May 1997 ECBT Minutes
NOTE: AT THE PRESENT TIME, THE ATTACHMENTS ARE NOT AVAILABLE ELECTRONICALLY. IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO SEE AN ATTACHMENT, PLEASE CONTACT ELLEN HEISER AT THE AMS HEADQUARTERS BY TELEPHONE (800-321-4267).
AMERICAN MATHEMATICAL SOCIETY
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE AND BOARD OF TRUSTEES
MAY 9-10, 1997
PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND
MINUTES
A joint meeting of the Executive Committee of the Council (EC) and the Board of
Trustees (BT) was held May 9-10, 1997 at the AMS Headquarters in Providence,
Rhode Island. The following members of the ECBT were present: Roy L. Adler,
Hyman Bass, John B. Conway, Michael G. Crandall, Robert M. Fossum, Arthur
M. Jaffe, Steven G. Krantz, Andy R. Magid, Donald E. McClure, Cathleen Synge
Morawetz, Andrew M. Odlyzko, Franklin P. Peterson, Marc A. Rieffel, and
B. A. Taylor. Also present were: Donald G. Babbitt (Publisher), Gary
G. Brownell (Associate Executive Director [AED]), John H. Ewing (Executive
Director [ED]), R. Keith Dennis (Executive Editor, Mathematical Reviews),
Timothy J. Goggins (Development Officer), Ellen H. Heiser (Assistant to the ED
[and recording secretary]), Jane E. Kister (Associate Executive Editor,
Mathematical Reviews), James W. Maxwell (AED), Constance W. Pass (Controller),
and Samuel M. Rankin (AED). Carol-Ann Blackwood (Manager of Membership and
Customer Service) was present on Friday evening.
President Jaffe and Board Chair Bass presided.
Items occur in numerical order, which is not necessarily the order in which
they were discussed at the meeting.
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE - INFORMATION ITEMS
1I.1 Secretariat Business by Mail. Att. #4.
Minutes of the Secretariat business by mail during the months December
1996 - March 1997 are attached (#4).
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE - CONSENT ITEMS
1C.1 EC Business by Mail. Att. #28.
The EC approved the attached minutes of business by mail (Att. #28).
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE AND BOARD OF TRUSTEES - ACTION/DISCUSSION ITEMS
2.1 Report on Committee on Publications (CPub). Att. #5.
As part of CPub's revolving review process of the AMS publishing
program, a Task Force consisting of Eric Bedford (Chair), Michael Crandall,
David Drasin, Joseph Flaherty and Dennis DeTurck was appointed last year by
then CPub chair, Steven Krantz, to assess the health of the traditional AMS
primary journals: JOURNAL OF THE AMS (JAMS), PROCEEDINGS OF THE AMS (PROC),
MATHEMATICS OF COMPUTATION (MCOM), and TRANSACTIONS OF THE AMS (TRAN). A final
version of the report was distributed at the CPub meeting held in Chicago on
March 8, 1997. The main concerns raised by the report and discussed by CPub
were:
* The backlog of PROC and TRAN; and
* the size of the PROC editorial board
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Additional concerns raised by the Managing Editors of PROC and JAMS and
contained in the report's appendix are:
* The procedure for appointing editors to JAMS;
* the subscription price of JAMS; and
* the procedure for appointing associate editors to PROC.
CPub accepted the report of the Task Force without recommending any further
action.
Att. #5 contains the minutes of the March 8 CPub meeting.
For information.
2.2 Report on Committee on Meetings and Conferences (COMC).
COMC has not met since September. In the interim, the two Chairs
(Wiegand, the outgoing Chair, and Spencer, the new Chair) participated in the
discussion at the Long Range Planning Committee meeting held in San Diego.
There was also a Focus Group discussion in San Diego moderated by these same
two people on the general topic of the structure of National Meetings. COMC's
annual report to the membership was published in the March 1997 NOTICES. The
next meeting of the Committee is September 20, 1997, in Chicago. Since it will
be meeting only once this year, the Committee will be discussing many issues by
e-mail.
For information.
