Annual General Meeting August 26th 2020

Our annual general meeting (AGM) was meant to be held at the RGS-IBG conference in London this year. The conference has been postponed by a year due to Covid19, and we will be holding our AGM online. 

You are warmly invited to join us for the AGM

Our Annual General Meeting is August 26, 3-5PM London time. Open to members and those interested in joining!

Register in advance here: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0tcOmrrT0uGNP3JvnASmN6LvVsG7-96ZxK

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Lively Exchange & Planning

The AGM is the point of the year when we bring all our members, and those interested in becoming members, together, and engage with each others’ ideas for the group. We reflect on what has been achieved in the last year, plan the next year, and hear new suggestions for how the group is run and what it can do. The committee will report to the membership. The committee is a friendly and dynamic group, which operates on the principle that everybody contributes and work is shared. This year has been challenging but exciting, as we have learnt new ways of doing events and have e.g. managed an international reach for our Annual Symposium.   

This exchange and planning is the main part of the AGM. Further, there are elections for committee members, which are very important, but should take limited time.  

Elections

We also hold elections for new committee members. When the group started in 2016, we chose to stagger elections so that there is always a core of committee members staying on while another part rotates, thus ensuring some continuity while bringing in new people with fresh ideas. 

This year, we will be seeking: 

– a new Chair (for 3 years) 
– a new Events Coordinator (for 3 years)
– 1-2 new Postgraduate Representatives (for 1-2 years)
– a Prize Coordinator (a chance to frame and kick off our new dissertation prize) (for 3 years)

We celebrate diversity and would particularly welcome nominations from groups that are less well-represented (we have good diverse representation on gender, career stage, sexual orientation, and regional diversity grounds but could do better on having more people of colour on our committee, and on disability and gender identity). For colleagues with care responsibilities, we will endeavour to time/ arrange our committee meetings to allow your full participation.  

Who can stand for a committee position? 

You have to be a member of the group (or willing to join immediately), and for officer positions (Chair, Treasurer, Secretary) you have to be an RGS-IBG Fellow. Nominations have now closed for committee positions. However, we will accept nominations at the AGM (but only as an exception, and if there is (for example) a need for a backfill if a current committee member moves roles). All Nominations and statements will be circulated in advance of the AGM.  

Who can vote? 

You will need to register to participate in the AGM. Details of the registration will be circulated to members.

Those who are members by the 26th August (either by being an RGS-IBG Fellow or by having paid the £5 annual fee) can then participate in the voting.

If you would like to become a member, please email Membership Secretary Tess Osborne (t.osborne@rug.nl).

Please consider becoming a DGRG member and be part of a team taking the next steps with our vibrant community! 

All members are warmly invited to the AGM to share their ideas – we look forward to seeing you there.