Executive Committee of the American Institute of Physics
Minutes of Meeting
Members Present: Philip M. Morse – Chairman, Robert t. Beyer, W. A. Fowler, Laurence W. Fredrick, W. W. Havens, Jr., H. William Koch, Sidney Millman, Melba Phillips, and Jarus W. Quinn who arrived after discussion of the 1977 budget (Item 12), but before the report of the Administrative Review Committee (Item 13).
Nonvoting Participants: Edward L. Brady (MAL), R. D. Burbank (ACA)
AIP Staff Present: H. William Koch, Director; Sidney Millman, Secretary; G. F. Gilbert, Treasurer; Robert H. Marks, Assoc. Director for Publishing; Lewis Slack, Assoc. Director for General Activities; Mary M. Johnson, Assistant to the Secretary; Dorothy M. Lasky, Assistant to the Director
Chairman Morse called the meeting to order at 9:05 a.m.
1. Minutes
Upon motion made and passed, the minutes of the following two Executive Committee meetings were approved:
- 8-11 September 1976
- 7-8 October 1976
2. Confirmation of Executive Committee Telephone Ballots
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Change in Mortgage Conditions re Waldemar Building
Millman noted that the motion authorizing purchase of the Waldemar Building, as recorded in the minutes of the 7-8 October 1976 Executive Committee meeting, included as a condition of the purchase the transfer of the existing mortgage, the value of which was stated to be $650,000. This was based on informal information supplied by an officer of the Waldemar Foundation and this value turned out to be incorrect. Actually, it is $455,000.
In a telephone poll, 5 out of the 7 voting members of the Executive Committee were contacted and they unanimously agreed to rescind that condition since it does not materially affect the desirability of our purchasing the building. A motion to confirm this telephone ballot, changing the mortgage value in the condition for acquisition of the building from $650,000 to $455,000, was made by Havens, seconded by Beyer, and passed without dissent.
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Legal Fees for AAS Appeal on Postal Matters
Koch noted that he obtained telephone approval from 5voting members of the Executive Committee to commit AIP to provide financial help to the American Astronomical Society, up to a maximum of $8,000, if it becomes necessary for that Society to appeal the U. S. Postal Service decision requiring that articles on which page charges have been collected to be labeled "advertising," and if AAS provides an initial $2,000 for this purpose. A motion to confirm this action was passed without dissent. Fredrick abstained.
3. Status of the Purchase of the Waldemar Building
Marks reported that AIP is now in an official contract with deposit money in escrow. The bank has agreed to transfer the existing mortgage of about $455,000. The only step left is to get a new variance for the kind of use AIP is going to make of the property. It might take until March to get that variance. If we do not get the variance, the deal is off and we will get our money back. In the meantime, we plan to proceed with the layout work for the necessary alterations and perhaps also obtain appropriate bids for the projected work. There is no indication of any problems.
Koch called attention to the existence of a 1-acre tract in front of the Waldemar property and stated that it would be highly desirable for AIP to acquire that to prevent someone from buying it and using it against our best interests. It is zoned residential. He displayed a plan of the property and noted that it would give us added flexibility. He has tentatively negotiated a price of $30,000, which is a little higher than it would be for residential use. Koch requested approval to proceed with the purchase of this 1-acre plot after we officially acquire the Waldemar property.
The following motion was made by Havens, seconded by Beyer, and passed without dissent:
MOVED that the AIP staff proceed with the acquisition of the 1-acre plot adjacent to the Waldemar building at a price of $30,000 after the Waldemar property is officially acquired by the Institute.
4. Response of IBM to our Bid on their Building
Koch informed the Executive Committee that AIP has received a letter from IBM stating that we were not the successful bidder on their building. Our $10,000 has been returned to us.
5. Status of Postal Matters
Koch reported that a resolution of the Second Class mailing permit problem is in the making. He learned from a meeting in the office of Betsy Ancker-Johnson, Assistant Secretary of Commerce, that a Federal Council for Science and Technology policy statement is being drafted that would contain the following elements: (1) accept Second Class mailing if page charges are voluntary, (2) call for line items in Federal grants identifying funds to be used for publishing costs, and that (3) the funds would be used for the purpose for which they were originally requested. Item (1) of the statement eliminates the Second Class problem as far as the Postal Service is concerned. Items (2) and (3) were included to assist those publishers that had previously had a mandatory page charge.
