The American Classical League held its annual Institute at Loyola University from June 29th – July 2nd, 2025 on the sunny shores of Lake Michigan in Chicago. The conference program, under the stewardship of ACL Vice President (and CANE’s own) Mark Pearsall, was robust and thoughtfully designed. The program for the Institute can be located here (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1kO1YBGyzc5L6H8lVFY-ZGphF833iuS0qo0x6ibaCxqo/edit?usp=sharing) and it included presentations from many active CANE members.
At the State of the American Classical League Meeting, ACL President Jennie Luongo introduced the current Board of Governors and acknowledged the native history of the land surrounding Loyola University and the greater Chicago area. Following the introduction, she announced scholarship recipients from the American Classical League as well as the NLE student scholarships that were awarded this year.
The professional awards kicked off with an announcement that Kathleen Durkin and James Stark were the recipients of the 2025 Society for Classical Studies’ Award for Excellence in Teaching at the K-12 level. Kathleen opted to receive her award at the ACL Institute rather than at the SCS. In addition to the SCS honors, James Stark was the recipient of the ACL’s Humphrey’s Award for Innovative Pedagogy.
Carl Cofield and Will Power were the co-recipients of the Keely Lake Advocacy Award for their production of Memnon at the Classical Theatre of Harlem. Information about that production can be found here: https://www.cthnyc.org/memnon/
Kevin Ballestrini was the inaugural recipient of the award for Excellence in Creating Technology-based Educational Resources for his work in assembling the collection of tiered readings, located here: http://tieredreadings.com
ACL’s highest award, the Merens Award, was bestowed upon four individuals for their continued contribution to Classics: Rachel Ash, Melissa Burgess, Catherine Sturgill, and Patrick Yaggy.
On the financial side, membership in the ACL (as of Institute) was at 1607 paid members. Jennie announced that the strategic plan was updated to pursue additional demographics, such as teachers of English and history as a way to expand potential membership and inclusion in events like the Institute. Next year’s program will hopefully include sessions geared to teachers of subjects beyond language.
The total investment funds for the ACL are sitting at just over $1 million. While great strides have been made to reduce the operating deficit, the organization is still looking at a loss of over $100k for the year. Deb Heaton has taken over as interim treasurer and, in collaboration with the Development Committee and the Board of Governors, hopes to restore an operating surplus within the next two years.
Related to the financial news, the ACL has established a new donor network called the “1919 Society” and hopes to create a culture of giving within the organization to further the goals outlined in the mission statement as well as stabilize the financials. In addition, Jennie announced a funding drive entitled “Growth Happens Little by Little” in honor of outgoing Executive Director Sherwin Little for his 50+ years of service to the American Classical League.
Lastly, as an update to the search for a new Executive Director, Jennie noted that they had received over 200 resumes; 40 candidates were interviewed by the search group engaged to facilitate this hire. Finalists met with the Board of Governors at Institute and it was announced that the new Executive Director, starting in January of 2026, will be Dr. Jennifer Sheridan Moss.
Dr. Moss is Professor of Classics at Wayne State University (Detroit, MI), where she has taught since 1995. A gifted teacher and thoughtful mentor, she has consistently demonstrated excellence in the classroom. She won Wayne State University President’s Award for Excellence in Teaching (2008) and the Society for Classical Studies’s Award for Excellence in Teaching Classics at the College Level (2014). She was also elected as an inaugural member of the Wayne State Academy of Teachers (2018). From 2020 to 2024, Dr. Moss served as Chief Reader for the AP Latin exam, overseeing scoring, training both the leadership and Readers, and ensuring fairness. Her commitment to service at the local and national level is remarkable.
Next year’s ACL Institute will take place on June 27th to June 30th, 2026, at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, VA.