The following email was sent to members June 26, 2025.
Dear ASECS members,
It has been a wonderful honor to serve as your President this year. As I prepare to welcome the incoming President and the new Board in just a few days, I have been reflecting with great joy on all that we have accomplished together in just under twelve months.
We have new bylaws ready to take effect on July 1. We also launched a brand-new webinar series on “the 18th Century in the Present”, which had a very successful start this past May. In April, we held our first intentional Virtual Annual Meeting with a fantastic lineup. I made a point of popping in at all sessions, even if only very briefly — something that I could not have done as discreetly during an in-person meeting!
In the fall, we hosted a well-attended and informative Meet the Treasurer event. Our News Circular now has a revamped format, featuring direct links to articles and book reviews from our flagship journals. Eighteenth-Century Studies and Studies in Eighteenth-Century Culture continue to showcase top-notch scholarship and reflect the evolving landscape of our field. I find every issue enormously eye-opening.
The new Member News section in the ASECS webpage highlights the accomplishments and activities of our members, reinforcing the sense of community and shared purpose that characterizes our Society. And very soon, we’ll be launching a new membership platform.
I am thrilled with all that we have accomplished this year and look forward to the new accomplishments that will follow.
Thank you for making ASECS the vibrant and supportive community that it is.
With gratitude and appreciation,
Paola Bertucci, ASECS President