Fredrick expressed his dislike for earmarking the money to be spent. Havens agreed with Fredrick's concerns but felt that it would be unwise to oppose the proposed policy statement because that would call undue attention to the page charge problem and might do more harm than good. Brady noted that the policy statement which is being proposed is essentially for the purpose of satisfying the lawyers at the Post Office.
6. Status of Implementation of New Copyright Law
Koch distributed a booklet entitled "An Overview of the New Copyright Law" prepared by Charles H. Lieb, a copyright expert, and encouraged members of the Executive Committee to read it at their leisure. He noted there will be a 1-day seminar in February organized by the Association of American Publishers (AAP) of which AIP is a member. We will have to have discussions with our Publishing Policy Committee and, by the time of the April Governing Board meeting, we should have more specific recommendations for discussion and possible action.
A publishers' single article clearing house concept is being developed by AAP, in which AIP might want to participate. Koch noted that such a program will have an impact on the cover-to-cover journal sales.
He also noted that there is the question of author transfer of rights to the publisher. This is called for in the new copyright law and we will need to be sure that AIP and the Member Societies own the copyright. Brady remarked that there is a problem with articles which originate in Government organizations. These cannot be copyrighted and there is, therefore, nothing to transfer. Koch agreed that this is the crux of the problem that the Publishing Policy Committee will have to face. He felt that the law will have to be changed in this respect. AIP will need legal advice. He suggested that the Publishing Policy Committee come up with a recommendation to the Executive Committee.
The following motion was passed without dissent:
MOVED that the Publishing Policy Committee be asked to give attention to the question of author transfer of rights to the publisher.
7. Status of Negotiations with IEE
Koch distributed copies of a 10 December letter to the Institution of Electrical Engineers from Morse and noted that, after the trip that Morse and he made to London, there was agreement that AIP would send IEE a proposal and they would send us their proposal, at the same time. These have now been exchanged and Morse's letter is an attempt to make some comments on their proposal. Copies of both proposals are available, and a copy of each is attached to the official minutes of this meeting.
8. Status of Conversion Programs for the 90/30 Computer
Gilbert distributed copies of a memorandum from M. Martino, dated 9 December, indicating that although the program conversions have gone a little slower than expected, there are no real problems. It is anticipated that all conversions will be completed by March 1977.
In answer to a question, Koch stated that a move of the computer to Long Island would be done during the slack summer period. It would be important for us to plan the move as soon as we can, consistent with good management of the operation. The earliest would therefore be next summer. A more likely time is during the summer of 1978.
9. Election of Corporate Associates
Upon motion made and passed, the following were elected Corporate Associates of the Institute, effective 1977:
- Bethlehem Steel Corporation – $500
- Allegheny Ludlum Steel Corp. – $500
Lasky noted that both companies were previously members.
Lasky also reported that the billing for 1977 dues was mailed on 1 November and 47 have paid dues to date totaling $50,000. She estimated that we will end 1976 with 88 members who will have paid a total of $93,250.
10. Request for Ruling on Possible Changes in Structure of Some Committees
As Chairperson of the Nominating Committee, Phillips asked the Executive Committee for a ruling on the procedure to be followed when a change in committee and subcommittee structure is requested by a chairman of one of the committees. She distributed copies of Brady's letter of 10 December making such a recommendation in the case of the Committee on Public Relations. Koch expressed his opinion that the Executive Committee could act on such a recommendation and leave it to the Governing Board to reverse it if it so desires. Havens stated that, as a member of the Committee on Committees which recommended the present committee structure, he would support Brady's recommendation. He made the following motion which was passed without dissent:
MOVED that the Committee on Public Relations be merged with its parent Committee on Public Information and Education, and that the size of the combined committee be maintained at 12 members. It is further MOVED that the Committee on History of Physics, and the two committees on the U.S. Steel/AIP Awards be retained with their existing functions and report directly to the Governing Board instead of through the Committee on Public Information and Education.
