Whether they call it S_H_A or 'Sha' many Seminar for Historical Administration alums will be attending and presenting at AAM. It is at conferences such as AAM that one gets to catch up with fellow SHA Alums and to encourage the future of the Museum profession.
When I was first starting out in the museum field, I volunteered to work a national conference in order to meet people, and to start that frequently mentioned buzzword “networking”. Later in my career, I heard stories of ideas that sprung up at conferences that the museum director attended which led to projects I was working on.
Now I look forward to attending national conferences for renewal and a creative reboot. I also greatly enjoy seeing people from across the country that I only see at such events. They may only be phone call or a short click away, but to see them and to talk face to face, sometimes late into the evening, is priceless. Whether you are in a big museum with many professional colleges or in a small museum with few professional peers, a conference is a great opportunity.
I attended the Seminar for Historical Administration (SHA) in 2004, the first year it was held in Indianapolis. It is the longest-running professional development seminar in the country and the only one sponsored by six major history and museum organizations. First held in Williamsburg, Virginia, and now located in Indianapolis, Indiana, A three week, residential program, SHA is a bit like the best of grad school and multiple national conferences rolled into one. The formal part of the curriculum is intense and can take some time to fully absorb, but that is only part of it, the rest is learning outside of the classroom, from other students and from the presenters after hours.
In the spirit of SHA, there is nothing better than combining meeting up with fellow SHA alums and a national conference! With fifty-two years of SHA, there are hundreds of alums and many attend national, regional and local conferences.
If you are a graduate of SHA or you would like to learn more information about the seminar, mark your calendars and/or your program books!
On Sunday, May 22nd SHA will be featured in the idea lounge from 2:45 to 4pm. Meet Bob Beatty, Vice President of Programs, American Association for State and Local and some SHA alums to talk about the program.
On the evening of Tuesday, May 24th, from 5:30 to 6:30 pm, all SHA alums and other interested parties are invited to a reception to discuss the program and network! Meet Coordinator John Durel, Organizational Coach of QM2/ Durel Consulting Partners out of Baltimore, MD.
Wear your SHA pin to Houston and introduce yourself!
(And if you can’t make it AAM in Houston, we’ll see you in September at AASLH in Richmond, VA!!)