2.3 Report on Committee on Education (COE).
The next COE meeting will take place September 26-28, 1997. Current
activities include an active Subcommittee (AMS/NCTM Standards 2000), formed at
the request of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) to
function as an Association Resource Group (ARG) to provide advice during the
next three years' review of the NCTM Standards. The Subcommittee submitted its
first report to NCTM January 30, 1997. The BT had authorized up to $3,000 for
support of this Subcommittee; a total of $330 has been spent through April.
COE, with the Math Reviews Editorial Committee, formed a Subcommittee
to review possible MR coverage of undergraduate mathematics education research.
This group met in San Diego to develop plans for their work.
At the San Diego meeting COE sponsored a presentation on the
recently-released results of the Third International Mathematics and Science
Study (TIMSS), including videotapes of eighth grade mathematics classes in
Japan. Other COE sessions included a career workshop for graduate students, a
joint session with CoProf on continuing professional development, and a session
with Mathematicians and Education Reform (MER) on K-12 intervention.
For information.
2.4 Report on MATHEMATICAL REVIEWS Editorial Committee (MREC).
MREC will in future meet only once a year (rather than twice as
heretofore). The 1997 meeting is scheduled for September 24-25, 1997.
For information.
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2.5 Report from the Long Range Planning Committee.
Steven Krantz, Chair of the LRPC, reported that the LRPC met on May 9
and discussed the following:
Strategic Planning: The 1991 Strategic Plan recommended a new plan every
three-five years. The LRPC discussed whether a new plan was needed at this
time and decided that it was not, but that the question should be reconsidered
in two years.
Joint Policy Board for Mathematics: The LPRC's recommendations were discussed
by the ECBT in executive session (see item 2E.6 of the ECBT executive session
minutes).
For information.
2.6 Report on Committee on the Profession (CoProf). Att. #6.
CoProf met March 22-23, 1997 at the O'Hare Hilton. A summary of the
highlights of the meeting is provided in Att. #6.
For information.
2.7 1998 Journal Pages.
The ECBT authorized the following numbers of pages for 1998.
BULLETIN........................640
CONFORMAL GEOMETRY AND DYNAMICS.400
JOURNAL OF THE AMS............1,000
MATHEMATICS OF COMPUTATION....1,750
MEMOIRS.......................3,200
NOTICES.......................1,400
PROCEEDINGS...................3,520
REPRESENTATION THEORY...........400
TRANSACTIONS..................5,000
SUGAKU..........................240
The ECBT also noted that the following numbers of pages are currently
the staff's best estimates and were included in the version of the 1998 budget
presented at this meeting:
ABSTRACTS..........................775
CURRENT MATHEMATICAL
PUBLICATIONS.............3,210
MATHEMATICAL REVIEWS
Issue pages..............8,279
Annual index pages.......4,012
Total MR pages..........12,291
ST. PETERSBURG...................1,361
THEORY OF PROBABILITY AND
MATHEMATICAL STATISTICS....244
TRUDY MOSCOW.......................294
EMPLOYMENT INFORMATION IN THE
MATHEMATICAL SCIENCES......275
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It was noted that, all pages represented here are text pages, and do
not include internal blanks or front and back matter.
2.8 1998 Journal Prices.
The BT (in consultation with the EC) approved the following list prices
for 1998 journal subscriptions. It was understood that these prices (except
for MATHEMATICAL REVIEWS products) include an additional 1% that is to be set
aside in the Archiving Fund for AMS Journals and Books (the purpose of this
Fund is outlined in item 2.13 of the 11/95 ECBT minutes).
ABSTRACTS...............................$ 87
BULLETIN................................$ 280
CONFORMAL GEOMETRY AND DYNAMICS.........$ 100
JOURNAL OF THE AMS......................$ 193
MATHEMATICS OF COMPUTATION..............$ 322
MATHEMATICAL REVIEWS Products:
MATHEMATICAL REVIEWS (paper).........$ 389
CURRENT MATHEMATICAL PUBLICATIONS....$ 461
MR SECTIONS..........................$ 112
Data Access Fee......................$5,460
MathSciDisc..........................$1,975
MathSciNet...........................$1,775
MathSciNet and MathSciDisc...........$2,600
MEMOIRS.................................$ 435
MOSCOW..................................$ 312
NOTICES.................................$ 300
PROCEEDINGS.............................$ 713
REPRESENTATION THEORY...................$ 100
ST. PETERSBURG..........................$1,153
SUGAKU..................................$ 130
THEORY OF PROBABILITY AND
MATHEMATICAL STATISTICS.........$ 443
TRANSACTIONS............................$1,156
The BT also agreed that, starting in 1998, subscribers to the paper
versions of the primary journals will get electronic access at no additional
charge, and that the individual price of a 1998 subscription to either of the
electronic-only specialty journals will be $25.
