Perspectives: A New Column in the AAG Newsletter
In May, we introduced a new column to the AAG Newsletter called Perspectives, replacing AAG’s former Op-Ed feature. Perspectives will share the opinions and ideas of members on issues of relevance to geography. We encourage submissions that stimulate dialogue, get members thinking, and challenge our discipline to take new approaches to the social, political, and…
A Good Day for Geography, Every Day
The late Will Graf would end his AAG President's columns with this optimistic affirmation: It's a good day for Geography. Given the last year, you might be surprised to hear that it is just as true today as it was during his tenure in 1998-99. Let me explain. As I write this, it is the…
Want a Thriving Department? Focus on Undergraduate Success
I cannot think of a person in higher education who has not felt the pressure of maintaining and growing undergraduate enrollments. Undergraduates, who make up the large majority of the student body, are the people we devote most of our instructional efforts toward, and—as administrators constantly point out—are university’s primary source of revenue through tuition…
In Kansas, an Early Warning for Higher Education and Geography
Late last month, a bellwether event took place in Kansas, threatening higher education’s ability to support post-COVID recovery. Citing the extreme budget constraints caused by the pandemic, the nine-member Kansas Board of Regents unanimously approved a new policy giving public institutions the power to remove faculty, including those with tenure, through 2022. The new policy…
Advocate for Geography in Austerity – Part 2
This is Part 2 of a two-part column on what geography departments can do (and should not do) to advocate for their work in budget talks, which are all the more crucial during the COVID-19 pandemic. These points are largely derived from answers I received from geographers in upper administrative positions at universities. As I…
Advocate for Geography in Austerity
This is Part 1 of a two-part column on what geography departments can do (and should not do) to advocate for their work in budget talks, which are all the more crucial during the COVID-19 pandemic. These points are largely derived from answers I received from geographers in upper administrative positions at universities. At the…
Vote for Geography
No matter what happens with this week’s election, the United States will pivot. Four years ago, most people in my life expressed horror, shock, and disgust following the presidential election in the United States. The day after the election, I shared with my husband my apprehensive relief following the results. I’ll explain. I grew-up in…
July 2020 Issue of the ‘Annals of the AAG’ Now Available
The AAG is pleased to announce that Volume 110, Issue 4, July 2020 of the Annals of the American Association of Geographers is now ;A full list of contents is below. The Annals contains original, timely, and innovative articles that advance knowledge in all facets of the discipline. Articles are divided into four major areas: Geographic…
May 2020 Issue of the ‘Annals of the AAG’ Now Available
The AAG is pleased to announce that Volume 110, Issue 3 (May 2020) of the Annals of the American Association of Geographers is now available. A full list of contents is below. The Annals contains original, timely, and innovative articles that advance knowledge in all facets of the discipline. Articles are divided into four major areas: Geographic…
May 2020 Issue of ‘The Professional Geographer’ Now Available
The AAG is pleased to announce that Volume 72, Issue 2 (May 2020) of The Professional Geographer is now available. The focus of The Professional Geographer is on short articles in academic or applied geography, emphasizing empirical studies and methodologies. These features may range in content and approach from rigorously analytic to broadly philosophical or prescriptive.…
March 2020 Special Issue of the ‘Annals of the AAG’ on Smart Spaces and Places Now Available
Every year since 2009 our flagship journal, the Annals of the American Association of Geographers, has published a special issue that highlights geographic research around a significant global theme. The twelfth special issue of the Annals, published in March 2020, brings together 21 articles plus an introduction, edited by Ling Bian, on smart spaces and…
Beyond the Academic 1 Percent Or How to Create a More Inclusive and Equitable Academic Culture
Social media can be dangerous. I recently read a post on Twitter, sent by a non-geographer, which seemed to lament geography’s absence from the Ivy League and similarly selective private institutions. If I could share an unpopular opinion, I’m glad that geography does not have a large representation in the Ivy League. Not because I…