hundreds more, hosted by affiliated societies and institutions, occur over the course of the meeting. The location of the meeting changes each year. The annual meetings of the AAR are attended by about half their membership "(some 4,500 in 2014), which make these meetings by far the most important social arena for academic interaction" in comparison with meetings of other North American academic societies for the study of religion.The AAR Annual Meeting program is developed entirely by volunteers involved in program units representing disciplines and sub-disciplines within the field. Other activities AAR offers activities on a regional level for its members. Professional development resources such as research grants, career services, and scholarships are some of the member benefits. AAR also advocates the importance of the critical study of religion on institutional and national levels. Presidents The President is part of the Board of Directors, which is elected by AAR members each September and takes up their post at the close of each annual meeting. 1910–1925: Charles Foster Kent 1926: Irving Francis Wood 1927: Eliza H. Kendrick 1928: Walter W. Haviland 1929: Ralph K. Hickok 1930: Irwin R. Beiler 1931: Laura H. Wild 1932: Chester Warren Quimby 1933: James Muilenburg 1934: Elmer W. K. Mould 1935: Florence M. Fitch 1936: S. Ralph Harlow 1937: Frank G. Lankard 1938: Mary E. Andrews 1939: William Scott 1940: Harvie Branscomb 1941: Katherine H. Paton 1942–1943: Edgar S. Brightman 1944: Floyd V. Filson 1945: Mary Ely Lyman 1946: J. Paul Williams 1947: Rolland E. Wolfe 1948: 1949: Vernon McCasland 1950: Virginia Corwin 1951: Mary Francis Thelen 1952: Charles S. Braden 1953: Carl E. Purinton 1954: W. Gordon Ross 1955: Arthur C. Wickenden 1956: A. Roy Eckardt 1957: Robert M. Montgomery 1958: H. Neil Richardson 1959: Lauren Brubaker Jr. 1960: Lionel Whiston Jr. 1961: Robert V. Smith 1962: Fred D. Geally 1963: Clyde A. Holbrook 1964: Ira Martin 1965: James Price 1966: William Hordern 1967: John Priest 1968: J. Wesley Robb 1969: Jacob Neusner 1970: Claude Welch 1971: James Burtchaell 1972: Robert Michaelson 1973: Charles Long 1974: Christine Downing 1975: William E. May 1976: Preston Williams 1977: Schubert M. Ogden 1978: John Meagher 1979: Langdon Gilkey 1980: William Clebsch 1981: Jill Raitt 1982: Gordon D. Kaufman 1983: Wilfred Cantwell Smith 1984: Ray Hart 1985: Wendy Doniger 1986: Nathan A. Scott Jr. 1987: John Dillenberger 1988: Martin E. Marty 1989: Robert Wilken 1990: Elizabeth A. Clark 1991: