History of AFM

In 2008 a group of American university professors was invited to visit Marbach and to examine the importance of its archive. In the end, the American Friends of Marbach (AFM) was founded.

Current AFM Board

Honorary Chairman: Walter Hinderer (Princeton University)

Executive Officers:

President: Johannes von Moltke (University of Michigan, Ann Arbor)

Vice-President: Lynn Wolff (Michigan State University)

Treasurer: Carl Gelderloos (Binghamton University)

Secretary: Carol Anne Costabile-Heming (University of North Texas)

Executive Committee: Vance Byrd (University of Pennsylvania), Veronika Füchtner (Dartmouth), Ela Gezen (University of Massachusetts Amherst), Matthew Handelman (Michigan State University), David Kim (UCLA), B. Venkat Mani (University of Wisconsin, Madison), Patrizia McBride (Cornell University), Anna Parkinson (Northwestern)

Ex officio members: Vera Hildenbrandt (DLA, Head of the Museum), Anna Kinder (DLA, Research Coordinator), Sandra Richter (DLA, Director)

The AFM Executive Committee organizes one symposium per year. For more information about AFM Executive Committee symposia, see our events page.

AFM By-Laws

BY-LAWS OF THE AMERICAN FRIENDS OF THE DLA MARBACH, INC. A NOT-FOR-PROFIT CORPORATION

ARTICLE I: ORGANIZATION

1. The name of the organization shall be American Friends of the DLA Marbach, Inc. short: American Friends of Marbach.

2. The organization shall have a seal which shall be in the following form: In the middle are the letters “af” at the top in red and small and “m” in blue and large with the words “American Friends of (in blue) Marbach, Inc. (in red)” circling around it.

3. The organization may at its pleasure by a vote of the membership body change its name.

ARTICLE II: PURPOSES

1. The following are the purposes for which this organization has been organized: The American Friends of Marbach is a group of individuals, institutions and organizations that will strengthen the links between the German Literature Archive Marbach, Germany, and a broader American public, academic as well as general. It aims especially at an academic exchange by funding American students of German Studies who want to do research in Marbach. For this purpose the American Friends of Marbach award travel grants and research prizes. AFM may also award travel grants to graduate students/PhD candidates of German Studies at PhD programs at U.S. universities to attend AFM symposia alternately arranged at the DLA in Marbach and at a university or college in the United States.

2. Notwithstanding other language and provisions in the creating document and the Articles of Incorporation, on file at the Department of State in Tallahassee, Florida, the purposes will be limited exclusively to exempt purposes within the meaning of IRC 501 (c) (3).

ARTICLE III: MEMBERSHIP

Membership in this organization shall be open to all who wish to fulfill the aforementioned purposes; academic teachers, academic and scientific institutions, commercial and scholarly organizations and foundations as well as private persons can become members.

ARTICLE IV: MEETINGS

1. The organization shall meet once annually in a virtual meeting shortly after the annual meeting of the German Studies Association. In addition, the board of directors shall meet twice annually, after the awarding of the AFM fellowships and before the membership meeting, respectively. Meetings of the board may be in person or virtual. 

2. Special meetings of this organization may be called by the president when he/she deems it in the best interest of the organization. Notices of such meeting shall be sent to all members at their addresses as they appear in the membership roll book at least thirty (30) days before the scheduled date set for such a special meeting.

ARTICLE V: VOTING

At all meetings, except for the election of officers and directors, all votes shall be by voice. In case of a tie, the president will decide. 

ARTICLE VI: BOARD OF DIRECTORS

The business of this organization shall be managed by a Board of Directors consisting of no more than twelve (12) members, together with the officers of this organization. The directors shall be chosen by the membership  and they shall serve for a term of four (4) years. Each director may be reelected once. Two thirds of the members of the Board of Directors shall constitute a quorum. Each director shall have one vote. 

ARTICLE VII: OFFICERS

The officers of the organization shall be as follows: President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer. The officers are elected for four-year terms by a majority of the Board of Directors. 

The President shall preside at all membership meetings. They shall by virtue of their office be Chair of the Board of Directors. They shall present at each annual meeting of the organization an annual report of the work of the organization. They shall appoint all committees, temporary or permanent. They shall see all books, reports and certificates required by law are properly kept or filed. They shall be one of the officers who may sign the checks or drafts of the organization. They shall have such powers as may be reasonably construed as belonging to the chief executive of any organization.

The Vice President shall in the event of the absence or inability of the President to exercise their office become acting president of the organization with all the rights, privileges and powers as if they had been the duly elected president. In the interest of continuity, a Vice President whose term is ending may be (but does not have to be) elected President by the majority of the Board of Directors for one term even if that means a 4-year extension of their time limit as an AFM officer.

The Secretary shall keep the minutes and records of the organization. The Secretary serves as the editor of the Mitteilungen.

The Treasurer shall have the care and custody of all monies belonging to the organization and shall be solely responsible for such monies or securities of the organization. It shall be their duty to file any certificate required by any statute, federal or state. The funds of the organization will be deposited in a checking account, a simple savings account or other low-risk investment services. The Treasurer  must be one of the officers who shall sign checks or drafts of the organization. No special fund may be set aside that shall make it unnecessary for the Treasurer to sign the checks issued upon it. They shall render at the initial Board meeting of each calendar year a written account of the finances of the organization and such report shall be attached to the minutes of the Board of Directors of such meeting. They shall maintain the membership list of this organization.

ARTICLE VIII: ELECTIONS

The secretary shall run all elections, providing individual, anonymous, electronic secret ballots. In case of a tie, a run-off election will decide.

ARTICLE IX: DUES

Annual dues of this organization shall be payable by January 15. There are rates for regular, supporting, Life and student membership, which are stated on the AFM website.

ARTICLE X: AMENDMENTS

These By-Laws may be altered, amended, repealed or added to by an affirmative vote of not less than two thirds of the members of the board of directors.

ARTICLE XI: DISSOLUTION

Upon the dissolution of this organization, assets shall be distributed for one or more exempt purposes within the meaning of section 501 (c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code, or corresponding section of any future federal tax code, or shall be distributed to the federal government, or to a state or local government, for a public purpose.

Date of Adoption and Approval: June 21, 2012

Date of Last Revision and Approval: November 15, 2025