February 13, 1986

Executive Committee of the American Institute of Physics

Minutes of Meeting

1. Convene – Roll Call
The meeting was called to order in executive session, with officers of the Institute present, in the 8th floor conference room of the AGU at 5:00 p.m. by Chairman Ramsey.

Members Present
Norman F. Ramsey, Chairman of AIP
Roderick M. Grant, Secretary
William W. Havens, Jr.
H. William Koch, Executive Director
David Lazarus
Melvin H. Mueller
Edward N. Sickafus
Jack M. Wilson

Member Absent
Robert T. Beyer

Non-Voting Participant
Peter B. Boyce

Guest
Hans Frauenfelder

AIP Staff
Gerald F. Gilbert, Treasurer
Robert H. Marks, Director of Publishing
Lewis Slack, Director of Educational Programs
Bernard Dolowich, Controller
Lawrence T. Merrill, Assistant to the Director
Nathalie A. Davis, Assistant to the Secretary

For clarity in presentation with reference to the printed agenda, events recorded here are not necessarily in the same chronological order in which they occurred.

The following topics were discussed in the executive session and are reported on in the official minutes.
AIP Personnel Matters
Plans for AGU Rental:
Description of AGU Building,
Terms of Agreement with AGU, and
Proposed Subleases to APS and MRS.

A tour of the AGU building was conducted for those present.

The meeting recessed for dinner at 7:00 p.m.

An executive session, with the officers excused, took place following dinner. The meeting recessed at 9:20 pm.

The 14 February session was convened at 8:30 a.m. by Chairman Ramsey.

2. Report of the Secretary

  1. Minutes of 12-13 December 1985 Meeting
    The draft minutes of the December meeting were approved as distributed.

  2. Responses from Member Societies re:

    1. Admission of AGU
      Grant reported that there had been positive responses from eight of the nine Member Societies regarding the admission of AGU as a Member Society. This number is sufficient to vote AGU to Member Society status during the Annual Meeting of the Corporation in March. (The one remaining Society, SoR, cannot act on this matter until their October 1986 Board meeting.) 

    2. Articles of Incorporation and Constitution
      The Member Societies have been asked to instruct their proxies regarding adoption of the revised Articles of Incorporation. This matter will be acted on at the Annual Meeting of the Corporation.

      The deadline for consideration of the proposed amendments to the Constitution is one year from their recommendation by the Governing Board. Two Societies have not had time to act, so this matter will not be resolved until the October meeting of the Governing Board.

    3. Committee on Financial Policy
      See discussion under Agenda Item 6. B. 4).

  3. Mail Ballot of Governing Board re: Statement on Freedom of Access to Unclassified Research Facilities
    Grant reported that the statement had been passed by a two-thirds majority of the Governing Board, as required for a mail ballot. It has been distributed to people recommended by the APS Washington Office and the AIP Public Information Division.

3. Report of Chairman

  1. AIP Personnel Matters - Retirement of H. W. Koch as Executive Director
    Ramsey reported that Koch had announced his proposed retirement in the spring of 1987. Copies of Koch's letter of 27 January 1986, and of Ramsey’s reply on 29 January 1986, were distributed.

    Ramsey said that it is important to move on the search for new Executive Director as soon as possible. He proposed a Search Committee with membership as follows: W.W. Havens, Jr., Chairperson, H. Frauenfelder, A. P. French, E. Sickafus, F. D. Smith, and H. F. Weaver, with R. M. Grant serving ex officio. The committees concurred in these suggestions, subject to confirmation of the willingness of each person to serve. [Following the meeting, K. G. Kessler was named instead of Smith, as Smith could not be reached in time. A. F. Spilhaus, Jr. was added to the committee in March.]

    Ramsey then read a draft of a notice for the position. This is to appear in the March issue of Physics Today. It was agreed that the deadline for the receipt of nominations and applications for the position would be 1 May 1986, though we ' should be careful not to exclude late applicants. It was also agreed that the effective date of the appointment should remain somewhat nebulous, to be discussed in detail later with the final candidate(s).

  2. Plans for AGU Rental
    Koch distributed a memo from Kranz giving projected costs for the rental, including furnishings and renovations. Once the agreement with AGU is signed it would take about two months to complete renovation of the space. A five-year lease is expected. AIP needs an option to sublet to societies. The expected cost, including furniture, would be $21.00 per square foot.

