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<channel><title><![CDATA[Middle East Outreach Council - Meeting Minutes]]></title><link><![CDATA[http://www.meoc.us/meeting-minutes]]></link><description><![CDATA[Meeting Minutes]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 09 Apr 2026 20:52:23 -0500</pubDate><generator>Weebly</generator><item><title><![CDATA[2025 General Membership Meeting]]></title><link><![CDATA[http://www.meoc.us/meeting-minutes/2025-general-membership-meeting]]></link><comments><![CDATA[http://www.meoc.us/meeting-minutes/2025-general-membership-meeting#comments]]></comments><pubDate>Thu, 01 Jan 2026 21:59:38 GMT</pubDate><category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category><guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.meoc.us/meeting-minutes/2025-general-membership-meeting</guid><description><![CDATA[&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;MIDDLE EAST OUTREACH COUNCILMEOC General Membership Meeting MinutesTuesday, September 2, 2025, 8:30-9:30 PM EST, Via ZoomParticipants: Will Daniel (Littleton High School (CO); President), Abby Limmer (University of Arizona; Board Member), Sandra Makielski (North Kingston School Department (RI); Board Member), Chris Rose (Our Lady of the Lake University (TX); Treasurer), Joe Stanik (Independent Historian; Secretary), Zeina Azzam (MEOC President (2002-06)), Brooke  [...] ]]></description><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="paragraph" style="text-align:left;">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><strong>MIDDLE EAST OUTREACH COUNCIL</strong><br /><strong>MEOC General Membership Meeting Minutes</strong><br /><strong>Tuesday, September 2, 2025, 8:30-9:30 PM EST, Via Zoom</strong><br /><br /><strong>Participants: </strong>Will Daniel (Littleton High School (CO); President), Abby Limmer (University of Arizona; Board Member), Sandra Makielski (North Kingston School Department (RI); Board Member), Chris Rose (Our Lady of the Lake University (TX); Treasurer), Joe Stanik (Independent Historian; Secretary), Zeina Azzam (MEOC President (2002-06)), Brooke Sassi (Denver Public Schools (CO)), Cheryl Neudaeur (Minneapolis College (MN)), Lucy Thiboutot (Concordia Language Villages (MN)), Farheen Rizvi (Human MEE), Ida Audeh (Colleague of Zeina Azzam)<br />&nbsp;<br /><strong>Welcome: </strong><br />President Will Daniel welcomed the meeting participants, led a round of introductions, and convened the meeting at 8:35 PM.<br />&nbsp;<br /><strong>Approve and Accept Agenda for December 2, 2025 MEOC General Membership Meeting: </strong><br />The agenda was accepted by the MEOC membership.<br />&nbsp;<br /><strong><u>REPORTS/UPDATES</u>:</strong><br />&nbsp;<br /><strong>President&rsquo;s Report: </strong><ul><li>Will announced the 2025 MEOC Book Awards. <u>The press release for the Book Awards is posted below</u>. Chis Rose, MEOC Book Awards Committee Co-Chair, thanked the chairs and members of the three subcommittees for their outstanding work. The subcommittee chairs were Angela Williams (Picture Book Category), Emily Bollinger (Youth Literature Category), and Alice Davidson (Youth Non-Fiction). <strong>Congratulations to all nominees, winners, and honorable mention authors!!!</strong></li><li>Will announced that Zeina Azzam and Chris Rose are recipients of the MEOC Lifetime Achievement Award. Zeina and Chris are former presidents of MEOC and have made significant contributions to the field of Middle East studies over several years. <u>Their awards and biographies are posted below</u>.</li></ul> <strong>Alf Mabruk, Zeina and Chris!!!</strong><ul><li>Will reported on MEOC&rsquo;s participation in the NCTE Annual Conference (November 21-23, 2025) in Denver. Several conference attendees stopped by the MEOC table and filled out interest forms. MEOC was very positively received by attendees and was commended for providing teachers with balanced information regarding developments in the Middle East. &nbsp;</li></ul> &nbsp;<br /><strong>Membership Report:</strong><ul><li>Sandra Makielski, Membership Chair, reported that MEOC has nineteen individual, dues-paying members and three institutional members. Increasing the membership roll will be a high priority in 2026.</li></ul> &nbsp;<br /><strong>Institutions Report:</strong><ul><li>Abby Limmer encouraged teachers to incorporate <em>Global Reads</em> titles in their classrooms. She also endorsed Rhonda Roumani&rsquo;s <em>Umm Kulthum: The Star of the East</em> (MEOC 2025 Book Award Winner for Non-Fiction) for inclusion in the <em>Global Reads</em> program.</li><li>Abby also reported that the outlook is not good, at present, for Title VI institutions due to federal funding cuts and the current political climate. &nbsp;</li></ul> &nbsp;<br />Will adjourned the General Membership Meeting at 9:30 PM.