Executive Committee of the American Institute of Physics
Minutes of Meeting
Members Present: Ralph A. Sawyer – Chairman, W. W. Havens, Jr., R. B. Lindsay, Vincent E. Parker, S. L. Quimby
Absent: S. A. Goudsmit, Mary E. Warga
AIP Staff Present: Van Zandt Williams, Wallace Waterfall, G. F. Gilbert, Mary M. Johnson
The Chairman called the meeting to order at 9:35 a.m.
1. Minutes
Upon motion made, seconded and passed without dissenting vote, the minutes of the meeting of 19 March 1965 were approved as distributed.
2. Financial Statement for First Quarter 1965
Mr. Gilbert reported that copies of the financial statement and a covering letter had been sent to all Board members prior to the meeting. (Copies are included with these minutes for those who did not receive them previously.)
Mr. Gilbert distributed copies of a Summary Statement of Income and Expense (copy attached) and explained that a decrease in publication charge honoring was largely responsible for the disappointing showing of archive journals. (This subject was discussed in greater detail later, as reported under Item 14.)
Mr. Gilbert called attention to a letter dated 10 June which he distributed to all members of the Executive Committee, a copy of which is attached. He said that Mr. Kelly had expressed concern over the fact that the quarterly statement shows expenses of the Education and Manpower Department to be in excess of budget for the period. The letter was designed to explain that the great bulk of the variance is applicable to a timing situation between the budget allocation for the first quarter and the actual receipt of income and expense.
After brief discussion of other items in the financial report, the following motion was made, seconded and passed without dissenting vote:
MOVED that the financial statement for the first quarter of 1965 be accepted with thanks, and that the staff be commended on the manner of presentation.
3. AIP Journal Subscription Rates and Publication Charges
The Secretary pointed out that, at this time each year, it is necessary to decide on subscription rates for AIP journals for the following year so that agencies can be notified and preparations made for renewal billing of members. We had net income of a little over $95,000 from our archive journals in 1964 and we budgeted a net of $103,000 for 1965. The showing for the first quarter of 1965 was below expectations but a study of the current figures by Messrs. Gilbert, Wolfe, and Uszak makes us believe that our 1965 net should be not far below budget. Subscription income of each of the journals substantially exceeds the cost of printing, mailing, and subscription handling and there is nothing to indicate that subscription prices should be increased. The Executive Committee agreed with the staff and took no action to change subscription rates on AIP archive journals for 1966.
Indicating he neither expected nor wanted a definite answer at this time, the Secretary suggested that some thought be given to the Institute’s policy on subscription rates and publication charges during the balance of this year. It has frequently been said that we try to make our archive journals pay for themselves, exclusive of advertising. The following figures show the net income from RSI, JCP, JAP, PF, JMP, and APL for the past four years and the budget for 1965:
| 1961 | $(2,448) |
| 1962 | (17,846) |
| 1963 | 44,636 |
| 1964 | 95,311 |
| 1965 Budget | 103,800 |
Journal income has been cyclical and we have had red figures but, with present publication charges and subscription rates, we seem to have developed a combination which can be counted on and adjusted if necessary to give us a good income to be used for other Institute activities.
If we add the $43,000 made from the Soviet translation journals during the last half of 1964 to the $95,000 income from archive journals, we get the total of $138,000 which was our income from all AIP journals for 1964. This accounted for 65% of our total net income of $212,000 for 1964. It appears that our journals can make or break us and can determine how much we will have to spend on other activities.
4. Soviet Journal of Nuclear Physics and JETP Letters
The Secretary reported that two new journals have been added to our Russian translation program. The first, Soviet Physics – NUCLEAR PHYSICS, was provided for in the 1965 budget which was approved by the Executive Committee on 12 December 1964. The second, JETP LETTERS, is a split-off from Soviet Physics – JETP and will be furnished free of charge to JETP subscribers for the balance of this year. We feel confident the cost of publishing and distributing it will be covered in our budget for Soviet Physics – JETP. A formal motion authorizing the publications is necessary to obtain second class mailing privileges and the following motion was made, seconded and passed without dissenting vote:
MOVED that publication by the Institute of Soviet Physics – NUCLEAR PHYSICS and JETP LETTERS be authorized.
5. Revised Pension Plan and Retirement Policy
The Secretary stated that the Revised Pension Plan which was approved by the committee consisting of Messrs. Quimby, McCutchen, and Zemansky has been submitted to IRS for approval. The cost of the plan is within the limits authorized by the Executive Committee and, therefore, the plan was put into effect on the first of this year. It should now be approved officially by the Executive Committee. The following motion was made, seconded and passed without dissenting vote:
MOVED that the Revised Pension Plan, as submitted to IRS, and attached to the official minutes of this meeting, be formally adopted.
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Retirement Policy
The Secretary reported that a special committee had been appointed about ten years ago which had recommended a retirement policy for AIP employees and as a result, the following motion had been passed by the Executive Committee on 23 March 1956:
MOVED that retirement of Institute staff members be permissible at age 62 and mandatory at age 67, with the understanding that principal staff members may be employed in an advisory capacity beyond age 67 on a year-to-year basis at the pleasure of the Board.