2.9 1998 Individual Member Dues.
According to the method approved by the Council, the ECBT set 1998
individual dues at $128 for the high dues category and set the break point
between low and high level dues at $45,000.
2.10 1998 Institutional Member Dues.
The ECBT approved an overall increase of 3.82% in institutional dues
for 1998, resulting in minimum dues of $680 and maximum dues of $3,860.
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2.11 1998 ABC/ECBT Meetings.
The ECBT approved the following dates and sites for 1998 ABC and ECBT
meetings:
ABC March 21, 1998 (Saturday)...............................Providence, RI
ECBT May 15-16, 1998 (Friday and Saturday)...................Ann Arbor, MI
ABC October 10, 1998 (Saturday).............................Providence, RI
ECBT November 20-21, 1998 (Friday and Saturday)..............Providence, RI
2.12 Report on Committee on Science Policy (CSP). Att. #10.
A report on the CSP meeting held April 18-19, 1997 in Washington, DC,
is attached (#10).
For information.
2.13 Washington Activities. Att. #11.
During the past several months, a number of efforts have been made by
the Washington office staff and President Jaffe to advocate for federal support
for mathematics and science. A summary of some of these efforts follows; for
details, see Att. #11.
On March 4, President Jaffe participated in a press conference in
Washington DC, organized by a group of scientific societies (including AMS), at
which a statement, signed by the presidents of 23 scientific societies, was
released advocating sufficient federal support for research. At this writing,
43 society presidents/leaders have signed the statement, which has been sent to
every Member of Congress with a cover letter signed by six society presidents,
including President Jaffe. With the help of the Mayor of San Jose, California,
the group is trying to obtain the endorsement of mayors of U.S. cities, and
will also approach the National Governors' Conference in an effort to gain
their endorsement.
On March 5, a mathematics lecture was presented on Capitol Hill for
Members of Congress and their staff. The lecture was given by Ronald Coifman,
Yale University, who was introduced by Andrew Wiles, Princeton University.
President Jaffe served as moderator. Seventy-five people attended, including
two Members of Congress -- a feat in itself. This, as far as is known, was the
first mathematics lecture given on Capitol Hill.
On April 17, 11 mathematicians participated in the second annual
Congressional Visits Day, organized by a coalition of scientific societies and
industry. This day is spent visiting Members of Congress, requesting support
for science, mathematics, and engineering. Over 150 scientists, engineers and
mathematicians took part in the all-day event.
The ECBT was greatly impressed with these activities and acknowledged
by acclamation the tremendous efforts put forth by Associate Executive Director
Samuel Rankin and his Assistant, Monica Foulkes, to accomplish them in such
exemplary fashion.
2.14 Joint Alliance for Minorities in Mathematics (JAMM).
The grant proposal that was submitted to the NSF requesting funds for
enhancing the participation of underrepresented minorities in mathematics was
declined. (See the November 1996 ECBT minutes, item 2I.11.) Co-principal
investigators Raymond Johnson and James Turner are considering pursuing other
funding options.
For information.
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2.15 AAAS Mass Media Science and Engineering Fellows Program.
Eighteen mathematics graduate students applied for 1997 American
Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Mass Media Fellowships, out
of a total of approximately eighty applications. Three mathematics students
were among the twenty applicants selected for presentation to mass media
organizations, who make the final selections. It is likely that at least one
mathematics student will be selected by a media company.
There is some likelihood that AAAS will ask the AMS to support more
than one fellow this year. The ECBT approved the ED's request to support up to
1.5 fellows ($11,250) from Program Development Funds.
2.16 Department Chairs Workshop, January 1998. Att. #30.
People have commented at various meetings about the need for training
of department chairs. Unlike laboratory scientists, who often gain
administrative experience early in their careers, mathematicians often begin
serving as chair with little or no experience at all. After some initial
discussions with three current chairs, the idea of a short workshop was
formulated. Approval was requested for a pilot workshop, to be held
immediately preceding the Baltimore Joint Meetings.