<br />&nbsp;<br />Very respectfully submitted,<br />&nbsp;<br />Joseph T. Stanik<br />MEOC Secretary<br />&nbsp;<br /><br />&nbsp;<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br /><br /></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[2022 Business Meeting]]></title><link><![CDATA[http://www.meoc.us/meeting-minutes/2022-business-meeting]]></link><comments><![CDATA[http://www.meoc.us/meeting-minutes/2022-business-meeting#comments]]></comments><pubDate>Wed, 27 Nov 2024 17:59:08 GMT</pubDate><category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category><guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.meoc.us/meeting-minutes/2022-business-meeting</guid><description><![CDATA[MIDDLE EAST OUTREACH COUNCILMEOC Business Meeting MinutesMonday, November 14, 2022, 8:00 - 9:00 PM ESTConducted via Zoom&nbsp;Participants: Katie Aslan (University of Texas at Austin; President/Membership Chair), Will Daniel (Littleton High School (CO); President-Elect), Craig Cangemi (QFI; Past-President), Greg Hill (John D. Horn High School (TX); Board Member), Sandra Makielski (Davisville Middle School (RI); Board Member), Christopher Rose (Professional Adjunct Lecturer; Treasurer), Joe Stani [...] ]]></description><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="paragraph"><font size="3"><strong>MIDDLE EAST OUTREACH COUNCIL<br />MEOC Business Meeting Minutes<br />Monday, November 14, 2022, 8:00 - 9:00 PM EST<br />Conducted via Zoom</strong><br />&nbsp;<br /><strong><u>Participants</u></strong><strong>:</strong> Katie Aslan (University of Texas at Austin; President/Membership Chair), Will Daniel (Littleton High School (CO); President-Elect), Craig Cangemi (QFI; Past-President), Greg Hill (John D. Horn High School (TX); Board Member), Sandra Makielski (Davisville Middle School (RI); Board Member), Christopher Rose (Professional Adjunct Lecturer; Treasurer), Joe Stanik (Anne Arundel Community College (MD); Secretary), Susan Douglass (Georgetown University), Krishna Kulkarni (University of Chicago), Abby Limmer (University of Arizona), Gabriel Valdez (Fort Worth Independent School District), Trisha Van Wagner (Digital Harbor High School (MD)).<br />&nbsp;<br /><strong><u>Welcome</u></strong><strong>:</strong><br />President Craig Cangemi brought the meeting to order at 8:10 PM and welcomed all attendees.<br />&nbsp;<br /><strong><u>Approval of 2021 Business Meeting Minutes</u></strong><strong>:</strong><br />Prior to the meeting, Secretary Joe Stanik distributed to the MEOC membership, via email, the minutes of the previous business meeting, which was held November 17, 2021, via Zoom. A motion to approve the 2021 business meeting minutes was introduced, the motion was seconded, and the minutes were approved.<br />&nbsp;<br /><strong><u>Treasurer&rsquo;s Report</u></strong><strong>:</strong><br />Treasurer Chris Rose presented the 2022 MEOC financial statement, dated November 7, 2022:<br /><u>Checking Account</u>:<br />Opening balance (11/5/2021): $5,078.99<br />Income:<br />Qatar Foundation International Grant: $100,000<br />Membership renewals: $2,190.15<br />Amazon Associates income: $37.94<br />Total income: $102,228.00<br />Expenses:<br />QFI-MEOC workshop expenses: $47,117.10<br />Google Suite: $791.25<br />Website fees/renewal: $149.60<br />Book Awards marketing/shipping: $1,509.53<br />Corporation renewal fee: $10.00<br />Total expenditures: $49,703.50<br />Closing Balance (11/7/2022): $54.551.31<br /><u>Savings Account</u>:<br />Opening balance: (11/5/2021) $48.621.07<br />Interest paid: $5.28<br />Tax withholding: -$1.22<br />Closing balance (11/7/2022): $48,624.83<br /><u>Total Assets (11/7/2022)</u>: $103,176.14<br />A motion to approve the treasurer&rsquo;s report was introduced, the motion was seconded, and the report was approved.<br />&nbsp;<br /><strong><u>2022 Election Results and Installation of Katie Aslan as President</u></strong><strong>:</strong><br />Craig announced that Will Daniel was elected president-elect and Sandra Makielski was elected to a seat on the Board of Directors. Congratulations, Will and Sandra! Craig passed the gavel to Katie Aslan, who assumed the presidency of MEOC. Thank you, Craig, for guiding MEOC over the past four years, a term made very challenging by the COVID pandemic!<br />&nbsp;<br /><strong><u>Special Election to Board of Directors</u></strong><strong>:</strong><br />The MEOC by-laws require that the Board be comprised of at least five voting members and there be a minimum of three voting members elected from the ranks of outreach professionals. To fulfill the requirement of three outreach-professional members, Rima Hassouneh (Council for International Education Exchange) agreed to serve a second term on the Board, subject to the approval of the MEOC membership. A motion was introduced proposing Rima as a member of the Board, to serve until 2024. The motion was seconded, and the MEOC members present unanimously elected Rima to a second two-year term. Congratulations, Rima!<br />&nbsp;<br /><strong><u>Membership</u></strong><strong>:</strong><br />Katie reported that MEOC currently has 13 institutional members, 33 educator/outreach professional members, and 372 access members.<br />&nbsp;<br /><strong><u>The Global Reads Webinar Series</u></strong><strong>:</strong><br />Katie announced that one of the 2022 MEOC Book Award Winners will be featured at the June 2023 webinar.<br />&nbsp;<br /><strong><u>Book Awards</u></strong><strong>:</strong><br />Katie announced the winners and honorable mentions of the 2022 MEOC Book Awards and shared video messages from the three winning authors. Congratulations to the winners and honorable mentions and to the members of the selection committees and Katie, Craig, and Chris for their outstanding work on this year&rsquo;s book awards!