acm’s annual report for FY13 DOI:10.1145/2541883.2541887 ACM’s FY13 Annual Report FY ’13 was an exceptional year for ACM. Membership reached a record high for the 11th consecutive year, solidifying ACM’s lead as the world’s largest educational and scientific society in computing. able feat for an organization less than of other prestigious honors to share Recognizing the expressed desires four years old. With this status, ACM information and insights with 200 of our membership and the research Europe can participate in discussions young researchers from around the community at large, ACM took a bold with the European Union on such top- world. Imagine the young student be- new approach to—and stand on— ics as computing research, technology ing able to sit down with the very role open access publishing, one that will policies, and education priorities. models that sparked their comput- no doubt set the tone for other profes- Education is the heartbeat of ACM: ing passions. It was an extraordinary sional organizations. We witnessed be it steering the computing cur- event—a natural for ACM—and I look the steadfast commitment and global riculum for students and educators; forward to next year’s forum. impact of our hubs in Europe, India, taking the lead in equipping K–12 The following report lists just some and China. And we continue to enrich teachers with the tools and talent to of the many activities and accom- ACM’s pledge to educate future gener- teach next generations; providing plishments of the Association over ations about the wonders of computer publications of the highest quality the fiscal year. As I write this letter, we science with new initiatives and joint to nourish today’s professionals and are deep into the first quarter of FY14, efforts that share our resources with scholars; or advising policymakers with many more plans and challenges the world. on the merits of computing as a core to address. In many ways, ACM is at a Last April, ACM ushered in sev- component to a student’s future. I turning point. With the open access eral publishing policy changes that was proud to be part of the first Hei- movement changing community ex- increased access to its journals and delberg Laureate Forum (HLF)—an pectations about how publications conference proceedings. The changes event aimed at broadening the vision should be financed and distributed; were designed to balance the needs of of young researchers in computer sci- with our international presence thriv- authors and researchers in the com- ence and mathematics by connecting ing but SIG membership declining, puting community by expanding au- them with many of the preeminent we must look to restructure ACM’s thor rights as well as enabling SIGs to scientists in the field. The inaugural business models in order to build a sponsor the open access to their most HLF gathered more than 25 ACM A.M. robust interconnected set of current current proceedings. These latest pol- Turing Award recipients and winners and future activities, programs, and icy changes serve as another step for- products. This challenge is of para- ward in an ongoing process in which mount importance in the coming ACM adapts to the new realities of We continue to year. Indeed, senior ACM leaders and scholarly publishing and prepares for staff recently held a two-day retreat to an open access future. enrich ACM’s pledge sort through the options and explore ACM’s international initiatives to educate future new ways of thinking about products continue to flourish with ACM Eu- and services. rope, ACM India, and ACM China generations about As always, we look to our devoted working to build a greater following the wonders of volunteers and members to share their in these territories by spreading the insights and ideas with us. Together, word and sharing the resources with computer science. we can prepare ACM for a future even technology associations and educa- more accomplished and amazing than tors worldwide. Indeed, ACM Europe its past. was officially incorporated as a legal entity in Europe this June—a remark- Vinton G. Cerf, acm PRESIDENT JanUary 2014 | VOL. 57 | NO. 1 | COMMUNICATIONS OF THE ACM 9 acm’s annual report for FY13 ACM’s Annual Report for FY13 Highlights of ACM Activities: July 1, 2012–June 30, 2013 ACM, the Association for Computing ing the year, ACM added 465 volumes Transactions on Economics and Machinery, is an international scientific of conference and related workshop Computation made its debut this year; and educational organization dedicat- proceedings to its portfolio. In addi- next on deck is Transactions on Spatial ed to advancing the arts, sciences, and tion, a collection of over 1,260 e-books Algorithms and Systems and Transac- applications of information technology. is now assimilated into the DL, avail- tions on Parallel Computing coming able to all ACM