AMERICAN MATHEMATICAL SOCIETY EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE AND BOARD OF TRUSTEES NOVEMBER 19-20, 2004 PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND MINUTES A joint meeting of the Executive Committee of the Council (EC) and the Board of Trustees (BT) was held Friday and Saturday, November 19-20, 2004, at the AMS Headquarters in Providence, Rhode Island. The following members of the EC were present: James G. Arthur, Walter Craig, Robert J. Daverman, David Eisenbud, David R. Morrison, and Paul J. Sally, Jr. Hugo Rossi was unable to attend. The following members of the BT were present: John B. Conway, David Eisenbud, John M. Franks, Eric M. Friedlander, Linda Keen, Donald E. McClure, Jean E. Taylor, and Carol S. Wood. Also present were the following AMS staff members: Gary G. Brownell (Deputy Executive Director), Kevin F. Clancey (Executive Editor, Mathematical Reviews), John H. Ewing (Executive Director and Publisher), Ellen H. Heiser (Assistant to the Executive Director [and recording secretary]), Elizabeth A. Huber (Deputy Publisher), James W. Maxwell (Associate Executive Director, Meetings and Professional Services), and Samuel M. Rankin (Associate Executive Director, Government Relations and Programs). Diane M. Saxe (Director of Meetings and Conferences) was present on Friday, November 19. Constance W. Pass (Chief Financial Officer) was present on Saturday, November 20. President David Eisenbud presided over the EC and ECBT portions of the meeting (items beginning with 0, 1, or 2). Board Chair John Conway presided over the BT portion of the meeting (items beginning with 3). Items occur in numerical order, which is not necessarily the order in which they were discussed at the meeting. 0 CALL TO ORDER AND ANNOUNCEMENTS 0.1 Opening of the Meeting and Introductions. President Eisenbud convened the meeting and everyone introduced themselves. 0.2 2004 AMS Election Results. Secretary Daverman announced the following election results: American Mathematical Society November 2004 ECBT Minutes Page 2 Vice President Haim Brezis, Universite Paris VI and Institut Universitaire de France Trustee Eric M. Friedlander, Northwestern University Members at Large of the Council Sara C. Billey, University of Washington Carolyn S. Gordon, Dartmouth College Sheldon H. Katz, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Michael F. Singer, North Carolina State University Catherine H. Yan, Texas A&M University Nominating Committee Phillip A. Griffith, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign David Jerison, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Linda Keen, Lehman College and Graduate Center, City University of New York Editorial Boards Committee Margaret Cheney, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Abigail A. Thompson, University of California at Davis 0.3 Housekeeping Matters. EWING. Executive Director Ewing informed the ECBT about several housekeeping matters related to the present meeting. 1 EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE ACTION/DISCUSSION ITEMS 1.1 Draft Agenda for the January 2005 Council Meeting. The EC recommended that the Council adopt the recently revised statement of ethical guidelines so as “to speak in the name of the Society.” The EC made recommendations about other additions and rearrangements to the draft agenda and approved the resulting plan. 1I EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE INFORMATION ITEMS 1I.1 Secretariat Business by Mail. Att. #3. Minutes of Secretariat business by mail during the months June 2004 – September 2004 are attached (#3). American Mathematical Society November 2004 ECBT Minutes Page 3 2 EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE AND BOARD OF TRUSTEES ACTION/DISCUSSION ITEMS 2.1 Report on Committee on Meetings and Conferences (COMC). MAXWELL The ECBT was informed that the most recent meeting of COMC was April 24, 2004, and a report on that meeting was given at the May 2004 ECBT meeting. Since then, planning has progressed on the COMC-sponsored focus group at the Atlanta meeting. The moderator will be Jean Taylor. In addition, the COMC subcommittee appointed to advise the steering group for the focused planning effort on meetings and conferences has reviewed materials developed for the report and provided feedback to the steering committee. 2.2 Report on Committee on Science Policy (CSP). Att. #4. The ECBT received the attached report on CSP activities (#4). 2.3 Report on Committee on Education (COE). Att. #5. The ECBT received the attached report on the October 2004 COE meeting and the Committee’s report on AMS activities related to graduate education (Att. #5). 2.4 Report on Committee on the Profession (CoProf). Att. #6. The ECBT received the attached report on the October 2004 CoProf meeting, and a report on a recent survey of member opinions regarding the establishment of a Fellows of the AMS program (Att. #6). 2.5 Report on Committee on Publications (CPub). Att. #7. The ECBT received the attached report (#7) on the October 2004 CPub meeting, which was preceded by a meeting of the managing editors of the four primary research journals. 