The workshop would be entitled, "Leading a Mathematics Department:
Issues Confronting Department Chairs in the Day-to-Day Running of a Mathematics
Department in a Research University." The workshop would last 1-1/2 days, on
Tuesday and Wednesday before the meeting, and would be directed mainly at
department chairs serving in their first or possibly second year (although
others would be welcome as well.) The organizers are John Conway, University
of Tennessee;, James Lewis, University of Nebraska-Lincoln; and Douglas Lind,
University of Washington. A tentative program can be found in Att. #30, but
the details of the topics and materials are still under discussion.
Each year, the Board on Mathematical Sciences (BMS) conducts a Chairs
Colloquium in Washington, DC, and immediately preceding that event invites new
chairs to a brief (2-3 hour) workshop. Both the workshop and the colloquium
itself deal with external issues confronting chairs -- funding issues, trends
in education, etc. -- and there is little overlap between this new workshop and
that of the BMS. The focus of this workshop will be the nuts and bolts of
running a department, organized and conducted by chairs who have experience to
share.
Invitations will be sent to chairs of the 176 PhD-granting departments
and approximately 25 participants will be accepted. Total expenses are
estimated to be around $4,000. A registration fee ($75?) will be charged to
partially cover expenses. The exact amount of the fee should set in order to
maximize the likelihood that a sufficient number of chairs will attend to make
this a success. If it IS a success, the workshop would eventually be
self-supporting. It is also possible that the workshop will expand to more
time, and move to a summer format. This is merely intended as a pilot project,
in part to gauge the interest in such activities.
The ECBT approved holding a pilot workshop as outlined above.
2.17 Joint Society Public Service Award.
The American Chemical Society, American Physical Society, and AMS
proposed a public service award, to be given annually to current or former
Members of Congress who have demonstrated a commitment to the support of
5/97 ECBT MINUTES
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science, mathematics, and engineering. The award will perhaps be made during
National Science and Technology Week. The award winner(s) will be chosen by a
committee of representatives from the participating societies. The purpose of
this award is to a) publicly recognize Members and former Members of Congress
who have shown sustained support of science, mathematics, and engineering,
through their public and Congressional actions; b) publicly acknowledge the
importance of science, mathematics, and engineering to the nation; and c) build
a core of Members of Congress who speak out for science, mathematics, and
engineering.
The ECBT approved such an award in principle and asked that the
Committee on the Profession prepare a detailed proposal for final approval by
the January 1998 Council.
2.18 International Mathematical Olympiad 2001. Att. #13.
A consortium of mathematics organizations, led by the MAA, has proposed
that the United States host the International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO) in
2001. The IMO is held each year, engaging teams of eight young (high school
age) mathematicians from countries around the world. The host country provides
housing for the participants as well as the facilities for holding the
Olympiad. Estimated costs are from two-three million dollars.
Funds for this are usually raised by organizations in the host country
(or provided by the government). In order to raise the funds, the MAA has
formed a new 501(c)3 called "IMO 2001 USA". The articles of incorporation and
the bylaws are contained in Att. #13.
At the meeting of the Conference Board of Mathematical Sciences on May
3-4, some additional information about IMO 2001 was provided. That information
is included as Att. #13. It was also announced that the corporation IMO 2001
had been formed on May 1 with three charter members (MAA, NCTM, and AMATYC).
The new Board met briefly and decided upon informal procedures for operating
until more societies join.
Each new member organization will be asked to (1) pay annual dues, (2)
support the mission of the organization, (3) provide appropriate publicity
about the Olympiad to its members. In addition, member organizations are asked
to recognize that the purpose of IMO 2001 is both to host the Olympiad in 2001
AND to raise the money to provide that support. Any further support is
discretionary.
Each member organization will appoint a member of the Board, normally
the current president or president-elect, who will serve (usually) for the next
four years.
The dues are set on a sliding scale, ranging from $100 to $2,500, and
for 1997 will be prorated on a monthly basis. The dues for the AMS will be
assessed at $2,500.
The Board for IMO 2001 next meets in Atlanta at the MAA summer
meeting. They hope to have additional members by then in order to begin
operating.