    Koch noted that AIP management was given the go-ahead to proceed with a plan to a maximum cost of $75,000 per year. A cost of about $110,000 per year is now anticipated. Gilbert said that that the furniture and telephone expenses were not included in the original motion. The architect estimates the cost of furniture at $60,000, and the telephone system is estimated at $10,000.

    After discussion, the following motion was made by Lazaraus, seconded by Sickafus, and CARRIED, with one abstention.

    MOVED that AIP management be authorized to expend up to $75,000 for furniture and a telephone system for the AIP-leased space in the AGU building in Washington, DC.

4. Plan to Plan a Long Range Plan for AIP

  1. Introduction
    Koch said that at its February meeting the Executive Committee ordinarily reviews the agenda for the forthcoming Governing Board meeting. He proposes instead that the committee, at this and at subsequent meetings prior to the October Governing Board meeting, address questions concerning AIP policies.

  2. Possible Outline for Plan to Plan
    Koch said that our Function Planning procedure does not focus adequately on policies, hence his proposed plan to plan. In the future such a procedure would consist of the following:
    Long Range Plan - to be updated annually at the October meeting; Operational Plan - to be presented at the October meeting; this would be the current Function Plan. Operational Budget - to be approved annually in December; Policies to achieve objectives adopted in Long Range Plan.

    A Long Range Plan would analyze the type of business that we are in. The IRS has decreed that educational programs, supported by the publishing programs, are a necessary ingredient if we are to maintain our not-for-profit status. H said that this is one thing that distinguishes AIP from its Member Societies.
    Koch expressed disappointment that the recent revision of the Constitution was not more extensive. The review concluded that it was adequate for the present needs of AIP. He invited reaction to the points raised so far.

    Wilson said that during the discussion of the Constitution, not everyone was comfortable with the distinction being drawn between AIP and the ember Societies. For instance, AIP uses volunteers in carrying out its some of its activities as do the Member Societies, all are concerned with the business and scientific aspects of their constituencies, and all require support for and expect to take actions on problems that affect the physics community.

    Ramsey said it is not easy to, draw a sharp distinction between AIP and its Member Societies, and it may be undesirable to do so.

    Lazarus said that he does not see the present situation as requiring the level of attention or detail as is being proposed. The Function Plan outlines everything and helps in planning. What is the problem that this new planning exercise is supposed to attack?

    Koch said he believes that his proposal would be an improvement on the present plan. The Function Plan has some deficiencies, but it has been helpful and a useful communication tool. There are now a number of proposed new commitments, e.g. to a building and to educational programs, which require extensive planning. These require consideration beyond the scope of the Function Planning procedure.

    Ramsey agreed that there is a need for long range planning, but to do a plan with too many details built in is perhaps unwise, if not impractical. The questions addressed can be dealt with on a case-by-case basis.

    Koch said he feels it important to look at the strengths and weaknesses of AIP. For instance, he noted (1) Duke's comments regarding the difficulty of starting new journals and (2) concerns about competition for articles in 'spinoff' areas of physics. He invited comments.

    Grant said that if one focuses on the principle that AIP activities are designed to serve the physics community, then so-called erosion of the discipline through increasing overlap with other disciplines is less of a problem. It is important to realize the unique needs of the physics community, and to see that they are met.

    Quinn asked 'What physics community?'; there has been an enormous change in recent years in OSA members: more are engineers. The OSA is concerned over what focus their meetings should have and whether to publish journals with a different focus to meet the needs of members.

    Koch said we need to consider where we want to go, and to define our objectives. Once policies are established, they can be implemented by means of an operational plan. He thinks priorities must be set as a guide to implement policies.

    Sickafus asked if there is a business plan for the publishing part of AIP. Our publishing service is to serve the Societies and to provide competitive prices. He thinks that supporting educational services from publishing revenues would be desirable as well, but these goals seem contradictory.

    Marks said he thinks these are not contradictory; they are separate and compatible go ls. We have be n able to accomplish a cost-effective publishing service for the Member Societies without burdening them with the costs of our  educational programs - the latter are supported solely by income from AIP journals.

    Koch said there is a danger here. The AIP journals generate income. We could increase prices to aid the educational services, but the more we increase them, the lee we may be serving the community.

    Sickafus said that nothing here speaks to reducing or containing costs.

