SHEAR 2016 Conference Information
Hello SHEARites! The 2016 annual meeting of the Society for Historians of the Early American Republic is less than three months away, and plans are well underway. We are no longer distributing printed programs in advance of the meeting (printed programs will be available to conference attendees upon check-in). Instead, an online version of the program is available on the SHEAR website, and the mobile phone app / digital versions will be available after 15 May. The digital program will allow you to create your own schedule, receive texted program updates, tap into Twitter and Facebook threads, and take notes and organize thoughts.
For those of you ready to make your plans, please find below the conference highlights as well as information about accommodations, travel, and registration. If you have unanswered questions, please contact the conference coordinator directly (robyn.davis@millersville.edu).
Accommodations
Conference Hotel:
A block of rooms has been reserved at the Omni New Haven Hotel at Yale, 155 Temple Street, right beside the New Haven green. (A second block of rooms at the hotel, as well as a block of dorm rooms, have been reserved for graduate students; please see below.) Rates are $179.00/king or double room, and are valid up to two days before and two days after the SHEAR conference, subject to availability. The hotel amenities include an on-site spa, state of the art fitness center available to all guests, rooftop restaurant, and wi-fi. Conference attendees are responsible for making their own room reservations directly with the Omni, either online via this link or by calling the central reservation line at 1-800-843-6664 and mentioning the conference name to ensure you receive the SHEAR room rate. The deadline for making reservations at a reduced rate is Monday, June 20, 2016. More information about the hotel and its amenities is available here.
Graduate Student Hotel Block: Rooms are available for graduate students at the reduced rate of $75.00/person. All hotel rooms must be shared. Students interested must contact the conference coordinator directly (robyn.davis@millersville.edu) to be booked for this block. If you do not have a roommate in mind, the coordinator will keep a list to facilitate rooming options. The deadline for making reservations is Monday, June 20, 2016.
Dorm Rooms: A block of single and double dorm rooms has been reserved for graduate students. The cost is $92/single $64/person/double. Dorm rooms are air conditioned, with a shared common space, kitchenette, and bathroom. Bed linens are included. Students interested in booking these accommodations must contact the conference coordinator directly (robyn.davis@millersville.edu). If you do not have a roommate in mind, the coordinator will keep a list to facilitate rooming options. The deadline for making reservations is Monday, June 20, 2016.
Getting There
Planes:
From Philadelphia, American Airlines flies directly into Tweed New Haven Regional Airport, New Haven (HVN).
Approximately 45 minutes away is Bradley International Airport, Hartford (BDL), served by nine domestic carriers as well as Air Canada.
Two to 2.5 hours south by train, the New York City area airports – John F Kennedy (JFK), La Guardia (LAG), and Newark (EWR) – are served by all major carriers.
Seven major carriers serve T.F. Green airport, 2.5 hours to the east in Providence (PVD).
Ground Transportation Service from Airports:
Red Dot Airport Shuttle, Serves JFK and LaGuardia International Airports. 800-6-RED-DOT or 203-330-1005, , www.ridethedot.com
Connecticut Limousine serves Bradley, JFK, LaGuardia, and Newark International Airports. 800-472-LIMO or 203-783-6800, http://ctlimo.com
GO Airport Shuttle Connecticut Service offers door-to-door service to and from JFK and LaGuardia as well as transportation services to and from White Plains Westchester County Airport, Hartford Bradley Airport, and Newark Liberty Airport. 866-284-3247 or 203-891-1280, http://www.2theairport.com
Trains:
Amtrak at Union Station, 50 Union Avenue, New Haven provides both Northeast Corridor and Vermonter Service with connecting service from Boston South Station and New York Penn Station.
Metro-North Railroad to Union Station, New Haven. The New Haven line runs from Grand Central Terminal, NYC.
Automobiles:
Approximately 90 minutes north of New York City, the Omni New Haven at Yale is easily reached from Exit 47 on I-95 North and South. After exiting, proceed onto Route 34. Take Exit 1 on Route 34 and follow to the first traffic light. Turn right at the light (Church Street) and follow to the third traffic light. Turn left at the third traffic light (Chapel Street) and follow to the first traffic light. Turn left (Temple Street) and the hotel is on your left (155 Temple Street). Directional city signage (large yellow signs) is also available to assist from the I-95 exits.
Parking: Covered self-parking is available for $23/day and includes in in/out privileges. Valet parking is also available for $28.75/night.