The ECBT approved joining IMO 2001 USA as of July 1, 1997. The ECBT
also asked that the January 1998 Council be informed specifically of this
action.
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2.19 Report on 1997 AAAS Annual Meeting. Att. #12.
The ECBT received the attached report (#12) on the AMS activities at
the recent AAAS meeting.
The AAAS will celebrate its 150th anniversary at its annual meeting in
February 1998. The ECBT asked the Secretary to prepare a motion of
congratulations.
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE AND BOARD OF TRUSTEES - CONSENT ITEMS
2C.1 November 1996 ECBT Meeting.
The ECBT approved the minutes of the meeting of the Executive Committee
and Board of Trustees held November 22-23, 1996, in Ann Arbor, Michigan. These
minutes include:
ECBT open and executive session minutes prepared by the Secretary of the Society,
BT closed executive session minutes prepared by the Secretary of the Board.
2C.2 ECBT Business by Mail. Att. #31.
The ECBT approved the attached minutes of business by mail (Att. #31).
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE AND BOARD OF TRUSTEES - INFORMATION ITEMS
2I.1 Actions of the Agenda and Budget Committee (ABC).
At its March 15, 1997, meeting in Providence, Rhode Island, the ABC
took the following action. The number in curly brackets is the ABC agenda item
number.
2I.1 {2.16} Schedule for May 1996 ECBT Meeting.
The ABC decided the schedule for the May 1997 ECBT meeting. On Friday
evening, there will be a one-hour discussion session on AMS individual
membership, one hour will be spent receiving and discussing reports from
various committees, and, if time permits, the consent agendas will be reviewed.
2I.2 Report on Mirror Sites.
Mirror sites in Strasbourg and Bielefeld are active and work is
continuing on the mirror site at Max-Planck-Institut in Bonn. Negotiations
with Australia and attempts to establish a mirror site in the U.S. are ongoing.
2I.3 Report on e-MATH. Att. #18.
A report on e-MATH, containing usage statistics and significant new
additions and/or enhancements for the period of September 1996 through January
1997, is attached (#18). Major new or enhanced activities include the release
of MathSciNet version 2.0 and the establishment of MathSciNet Mirror Sites in
Europe, the release of the What's New in Math area, and the launch of
Representation Theory, An Electronic Journal of the AMS.
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2I.4 Status of Member CD-ROM Plans.
Plans for production of an AMS Member CD-ROM are progressing with the
anticipation that stock of the CD-ROM will be available for shipping in late
August or early September 1997. The content of the CD-ROM will generally
follow the description approved by the 11/96 ECBT (see Att. #9, pages 6-8 of
the minutes of that meeting), though AMS staff are currently evaluating the
feasibility of including samples of commercial software on the CD-ROM.
2I.5 Conference Board of the Mathematical Sciences (CBMS).
Then President Morawetz attended the December 1996 CBMS meeting in
Washington, DC.
2I.6 Council of Scientific Society Presidents (CSSP). Att. #12.
Then President-Elect Arthur Jaffe attended the December 1996 CSSP
meeting in Washington, DC. See item 2.13 and Att. #11 for a report on this
meeting and other outreach activities in which the Society has been involved
recently.
2I.7 Registration Fees for 1997 Conferences.
Based on recommendations from the Meetings and Conferences Department
staff and AED Maxwell, the Executive Director has approved the following
registration fees for 1997 conferences. The fees for 1996 conferences are
included for reference.
1997 1996
Summer Research Institute (three weeks).........$60 $60
Joint Summer Research Conferences...............$40/conference* $30/conference
AMS-SIAM Summer Seminar (one week)..............$60** $30
*In 1997 there will be six one-week, and one two-week, Joint Summer Research
Conferences.
**The "1997 Summer" Seminar was actually scheduled to take place in January 1998
to accommodate scheduling conflicts for several of the speakers.
2I.8 Registration Fees for January 1998 Employment Register.
Based on recommendations from the Joint Committee on Employment
Opportunities and AED Maxwell, the Executive Director has approved the
following registration fees for the January 1998 Employment Register. The fees
for the January 1997 Employment Register are included for reference.