<br /><strong>PICTURE BOOK CATEGORY:</strong><br /><u>Committee</u>: Angela Williams (Chair), Larry Michalak, Suriati Abas, Lori Stubben, Abby Limmer, Erin Sears<br /><u>Award Winner</u>:<br /><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Loujain-Dreams-Sunflowers-Uma-Mishra-Newbery/dp/1662650647"><em>Loujain Dreams of Sunflowers: A Story Inspired by Loujain Alhathloul</em></a><em>,</em> by Lini AlHathloul and Uma Mishra-Newbery; illustrated by Rebecca Green (mineditionUS, 2022)<br /><u>Honorable Mentions</u>:<br /><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Sky-Blue-Bench-Bahram-Rahman/dp/177278222X/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1GUBO6CU16EWB&amp;keywords=the+sky+blue+bench&amp;qid=1664904726&amp;qu=eyJxc2MiOiIwLjAwIiwicXNhIjoiMC4wMCIsInFzcCI6IjAuMDAifQ%3D%3D&amp;s=books&amp;sprefix=the+sky+blue+bench%2Cstripbooks%2C98&amp;sr=1-1"><em>A Sky-Blue Bench</em></a>, by Bahram Rahman, illustrated by Peggy Collins (Pajama Press, 2021)<br /><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Nours-Secret-Library-Wafa-Tarnowska/dp/1646862910/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2QSXM1VXRT0KY&amp;keywords=nour%27s+secret+library&amp;qid=1664904893&amp;qu=eyJxc2MiOiIwLjAwIiwicXNhIjoiMC4wMCIsInFzcCI6IjAuMDAifQ%3D%3D&amp;s=books&amp;sprefix=nour%27s+se%2Cstripbooks%2C74&amp;sr=1-1"><em>Nour's Secret Library</em></a>, by Wafa' Tarnowska; illustrated by Vali Mintzi (Barefoot Books, 2022)<br /><strong>YOUTH LITERATURE CATEGORY: </strong><br /><u>Committee</u>: Emily Bollinger (Chair), Dilara Hafiz, Krishna Kulkarni, Gretchen Stulock, Lucy Thiboutot<br /><u>Award Winners</u>:<br /><em>Travelers Along the Way: A Robin Hood Remix</em>, by Aminah Mae Safi (Feiwel &amp; Friends, 2022)<br /><u>Honorable Mention</u>:<br /><em>Tunnels</em>, by Rutu Modan, translated by Ishai Mishory (Drawn and Quarterly, 2021)<br /><strong>YOUTH NON-FICTION CATEGORY, Awarded in Memory of Lisa Adeli:</strong><br /><u>Committee</u>: Brielle Carlson (Chair), Brock Beaver, Alice Davidson, Zeena Faulk, Marina Huyler, Victoria Longoria<br /><u>Winner</u>:<br /><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Land-People-Palestinians-Confront-Zionism/dp/1583679294/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1D3HEFOO110G7&amp;keywords=A+Land+with+People%3A+Palestinians+and+Jews+Confront+Zionism&amp;qid=1664905009&amp;qu=eyJxc2MiOiIwLjc2IiwicXNhIjoiMC4wMCIsInFzcCI6IjAuMDAifQ%3D%3D&amp;s=books&amp;sprefix=a+land+with+people+palestinians+and+jews+confront+zionism+%2Cstripbooks%2C74&amp;sr=1-1"><em>A Land With a People: Palestinians and Jews Confront Zionism</em></a>, edited by Esther Farmer, Rosalind Pollack Petchesky, Sarah Sills (Monthly Review Press, 2021)<br />&nbsp;<br /><strong><u>New Business:</u></strong><br /></font><ul><li><font size="3">Craig reminded the membership that the NCSS Annual Conference is scheduled for 2-4 December in Philadelphia. MEOC will maintain an informational booth at the meeting.</font></li><li><font size="3">Abby Limmer thanked MEOC for naming the Youth Non-Fiction Book Award in memory of Lisa Adeli.</font></li></ul><font size="3">&nbsp;<br /><strong><u>Outreach Professional Updates &ndash; 2022 Success Stories:</u></strong><br />Attendees of the meeting shared exciting accomplishments from the past year.<br />&nbsp;<br />Katie adjourned the meeting at 9:00 PM.<br />&nbsp;<br />Respectfully Submitted,<br /><br />Joseph T. Stanik<br />MEOC Secretary</font><br /></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[2021 Business Meeting]]></title><link><![CDATA[http://www.meoc.us/meeting-minutes/2021-annual-meeting]]></link><comments><![CDATA[http://www.meoc.us/meeting-minutes/2021-annual-meeting#comments]]></comments><pubDate>Wed, 27 Nov 2024 17:48:25 GMT</pubDate><category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category><guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.meoc.us/meeting-minutes/2021-annual-meeting</guid><description><![CDATA[MIDDLE EAST OUTREACH COUNCILMEOC Business Meeting MinutesWednesday, November 17, 2021, 8:00 - 9:00 PM ESTConducted via Zoom&nbsp;Participants: Craig Cangemi (QFI; President), Christopher Rose (Professional Adjunct Lecturer; Past-President/Treasurer), Katie Aslan (University of Texas at Austin; President-Elect/Membership Chair), Will Daniel (Littleton High School (CO); Board Member), Rima Hassouneh (University of Michigan; Board Member), Greg Hill (John D. Horn High School (TX); Board Member), Ja [...] ]]></description><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="paragraph"><font size="3"><strong>MIDDLE EAST OUTREACH COUNCIL<br />MEOC Business Meeting Minutes<br />Wednesday, November 17, 2021, 8:00 - 9:00 PM EST<br />Conducted via Zoom</strong><br />&nbsp;<br /><strong><u>Participants</u></strong><strong>:</strong> Craig Cangemi (QFI; President), Christopher Rose (Professional Adjunct Lecturer; Past-President/Treasurer), Katie Aslan (University of Texas at Austin; President-Elect/Membership Chair), Will Daniel (Littleton High School (CO); Board Member), Rima Hassouneh (University of Michigan; Board Member), Greg Hill (John D. Horn High School (TX); Board Member), Jacqueline Vidal (Garza Independence High School (TX); Board Member), Joe Stanik (Anne Arundel Community College (MD)); Secretary), Jean Campbell (Portland State University-Retired; MEOC Lifetime Achievement Award Honoree), Larry Michalak (U.C. Berkeley-Retired; MEOC Lifetime Achievement Award Honoree), Suriati Abas (SUNY Oneonta), Zack Crandall (Buffalo Grove High School (IL)), Corinne Hughes (Portland State University), Julie Wakefield (McQueen High School (NV)).<br />&nbsp;<br /><strong><u>Welcome</u></strong><strong>:</strong><br />President Craig Cangemi brought the meeting to order at 8:06 PM. and welcomed all attendees. He noted that the past two years have been difficult for those involved in Middle East outreach. MESA did not meet in person in 2020 and 2021, which meant that MEOC did not hold in-person meetings and a teacher workshop in conjunction with MESA. Furthermore, MEOC did not participate in NCSS in 2020 and 2021. We hope for in-person meetings in 2022, including an in-person book awards ceremony.