    Marks said the five-year publishing plan addresses lowering the per page costs. AIP monitors this and has close control in this area. The plan is updated every year and is reviewed by the committees and the Executive Committee. The specifics (page charges, subscription prices, delays in publication) are voted in approving the budget.

    Sickafus commented that it appears that we have a long range policy plan in place already. Marks agreed, though it has not been formally adopted as such.

    Koch closed by saying that his proposals for a plan to plan were meant to invite discussion, and ultimately to tie the various elements of our operation together in a more coherent fashion.

5. Situation Audit of U.S. Physics Community

  1. Enrollment and Teacher Crisis
    Koch asked what AIP's role could be in addressing the problems of the physics community. We can, for instance, gather up-to-date statistics (1) on the high school teaching situation, enrollments, etc., and (2) on levels and sources of funding (both federal and private) for physics research, etc. What else?

    Grant said that during discussions at a recent APS/AAPT meeting several people had felt it was time to convene a series of curriculum conferences similar to those held in the 'SO's and '60's. AAPT has already begun to do this to some extent through its Department Chair conferences.

    Lazarus said we cannot know how to proceed until we know the financial picture. The Federal budget had some appropriations for physics, but pork barreling can be very detrimental to appropriations, and the Gramm-Rudman bill will certainly affect all of our programs.

  2. NAS Study of Status of Physics
    Koch said that it might be desirable for AIP to mount a continuing effort to keep abreast of the status of physics. In addition, there exists no systematic way of keeping track of the sources of funding. If studies were done in these two areas every two years, it could provide good background information for action.

6. Review of Present and Proposed AIP Policies

  1. AIP Analog to IEEE Policies and Procedures Manual

    Koch suggested that one importance of stating what AIP will do is to gain input from the Member Societies, in order to complement their activities. He thinks the IEEE manual is a useful tool. He has not yet fleshed out specific statements that would be appropriate for such a manual for AIP.

    Quinn said he has seen the IEEE manual and think it would be valuable to develop a similar manual appropriate to AIP's need , particularly those of Officers, Directors, and Board members.

  2. Summary of Financial Policies of AIP

    1. Recommendations of Investment Advisory Committee
      Gilbert began with a new agenda item, based on the report of 7 February meeting of the Investment Advisory Committee (IAC), which he distributed.

      Gilbert first reviewed the entire investment schedule. Our long-term investments have three managers: First Manhattan Co., Avatar Associates, and Drexel Burnham Lambert. The mutual funds are invested in three funds: Fidelity Magellan Fund, Stein Roe Capital Opportunities Fund, and T. Rowe Price New Era Fund. In addition, we have short-term investments in our cash management account with Bankers Trust.

      Following discussion of this report, the following motion, recommended in the IAC report, was made by Grant, seconded by Havens, and unanimously CARRIED.

      MOVED that AIP reduce its investment in the Stein Roe Capital Opportunities Fund and the T. Rowe Price New Era Fund to a nominal investment of $1,000 each, and that the proceeds from these funds be placed with First Manhattan Co. (with an additional $25,000-$30,000 to bring the amount to one million dollars).

      The IAC also decided to subscribe to the Asset Consulting Service of Drexel Burnham Lambert on a no-fee basis. Compensation is to be on the brokerage commission basis. Finally, the IAC instructed Gilbert to obtain data for them on bond funds in time for discussion at their next meeting in late April. At that time they also will consider further the investment of 1985 net revenue in long term investments.

    2. Summary Memo
      Gilbert reviewed his 22 January 1986 memo to Koch which summarizes the present and proposed financial policies of AIP.

      It is recommended that the Governing Board establish a Designated Fund for Educational Programs. The recommended goal should equal one year's educational activities expense. The 1986 budget depicts this expense to be $2,000,000 (rounded).

      If the Board establishes this Fund, then it is recommended that the percentages for transfer of excess balance in the General Fund be changed to the following:

      25% to the Building Fund
      25% to the Equipment Fund
      25% to the Publication Fund
      25% to the Educational Programs Fund.

      Lazarus said he would like a reevaluation of the goals for these funds. Gilbert said they can be changed at any time.

      There was a consensus that there should be an educational reserve fund, and that this recommendation should be presented to the Governing Board.