Jan 98 Jan 97
Applicant - advance registration................$ 40 $ 40
Applicant - on site registration................$ 75 $ 75
Employer first table - advance registration.....$200 $160
Employer first table - on site registration.....$250 $220
Employer second table - advance registration....$ 50 $ 80
Employer second table - on site registration....$ 75 $110
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It is noted that employers pay the same fee for using either the regular
scheduling system, or the Interview Center.
2I.9 Update on the Former Soviet Union Library Project. Att. #19.
A final report on this project, begun in 1993, is provided in Att. #19.
This report was prepared by Tim Goggins as part of the final report to the
National Science Foundation.
2I.10 AMS-MER-SIAM Workshop on Professional Masters' Degrees. Att. #20.
A funding proposal (see Att. #20) was submitted to NSF in March,
requesting support for two workshops on professional master's degree programs.
These workshops are designed to provide a venue for departments to become
well-informed about recommendations for graduate studies and existing
professional master's degree programs, and gain practical knowledge for
planning and implementing their own programs. Approximately 60 representatives
from 35 to 40 departments of mathematical sciences are expected to participate
in these workshops.
2I.11 Employment and the U.S. Mathematics Doctorate: Connections with
Nontraditional Opportunities. Att. #21.
A progress report can be found in Att. #21. Current focus involves
development of a CD-ROM on employment information for undergraduate mathematics
majors, one of nine CD-ROM's developed by scientific and engineering societies
on employment and funded by the Sloan Foundation. Video clips will be included
of mathematicians interviewed in their work environments.
2I.12 Council of Graduate Schools (CGS): Preparing Future Faculty Project.
The Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) and the Association of American
Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) had requested that the AMS participate in a
collaborative project for preparing future college and university faculty. The
goal is to promote reform of certain structures and customs of doctoral
education in several academic disciplines to help insure that graduate students
aspiring to an academic career are appropriately prepared to assume the full
range of faculty roles - teaching, research, and service - in a wide range of
institutional types. The 11/96 ECBT approved AMS participation in this
project; however, no progress has been made by CGS on the proposal at this
time.
2I.13 Travel Grant Proposal for Joint Meeting with the South African
Mathematical Society, London Mathematical Society, and AMS.
The grant proposal is awaiting a decision by NSF.
2I.14 January 1997 Council Meeting.
The Council met on 07 January 1997 in San Diego, CA. Actions taken:
1. The minutes were approved.
2. The Council approved a resolution congratulating SIAM on the occasion of the
45th Anniversary of its founding.
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3. The Teller's Report on the 1996 Election was approved.
4. Several appointments were made to editorial committees.
5. Two officers were re-appointed.
6. Many committee reports were filed. Some recommended action items which are
reported below.
7. The Council adopted procedures for approving Society co-sponsorship of
meetings organized by others.
8. The Council approved procedures and policies regarding international
meetings.
9. The Council considered a report by a special committee to review the
operation of policy committees. This review included many recommendations for
action.
10. The Council revised the charge to the Committee on the Profession, the
Committee on Publications, and the Committee on Meetings and Conferences.
11. The Council approved revisions regarding the conduct of its own business.
12. The Council considered a resolution on immigration policy and recommended
that the resolution be sent by mail ballot so as to "speak in the name of the
Society".
13. The Council passed a resolution regarding the United States National
Committee on Mathematics.
The actions taken and the statements of the resolutions can be found in
the minutes which have been distributed to all members of the Council and to
the Trustees.
2I.15 April 1997 Council Meeting.
The Council met on 12 April 1997 in College Park, MD. In addition to
receiving several reports, it made nominations for the election to be held in
the fall. All candidates suggested by the Nominating Committee were nominated
by the Council, as was the one candidate nominated by petition.
2I.16 1997-98 AMS Centennial Fellowships.
The Centennial Fellowship Committee recommended awards to five
individuals for 1997-98. These are: Fred Diamond (MIT), Gang Liu (MIT), Ovidu
Costin (Chicago), Zhongwei Shen (Kentucky), and Stephanie Singer (Haverford
College). All have accepted.
2I.17 Gibbs Lecturer.
The Gibbs Lecturer for 1998 (Baltimore) will be Edward Witten (IAS).