2.6 Report on Mathematical Reviews Editorial Committee (MREC). Att. #8. The ECBT received the attached report (#8) on the October 2004 MREC meeting. 2.7 Report on Focused Planning for Meetings. Att. #1. The ECBT received the final report on the focused planning effort on meetings (Att. #1). The report is the culmination of a year-long study of the role of meetings and conferences in the Society, guided by a Steering Committee consisting of Diane Saxe, Jim Maxwell, John Ewing and Bob Daverman. American Mathematical Society November 2004 ECBT Minutes Page 4 The ECBT discussed the entire report and then considered the following recommendations, to which they were asked to give preliminary reactions: Recommendation 1: The Society may want to consider gradually expanding the number of sectional-like meetings, perhaps by holding joint meetings with other organizations or holding a meeting in conjunction with a special mathematical event or occasion. Appointing a fifth Associate Secretary “at large” to plan these meetings would avoid adding to the already heavy load of the current (four) Associate Secretaries. The ECBT was in favor of having staff work with the Secretariat to prepare a detailed proposal based on Recommendation 1. Recommendation 2: In the event that the renewal proposal to NSF for continuation of the Summer Research Conferences is not funded, the Society should look for alternative avenues for continued outreach to the research community traditionally served by the Society’s summer conference program. The ECBT supported the sentiment expressed in Recommendation 2. 2.8 Washington Office Report. Att. #9. The ECBT received the attached report on recent activities of the Washington Office (#9). 2.9 Congressional Fellow. Att. #10. Many professional societies sponsor Congressional Fellows through the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). These Fellows spend a year in the office of a Member of Congress learning, from the inside, how the Congress operates. On the other hand, the Fellow is a resource on science and mathematics for the Member of Congress and staff colleagues. The AAAS organizes the selection process and the orientation of Fellows. The fellowship term usually begins in September. Total cost per fellow, is estimated to be from $84,000 to $97,000 per year. Total cost is based on a salary of $60,000 to $70,000 per year (actual salary will depend on the age of individual), a AAAS fee of $3,100, fringe benefits (25% of salary or $15,000 to $17,500), moving allowance of $3,000, and travel allowance of $3,000 which includes the Joint Meetings. Attached (#10)is more information on the AAAS Congressional Fellowship program, including: background information, comments on the program from Members of Congress, a House resolution recognizing the program, a listing of sponsoring societies, and a survey of participating societies with estimated costs for 2004-2005. American Mathematical Society November 2004 ECBT Minutes Page 5 The ECBT agreed that the AMS should participate in this program, and voted to support one fellow per year, beginning in September 2005 (or September 2006, if it is already too late to start in 2005). 2.10 Report on Long Range Planning Committee (LRPC). Att. #27. LRPC Chair Eisenbud reported that the LRPC considered two governance matters at its November 19, 2004 meeting: The first was a review of the composition of the Council, which arose in previous discussions about how to deal with unsuccessful presidential candidates. Some ideas that arose during the LRPC discussion were shared with the ECBT, and the EC agreed that the composition of the Council should be the topicfor the discussion session at the April 9, 2005 Council meeting. The second concerns the Editorial Boards Committee (EBC) and its crucial importance to the Society's publishing program. The LRPC proposed that the EBC be expanded to include two additional members, the Secretary and the Publisher, both non-voting. A document describing the background and rationale for this proposal was distributed (Att. #27). The ECBT voted to recommend approval of this proposal to the January 2005 Council. 2.11 Review of Dues Levels for 2006 Membership Year. Att. #11. The May 2004 BT approved a set of principles to serve as guidelines for setting individual member dues, and the EC voted to recommend their adoption to the January 2005 Council. The adoption of these principles requires staff and leadership to begin the process of setting dues earlier than in the past. In anticipation of the Council’s approval of the principles at its January 2005 meeting, the ECBT was asked to discuss the need for a dues increase for 2006 and make a recommendation to the Council for consideration in January. The Council’s decision will then be subject to ratification by the BT at their May 2005 meeting. The ECBT reviewed an attachment (#11) presenting the principles for setting the dues approved by the May 2004 ECBT, a discussion of staff’s recommendation for 2006 individual dues, and the economic information identified in the principles as factors to be considered.