    3. Lehrfeld Letter on Budget Approval
    4. and

    5. Role of Executive Committee in Financial Policy
      Gilbert referred to his 15 November 985 letter to Lehrfeld (AIP legal counsel) regarding the proper procedure to follow for approva1 of the AIP budget. Specifically, he asked if the approval of the Governing Board is required every year. Lehrfeld's 13 December 1985 response (given in Agenda Attachment C) indicates that the Executive Committee is authorized to carry on each and every responsibility which a Board of Directors may carry on in the name of and on behalf of a corporation. The resolution which the Governing Board adopted authorizing the Executive Committee to approve the 1985 budget could be considered a continuing resolution until revoked or superseded by a future action of the Board.

      Grant thought that paragraph 2 on page 2 of Lehrfeld's letter is the operative one. New York State provides for the Executive Committee to approve the budget. The action of the Governing Board in 1985 was an interim thing as they were not sure of the interpretation. It would be unfortunate for the Governing Board to have to approve the budget every year. The Executive Committee concurred with this. The matter will be brought to the Governing Board for resolution.

      Gilbert said that Smith, the Chairman of the Committee on Fiscal Policy, felt this committee should not be involved in AIP fiscal policy. Their tie is to their respective Societies, and they want to be assured that they have a forum for this representation. When a matter affecting the Societies would come up, Gilbert would give them background on it for discussion.

      Wilson said that Alley (present AAPT treasurer) reported a different attitude from their former treasurer (Clark), who felt that Member Society  treasurers have to know the AIP ·financial policy. He reported on comments he received from Clark regarding changing the structure of the Committee of Society Treasurers. Clark thinks the treasurers have a real role to play in AIP financial policy and objects to the changes being proposed.

      Havens said he attended their recent meeting as Lustig could not be present. The attitude which resulted in the proposal for change came from the Society treasurers, not from AIP . Smith then took the initiative in making this recommendation, which was unanimously endorsed.

      Ramsey reviewed the background on the proposed Committee on Financial Policy and asked Gilbert for his position. Gilbert reiterated that he would feel more comfortable working with such a committee. For the time being the Executive Committee will continue to function in this capacity.

    6. Lehrfeld Letter on IRS Position
      Koch said that Lehrfeld now has the IRS file regarding our 1981 case. Gilbert requested copies of the unexpurgated papers in this file, and has sent a check to cover costs for receipt of the papers.

  3. Examples of Publishing Policies

    1. Guidelines for Physics Today
      Marks said there is a need for review of the guidelines for letters and other material published in Physics Today. The stated policy adopted in 1981 is reviewed periodically and is the basis for making difficult decisions. This policy was generated originally by the PT Advisory Committee.

      Koch said the prompt for this information item was a recent specific experience of the editor. A book review in PT elicited a number of comments. Lubkin does not want to have to include commentary on a review in the same issue. Koch said that this statement will be reviewed in the next PT Advisory Committee meeting.

    2. Establishment of Journal Prices and Page Charges

    3. Role of Committee on Publishing Policy
      Marks said the staff develops recommendations for journal prices and page charges. These recommendations go to the Committee on Publishing Policy and then to the Executive Committee. We also monitor our competition; our prices are reasonable. Prices and page charges are set to obtain the needed revenue for our programs, not to maximize income. (See Agenda Item 6. B. 4) for further discussion of pricing.)

  4. Guidelines for Physics Education and Public Affairs Programs

    1. Review of Problem Statement for AIP

    2. Development of Integrated Physics Education and Public Affairs

    3. Role of Educational and Public Policy Committees
      Slack began by noting that Karl Taylor Compton, one of the founders of AIP, had stated that in drawing up the Constitution he had built in provision for possible additional societal services. The early concentration was on publishing services as this was the greatest need. The growth of educational services has been due to interest on the part of the Board and the availability of funds. At the same time Societies have taken up activities in areas traditionally done only by AIP. The Committee on Educational Policy needs to develop policies: should they consider only projects and goals or also consider the costs involved? He reviewed some possible topics for consideration.

      Slack then noted that the Committee on Public Policy to date has been largely reactive. He referred to the statement of purpose and goals of the Institute. What are the implications of AIP involvement in the area of public policy? Collecting data on funding is not easy, but many feel that this should be done more than once a decade.

      Boyce said this presentation makes even more clear that one of AIP's roles is to help the Societies get together and to provide a forum for discussion and resolution of common problems. The AAS cannot report on funding more often than once a decade. This is a case where working together and attacking a common problem would be very useful.

