Announcement and Call For Papers
50th Anniversary Eastern Finance Association Meeting

April 9 ­ 12, 2014, Sheraton Station Square, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Deadline for Submission: Monday, September 16, 2013

You are invited to participate in the 50th Annual Meeting of the Eastern Finance Association (EFA) at the Sheraton Station Square, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where the Eastern Finance Association was originally founded. The conference will begin with a reception the evening of Wednesday, April 9, and will follow with paper presentations, panels and tutorials from Thursday morning, April 10 through Saturday morning, April 12. While in Pittsburgh, explore museums and cultural attractions, sporting events, dining, and nightlife. The Sheraton Station Square is Pittsburgh’s only riverfront hotel and is located next to Station Square and the Gateway Clipper dock. For more information on the hotel, visit: http://www.sheratonstationsquare.com/

The EFA 2014 annual meeting will be another excellent opportunity for academics, doctoral students, and practitioners to share ideas across all areas of financial research. As Program Chair, I invite you to submit for consideration your latest research, along with proposals for special sessions, tutorials, and panel discussions. Research covering the broad range of finance topics will be considered along with opportunities for sessions focused on pedagogy and current issues in finance. I also encourage you to spread the word to any of your colleagues who have not attended the EFA annual meeting in the past. Finally, please volunteer to serve as a program committee member, discussant, or session chair. The success of the EFA annual meeting depends on the dedication of our participants to serve in these vital roles.

SUBMIT RESEARCH PAPERS OR IDEAS FOR SPECIAL SESSIONS: To submit a research paper for consideration, please submit a two-page single-spaced abstract or, preferably, a completed manuscript directly on the EFA website, http://www.easternfinance.org . First, make sure you have an EFA log-in ID by registering on the EFA website. Once you have an ID, click on the "Submit Paper" link on the right-hand side of the EFA website to proceed with the submission process. The deadline for submission is Monday, September 16, 2013. All papers submitted through the EFA website will be double blind-reviewed by members of the EFA program committee.

Those wishing to organize a special session, panel discussion, or a tutorial should complete the submission form at the EFA website and submit a proposal describing:
- Topic and Format:
- Description of presenters’ background and the likelihood of obtaining these presenters.
- An explanation of why EFA members would be interested in attending the session.

Authors of papers and special sessions selected for presentation will be notified in late November or early December 2013. For each accepted paper or proposal, an author will be required to register within four weeks of the acceptance notification to secure a place on the EFA annual meeting program. Additionally, any registered author of an accepted research paper will be obligated to discuss at least one paper at the meeting.

VOLUNTEERS ARE ESPECIALLY NEEDED TO SERVE ON THE EFA PROGRAM COMMITTEE: The success of the EFA annual meeting depends heavily on the dedication of the EFA program committee. Program committee members review submitted papers and abstracts (September ­ October) and organize academic sessions by recruiting chairs and discussants (December ­ January). I encourage you to volunteer by visiting the EFA website (http://www.easternfinance.org) and clicking on the "Participate" link.

VOLUNTEER TO SERVE AS A DISCUSSANT AND/OR SESSION CHAIR: Discussants and session chairs provide an integral part of the experience of the academic sessions. By providing constructive criticism of papers presented, discussants help authors improve their research. Session chairs bring order to each academic session by ensuring that all session participants share adequate time to present their work. I encourage you to volunteer by visiting the EFA website (http://www.easternfinance.org) and clicking on the "Participate" link.

EFA 2014 DISTINGUISHED SCHOLAR: Professor Edward Altman, Max L. Heine Professor of Finance at the Stern School of Business, New York University, will present the keynote address and receive the EFA Distinguished Scholar Award for 2014.

OUTSTANDING PAPER AWARDS: Authors will have the opportunity to enter accepted papers for a variety of outstanding paper awards.

SPECIAL NOTE FOR GRADUATE STUDENTS: The EFA meeting registration fee will be waived for all graduate students with an accepted paper on the meeting program. (Graduate students attending are still required to pay the EFA membership fee.) To commemorate the 50th anniversary, there will be up to five Outstanding Ph.D. Student Papers awards at $1,000 each. Papers considered for these awards should only have only student authors. The papers can have multiple authors but all must be students. Of course, attendance at the meeting is a requirement for winning an award.

I hope to see you next year! Remember that the submission deadline is September 16, 2013. For more details about the meeting, please see: http://www.easternfinance.org. Contact:

EFA 2014 VP-Program
Jack G. Wolf
Associate Professor of Finance
Clemson University
300 Sirrine Hall
Clemson, South Carolina 29634
E-mail: efapc2014@gmail.com