A Brief History of the LCMND 's Structure
Linguistic Circle (LCMND) started out in 1959
as a joint initiative by faculty members of the University of
Manitoba (UM, Winnipeg, Man.) and the University of North Dakota
(UND, Grand Forks, ND). It was intended to provide a cross-border
forum for scholarly exchange , and has been highly successful
in realizing its aim by organizing yearly conferences both north
& south of the United States/Canadian border for nearly fifty
years .
Apart from the two Manitoba & North Dakota founding universities
-- the UM and the UND
-- further administrative and financial support was provided
in the 1980s when the University of Winnipeg (UW,
in 1980), North Dakota State University (NDSU,
Fargo, ND, in 1985), and Minot State University (MSU,
Minot, ND, in 1988) joined the Circle as Institutional Members.
Since then, the yearly meetings have been convened Winnipeg, Grand
Forks, Fargo, and Minot on a rotating basis. Secretary/Treasurers
are always located in Winnipeg where every other year either the
University of Manitoba or the University of Winnipeg are hosting
the LCMND Conference, and where the Circle's bank account resides.
Executive Members are recruited from the three North Dakota at
the level of Vice-President. The following year, they are President,
& host the Annual Conference in their home town. With the
status of Past President for yet another year, they complete their
three-year long tenure on the LCMND Executive.
All officers elected from the two Winnipeg institutions serve
for five years, due to a two-year term as the Circle's Secretary/Treasurer.
This term allows for any given Secretary/Treasurer to gain experience
by working closely with the current LCMND President, who represents
the other Winnipeg university, and who transmits his or her knowledge
of procedures concerning the "Call for Papers", membership dues,
organizing the actual conference location, making arrangements
for the Banquet, preparing an agenda for the annual business meeting,
and, most importantly, keeping the Circle's accounts in both US
& Canadian currencies in good order. Manitoba members of the
executive therefore don't accede to the presidency before having
served for three years, and they complete their tenure with the
Past-Presidency after five years.
This complex rotating system means that the conference locations
are determined for several years in advance. For instance, the
2001 Conference was held at the NDSU in Fargo, the 2002 Conference
was hosted in Winnipeg by the University of Winnipeg (UW); the
2003 Conference was held in Grand Forks at the UND, the 2004 Conference,
again in Winnipeg, but at the UM.
Then the 2005 Conference was convened at Minot State University,
where it had been held only once before, in 1995.
The 2006 conference was hosted by the UW, while the Circle's FIFTIETH
Conference was celebrated at the NDSU's excellent meeting facilities
in Fargo.
It is the UM's turn again to host the 2008 Conference in Winnipeg, and
then in 2009, the 50th Anniversary Conference will appropriately
be hosted by the other Founding Institution, the UND in Grand Forks.