7. Proposal for Planning Study for AIP Building Facilities

  1. Executive Summary
    Koch referred to the Proposal for a Planning Study for AIP Building Facilities. He said that in preparing this material he has attempted to be responsive to the Governing Board's requests. AIP management cannot produce a more complete plan without more information and Society input. AIP management wants to work with the Space Needs Committee in defining and sharpening the issues and needs. He feels it is essential that a Long Range Plan for Building Facilities be developed as soon as possible.

  2. Report of Ad Hoc Committee on Space Needs
    Havens, Chairman of this Committee, said that although this is a long range committee, the short, intermediate, and long range are interconnected. Yesterday's meeting (held prior to the Executive Committee meeting) concentrated on the long range, considering where we want to be in 5-10 years. He asked Marks to review the short range needs.

    Marks said that the educational budget calls for additional personnel; however, there is no room to accommodate them in New York spaces. The 216 East 4Sth
    space LS full, and has proven to be a bad move, as the building is not well run and
    has several undesirable elements (e.g., odors, security, elevator service). These
    facts compound the additional space needs for educational programs.

    Management has explored additional space in the New York City area. A five-year lease is the minimum that can be obtained. One location they have seen is One Grand Central Tower. There are 13,700 square feet available here. The rate is $40.00 per square foot, or $500,000 for five years. We would have to sublet the 216 space for $300,000. The furniture and partitions could be moved, so we would leave behind $100,000 we have invested there.

    Havens noted a 13 February memo from Kranz to Koch regarding renovation of the space in the AGU building in Wash DC. The final figure is estimated at $21.00 per square foot, considerably lower than in NYC. He noted that it is more expensive to hold meetings in New York than in DC. Management has been asked to furnish more detail on the construction, financing, and the risks and benefits of erecting a viable building on the present site at 335 East 45th Street in New York.

    Havens, on the basis of this recommendation, made the following motion, which was seconded by Sickafus, and CARFIED, with one NO vote.

    MOVED that AIP Management be requested to get a more complete financial picture on the financing of a new building on the site at 335 East 45th Street, New York.

    Havens said the committee does not have good information on costs, opportunities, and arrangements in DC. They want to know what the outside geographical boundaries are in consideration of a DC site. Accessibility to the local metro system is one definition.

    Koch asked what size building is being discussed. He feels that at least 60,000 square feet are needed.

    Marks said the size of the building depends in part on which of the Member Societies would choose to move to that location.

    Havens said it is impossible to assess Society demands for space until the whole picture in New York and DC is known. He thinks it is premature to discuss it without more figures.

    Following further discussion, Havens then made the following motion, which was seconded by Wilson, and unanimously CARRIED.

    MOVED that AIP Management obtain a real estate consultant in the Washington DC area to survey possibilities for the purchase or rental of a 50-100,000 square foot building in the DC area, and to report on these matters at the time of the March Governing Board meeting.

  3. Development of a Long Range Plan for AIP Programs

  4. Development of a Long Range Plan for AIP Building Facilities
    These topics were discussed in the context of other agenda items.

    (The meeting recessed for lunch at 12:30 p.m. and resumed at 1:10 p.m.)

8. Financial Matters

  1. Recommendation of Audit Committee in October 1985 Report to Governing Board
    Gilbert said that the Audit Committee's recommendation that consideration be given to having Touche Ross & Co. conduct a more in-depth review of the new AIP computerized accounting system as part of the overall 1985 audit review was discussed with the auditors. They felt that this is not appropriate at this time, but should be made when the new subscription fulfillment system becomes operative.

  2. Capital Expenditures Budget

    1. Status Report
      Gilbert commented briefly on the status of items approved on the 1983, 1984, and 1985 Capital Expenditures Budget.

      Mueller asked about plans for the lunchroom at Woodbury. Marks said a survey is in progress and figures and drawings are being prepared. This is a long-term project.

    2. Request for Budgetary Revision of Publication Sales Division Equipment
      Dolowich said this amendment to the approved budget for the Single Copy Sales/Marketing Retrieval hardware and software is due to the fact that the vendor did not understand the complexity of the system being specified.

      The following motion was made by Wilson, seconded by Lazarus, and unanimously CARRIED.

      MOVED that the Capital Expenditures Budget be revised to cover the purchase of Single Copy Sales/Marketing Retrieval software and hardware at a total cost not to exceed $25,400, instead of $16,100.