Buses:
Greyhound Bus Lines provides service to Union Station. www.greyhound.com
Peter Pan Bus provides service to Union Station. 800-343-9999 for reservations. www.peterpanbus.com
Conference Highlights
Field trip to Mashantucket Pequot Museum and Research Center, Thursday, July 21. Includes a guided tour led by Ned Blackhawk, Professor of History at Yale University, lunch of Native American cuisine, and a presentation at the Research Center and Archives. Gather at Phelps gate (344 College Street) at 10:15 am, return by 4:00 pm. Transportation provided by Yale’s Center for Race, Indigeneity, and Transnational Migration. Tickets are $15.00; registration is required and seating is limited.
President’s Plenary, Thursday, July 21. SHEAR’s 38th annual conference opens with the President’s Plenary, A Conversation with Lin-Manuel Miranda, Creator of the Musical “Hamilton” with Joanne B. Freeman and Brian Phillips Murphy, Filmed in New York April 2016. Begins at 6:00 pm in the Omni Hotel at Yale.
Plenary Reception, Thursday, July 21. In the Omni Hotel at Yale immediately following the Plenary, from 7:30 to 9:00. Free to registered conference-goers, guest tickets are $15.00.
Friday Evening Reception, July 22. The Friday reception will be held at St. Thomas More Catholic Chapel & Center at Yale University (268 Park Street), a half-mile walk from the conference hotel, beginning at 6:30 pm. Pizza &c. provided by Big Green Truck Pizza, run by descendants of the Coffin whaling family. Free to registered conference-goers, guest tickets are $15.00.
Graduate student Meet-n-Greet, Friday, July 22. Graduate students from the area will welcome their colleagues at in informal gathering immediately after the Friday reception. Gryphon’s Pub at GPSCY (204 York Street), beginning at 8:30 pm.
Boydston Women’s Breakfast, Saturday, July 23. The women of SHEAR will gather for their eighth annual breakfast honoring the life and career of long-time SHEAR member and supporter Jeanne Boydston. Reservations required. Tickets are $25.00 for a delicious, hearty, and heartening breakfast. Scheduled from 8:00 to 9:00 in the Omni, this event is sponsored by the Women’s Faculty Forum at Yale.
Graduate Research Seminars, Saturday, July 23. Continuing SHEAR’s long tradition of mentoring graduate students, eight senior scholars will host four concurrent research seminars, each with twelve advanced graduate students, devoted to different scholarly topics in the history of the early republic.
Film Screening, Saturday, July 23. A screening of Ghosts of Amistad: In the Footsteps of the Rebels, directed by Tony Buba and produced by Marcus Rediker. Winner of the 2015 John E. O’Conner Prize for best documentary film, awarded by the American Historical Association. Running time, 56 minutes. Begins at 4:00 pm with a discussion following the screening led by Markus Rediker, University of Pittsburgh, and Joseph Yannielli, Princeton University. For more information, go to www.ghostsofamistad.com
Presidential Address, Saturday, July 23. The 2016 presidential address begins at 6:30 in the Omni Hotel Grand Ballroom. The President’s Address is free and open to all conference participants but please arrive early to ensure a good seat. President Jan Ellen Lewis will discuss What Happened to the Three-Fifths Clause: The Relationship Between Women and Slavers in Constitutional Thought, 1787 – 1868.
Banquet, Saturday, July 23. The SHEAR awards banquet follows immediately after the presidential address, in the Omni Hotel Grand Ballroom. Tickets are $65.00 per person and include dinner and wine. A cash bar will also be available. Seating is limited and reservations are required.
Registration
Preregistration for the conference opens 1 May 2016 under “Annual Meeting” on the SHEAR homepage, where you will also find the conference schedule. The phone app and digital program will be available on 15 May 2016.
Preregistration costs, exclusive of internet fees, is $75 for members and $110 for non-members; graduate students, public history professionals, and K-12 school teachers pay $50. All preregistration must be completed online by 6 July 2016.
If you do not preregister, you may register on-site at the conference. The on-site price will include a $10 on-site registration fee and must be paid with cash or a check made out to SHEAR.
On-site conference check-in will be open from 5:30 to 7:30 pm on Thursday, July 21, at the Omni New Haven Hotel at Yale. It will continue on Friday and Saturday from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm, and Sunday from 8:00 am to 10:30 am.
If you have questions about registration or any aspect of the conference itself, please feel free to contact me (robyn.davis@millersville.edu). I look forward to seeing you New Haven this July, and I send you traveling mercies.
Robyn Lily Davis, conference coordinator