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BOARD OF TRUSTEES - ACTION/DISCUSSION ITEMS
3.1 Discussion of Fiscal Reports.
The BT received and discussed various fiscal reports. It was noted
that approval of the 1998 budget will be requested at the November 1997 ECBT
meeting.
3.2 Budgeted Staffing Levels.
The BT received a report on numbers of full-time equivalent employees
for 1994 - 1997.
3.3 Capital Expenditures - 1997 Capital Purchase Plan.
The BT received a report on the 1997 capital purchase plan.
3.3.1 Capital Expenditures - Approval of Specific Purchases.
Requests for authorization to make specific large purchases (items
costing $50,000 or more) are included under this item.
A request was considered by the Trustees in closed executive session.
See the minutes of that session that were prepared by the Secretary of the
Board.
3.4 Investment Committee Report.
The BT received a report on the May 9, 1997 meeting of the Investment
Committee and approved the Committee's recommendation that the following
resolutions be approved in order to allow investment in the Franklin/Templeton
Group of Funds:
RESOLVED, that any one of the corporation's following identified
officers
Associate Executive Director of Finance and Administration
Controller
are authorized to execute investment applications with the
Franklin/Templeton Group of Funds and any related agreements,
including, if executed, the Institutional Telephone Privileges
Agreement, and bind the corporation to these agreements; to
open one or more Franklin/Templeton Fund investment accounts
in the name of the corporation; to invest such funds of the
corporation in shares issued by one or more Franklin/Templeton
Funds ("Funds Shares"), as they deem appropriate; and to issue
instructions (including the execution of money fund drafts, if
applicable) pertaining to the redemption, exchange or transfer
of Fund Shares.
FURTHER RESOLVED, that each Franklin/Templeton Fund,
Franklin/Templeton Investor Services, Inc. and Franklin/Templeton
Distributors, Inc. shall be held harmless and fully protected
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relying from time to time upon any certifications by the secretary
or any assistant secretary of the corporation as to the names of
the individuals occupying the above identified offices, and in
acting in reliance upon the foregoing resolutions, until actual
receipt by them of a certified copy of the Board of Directors
of the corporation modifying or revoking any or all such
resolutions.
3.5 Short-Term Investments. Att. #23.
The BT approved the Investment Committee's recommendation to approve
the proposal to establish an intermediate investment portfolio as outlined in
Att. #23.
The BT approved the following resolutions in order to allow investment
in the Strong High Yield Account:
RESOLVED, that the following individuals are duly authorized by
resolution or otherwise to purchase, sell, assign, transfer,
exchange, and/or deliver securities on behalf of said Organization
in connection with ownership of shares of any mutual fund member
of the Strong Funds family of investment companies (including,
without limitation, executing forms for any Privileges, Services
and/or Plans offered by the Funds):
Associate Executive Director for Finance and Administration
Controller
FURTHER RESOLVED, that said Organization agrees to indemnify and
hold Strong Funds and its agents harmless for any loss, cost, or
damage resulting from acting upon any written or telephone
instructions pursuant to any such Privileges, Services, and/or
Plans adopted by the Organization. Neither the Funds nor their
transfer agent will be liable for acting upon instructions received
by telephone. Accordingly, the investor bears the risk of loss.
This authorization and indemnification is a continuing one and such
authorization shall remain in full force and effect until five
business days after revoked in writing or amended by another
properly completed form.
3.6 Registration Fees for the January 7-10, 1998 Meeting in Baltimore,
Maryland.
Based on the information available at this meeting, the BT voted to
advise the AMS-MAA Joint Meetings Committee that the member advance
registration fee for the Baltimore meeting be set at $150.
3.7 Congressional Luncheon Expenses.
On March 5, the AMS sponsored its first Congressional Luncheon at which
Ronald Coifman spoke (introduced by Andrew Wiles). Over 75 people attended,
including Congressmen, staffers, and representatives from the various
Washington agencies. A more detailed description is included in 2.13 and
Att. #11.
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The costs for planning and conducting the luncheon totaled $3,921,
which included the luncheon itself, invitations, photography, speaker's
expenses, and travel. The BT authorized the use of Program Development Funds
to cover these costs.
3.8 Report on Program Development Fund (PDF). Att. #26.
The BT received the attached report (#26) on the history and projected
status of the PDF.
