The Centennial Campaign for Scandinavian Studies

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

As we approach the centenary of the Society for the Advancement of Scandinavian Study, we have many reasons to celebrate the accomplishments of our scholarly society. The publishing and research opportunities it has provided have enabled the academic study of Scandinavia to flourish in North America over the past 100 years. Many of us owe a portion of our scholarly success and professional advancement to the existence of a high-quality professional society and a well-respected academic journal. The future availability of similar opportunities for a new generation of scholars will be equally crucial to the continued existence of Scandinavian research fields and instructional programs.

Scandinavian Studies has not been untouched by the economic challenges facing academic publishing in recent years. Although the generous financial support from Brigham Young University (about $20,000–25,000 per year) has helped to shield our journal from the financial insecurity that many publications have faced, that support has unfortunately now come to an end. A new financial model is necessary to put the journal on a secure footing in the future.

The leadership of SASS, after much discussion throughout the past year, has developed a plan that will transition from a year-to-year income model to an endowment-based financial structure for the journal. Under this plan, the total costs of running the journal (about $60,000 per year), which in the past have been covered by a combination of the BYU subsidy, annual membership dues, and occasional conference surpluses, will be supported substantially by endowment payout instead. We plan to complete this transition within five years. In order to reach this goal, it will be necessary to assemble a combination of gifts from major donors, matching grants from national agencies, and special donations from the SASS membership itself.

We have never before solicited donations from the entire membership of SASS. The fact that we do so now reflects a new reality that we must face if the society is to succeed into the future. The overall goal of the centennial campaign is to raise $500,000 of new endowment principal, of which $150,000 should come from the SASS membership itself. This is an average of $326 from each member, a tax-deductible amount that can be spread over the course of four years. Membership contributions will allow the SASS leadership to leverage matching grants and to solicit outright gifts to the Society from major donors.

We realize of course that this request comes at a difficult time for many members of SASS. Some of us are feeling the financial pressure of stagnant salaries and furloughs at this particular time, and others find themselves with uncertain prospects for employment in a historically tight academic job market. For this reason, we have created a graduated scale of suggested donations. Please contribute what you can; SASS is our shared academic society, and its future depends on us.

How to donate:

To make a donation by check, please fill out this .pdf form and send it to the enclosed address.