<br />&nbsp;<br /><strong><u>Approval of 2019 Business Meeting Minutes</u></strong><strong>:</strong><br />Prior to the meeting, Secretary Joe Stanik distributed to the members of MEOC via email the minutes from the previous business meeting, which was held November 15, 2019, in New Orleans, NO. A motion to approve the 2019 business meeting minutes was introduced, the motion was seconded, and the minutes were approved.<br />&nbsp;<br /><strong><u>Treasurer&rsquo;s Report</u></strong><strong>:</strong><br />Treasurer Chris Rose shared the 2021 MEOC financial statement, dated November 17, 2021:<br /><u>Assets</u>:<br /></font><ul><li><font size="3">$5,111.32 in Checking</font></li><li><font size="3">$48,621.07 in Savings</font></li></ul><font size="3"><u>Transaction Summary, December 2020-November 2021</u>:<br /></font><ul><li><font size="3">Income: $927.99</font><ul><li><font size="3">Membership income: $860.65</font></li><li><font size="3">Amazon affiliate income: $67.34</font></li></ul></li><li><font size="3">Expenses: $1,130.01</font><ul><li><font size="3">Google: $537.24</font></li><li><font size="3">Incorporation renewal: $10</font></li><li><font size="3">Book Award expenses (shipping and supplies): $582.77</font></li></ul></li></ul><ul><li><font size="3">Website-related expense: $108.99</font></li></ul><font size="3">A motion to approve the treasurer&rsquo;s report was introduced, the motion was seconded, and the report was approved.<br />&nbsp;<br /><strong><u>2021 Election Results</u></strong><strong>:</strong><br />Craig announced that Greg Hill was unanimously elected to a second term on the Board of Directors. Joe added that, for the 2022 election, three seats on the Board will be in play. Will Daniel and Rima Hassouneh are eligible to run for a second term, while the seat now held by Jacqueline Vidal, who is serving her second term, will become open. President-Elect Katie Aslan will move up to President in 2022.<br />&nbsp;<br /><strong><u>Membership</u></strong><strong>:</strong><br />Membership Chair Katie Aslan reported that MEOC currently has 372 access members, 9 institutional members, and 15 educator/outreach professional members.<br />&nbsp;<br /><strong><u>Book Awards</u></strong><strong>:</strong><br />Over the course of the past year, an ad hoc committee comprised of Craig, Chris, and Katie supervised the Book Awards process. Chris reported that the 2021 award winners will be announced via a live-stream program on Face Book and YouTube. The date of the awards ceremony has not been announced. The committee praised Susan Douglass and Emma Harver for their recent outstanding service as Book Awards Co-Chairs. Their standardization of the book award infrastructure and streamlining of the review process was highlighted.<br />&nbsp;<br /><strong><u>New Business:</u></strong><br /></font><ul><li><font size="3">Chris announced that Lisa Adeli, who passed away on December 22, 2020, was posthumously honored with the MEOC Lifetime Achievement Award.</font></li><li><font size="3">Jean Campbell recommended that the Youth Non-Fiction Book Award Category be renamed to honor Lisa.</font></li></ul><font size="3">&nbsp;<br /><strong><u>Outreach Professional Updates &ndash; 2021 Success Stories:</u></strong><br />Attendees of the meeting shared exciting accomplishments from the past year.<br />&nbsp;<br />Craig adjourned the meeting at 8:48 P.M.<br />&nbsp;<br />Respectfully Submitted,<br /><br />Joseph T. Stanik<br />MEOC Secretary</font><br /></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[2019 Business meeting]]></title><link><![CDATA[http://www.meoc.us/meeting-minutes/2019-business-meeting]]></link><comments><![CDATA[http://www.meoc.us/meeting-minutes/2019-business-meeting#comments]]></comments><pubDate>Wed, 27 Nov 2024 17:43:26 GMT</pubDate><category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category><guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.meoc.us/meeting-minutes/2019-business-meeting</guid><description><![CDATA[MIDDLE EAST OUTREACH COUNCILMEOC Business Meeting MinutesFriday, November 15, 2019, 4:00 - 5:00 PM CSTSheraton New Orleans, New Orleans, LA&nbsp;Participants: Craig Cangemi (QFI; President), Christopher Rose (University of Texas at Austin; Past-President/Treasurer), Katie Aslan (University of Texas at Austin; President-Elect/Membership Chair), Betsey Coleman (Colorado Academy-Retired; Board Member/Conferences Co-Chair), Susan Douglass (Georgetown University; Board Member/Book Awards Committee Co [...] ]]></description><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="paragraph"><font size="3"><strong>MIDDLE EAST OUTREACH COUNCIL<br />MEOC Business Meeting Minutes<br />Friday, November 15, 2019, 4:00 - 5:00 PM CST<br />Sheraton New Orleans, New Orleans, LA</strong><br />&nbsp;<br /><strong><u>Participants:</u></strong> Craig Cangemi (QFI; President), Christopher Rose (University of Texas at Austin; Past-President/Treasurer), Katie Aslan (University of Texas at Austin; President-Elect/Membership Chair), Betsey Coleman (Colorado Academy-Retired; Board Member/Conferences Co-Chair), Susan Douglass (Georgetown University; Board Member/Book Awards Committee Co-Chair), Emma Harver (Duke University-University of North Carolina Consortium; Board Member/Book Awards Committee Co-Chair), Jacqueline Vidal (Garza Independence High School; Board Member), Pren &ldquo;Dunn&rdquo; Woods (Alston Middle School; Board Member), Lisa Adeli (University of Arizona), Mai Ayyad (Fulbright Commission Egypt), Jean Campbell (Portland State University-Retired), Richard Doughty (Aramco World), Jonathan Friedlander (UCLA), Harrison Guthorn (SQCC), Asser Hany (Fulbright Commission Egypt), Fidele Harfouche (NYU), Rima Hassouneh (University of Michigan), Fatma Ismail (ARCE), Krishna Kulkarni (University of Chicago), Jennifer Mathlouthi (Aramco World), Melinda McClimans (Ohio State University), Larry Michalak (U.C. Berkeley), Maggie Nassif (Fulbright Commission Egypt), Barbara Petzen (Middle East Connections &amp; CSIS; Conferences Co-Chair), James Ryan (NYU), Cristin Siebert (Yale University), Madison Sindorf (NaTakallam), Jeremie Smith (Ohio State University).