How SACC Was Formed

How SACC Was Formed

by Chuck Ellenbaum, Emeritus
College of DuPage, Glen Ellyn, IL

In the mid to late 1970s, a group of community college anthropologists sent three different mailings to their colleagues at community and junior colleges around the country to inquire about their interest in forming their own anthropology organization. It was the third mailing by Richard Furlow, formerly of the College of DuPage in Illinois and Broward Community College in Florida, who became the founding president of SACC (1978 - 1981), having provided the impetus and critical mass to get the organization started.

In 1987, Furlow organized SACC's first annual meeting, which took place in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. Since then we have met one or more times in San Diego, El Paso, Merida, Akron, Washington, DC, San Antonio, Santa Monica, Toronto, Santa Fe, Boston, Seattle, Oaxaca, Fort Lauderdale, Vancouver, Montreal, and Savannah.

SACC has worked closely over the years with the Community College Social Science Association and the American Anthropological Association (AAA), later becoming a section of the AAA. Then, as now, SACC's major interests are in the teaching of anthropology, sharing teaching strategies, and addressing related issues. Other SACC interests involve increasing the visibility of community colleges, working with colleges and universities, and contributing to K-12 anthropology. As an independent organization and as part of the AAA, SACC has held its own annual meetings (18 meetings from 1987 to 2006) and has met as an organization at the AAA's annual meetings held around the country.

last updated: December 21, 2006
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