11. Request for Approval of Selling Advertising Space in APL
Marks reported that his advertising people have encountered resistance selling space in Physics Today to the electro-optics and laser equipment market. Some have asked about the possibility of advertising in Applied Physics Letters. The Editor of APL does not object to having advertising in his journal. It is estimated that the gross income for the first year would be $12,000 or $13,000. One might anticipate a possible adverse effect on Applied Optics. He recommended that we try it for a year. The following motion was passed without dissent:
MOVED that advertising be accepted in Applied Physics Letters, up to 100 pages a year, effective 1 January 1977, with the rates to be established by AIP management.
12. Consideration of 1977 Budget
Koch distributed a 1-page memorandum entitled "Introduction to AIP Budget for 1977" and made a few introductory comments on the proposed 1977 budget. He noted that the budget under consideration has to do only with AIP services for AIP. He felt that it is a comfortable budget for what could be a difficult year. It starts with planning for a net income of $254,000. There are no surprises. He called attention to the projected decreases in personnel in Editorial Mechanics (4) and in Subscription Fulfillment (5). This is offset in part by recommended increases in Data Processing (2), Placement Service (1), Advertising (1), Public Relations (1/2), and the Director’s Office (1/2).
1977 could be a difficult year because of impending decisions on computer-based composition and the related question as to how we couple in with the APS computer activities. We also have to study the implications of the new copyright law on AIP and Society operations. Another problem is the possible disruption of AIP activities attending the proposed move of some activities to the Waldemar Building in Woodbury, Long Island.
On the favorable side, we could note that our publishing costs are at least $10 per page less than those of the American Chemical Society. Our journals are pretty much on time. We would like to take $50,000 of the budgeted net income and apply it toward reducing the delay in publishing articles with non-honored pages in The Journal of Chemical Physics. The average present delay of such articles is about 9 1/2 months and we would like to reduce it to about 6 months.
Gilbert called attention first to the two-page Summary Statement of Income and Expense - Budget 1977 (copy attached as Exhibit A). He noted particularly the bottom line of Page 2, projecting a net income of $254,000 for 1977. He also noted the difference between the revised 1976 budget showing a net income of $100,000 and the projected net income for 1976 of $376,000. This increase can be traced to the following three components:
- An increase of about $90,000 in the income from investments
- An increase of about $80,000 in the income from the archive journals
- An increase of about $100,000 in the income from the translation journals
The increase in investment income resulted from an increase in publication collections, coupled with a daily monitoring of our cash management plan; an additional six months billing of our Soviet journal subscriptions to put them on a calendar year basis; and a significant delay in the publication of Soviet journals which gave us longer use of subscription income.
The $80,000 increase in archive journal income is mainly due to favorable adjustment in our 1976 quoted prices.
The $100,000 increase in Soviet journal income is due to a decrease of over 1,000 Russian pages, corresponding to about 1,600 English pages.
Gilbert resumed discussion of the 1977 budget and answered some questions. He noted that the estimated cost for the maintenance of the Waldemar building is not reflected in charges to the Societies, except for the portion (about $70,000) which will be charged directly to the Long Island Editorial Center. He also noted that the $100,000 budgeted for the cost of computerizing the accounting system in 1977 will be amortized over a period of five years.
Koch noted that AIP is going to drop its membership in the International Group of Scientific, Technical, and Medical Publishers.
Marks followed Gilbert in the discussion of the 1977 budget by commenting on some publishing matters. He noted that publishing costs are monitored through our system of quoted prices. With the 33% increase in the 1976 subscription price for Physics Today, we experienced a large drop in paid nonmember subscriptions. We do not expect a comparable drop in 1977. The advertising income for PT continues to climb but we do not expect to reach the income budgeted for 1976. AIP also sends 500 free copies to Congress and 300 free copies to the press.
On page estimates, we review with each journal editor what he sees for the year ahead and estimate the percentage of page charges to be honored. Quoted prices are used to project the total expected expense. Negotiations with suppliers for 1977 have been concluded with minimal increases in costs that range from no increase to a maximum of 6%.
