They have become a time of intellectual stimulation, Society business, networking, sightseeing, and socializing.  In large measure, the Triennials bond the members, who are often living at great distances.  It is also at this occasion that the Society bestows upon its distinguished members the Awards.

The last Triennial was held in Savannah, Georgia in May, 2005.  The general theme was "Talking Technology."  For photos and additional information, click on Savannah 2005.

Previous Triennials included:

2005 - Savannah, Georgia

2002 - Tanque Verde Ranch, Tucson, Arizona

1999 - Sanibel Island, Florida

1996 - Coolfont Resort, Berkley Springs, West Virginia

1993 - Asilomar Conference Center, Monterey, California

1990 - Washington, DC

1987 - New York

1984 - Washington, DC

1981 - New York

(They alternated between NY and DC before this, too)

The next Triennial is scheduled for May 24 - 27, 2008 in Chicago, Illinois.  More Info:

Triennial 2008 - OUTLINE PLANS:

Welcome to Chicago - city of architecture, jazz, blues, concerts, museums, sports and almost anything else that might interest you.  It is a Green City, with the world's largest rooftop garden - Millennium Park, parks and boulevards designed by Frederick Law Olmstead. 

The Conference Hotel is the Hotel Inter-Continental, centrally located on the Magnificent mile - Michigan Avenue just two blocks north of the Chicago River.  It is an architectural gem with external friezes, an art deco swimming pool, Moorish meeting rooms, etc.

Various Sizes of Chicago SWG Triennial Logo (as shown at left) for use in publications, etc.

    Selected Readings for Chicago Triennial

    Early Arrivals:  Things To Do In Chicago

    Calling for Books and Articles to Display

Updated Schedule:

Quick Overview of Schedule:

Tentative Schedule:

Saturday, May 24, 2008

• Executive Council meeting at 1:30 PM (or, if early arrival, explore the city, on tours or walks)
• Check-in time is 3 PM
• Welcome reception held at the hotel, hosted by past presidents. 
• Dinner, featuring a guest speaker on a Chicago topic.

Sunday, May 25, 2008

• Breakfast at the hotel
• Morning conference programs (Topics TBD)
• Lunch at the hotel
• Chicago Architectural Foundation's much-acclaimed cruise of the Chicago River
• Michigan Avenue Bridge Museum and the Freedom Museum (Optional stops on two-block walk back to hotel)
• Late Afternoon - "Table Topic" discussions of specific interests of SWG members

• Optional Dining at ethnic restaurants (Chinese, Greek, Japanese, Cajun, etc.) escorted by local SWG members. (Advance sign-ups)

• Welcome Room at hotel is open in the evening for informal socializing to share highlights of the day

Monday, May 26, 2008 (Memorial Day)

• Breakfast at the hotel
• Business Meeting
• Program sessions (until 10:45)
• Buses (Box Lunches enroute) to Hyde Park - South side of Chicago for Tours:
  • Tour Frank Lloyd Wright's Robie House
  • Oriental Institute with its Middle Eastern Collections at U. of Chicago
  • Optional:  Rockefeller Chapel and new Graduate School of Business' Rafael Vinoly Building
• SWG's Triennial Awards Banquet with honored speakers

Tuesday, May 27

• Breakfast at the hotel
• Farewells and Departures

Thoughts on Additional Tours, etc.

We recommend one tour for those staying on after the Triennial–the Super-Badass Ethnic Chicago Bus Tour. It’s a four-hour Tuesday afternoon bus tour of areas where different immigrant groups have settled over the years.

 For a more general orientation tour of the city, there are frequent trolley and bus tours that – for a slightly higher than normal fee – allow visitors to get off at museums and other stops of their choice and rejoin another bus or trolley later to continue their tour.

 One can also take a city bus to an area just south of the city center for a walking tour of Prairie Avenue, the neighborhood where some of Chicago’s most famous families – the Armours, Fields, Kimballs, and Pullmans – built homes after the 1871 Chicago Fire. The close by and no-cost Lincoln Park Zoo and plant Conservatory are also worth a stroll-through.

 You can also rent a bike and ride along the Lake Michigan shoreline or to the nearby Navy Pier with its Ferris wheel, stained glass museum, and Shakespeare Theatre. The new Millennium Park is just a few short blocks south of our hotel, with its Music Pavilion designed by Frank Gehry, and the reflective Cloudscape by Anish Kapoor that some Chicagoans refer to as “the jellybean.” Watching children play at the base of the Crown Fountain there is a sight relished by most Chicagoans.

