The online version of the October 2011 issue of Perspectives on History is now available. Most articles this month are ungated, but those that are gated are accessible to AHA members by signing in to member services. All the articles will become available to members and nonmembers alike on November 1.

From the President & Executive Director
AHA President Anthony T. Grafton and AHA Executive Director Jim Grossman offer a “modest proposal” in their article, “No More Plan B,” featured as the cover story of the issue: They urge history departments to encourage students to seriously consider careers outside of the academy, rather than suggesting that these jobs are second choice to a tenure-track position.

126th Annual Meeting
Read on in this issue for numerous articles on the upcoming 126th Annual Meeting. Plan your trip with these useful reminders and information and accommodations for persons with disabilities. Learn about Chicago’s global dimensions in this article from D. Bradford Hunt, and check out the Chicago tours the local arrangements committee has set up.

Finally, check out Jacob Soll’s explanation on how the 23 digital history sessions at the upcoming meeting came to fruition, in his article, “The Future Is Here: Digital Methods in History to Be Discussed at the Annual Meeting.”

AHA News
The October issue of the American Historical Review features articles on global, transnational, or crosscultural historical experiences. Learn more in Editor Robert A. Schneider’s article, “What’s in the October AHR?”

In other news, the 2011–12 NASA and Jameson Fellowships have been awarded, preparations begin for CISH 2015, and nominations are invited for AHA offices.

Two articles this month focus on making the AHA and the history profession more accessible: “Moving Forward: Disability and the AHA” and “Moving Beyond Accommodation: The Work and Findings of the AHA Task Force on Disability.”

Also, learn about the impressive and varied achievements of a number of AHA members, and remember three notable historians (C. Stewart Doty, Nicholas V. Riasanovsky, and Daniel Scott Smith) who’ve passed away.

Other News
Susan Ferber profiles the Reinterpreting History series from the National History Center and Oxford University Press. Also from the National History Center, applications are still being accepted for the Seventh International Seminar on Decolonization (deadline November 1, 2011).

The Oral History Association, an AHA affiliate, reports that it is seeking a new host institution, as well as a new executive director.

Teaching
Get new perspectives on teaching history in Michael Facius’s article “Teaching the Survey Course in Present-Centered Area Studies Curricula,” and Michael H. Carriere’s “Engineering History: Teaching the Past to Non-Liberal Arts Students.”

This post first appeared on AHA Today.