<br />&nbsp;<br /><strong><u>Welcome:</u></strong><br />President Craig Cangemi brought the meeting to order at 4:07 PM. and welcomed all attendees.<br />&nbsp;<br /><strong><u>Approval of 2019 Business Meeting Minutes:</u></strong><br />Copies of the minutes from the business meeting, held November 16, 2018, in San Antonio, TX, were distributed. Chris Rose made a motion to approve the 2018 minutes, the motion was seconded by Barbara Petzen, and the minutes were approved. Secretary Joe Stanik was not able to attend this meeting; Emma Harver took minutes for the business meeting in his absence.<br />&nbsp;<br /><strong><u>Treasurer&rsquo;s Report:</u></strong><br />Chris Rose, Treasurer, passed out copies of the treasurer&rsquo;s report. Chris reported that as of November 14, 2019, MEOC has $9,482.06 in checking and $48,419.90 in savings for a total amount of $57,901.96. This year, Saudi Aramco offered a donation of $10,000. Primary expenses of MEOC are associated with three major conferences; the Middle East Studies Association (MESA), the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS), and the National Council for Teachers of English (NCTE). Chris is keeping an eye on interest rates to see if it would be advantageous to move funds from MEOC&rsquo;s savings account to an account with a higher interest rate. Jean Campbell made a motion to approve the 2019 treasure&rsquo;s report, Lisa Adeli seconded the motion, and the report was approved.<br />&nbsp;<br /><strong><u>2019 Election Results:</u></strong><br />Craig announced that there were two positions in this year&rsquo;s election; one for president-elect and one board member position. Katie Aslan, Director of Outreach and Public Programs at the University of Texas at Austin, was elected as president-elect, and Gregory Hill, a High School Geography Educator from Mesquite, Texas, was elected to the board. Next year, there will be several positions open on the board; members were invited to begin thinking about nominations for the elections.<br />&nbsp;<br /><strong><u>Membership:</u></strong><br />Membership chair, Katie Aslan, announced that we currently have 16 institutional members (soon to be 17), 49 individual paid members, and around 700 access members. Katie shared that while these numbers have not changed much since 2018, the number of institutional members has increased. For questions about becoming a member, please contact Katie Aslan, <a href="mailto:kaslan@austin.utexas.edu">kaslan@austin.utexas.edu</a>.<br />&nbsp;<br /><strong><u>MEOC Outreach Professionals Workshop:</u></strong><br />From 4:00 &ndash; 6:00 p.m. on Saturday, November 16, 2019, in the Estherwood Room (4th floor), Barbara Petzen and Chris Rose will be leading an Outreach Professionals Workshop. The program will include a conversation about experiential programming rather than content delivery along. The workshop will also allow for networking among outreach professionals.<br />&nbsp;<br /><strong><u>2019 Conferences: </u></strong><br />Barbara Petzen, Conferences Chair, shared that MEOC will participate in two upcoming national conferences. First, MEOC will staff a booth at NCSS, November 22-24, 2019, in Austin, TX, where MEOC usually interacts with about 500 educators. This year, the NCSS conference is a collaboration of NCSS, the Texas Council for the Social Studies, and the National Council for Geographic Education. Barbara invited those interested in working a shift at the booth and conversing with teachers interested in the Middle East to contact her (<a href="mailto:bpetzen@gmail.com">bpetzen@gmail.com</a>). Barbara Petzen and Chris Rose will hold MEOC&rsquo;s pre-conference clinic--&ldquo;Culinary Cultures of the Middle East&rdquo;--in a teaching kitchen in Austin. This will be a full-day workshop using food to learn about the Middle East and its connections to other regions. Lisa Adeli created a list of Middle East-related conference sessions at NCSS for distribution.<br />&nbsp;<br />Second, MEOC will have a presence at NCTE, November 21-24, 2019, in Baltimore, MD, where MEOC usually interacts with about 800 teachers. MEOC is participating in a shared booth with five other global book award organizations. Collaboration magnifies the presence of the global book awards. The awarding organizations are also partnering together to host a panel at NCTE--&ldquo;Sparking Curiosity about the World through Global Children&rsquo;s and Young Adult Literature&rdquo;--scheduled for Thursday, November 21, 2019, 11:00 A.M. - 12:15 P.M. Book Awards co-chair Susan Douglass will be the MEOC representative on the panel. Most of the awards are also hosting author signings at the global book awards booth. MEOC has arranged to have Karen Leggett Abouraya do a signing of her books <em>Malala Yousafzai: Warrior with Words</em> (2014) and <em>Hands Around the Library: Protecting Egypt&rsquo;s Treasured Books</em> (2012).