 When the Triennial ends on Tuesday, May 27, after brunch, you may wish to tour the Frank Lloyd Wright home and studio in the nearby suburb of Oak Park. It was here that Wright pioneered the design of Prairie-style architecture. A walking tour of the Frank Lloyd Wright Historic District, also in Oak Park, is available too. Chicago is a nationally recognized theater town, with over 100 production spaces, including the Goodman, Steppenwolf, Shakespeare, and, of course, Second City. With advance notice, we could also arrange group dinners at Blues Chicago, House of Blues or Buddy Guy’s Legends for anyone who wants to sample the city’s famous blues joints. For those who may prefer something close to the hotel of a more mysterious nature, there is dinner and a fictional “murder” at the nearby McCormick mansion where guests are given an identity and clues to solve the mystery as they roam the famous home. There are many more architectural tour possibilities, and the gorgeous Chicago Botanic Garden in suburban Glencoe is also a treat to visit.

 It would also be possible to arrange a day trip to the Indiana Dunes, the Illinois and Michigan Canal Heritage Corridor, Starved Rock State Park in Utica, Ill., and the Calatrava Art Museum in Milwaukee. Anyone interested in these should let us know.

 —Ellen Steinberg, Cathy Brehm, and Lucia Mouat 

CALL FOR PRESENTATIONS

at the SWG Triennial in Chicago, IL

May 24-27, 2008

THEN AND NOW:  Global perspectives on place change  

THEN AND NOW is a special session featuring images and analysis of place change.  The goal is to document and understand, through a series of case studies of specific places, the social, environmental, economic and political dimensions of global change.  We are soliciting presentations that describe and contrast a place 'then' and a place 'now'.  A place is a well-defined geographic location or area;  it can be a city, country, neighborhood or environmental feature, from Antarctica to Cape Town to a coral reef.  We are also very open about the time period of change, although the time period should be long enough to demonstrate meaningful and measurable place change.  Our focus is the kinds of changes taking place at the present -- globalization and global environmental change – although historical perspectives may be relevant.

Presentations will be no more than 20 minutes long and should include images and analysis of a specific place 'then' and 'now'.

The "Then and Now" program is an extension of the Travel Archives Project started in 1994 with a generous contribution from At Large member, Valene M. Posey.  The purpose of the project is to collect images of places where SWG members have traveled and preserve them on CD's.  The collection is available to serious researchers.  There are approx. 1600 images in the collection.  We hope participating members of "Then and Now", if they have not already done so, will submit their images to the project. After processing, images will be returned to the members.

If you are interested in presenting, please email a short abstract describing the place, time period and the types of changes to be emphasized to: Sara McLafferty, smclaff@uiuc.edu

Thank you very much for your interest and participation in this special session at the 2008 SWG Triennial.  Feel free to contact us if you have any questions.

Sincerely,

SWG 2008 Triennial Program Committee

   Sara McLafferty

   Dorothy Drummond

   Jan Monk

Sara McLafferty

Dept of Geography

University of Illinois, MC-150

Urbana, IL 61801

Phone 217-244-1771

HONORS ANNOUNCEMENT FOR 2008

The Society of Woman Geographers has two special awards: a Gold Medal and an Outstanding Achievement Award for members who have shown outstanding excellence and achievement commensurate with the objectives of the Society. The names of past recipients are listed on the SWG Honors page of the Bulletin.

The Society’s President, as a special part of the Triennial Meeting, traditionally presents these awards. Our next Triennial will be held May 24-27, 2008 at the InterContinental Chicago.

GOLD MEDAL: the highest honor that you can be bestowed by the Society. It is awarded to a member whose original, innovative, or pioneering contributions are of major significance to the world’s knowledge and understanding of the universe in which we live.

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT AWARD: is conferred on a member in recognition of her outstanding contribution or service that is of lasting benefit to Science, the Arts, or Humanity.

Nominations must be indisputably documented so that the nominee’s qualifications and special achievements can be judged fairly. The Committee cannot do further research on any candidate. Based on the data submitted, each Honors Committee member will evaluate the work of each nominee, and, using the Honors Program point system, rank all nominees for whichever award she was nominated and qualifies. The nominees’ total “scores” from all the rankings form the basis for the Committee’s award decisions, which they then recommend to the Executive Council for the final vote.

Please note that neither honor is necessarily presented at each Triennial and more than one of each has sometimes been given in the same year. Standards are high. Unless selective documentation shows a significantly focused accomplishment, that standard is not met and an award cannot be made.

In considering possible nominees, think beyond your Group to the entire membership of the Society of Woman Geographers. Our goal is to honor those who stand out within our ranks. 

The nomination forms will be mailed within the next month and the deadline for receipt of nominations will be September 7, 2007.  Please begin to consider nominees and collecting documentation.  Please note that documentation may not exceed a total of twelve sheets.

Application Form

Various Sizes of Chicago SWG Triennial Logo

 for use in publications, etc.