members. Moreover, later this year. Publications the ACM International Conference ACM leadership, along with the ACM Proceedings Series (ICPS) added 102 Education Publications Board, responded to ap- new volumes, a significant increase ACM continues to lead the computer peals to make the association’s schol- over FY12. science education community through arly articles more openly accessible by A proposal to reinstate the ACM the work of the ACM Education Board, spearheading a comprehensive review Press Book Series was adopted by the the ACM Education Council, ACM of its copyright policy. These efforts ACM Publications Board, 12 years SIGCSE, Computer Science Teachers resulted in major changes to ACM’s after the previous book series effort Association (CSTA), and ACM Educa- publishing rights model that were in- was discontinued. This new series, in tion Policy committee. troduced last April. ACM authors exer- partnership with Morgan & Claypool ACM’s Education Board readied re- cise greater control of their published publishers, will take advantage of the sults from its first survey for non-doc- works as they are now offered three opportunities presented in the schol- toral-granting institutions in comput- choices for managing rights: an author- arly e-book market and focus primar- ing (NDC). The goal of this annual pays open access option, an exclusive ily on academic-oriented research report is to help fill the gaps in data license agreement, along with the tra- monographs and graduate-level text- on non-Taulbee programs and con- ditional copyright transfer. In addition, books with an emphasis on unique, tribute a more complete view of the ACM took steps to allow SIGs to open innovative works. academic landscape in computing. up more of their conference content. The Publications Board’s initiative Indeed, the report confirmed positive The centerpiece of ACM publica- to update the 1998 Computer Classifi- trends in enrollment and degree pro- tions is the ACM Digital Library (DL) cation System was finalized in FY13. It duction at participating not-for-profit serving as the primary distribution was an exhaustive effort involving 160 U.S. academic institutions that grant mechanism for all the association’s domain experts and 13 subdiscipline- bachelor’s and/or master’s degrees in publications as well as host to scien- specific teams. The previous CCS major computing disciplines. tific periodicals and a set of confer- terms are now mapped to the new ver- A white paper addressing the grow- ence proceedings from external or- sion and all articles appearing in the ing popularity of massive open online ganizations. The DL, now available DL reflect the new CSS concepts. courses (MOOCs) was published this at 2,650 institutions in 64 countries, year that outlined the challenges and boasts an estimated 1.5 million users opportunities presented by new tech- worldwide. The result of this wide- The Digital Library, nologies and current educational ex- spread availability led to more than 15 periments. The work was a combined million full-text downloads in FY13. now available effort between the ACM Education ACM is committed to increasing at 2,650 institutions Board, Council, and CSTA. the scope of material available via the A 10-year effort to revise and revital- DL. Last year, over 30,000 full-text ar- in 64 countries, ize the computer science curriculum ticles were added, bringing total DL boasts an estimated guidelines was finalized this year with holdings to 380,000 articles. ACM’s the release of the ACM/IEEE-CS Com- Guide to Computing Literature is also 1.5 million users puter Science Curriculum (CS2013). integrated within the DL. More than worldwide. Several high-level themes provided an 150,000 works were added to the bib- overarching guide for the development liographic database in FY13, bringing of CS2013, including the importance the total Guide coverage to more than of viewing CS as a discipline actively 2.2 million works. seeking to work with other disciplines; ACM is the publisher of 79 peri- reevaluating the essential topics with odicals, including 41 journals and enough flexibility to add new ones as transactions, eight magazines, and 30 needed; identifying existing exemplar newsletters as of year-end FY13. Dur- courses; and understanding that curri- 10 COMMUNICATIONS OF THE ACM | JANUary 2014 | VOL. 57 | NO. 1 acm’s annual report for FY13 cula exists within specific institutional ACM Council needs, goals, and constraints. The CSTA continues to thrive as a The Practitoners PRESIDENT key component in ACM’s efforts to see Board and Vinton G. Cerf real computer science exist and count VICE PRESIDENT at the high school level. CSTA mem- Professional Alexander L. Wolf bership increased 27% to a record Development 13,966 in FY13. The organization re- SECRETAry/TREASURER leased four pivotal reports that exam- Committee Vicki L.