In its spring meeting May 13–14, the Association's elected governing Council unanimously endorsed a proposal from its Finance Committee to restructure the membership dues schedule effective October 1, 1989. The present schedule, which was established in 1982, set a membership dues schedule with a low of $20.00 and a high of $60.00. The new schedule raises the bottom bracket by five dollars and institutes a wider spread for more senior members with incomes over $40,000 a year.

The Finance Committee was concerned that prospects for budgetary deficits in future years were becoming sufficiently high to warrant a careful review of the AHA's and sister organizations' dues schedules. Since it normally takes most of a year before the full revenue potential of a new dues structure is realized, the Council agreed that prompt action was necessary to provide security for Association finances for 1991 and after. It was also swayed by the fact that even with the new, higher dues the American Historical Association has a lower schedule than the Modern Language Association, the American Sociology Association, the American Political Science Association, and the Organization of American Historians.

Members may wish to put a renewal check in the mail rapidly to avail themselves of one last bargain renewal before the new rates take effect!