On the translation of Soviet journals, our focus has been on how to get the journals out faster. There used to be a 6-months' delay but the people involved in the production of the journals agreed that we might be able to produce them in four months. Under the old July to June system, we incurred expenses prior to the billing and the cash flow was very poor. To correct this condition and produce the journals on a faster schedule, we decided to switch to a calendar year system and moved up the normal June 1976 billing to January 1976. We completed the transition when the Soviet journals for 1977 were billed along with the rest of the archive journals in October 1976. Marks said our subscription prices are high enough to make the program viable and support the start-up of new journals as they come along.
Slack then made some comments on the budget for the General Activities Branch. He noted that the projected level of activity for the Society of Physics Students is essentially the same as last year. He reported that the Graduate Programs book is being printed and will probably go in the mail during the Christmas-New Year week. About 130 physics departments offering doctoral programs are listed. This represents 70% of total departments and 84% of doctorates awarded. There is a companion 10-page booklet being produced on how to prepare for graduate work. We expect that next year we will have a higher participation.
The Manpower Statistics Division is budgeted at essentially the same level and kind of activity as for 1976. For the Manpower Placement Division, we hope this coming year to get someone on the staff rather than as a consultant. We hope to do a better job of handling some of this information on the computer.
Slack noted that $23,400 was collected in 1975 from Friends of the Center for expenditure by AIP in 1976. In 1976, a total of $43,000 was received of which $31,500 should be regarded ae endowment money. Income from this in 1977 is e1timatad to be about $1,800. This, as well as the outright gifts for current expenses, is available for 1977.
The increased expense budgeted for the Public Relations Division ($188,000 compared with $166,000 budgeted for 1976) is due mostly to two new programs the staff was encouraged to undertake, plus one-half time of an additional secretary.
Following Slack's comments, the following motion was made and passed without dissent:
MOVED that the budget for 1977 be adopted.
The following motion was then made by Fredrick, seconded by Havens, and passed without dissent:
MOVED that $50,000 be allocated toward the reduction of the delay in publication of non-honored pages in The Journal of Chemical Physics so that it can be reduced from about nine to six months.
The following motion was made by Havens, seconded by Fowler, and passed without dissent:
MOVED that, except for Applied Physics Letters, where fast publication is a crucial factor, there be a minimum delay of three months over the average for those papers for which publication charges are not paid.
13. Report of Administrative Review Committee
At this point, the Committee went into executive session to take up the report of the Administrative Review Committee. Of the 3-member Review Committee, the two who are members of the Executive Committee, Havens and Quinn, were present. The Executive Committee adopted the report of the Administrative Review Committee and based on the recommendations contained therein, agreed on the following salary changes for the officers of AIP:
| This salary information is included only in this official copy | From | To | |
|---|---|---|---|
| H. William Koch | $54,000 | $57,500 | |
| *Sidney Millman | 22,500 | 23,940 | |
| Gerald F. Gilbert | 38,400 | 40,400 | |
| Lewis Slack | 34,500 | 36,000 | |
| Robert H. Marks | 42,500 | 45,500 |
* S. Millman rate increased from $37,500 to $39,900.
A copy of the report of the Administrative Review Committee is attached to the official minutes of this meeting.
14. Future Meetings
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Tentative Reservation for Woods Hole – 8-11 September 1977
Koch reported that a tentative reservation had been made for a meeting of the Executive Committee at Woods Hole on 8-11 September 1977.
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Next Meeting of the Executive Committee
The next meeting of the Executive Committee will be a breakfast meeting at the Palmer House in Chicago, on 7 February 1977.
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1977 Annual Corporation Meeting
Millman noted that we normally have this meeting at the same time as the spring meeting of the Governing Board. The next meeting of the Board is already scheduled for 1-2 April 1977, and this dat1e falls outside the requirement specified in the Constitution, which is that the annual meeting of the Corporation is to be held in February or March. Therefore, it has been scheduled for the Palmer House in Chicago on 7 February, immediately following the Executive Committee breakfast meeting, probably starting at about 10:00 a.m.
The meeting was adjourned at 3:00 p.m.