<br />&nbsp;<br /><strong><u>2019 MEOC Book Awards:</u></strong><br />Book awards co-chair, Susan Douglass, gave a preliminary announcement about the 2019 book award winners. The formal announcement will be made next week at NCSS and NCTE, so participants were asked to keep mum about the award winners. The 2019 book award sub-committees were chaired by Barbara Petzen (literature), Angela Williams (picture books), and Roberta Robinson (non-fiction). The winners of the 2019 book award are as follows:<br />&nbsp;<br /><strong>Youth Literature:</strong><br />Winner: <em>Darius the Great is Not Okay</em> by Adib Khorram<br />Winner: <em>Nowhere Boy</em> by Katherine Marsh<br />Honorable Mention: <em>The Last Watchman of Old Cairo</em> by Michael David Lukas<br /><strong>Non-Fiction:</strong><br />Winner: <em>The Unwanted: Stories of the Syrian Refugees</em> by Don Brown<br />Honorable Mention: <em>Ibn Battuta: The Journey of a Medieval Muslim</em> by Edoardo Albert<br /><strong>Picture Book:</strong><br />Winner: <em>A Drop of the Sea</em> by Ingrid Chabbert; Illustrated by Guridi<br />Winner: <em>Riding a Donkey Backwards: Wise and Foolish Tales of Mulla Nasruddin </em>retold by Sean Taylor &amp; the Khayaal Theatre; Illustrated by Shirin Adl<br />Honorable Mention: <em>Tomorrow</em> by Nadine Kaadan<br />Honorable Mention: <em>My Grandma and Me</em> by Mina Javaherbin; Illustrated by Lindsey Yankey<br />&nbsp;<br />Following the book awards announcement, there was robust discussion of how to increase visibility of the awards. In recent years, MEOC has partnered with the other global book award organization on a Global Reads webinar series featuring authors of the award-winning books. Teachers affiliated with MEOC spread the news of the awards. An idea was proposed to survey teachers a few years after each awards announcement to see how they are using the books in their classrooms and gathering classroom resource materials. Another suggestion for spreading news of the awards was to submit reviews to journals on children&rsquo;s literature.<br />&nbsp;<br />QFI has a book grant program and invites teachers to apply for classroom sets of award-winning books. To date, QFI has given out about 2,500 books to teachers across the country. In return, teachers write about how they have used the books in the classroom.<br />&nbsp;<br />There was a suggestion to engage Schools of Education with the awards to encourage pre-service teachers to integrate award-winning books into the curriculum. Aramco World will be writing reviews on some of the winning books in their publication.<br />&nbsp;<br />MEOC will work on generating a list of organizations and contacts with whom to share the book awards.<br />&nbsp;<br /><strong><u>New Business:</u></strong><br />Craig shared that a new goal for MEOC is increasing its visibility, presence, and growing membership, as more paid members increase income and allows the organization to put on more programming and work. In the coming year, the MEOC board will be thinking about how to increase membership as well as financial contributions from other sources. MEOC will also be going through a re-branding process in the coming year and will be working with a Los Angeles-based designer to design a new logo and brand identity. MEOC will also purchase a more robust conference set-up at national conferences to stand out among the hundreds of exhibitors. Craig welcomed ideas about ways we that the organization can grow and connect with more educators.<br />&nbsp;<br /><strong><u>Outreach Professional Updates &ndash; 2019 Success Stories:</u></strong><br />Attendees of the meeting shared exciting accomplishments from the past year.<br />&nbsp;<br />Craig adjourned the meeting at 5:04 P.M.<br />&nbsp;<br />Minutes recorded by: Emma Harver, MEOC Board Member and Book Awards Co-Chair.<br />&nbsp;<br />Respectfully Submitted,<br /><br />Joseph T. Stanik<br />MEOC Secretary</font><br /></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[2018 Business meeting]]></title><link><![CDATA[http://www.meoc.us/meeting-minutes/2018-business-meeting]]></link><comments><![CDATA[http://www.meoc.us/meeting-minutes/2018-business-meeting#comments]]></comments><pubDate>Wed, 27 Nov 2024 17:39:31 GMT</pubDate><category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category><guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.meoc.us/meeting-minutes/2018-business-meeting</guid><description><![CDATA[MIDDLE EAST OUTREACH COUNCILMEOC Business Meeting MinutesFriday, November 16, 2018, 4:00-5:30 PM CSTGrand Hyatt San Antonio, San Antonio, TX&nbsp;Participants: Craig Cangemi (QFI; President), Christopher Rose (University of Texas at Austin; Past-President), Katie Aslan (University of Texas at Austin; Board Member), Betsey Coleman (Colorado Academy-Retired; Board Member), Susan Douglass (Georgetown University; Board Member/Book Awards Committee Co-Chair), Emma Harver (Duke University-University o [...] ]]></description><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="paragraph" style="text-align:left;"><font size="4"><strong style="">MIDDLE EAST OUTREACH COUNCIL</strong><br /><strong style="">MEOC Business Meeting Minutes</strong><br /><strong style="">Friday, November 16, 2018, 4:00-5:30 PM CST</strong><br /><strong style="">Grand Hyatt San Antonio, San Antonio, TX</strong><br />&nbsp;<br /><strong style="">Participants</strong>: Craig Cangemi (QFI; President), Christopher Rose (University of Texas at Austin; Past-President), Katie Aslan (University of Texas at Austin; Board Member), Betsey