Registration is now open for the fall meeting - see the bottom of the page.
Fall Program
 | For more information, contact: Curtis Ryan, Program Organizer Appalachian State University ryanc@appstate.edu Krista Wiegand, President University of Tennessee kwiegand@utk.edu Cal Allen, Executive Director edsermeiss@gmail.com |    |
The 2018 annual fall meeting will be held October 19-21, 2018 at the Mission Conference Center at Valle Crucis, North Carolina (http://www.highsouth.com/vallecrucis/). Sessions are 40 minutes each, with one presentation at a time by a combination of faculty and graduate students.
REGISTRATION: The cost is $150 per person for lodging and meals, plus $15 for registration. There is a reduced charge (50%) for children aged 3-11 who are accompanied by their own parents and there is no charge for children under 3 (the Conference Center requires children to be supervised at all times).
DUES: Dues are paid for a calendar year, January through December. If you have not yet paid for 2018, please go to the Membership tab and using the PayPal links, pay $25.00 for full membership (college and university faculty, scholars affiliated with research centers, and graduate students and pre-collegiate educators with at least three graduate credits in Middle East Studies) or $20.00 for associate membership (members from outside the region, other pre-collegiate educators, and invited individuals with a professional interest in the Middle East). Since SERMEISS dues are so modest, we are open to tax-deductible donations.
If this is your first trip to Valle Crucis, you will want to bring some informal clothing and shoes for walking. Mountain views, wooded paths, the waterfall, and colorful leaves tempt most of us to take at least one hike. The Valle Crucis Fair will take place during the same weekend right across the street.
We want everyone to attend, but ask that you not arrive or bring guests without letting us know in advance. We must notify the Conference Center on its schedule and assign rooms in advance, so please account for everyone who will attend with you by October 5th. If you foresee a problem or have to make a sudden change, please contact Cal Allen at edsermeiss@gmail.com. When you register, please let us know your preferred roommate if you have one. Please note that registration and lodging fees are non-refundable within 2 weeks of the conference.
Our official arrival time at the Conference Center is 4:00 p.m. Facilities become available to us at that time. If you arrive early, enjoy the view from the porch.
Some travel assistance (six cents per mile) is available for pre-collegiate full members, as funds permit. Up to five graduate students may receive a $50 reimbursement for Valle Crucis.
Books: If you have books or other Middle East-Islamic world goodies you’d like to donate, please remember to take them to the meeting. As usual, we’ll have a book sale table for your perusal!