Make the most of your conference experience with the Whova app—your all-in-one tool for staying organized, informed, and connected!
Here are a few quick tips to get started:
Plan Your Schedule: Browse sessions and build your personalized agenda so you never miss what matters most.
Network with Attendees: Use the Community Board, send messages, and discover who else is attending.
Engage in Discussions: Ask questions, participate in polls, and join conversations before, during, and after sessions.
Stay Up to Date: Enable notifications to receive real-time updates, announcements, and schedule changes.
Explore Features: Don’t miss fun extras like meet-ups, photo sharing, and session feedback opportunities.
Download Whova and log in using the email you used to register for the meeting. We encourage you to explore the app ahead of the event to get the most out of your experience!
Help us share the power of membership and share what being a member means to you.
During the conference, we’ll be inviting attendees to record short smartphone videos sharing their experiences and the value they’ve found through membership. Whether you record solo or with colleagues, we’d love for you to participate!
We’ll have a dedicated space at the conference, complete with props and easy prompts to help spark ideas. Simply stop by, choose a prompt, record your clip, and upload it to our shared cloud folder (don’t worry–we’ll have instructions)!
Our prompts may include:
“Why does membership matter to you?”
“What’s the biggest benefit you’ve gained from being a member?”
“What keeps you coming back to this community?”
Can’t make it to Raleigh? No problem.
You can use one of those prompts to record a short video (30 seconds to 1 minute) and share it via your computer using the link below. Simply drag and drop the video in or click the “new” button in the upper left-hand corner. Select “file upload” and then choose your file!
From your phone, click the link, and if you have the Google Drive app, it will open it. Click the “plus” button in the lower right-hand corner. Then select the video you would like to upload.
If you don’t have the Google Drive app, the link will open the folder in your web browser. You can then follow the computer instructions.
President, Repairers of the Breach, Co-Chair, Poor People’s Campaign & NYT Best-Selling Author
August 1, 2026, 10:45am
“Rural Justice and the Fight for America’s Moral Future”
Nationally recognized minister, activist, and public theologian whose work on poverty, democracy, and moral justice has shaped national conversations across the United States.
The 2026 Annual Meeting will bring together leading scholars and public voices whose work speaks directly to the complexities of rural life, democracy, and justice. This year’s plenary sessions highlight the intersections of law, politics, and moral leadership, offering members a rich set of perspectives on the challenges and possibilities facing rural communities today.
Professor Lauren Sudeall, David Daniels Allen Distinguished Chair of Law at Vanderbilt University Law School, will give the Thursday plenary address titled, “The Perils and Promise of ‘Rural Justice." Sudeall has written extensively on access to justice, including about her empirical research on rural-urban differences in navigating eviction proceedings in Georgia. She directs the Vanderbilt Access to Justice (AtJ) Initiative.
We are thrilled to announce that Reverend William J. Barber II will be our plenary speaker on Saturday morning, August 1, 2026. Dr. Barber, who gained recognition in North Carolina for leading the Moral Monday protests starting in 2013, is the author several books, including White Poverty: How Exposing Myths About Race and Class Can Reconstruct American Democracy(2025) and TheThird Reconstruction(2016) (with Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove). Barber is the founder of Repairers of the Breach and co-chair of the Poor People’s Campaign. From 2006 to 2017, Barber served as president of the North Carolina NAACP, and he served on the National NAACP Board of Directors from 2008 to 2020. His writings document rural deprivation, restrictions on voting rights, healthcare access, and infrastructure inequality. He holds a doctorate in public policy and pastoral care from Drew University and pastored Greenleaf Christian Church in Goldsboro, North Carolina for thirty years. He is currently Professor and Director of the Center for Public Theology and Public Policy at Yale Divinity School. The title of his talk will be “Rural Justice and the Fight for America’s Moral Future.”
Call For Diversity Auction Items
The RSS Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) Committee requests your assistance with a Silent Auction to be held during the 88th Annual Meeting in Raleigh, North Carolina. All funds raised will support JEDI Travel Grants and diversity and equity-related programming for the 89th Annual Meeting to be held in Kansas City, Missouri.
We need your help! Specifically, we need you or your department to donate items for the Silent Auction. In past years, the most popular items have been those that were handmade or that symbolized the creativity and skills of rural Americans. Baskets containing foods, wines, or other products from your state or region are also popular. A surprising number of local businesses such as jewelry stores are willing to donate items, and we encourage you to solicit such donations whenever possible. Please keep this in mind as you visit local festivals, farmers' markets, and other community-related events. Perhaps, even consider bringing a donation card already set up that might provide monies to local shelters (animal, human). These are just a few ideas to consider as you are out and about during spring and summer!
This year's auction will also include a special section for author-signed copies of RSS members' books. If you are a book author, we would love to include a signed copy of your book and ask that you consider bringing one to donate.