Coleman (Colorado Academy-Retired; Board Member), Susan Douglass (Georgetown University; Board Member/Book Awards Committee Co-Chair), Emma Harver (Duke University-University of North Carolina Consortium; Board Member/Book Awards Committee Co-Chair), Joe Stanik (Anne Arundel Community College; Secretary), Lisa Adeli (University of Arizona), Jean Campbell (Portland State University-Retired), Julia Chovcair-Vizoso (U.C. Berkeley), Robert Hardmond (Brooklyn Tech High School), Rima Hassouneh (University of Michigan), Corinne Hughes (Portland State University), Larry Michalak (U.C. Berkeley), Maggie Nassif (Fulbright Commission Egypt), Barbara Petzen (Middle East Connections &amp; CSIS), Jessica Hill Riggs (University of Michigan), James Ryan (NYU), Cristin Siebert (Yale University), Renee Spellman (University of Arizona), Hannah Weitzer (NaTakallam), and Zack al-Witri (Stanford University-Abbasi Program).<br />&nbsp;<br /><strong style="">Welcome:</strong><br />President Chris Rose brought the meeting to order at 4:04 and welcomed all attendees.<br />&nbsp;<br /><strong style="">Minutes of 2017 Business Meeting:</strong><br />Secretary Joe Stanik distributed copies of the minutes from the business meeting, held November 19, 2017, in Washington, DC. The attendees reviewed the minutes. There was a motion to approve the minutes, the motion was seconded, and the minutes were approved.<br />&nbsp;<br /><strong style="">Treasurer&rsquo;s Report:</strong><br />Chris reported that, as of November 11, 2018, MEOC has $8,156.90 in checking and $48,390.80 in savings for a total amount of $56,547.70. There was a motion to approve the treasurer&rsquo;s report, the motion was seconded, and the report was approved.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br />&nbsp;<br /><strong style="">Election Results:</strong><br />Past President Barbara Petzen, chair of the nominations and election committee, thanked Chris and Greta Scharnweber for their service as president and president-elect, respectively, and Michael Freydin, Bram Hubbell, and Angela Williams for their service on the Board. She announced that Craig Cangemi was elected president; Susan Douglass and Emma Harver were re-elected to the Board; and Betsey Coleman, Jacqueline Vidal, Julie Wakefield, and Pren &ldquo;Dunn&rdquo; Woods were elected to two-year terms on the Board.<br />&nbsp;<br /><strong style="">MEOC Lifetime Achievement Award:</strong><br />Chris presented Barbara with the MEOC Lifetime Achievement Award for her many years of outstanding service to MEOC and the field of Middle Eastern studies.<br />&nbsp;<br /><strong style="">Instillation of new President:</strong><br />Chris transferred to Craig the office of MEOC president.<br />&nbsp;<br /><strong style="">Membership:</strong><br />Craig reported that MEOC currently has 10 institutional members, 64 paid members, and more than 700 access members. He pointed out that institutions pay $150 in annual dues and that the benefits of institutional membership are a page on the MEOC website, where they can describe their center&rsquo;s activities and embed a link to their official websites; co-sponsor status at NCSS and NCTE; and two votes in MEOC elections.<br />&nbsp;<br /><strong style="">Travel Awards:</strong><br />On behalf of Angela Williams, travel awards committee chair, Chris announced the following awards: Corinne Hughes (Portland State University), Renee Spellman (University of Arizona), and Trisha Van Wagner (Baltimore City Public Schools).<br />&nbsp;<br /><strong style="">Teachers&rsquo; Workshop:</strong><br />Katie Aslan announced that the 2018 MEOC Teachers&rsquo; Workshop will take place Sat., Nov. 17, 9 AM-3 PM, at the Mission Branch of the San Antonio Public Library. The topic is &ldquo;Global Connections Through the Five Senses.&rdquo; Beforehand, attendees can participate in a guided tour of historic Mission San Jos&eacute;. An authentic lunch will be provided. At 4:30 PM, the 2018 MEOC Book Award winners will be announced. Twenty-three people have signed up for the workshop.<br />&nbsp;<br /><strong style="">Conferences:</strong><br /></font><ul><li><font size="4">Barbara announced that the 2018 NCSS conference will take place Nov. 30-Dec. 2 in Chicago. She and Chris will lead a pre-conference clinic on cooking Middle Eastern cuisine.</font></li><li><font size="4">She reported that MEOC did not participate in the 2018 NCTE conference in Houston (Nov. 15-19), because it overlapped with this year&rsquo;s annual meeting of MESA.</font></li><li><font size="4">She suggested that MEOC investigate participating in the National Council for History Education annual meeting.&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</font></li></ul><font size="4">&nbsp;<br /><strong>Global Read Webinar:</strong><br />Emma Harver, book awards committee co-chair, highlighted the Global Read Webinar Series, sponsored by the&nbsp;<a href="https://internationalizingsocialstudies.wordpress.com/world-area-book-awards/" target="_blank">World Area Book Awards</a>. Every month, the organization will sponsor a 60-minute webinar on an award-winning book and facilitate a discussion with the author on how teachers can incorporate the book into their classrooms. The books are appropriate for students in grades 7-12.&nbsp;<br />&nbsp;<br /><strong>MEOC Book Awards:</strong><br /></font><ul><li><font size="4">Susan Douglas, book awards committee co-chair, reported that Emma&rsquo;s office at the Duke-UNC Consortium contacted the publishers of nominated books, who agreed to provide copies for each reviewer, who are welcome to keep the books. The three book-award subcommittees will be limited to five members (a chair plus four reviewers).</font></li><li><font size="4">The 2018 MEOC Book Awards will be announced following the Teachers&rsquo; Workshop.&nbsp;&nbsp;</font></li></ul><font size="4">&nbsp;<br /><strong>New Business:</strong><br /></font><ul><li><font size="4">The new MEOC website (<a href="http://www.meoc.us/">www.meoc.us</a>) is up and running. Please visit.</font></li><li><font size="4">The MEOC board meeting will take place Sun., Nov. 18, 9-11 AM, in room 2-Mission A of the Grand Hyatt San Antonio Hotel.</font></li></ul><font size="4">&nbsp;<br /><strong style="">Outreach Activities Reports</strong>:<br />Attendees reported on their interesting and diverse outreach activities.<br />&nbsp;<br />Craig adjourned the meeting at 5:36 PM.<br />&nbsp;<br />Respectfully submitted,<br />&nbsp;<br />Joseph T. Stanik<br />MEOC Secretary</font></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[2017 Business Meeting]]></title><link><![CDATA[http://www.meoc.us/meeting-minutes/november-19-2017]]></link><comments><![CDATA[http://www.meoc.us/meeting-minutes/november-19-2017#comments]]></comments><pubDate>Sun, 19 Nov 2017 08:00:00 GMT</pubDate><category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category><guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.meoc.us/meeting-minutes/november-19-2017</guid><description><![CDATA[ [...] ]]></description><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div><div id="102443986507512019" align="left" style="width: 100%; overflow-y: hidden;" class="wcustomhtml"><iframe src="https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vTy1uRtTL_UZtTfeGowNz2MJ3gESrAAApo5LWpsE3fMNfUrPQ3HZ9ZuAs-P2RobgxGhTxlSBk57XZ3j/pub?embedded=true" width="1024" height="2208"></iframe></div></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[2016 Business Meeting]]></title><link><![CDATA[http://www.meoc.us/meeting-minutes/2016-business-meeting]]></link><comments><![CDATA[http://www.meoc.us/meeting-minutes/2016-business-meeting#comments]]></comments><pubDate>Sat, 19 Nov 2016 08:00:00 GMT</pubDate><category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category><guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.meoc.us/meeting-minutes/2016-business-meeting</guid><description><![CDATA[ [...] ]]></description><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div><div id="190011412897081038" align="left" style="width: 100%; overflow-y: hidden;" class="wcustomhtml"><iframe src="https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vQyAvbB9E4AL954p7NU9D6Igcmy9LH7WaaJ52foLqRov76KL5Nw4987aW1nNtHGxekL6B_ifngULRaD/pub?embedded=true" width="720" height="1380"></iframe></div></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[2015 Business meeting]]></title><link><![CDATA[http://www.meoc.us/meeting-minutes/2015-business-meeting]]></link><comments><![CDATA[http://www.meoc.us/meeting-minutes/2015-business-meeting#comments]]></comments><pubDate>Sat, 21 Nov 2015 08:00:00 GMT</pubDate><category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category><guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.meoc.us/meeting-minutes/2015-business-meeting</guid><description><![CDATA[ [...] ]]></description><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div><div id="665518026834142389" align="left" style="width: 100%; overflow-y: hidden;" class="wcustomhtml"><iframe src="https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vRyZNGaXm-SjQa7yT5IdFcfjZ_tCpZbrJV602G5TLSzQeWDpXhktveq-chV3mCaUvQt7XJumQLOxHYR/pub?embedded=true" width="720" height="1380"></iframe></div></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[2014 Business meeting]]></title><link><![CDATA[http://www.meoc.us/meeting-minutes/2014-business-meeting]]></link><comments><![CDATA[http://www.meoc.us/meeting-minutes/2014-business-meeting#comments]]></comments><pubDate>Sat, 22 Nov 2014 08:00:00 GMT</pubDate><category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category><guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.meoc.us/meeting-minutes/2014-business-meeting</guid><description><![CDATA[ [...] ]]></description><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div><div id="967116259768288486" align="left" style="width: 100%; overflow-y: hidden;" class="wcustomhtml"><iframe src="https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vQopd3SYxxPhluZGry6ab2b9m81jQ7wgidR8Etq3N28QwtnzVPHUnd0Xw_H6DJyQNJ0pfQCBWpUx15P/pub?embedded=true" width="720" height="1380"></iframe></div></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[2013 business meeting]]></title><link><![CDATA[http://www.meoc.us/meeting-minutes/2013-business-meeting]]></link><comments><![CDATA[http://www.meoc.us/meeting-minutes/2013-business-meeting#comments]]></comments><pubDate>Fri, 11 Oct 2013 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate><category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category><guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.meoc.us/meeting-minutes/2013-business-meeting</guid><description><![CDATA[ [...] ]]></description><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div><div id="644601812375077316" align="left" style="width: 100%; overflow-y: hidden;" class="wcustomhtml"><iframe src="https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vQFEvtkaqrwXN9tRuDlJZBeYtmJoqIoBqSJby77HmXUJBVy1FSDC6DYxm7dOb11iVPoJmVmtIOwHCoB/pub?embedded=true" width="720" height="1024"></iframe></div></div>]]></content:encoded></item></channel></rss>