3.9 Trustee Reports on Divisions. Att. #1 & #2.
The Executive Director reported that, during the past year, the
planning process had been modified in an effort to simplify the process and to
tie it more closely to the budget (see Att. #2). As part of this change, the
annual reports have been incorporated into the operating plan, as a sixth
section for each division, to be added after the completion of the year.
Although the 1996 operating plan was not done in the new format, 1996
annual reports were nonetheless created in the new style, in an effort to make
them more concise and more focused, describing the general trends in the
division as well as providing an account of projects proposed in the operating
plan.
The BT received the 1996 annual reports for all Divisions, and they are
attached to the record copies of these ECBT minutes (Att. #1). Each Trustee
reported on the Division(s) with which he has liaison. The Trustees were
uniformly pleased with the new style of the annual reports and the staff's
accomplishments during 1996.
3.10 Meeting of MR, Inc.
The AMS BT meeting adjourned. The AMS Trustees then convened as the
Board of Directors of MR, Inc. and elected the following officers:
President of the Corporation: Hyman Bass
Treasurer of the Corporation: Franklin P. Peterson
Secretary of the Corporation: Michael G. Crandall
Directors of the Corporation: Roy L. Adler
Arthur M. Jaffe
Andy R. Magid
Donald E. McClure
B. A. Taylor
The meeting of the Board of Directors of MR, Inc. then adjourned, and
the meeting of the AMS BT reconvened.
BOARD OF TRUSTEES - CONSENT ITEMS
3C.1 Trustees' Officers.
The BT elected Donald McClure Chair of the Board, and Andy Magid
Secretary of the Board, for 1998.
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3C.2 1997 Summer Institute. Att. #32.
A draft proposal and budget for the 1997 Summer Institute on
"Differential Geometry and Control" was sent to the BT by mail ballot on June
20, 1996. It was discovered recently that only five members of the Board
returned ballots. While all five approved, a quorum of six is technically
required for a valid vote of the Trustees. To set the record straight, the BT
was asked to vote again on the attached draft proposal and budget (#32), which
they now approved.
3C.3 BT Business by Mail. Att. #33.
The approved the attached minutes of business by mail (Att. #33).
BOARD OF TRUSTEES - INFORMATION ITEMS
3I.1 New Fiscal Reports Section.
Section L of the Fiscal Reports now includes a report on "Temporarily
Restricted Net Assets." The report shows the increases and decreases in the
funds that have time or purpose restrictions as to their use (e.g., endowment
spending rate for prize funds, contributions to the Centennial Fellowship and
Program Development Fund, private foundation grant funds, etc.). The 1996
ending balance in these funds is $1,540,132, of which $806,137 is derived from
net gains on purpose-restricted endowment funds. These net assets are
supported by the short- and long-term investment portfolios and remain
available for their intended purposes in future years.
3I.2 Human Resources Consulting Project.
The project was started in late 1996 and is on-going. Among the
messages we have tried to communicate to staff about this project are:
1. The primary emphasis is assessment of our current compensation and
performance management practices.
2. All employees will be given an opportunity to provide input to the
consultants.
3. Employees should not expect changes in compensation as a result of this
project.
More information about the project will be available at the meeting.
3I.3 Audit Committee Report. Att. #34.
The Audit Committee met on May 9, 1997 to review drafts of the audited
financial statements, the auditors' management letter, and staff's responses to
the management letter. The audited financial statements for 1996 and 1995 are
attached (#34).
3I.4 Economic Stabilization Fund (ESF) Increment.
The 1996 increment to the ESF was limited to reinvested income, which
amounted to $3,655,914.
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3I.5 August 1996 CESSE Meeting. Att. #25.
A report summarizing the fiscal aspects of the August 1996 meeting of
the Council of Engineering and Scientific Society Executives, and some of the
public relations value the Society received in return for its financial
contribution, is attached (#25).
3I.6 Program Development Fund (PDF) Expenditures for Working Group on Public
Awareness.
At its last meeting, the Board approved expenditures of up to $5,000
from the PDF for special projects of the new Working Group for Public Awareness
(a subcommittee of the Committee on the Profession), chaired by Steve
Weintraub. At this time, no expenditures have been made. The Working Group is
planning projects, however, that will likely require funding later in the year.
Robert M. Fossum, Secretary
20 June 1997