  3. Status of Subscription System
    Dolowich said that the programming of the major components has been completed but has not been tested. Staff is now heavily involved in testing, especially of the file maintenance and cash modules. AIP is to test this area and AZTECH will then support the effort. Staff has found errors in these systems which will require changes. They are prioritizing the errors so testing can proceed more smoothly. Some access paths have to be corrected. The minor programs will be finished by March. The development of the Selectron utility, which is used to query the data base, is an R & D effort and will not be completed until June. AIP will build a data base for AZTECH to utilize.

    The major dilemma now is controlling the cost of the project. In October 1984 the combined hardware and software cost was $710,000. At that time he estimated that AZTECH would come back for an additional $150,000. In October 1985 the Board approved $900,000 for the project. As of 28 February 1986 we will have spent $890,000. The arrangement he made with AZTECH in September 1985 was that we would pay them $125,000 covering the six months through February 1986. AZTECH says it does not want to do custom software in the future and would let several programmers go if not for the AIP project. We need them to debug the system and to fix the flaws. Dolowich would prefer to have AZTECH people continue to do these jobs. To finish the project by June, we have a better chance if we continue to pay them.

    Quinn asked if we hold license for this software. Dolowich aid we do. The only arrangement possible with AZTECH was for them to own the software, and for AIP to hold a 20-year license for use of the software. We have the detail design document and the date dictionary.

    Mueller asked what comment the consultant has. Dolowich said he met with Gudes about three weeks ago; he seemed to think things were progressing satisfactorily at that time, though he did not know about the delay in the development of the Selectron utility.

    Quinn said he would advise engaging an attorney to consider what AZTECH's liability is and to see what legal means are available to get the project finished.

    Dolowi.ch said the real object is to get the project finished. In September AZTECH asked for more money; they could not afford to continue with the arrangement then in effect. They cannot take on new clients while working on our project. We had to agree to pay them $20,000 per month to keep them going. Dolowich said AZTECH could say they would let it drag on with fewer programmers. We cannot monitor them on a daily basis. The dollars are related to the timetable. His estimate is about $19,000 per month for March and April. They would like to put the software on our system as the compiling is degrading their system. If they did that there might be a reduction in their fee.

    Wilson said he would be in favor of bringing the job in-house. We will have to maintain the software, so our people have to learn it anyway when we bring it in house.

    Dolowich said our programmers are working on things now. We do not have a huge staff.

    Ramsey thought that this would be a poor time to cut AZTECH out. Without them it would be asking our programmers to take over at the worst possible time.

    Dolowich said the system cannot be tested until there is a data base. There are a whole series of things to be tested. He advises going through April, at least. If we want to eliminate AZTECH's participation, it would be wise to go through June because by then their major jobs will be done. One cannot negotiate unless one understands the other party's perspective as well as ones own. This is a complicated system, with many branches.

    Quinn made a four-part request for information in the form of the following motion, which was seconded by Wilson, and CARRIED, with NO vote.

    MOVED that AIP management be requested to
    a. obtain a legal opinion, for presentation at the March meeting, as to AZTECH' s responsibilities to compl1ete the subscription fulfillment system under the current contract, as amended.,
    b. expend funds through April to keep the subscription fulfillment project moving forward,
    c. acquire the existing source code for the subscription fulfillment system as soon as possible, and
    d. obtain an opinion from our computer consultant as to our options concerning completion of the subscription fulfillment project.

  4. Status of Fund Raising for IUPAP
    Koch reported that the Corporate Associates members had been billed double for the coming year, as previously discussed. Of the 71 respondents so far, 21 of these have paid $24,450 in addition to their regular dues. Evidently this effort will fall far short of the $100,000 we need to collect. Our next step is to go to Frank Press to ask for his assistance in contacting Federal agencies.

9. Publishing Matters

  1. Status of New Journals: JMR, CPL, Parity
    Marks reported that JMR is in progress and will be out at the end of March. There are more than enough subscriptions to cover the cash flow. The MRS is pleased with the progress; it will go on membership to the MRS members.

    The first issue of Chinese Physics-Lasers will be out in midyear. It is being offered as a member rate publication to OSA members. The February issue of Parity is out.

    The Task Force considering a computer journal met early in February. They will recommend formation of a journal. The key to this seems to lie in finding the right, enthusiastic editor.

  2. Proposal to Market Brinkman Report
    Koch said that AIP has made an offer to the Academy to market this report. The details have been discussed; it would be added to our marketing effort. We would deduct 25% commission and send the balance of the income to the Academy.

