Graduate Archival Education (GAE) Subcommittee

I. Purpose

The Graduate Archival Education Subcommittee of the Committee on Education is charged with reviewing needs for graduate archival education, drafting and promulgating guidelines, and providing guidance to the Society in this area. The Subcommittee establishes its own agenda in conjunction with the Committee on Education, except as otherwise directed by the Council to perform specific tasks. Due to resource limitations, SAA and the GAE do not address accreditation issues.

II. Committee Selection, Size, and Length of Term

The subcommittee consists of six members (including a chair and vice chair) appointed by the SAA Vice President for staggered three-year terms. The vice chair is appointed by the SAA Vice President normally from among the subcommittee members serving in the second year of appointment. The vice chair assumes the chair in her or his third year on the subcommittee.

The membership of the subcommittee shall include five archival educators and a student or new professional, all selected with an eye to including expertise, perspective, and community input from around the profession. The chair may bring on ad hoc volunteers for expertise as required. The chair serves as a member of the Committee on Education and as a liaison to the Archival Educators Section.

III. Reporting Procedures

The subcommittee reports to the Committee on Education. The subcommittee chair or designee provides updates during Committee conference calls and attends the Committee’s in-person meetings. 

The subcommittee works closely with the Education Director, serving in an advisory capacity on education-related projects and programs operated out of the Executive Office.

IV. Duties and Responsibilities

The Graduate Archival Education Subcommittee is charged with reviewing needs for graduate archival education, drafting and promulgating guidelines, and providing guidance to the Society in this area. Duties and responsibilities include:

• Regularly assess the Guidelines for a Graduate Program in Archival Studies (GPAS), publish appropriate revisions for member comment, and submit to the Standards Committee per the internal approval process;
• Research existing programs in graduate archival education to create a comprehensive list;
• Assist the Education Office with enhancing and maintaining the Directory of Archival Education based on the research;
• Maintain contact with graduate archival education programs and other groups in related professions and organizations to explore opportunities for cooperative and mutually beneficial efforts;
• Encourage communication about the role of continuing education in tandem with graduate programs, and communicate with SAA’s membership about the role of the Committee on Education in the world of graduate archival education;
• Review and assess the full range of the profession's educational needs and the degree to which they are being met by existing educational opportunities, and make appropriate recommendations; and
• Regularly assess the health and status of student chapters with input from graduate archival program directors, faculty, and students. 

V. Meetings

The Graduate Archival Education Subcommittee meets via monthly conference calls and may conduct in-person meetings when a need is demonstrated and financial resources are available.

Approved by the SAA Council: November 2016. Revised May 2026.