Fargo, N.D. – Tom Isern, professor of history and university distinguished professor at NDSU, assumed duties on April 17 as president-elect of the Western Social Science Association. The principal duty of this position during 2011-12 is to serve as general program chair for the annual association conference that will take place April 11-14, 2012, in Houston. This involves the review and scheduling of some 800 papers and other program presentations across a range of social science disciplines.

In 2013, Isern will serve as president of the association. During past years he has served on the association's executive council and as its vice president. He also is the founder of its New Zealand and Australian Studies Section.

The Western Social Science Association is an international association of social scientists that meets each April in a western American city. Its peer-reviewed publication is the Social Science Journal. "The WSSA is distinguished among scholarly associations for its cosmopolitan character and its multi-disciplinary approaches," said Isern.