Teaching opportunities for sociolgy majors have traditionally been oriented to the college or university. There is, however, a clear need for qualified sociolgy teachers at the high school level. Such teachers could generate interest in the sociological imagination among pre-college students. By doing so these teachers could provide skiUs for those students entering the workforce and encourage enrollments among those students opting to attend college. The American Sociological Association is aware of this opportunity and has addressed it in a variety of ways over the past thirty years. There has been renewed commitment by the ASA in the 1900s to develop programs that can enhance high school sociolgy. This article suggest that the state sociological association may be in a strategic position to assess the needs of high school sociolgy teachers, to address their resource needs as well as the concerns of teacher certification and competency.What employment opportunities are available for sociology majors? According to Danzger (1988:41): "In the past, sociology was not vocationally oriented... training was directed toward preparing students to be professional sociologists--that is, to teach sociology on the college level." For sociology majors this meant preparation beyond a bachelor's degree and socialization into the "academic mode" with its emphasis on scholarship and specialized teaching interests. In the last two decades, however, employment opportunities for academic socioloJan Rienerth is professor of sociology as Appalacian State University. Her teaching interests are in women's issues, applied sociology, and experiential learning. Her research has focused on women and the elderly in prison. Paul Lindsay is professor of sociolgy at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. His most recent teaching and research interests are in the areas of the sociology of education, educational policy and conflict resolution. Michael Wise is professor of sociology at Appalachian State University. His recent teaching and research is in the area of deviant behavior. Trina Seitz is currently pursuing doctoral studies at VPI. 64The

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It has become a truism to say that the sociological enterprise is in disarray. The sociological niche is neither self-evident nor safe. Given the problems facing sociology, it is imperative that the discipline begins to plan to protect is assets and to project its capabitlities into the twenty-first century. State sociological assocations could be major components of such a plan. The state sociological association is, however, a largely unknown entity. The present study presents the result of a survey of the officers of state assocations to determine the demographic makeup of their membership, concerns addressed by their associations and their strategies for dealing with these concerns. The findings suggest that state socioclogical associations are in an excellent position to build community in the discipline by breaking down the lines of stratification separating the organizational levels of the sociological enterprise and the different needs of our academic and applied endeavors.

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