  The three Executive Members-at-large shall have three year terms.  One member shall be elected each year.  The executive may co-opt any additional members for one year to provide for a representative executive.

6.   Voting and Elections
 i) Only members of the Division may hold Executive office and vote in elections.
 ii)  Nominations shall take place before and at the annual meeting, with the election of officers taking place at the annual meeting.
 iii)  The Executive shall act as Nominating Committee and shall solicit further nominations from the general    membership.

7.   By-Laws
 Annual meetings of the Division may enact such by-laws as they see fit to carry out the objectives of the  Division.

8. Amendments
 Amendments to the constitution will be considered at the AGM of the Association.  An amendment will be  deemed accepted if at least two thirds of those in attendance vote in its favour.  A quorum of 9 is required.

Best Student Presentations at the Annual Meeting
ACAG presents awards for the Best Student Presentation(s) at the Annual Meeting.  Please see the summary page of an individual past meeting for the name(s) of the winner(s) that year.

Stuart Semple Award
The Stuart Semple Award is presented for contributions to enhancing geography education in Atlantic Canada.  Nominations for this award should be sent to the current ACAG President in advance of the annual meeting.

Stuart Semple Scholarship

Background
The Stuart Semple Scholarship is awarded annually to a graduating student of geography in Atlantic Canada to pursue a B.Ed. degree, with a view to him or her becoming a geography teacher at a school in the region.

Stuart Semple (Mount Allison University) received the Geographic Literacy Award from the Canadian Council for Geographic Education (CCGE) in 2010 and a cash prize from the National Geographic Society.  He has devoted the entire prize money to improving geographical education in Atlantic Canada.  A fund for that purpose has been established with the Royal Canadian Geographical Society.

Stuart Semple Scholarship page on the CCGE website.

The purpose of the Stuart Semple Scholarship is to engage departments of geography and faculties of education in Atlantic Canada in promoting the sound teaching of sound geography in the schools of Atlantic Canada.  Beginning in 2011, and for the duration of the fund, departments of geography will be enabled, in sequence, to nominate a graduating student with a Major or Minor in geography to receive a $1,000 scholarship, payable toward fees for a B.Ed. program in Atlantic Canada that prepares the student to teach geography/social studies at junior or senior high school level.  In return, the recipient will be expected to present a paper at the annual meeting of ACAG in the final year of his or her B.Ed. program.

Sequence of Departments to nominate a graduating student for the award:
2012:  Moncton
2013:  Saint Mary's
2014:  Memorial
2015:  Mount Allison

Nomination Process
The appropriate department of geography in any year will inform the Canadian Council for Geographic Education of the student who is being nominated for the award and will provide relevant information on the nominee. Students interested in this scholarship should therefore apply to the Head or Chair of their Department of Geography.

Application Guidelines and How to Apply

The nominated student is required later in the same year of nomination to apply for admission to a B.Ed. program at a university in Atlantic Canada, to train as a teacher of geography/social studies (junior high or senior high school).

Upon acceptance into a B.Ed. Program, the nominee applies to the Canadian Council for Geographic Education for a bursary in the amount of $1,000.  The nominee must support the application with documentary evidence of being registered in the B.Ed. program as outlined above.

Reporting
Recipients of the bursary will be expected to present a paper at the annual meeting of the Atlantic Division of the Canadian Association of Geographers (ACAG) in the final year of their two-year B.Ed. Program; or at the first annual meeting of ACAG after they have graduated from a shorter B.Ed. Program.  The paper may be developed from one that they prepared during their B.Ed. Studies; in any case, it should address an aspect of geographical education or teaching at the school level.

Previous Winners
2011:  Joanne Peters, Mount Allison University

People who have news items are asked to consider two options for distribution:

1)  Send news via the ACAG and/or CAGList mailing lists.  For information on joining the ACAG mailing list or CAGList, see mailing lists.

2)  The Canadian Association of Geographers regularly publishes a newsletter.   Items should be submitted to Valerie Shoffey, Executive Secretary of the CAG.