Please plan to bring the donated item or items with you to the RSS Annual Meeting in Raleigh, North Carolina.
Whova Conference App
We are excited to share that the Rural Sociological Society will be using Whova as our official mobile app for the 2026 Annual Meeting. Whova will house the full program, speaker details, room locations, announcements, and real‑time updates throughout the conference. Download the app and login in using your RSS registered email address.
Soliciting Nominations / Volunteers for RSS Standing Committees
RSS is seeking both professional and graduate student members to volunteer for committee membership for 2026-2027. Serving on a committee is a great way to get involved with and support RSS.
We have openings on the following committees:
Awards and Endowment
Development
Ethics
Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI)
Membership
Nominations
Program (to assist with 2027 Annual Meeting planning)
Publications
You can find descriptions of these committees in the RSS Policies and Procedures Manual. The committee term starts August 2. RSS membership is required to serve on a committee. Individuals who are not currently RSS members will be asked to join prior to appointment.
If you are a professional member interested in serving on a committee or you would like to nominate a professional member, please contact Shannon Monnat at smmonnat@syr.edu by July 3.
If you are a graduate student interested in serving on a committee or you would like to nominate a graduate student, please contact Tim Slack at timslack.lsu@gmail.com by July 3.
If you are recommending someone else, please provide their name and an email address or weblink to their profile. For both self-nominations and nominations of others, please indicate the applicable committees.
We will confirm with all selected nominees and volunteers before finalizing appointments.
Thank you!
Shannon Monnat and Tim Slack
Publishing Articles as Open Access with Wiley
Publishing articles as Open Access increases the visibility and accessibility of your research. Our flagship journal, Rural Sociology, supports Open Access publishing. However, many authors express concern about the cost of Open Access. Our publisher, Wiley, has completed institutional agreements with many universities and colleges that allow their faculty, staff, and students to publish their papers as Open Access at no or reduced cost. Consult Wiley’s site to see if your institution participates in such an agreement. For additional information, we encourage you to contact your institution’s library or related office.
The Graduate Student Corner highlights the work, experiences, and achievements of RSS graduate student members. Each month, we feature students at different stages of their programs, showcasing their research, professional pathways, and connections to rural sociology. This space is designed to strengthen graduate student visibility within RSS, foster community, and support emerging scholars as they navigate research, teaching, and the academic and applied job markets.
Graduate students interested in being featured are encouraged to reach out to the RSS Graduate Student Representatives. Joshua Grove: jggrove@syr.edu Ayse Akyildiz: aqa6158@psu.edu
RIG Award Submissions Closing Soon
Research and Interest Groups are accepting submissions for their annual awards. Members are encouraged to review eligibility, deadlines, and submission guidelines directly on each RIG’s page. Rural Poverty - Deadline July 1
Members now have a dedicated space to share opportunities, updates, and accomplishments with the RSS community. The News & Announcements page features calls for submissions, events, jobs, funding opportunities, and “Members in the News” highlights. If you have an announcement to share, you can now submit it directly through the site—helping us keep the community informed and connected throughout the year.
A visit to Raleigh, N.C., is more than a trip to just any big city; visitors will experience kindness, charm and local flair with unique Southern hospitality that promises elevated experiences! Raleigh stands as North Carolina’s hub of intellect, culture, cuisine and innovation.
This cool capital city offers diverse experiences in food, live music, sports, arts and scenic outdoors—it’s an approachable, inviting and thriving destination for all.
May 2026 Inside the Business Office The RSS 2026 Annual Meeting Program Is Now Live! We’re excited to share that the full program for the RSS 2026 Annual Meeting is now available online! Explore a dynamic lineup of sessions, speakers, and events that showcase cutting-edge research, interdisciplinary perspectives, and timely conversations shaping rural communities today. The program highlights a wide range of scholarly exchange and opportunities to connect, collaborate, and engage. 👉 View the...
April 2026 Inside the Business Office Why Staying at the Conference Hotel MattersDid you know that where you stay during the RSS Annual Meeting directly impacts the Society? For the 2026 RSS Annual Meeting, RSS has a contracted room block at the Embassy Suites by Hilton Raleigh–Durham, with a negotiated conference rate of $169 per night. The discounted rate is available until July 7, 2026, or until the room block is full—whichever comes first, so we encourage you to book early. 👉 Book your...
eBulletin:March 2026 Inside the Business Office Dear RSS Members, We are delighted by the strong response to this year’s call for abstracts, panels, and workshops. The volume and breadth of submissions reflect the energy, creativity, and intellectual engagement of the RSS community. As we begin the review process, it’s exciting to see the Annual Meeting program start to take shape—one that highlights the diversity of topics, methods, and perspectives that define rural sociology today. We’re...