    Wilson made the following motion, which Havens seconded, and which was then unanimously CARRIED.

    MOVED that marketing plans for distribution for the NAS Brinkman report be approved as presented.

  3. Status of Pi-NET
    Merrill distributed a report on Pi-NET. It is up and operating in test mode as of 13 February. A users' guide has been prepared. It will be available for trial use by Society members by 1 April. The plan is to use GTE Telenet/Telemail for access to the AIP computer at Woodbury.

  4. Gratis Subscriptions to Physical Review Abstracts
    Koch said that APS is interested in the AIP proposal regarding Physical Review Abstracts. There has been an exchange of letters regarding this. Havens' 8 January 1986 letter to Koch, giving approval for this, was distributed with the agenda.

  5. Copyright Developments
    This was not discussed.

    1. Final Letter to IEE
      This letter was given in Agenda Attachment N, but was not discussed.

    2. Gordon & Breach Letter
      This letter was given in Agenda Attachment P but was not discussed, except to note that Harwood Academic Publishers (the sender) is synonymous with Gordon & Breach.

    3. Engineering Information agreement

    4. "Site-Licensing" Software Agreements
      These were not discussed.

10. Education Matters

  1. Recruitment of Senior Education Fellow
    Slack said that Washington, DC seems a natural place to house this person. The job description depends on how much time a qualified person has available. It is also desirable that the AAPT office is nearby. Staffing of this position has not been pursued as yet.

  2. Physics Olympiad
    Slack reviewed the activity of the committee, chaired by Lane. He has been gathering information and getting input from various people.

    Wilson distributed the AAPT press release dated 13 February 1986 regarding their intention to send a team in 1986. An ad hoc group of individuals at the recent APS/AAPT Meeting submitted a proposal to the AAPT Executive Board. The Board accepted the responsibility, but still hopes for full participation from APS and AIP. AAPT has put up $8,000 so far and is soliciting funds from external sources. He asked that the Executive Committee recommend AIP participation to the Governing Board. However, he realized that this has to wait for Lane's report.

  3. Grant Proposals to NSF from History Division
    Slack noted the proposals that had been submitted by the History Division. The History Division is encouraged to prepare such proposals, as they are more likely to get funds than the Manpower Division. They are also encouraged to submit a proposal to the Sloan Foundation on policy studies.

11. Plans for 13-15 March 1985

  1. Briefing for Elected Officers

  2. Meeting of Assembly of Society Officers

  3. Governing Board Meeting

    Koch reviewed the forthcoming meetings. Tentative agendas for the briefing and the Assembly of Society Officers were included in Agenda Attachment Q. He distributed handouts giving agendas for all three meetings.

12. Future Meetings in 1986

  1. 14 March - Executive Committee, Woodbury
  2. 14 March - Meeting of the Corporation, Woodbury
  3. 14-15 March, Governing Board, Woodbury
  4. 12-13 June, New York
  5. **11-13 September, Woods Hole (**Revised Dates)
  6. 19 October, Executive Committee, Annandale, NJ
  7. 19-20 October, Governing Board, Annandale, NJ
  8. 11-12 December, Executive Committee, New York

13. Other Business

  1. Request of Materials Research Society for Associate Member Society Status
    Koch noted a letter from the MRS which is applying for Associate Member Society status, subject to certain conditions: 1) they ask elimination of the 15% surcharge; 2) then want a voting member on the Governing Board; and 3) they want to be able to affiliate with other groups of societies. Koch thought that items 1 and 2 are reasonable requests.

    After discussion, which centered on the need for consideration of these requests by the Governing Board, the following motion was made by Quinn, seconded by Havens, and was CARRIED, with two NO votes.

    MOVED that it be recommended to the Governing Board that it rescind its previous motion which requires full Member Societies to have been associate member societies for at least three years.

  2. Request for Corporate Associate Membership
    Merrill reported a request from Bell Communication Research for Corporate Associate membership, at the $5,000 level.

    The following motion was made by Mueller, seconded by Sickafus, and unanimously CARRIED.

    MOVED that Bell Communication Research be accepted as a Corporate Associate, at the $5,000 level.

14. Executive Session
The staff were excused for the executive session at 2:50 p.m.

15. Adjournment
The meeting was adjourned at 3:10 p.m.