Some changes are desirable to our retirement policy consistent with the Revised Pension Plan and the Secretary suggested a motion on which the Director and he had collaborated. A minor change was proposed and the following motion was made, seconded and passed without dissent:
MOVED that the following Retirement Policy be adopted:
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Employees who have reached age 55 and have had 15 years or more of continuous service with AIP may retire, with the consent of the Institute, in accordance with the Revised Pension Plan.
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Normal retirement age for all AIP employees shall be 65 according to the Revised Pension Plan, except that:
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Employees who have been appointed or hired by the Director or administrative staff may be continued in the employ of the Institute, if willing, at the option of the Director, subject to annual review.
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Employees who have been appointed by the Governing Board or Executive Committee may be continued in the employ of the Institute, if willing, at the option of the Governing Board or Executive Committee, subject to annual review.
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After brief discussion concerning the status of the Secretary, another motion was made, seconded and passed without dissenting vote, as follows:
MOVED that Wallace Waterfall, having recently reached age 65, be invited to continue on the staff of the Institute to age 67.
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Provision for Continuation of Major Medical Insurance After Retirement
The Secretary reported that our present major medical insurance policy provides that employees may convert their coverage from the group to an individual basis upon retirement. However, the cost to the retired employee is several times greater than the group cost. It is possible for retired employees and their dependents to continue under the group policy without increasing AIP costs for other employees unless experience with the retired employees is especially bad. Mr. Quimby as Chairman of the Pension Plan Study Committee, has recommended that action be taken to permit this option provided the retired employees reimburse the Institute for their premiums. The following motion was made, seconded and passed without dissenting vote:
MOVED that employees who retire from the Institute under the Institute’s Revised Pension Plan be permitted to continue on the AIP major medical policy, provided they reimburse the Institute for their premiums.
6. Projects on History and Philosophy of Physics
The Director reviewed the background history on our activities in this field and explained present plans. It is proposed to divide the activities into two parts. The first will be referred to as the “Center” and will comprise the Niels Bohr Library activities and the NSF grant program which started under James King and which Charles Weiner now heads. NSF has recently given us a grant of $52,300 for 2 years. $16,000 was included in the 1965 budget of the Education & Manpower Department to supplement the NSF grant and some extra funds may be needed later in the year because the NSF grant did not include all the items requested. Both the Library and the history program will be under Mr. Weiner and, as Mr. Kelly is leaving, Mr. Weiner will report to the Director.
We propose to refer to the large facility, which we envision to house the expanded activities in the history and philosophy of physics, as the “Institute.”
After preliminary discussion about fund raising for this purpose with Marts and Lundy, $7,000 was appropriated for a feasibility study. Fund raisers have emphasized the necessity of fixing on the scope, location, and management of the facility before a survey of its feasibility could be made. Contacts which Chairman Sawyer and the Director have made have convinced them that the scope should perhaps be enlarged to include other disciplines among the physical sciences and the American Chemical Society has shown interest in cooperating. Cooperation by universities also appears desirable and possible. NSF has expressed willingness to consider a request for a grant of approximately $25,000 to finance a series of conferences to study the problems involved if the scope is broadened and the request made jointly be AIP, ACS, and Columbia University. ACS and Columbia have indicated willingness to join us. The AIP Advisory Committee has not been unanimously in favor of the proposed plan but the Director believes they can be won over.
Chairman Sawyer has been working on the “Institute” on a consulting basis but our present agreement with him ends on 30 June. At the Director’s request, Mr. Sawyer has agreed to continue on the same basis through 1965 and the Director recommended an appropriation of $15,000 to cover the consulting fees, travel expenses and secretarial services for Mr. Sawyer for the balance of the year. This would be in addition to the $7,000 authorized for the feasibility study but it now appears that study may not be made in 1965, if at all. After brief discussion, the Executive Committee agreed that Mr. Sawyer should be continued as consultant on this project through 1965 and the requested appropriation approved.
7. Membership in AIP
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Action of OSA, APS, and ASA on Membership of ACA and AAS
The Secretary reported that, following the nomination of the American Crystallographic Association and the American Astronomical Society for full Member Society status by the Governing Board at its meeting on 20 March 1965, letters had been send (sent) to all Member Society Secretaries asking them to present these candidates to their governing bodies. At a meeting on 30 March 1965, the Optical Society of America voted to elect ACA and AAS full Member Societies of the Institute. The American Physical Society, on 26 April 1965, decided to defer action pending a revision of the constitutional formula for representation on the AIP Governing Board. The Acoustical Society favored the election of ACA and AAS as full Member Societies but postponed formal action until a change in the representation formula is proposed. No word has been received from AAPT and SOR, and presumably they have not yet had an opportunity to consider these nominations.
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Formula for Representation of Societies on AIP Governing Board
The Secretary recalled that several new formulae had been considered at the March meeting of the Governing Board but none was acceptable. The Executive Committee was asked to explore the subject further and, when agreement was reached, to present a proposed formula to the Board.
Various possibilities were considered by the Executive Committee and the proposed formula in the following table was selected as most suitable. The present formula is shown for comparison. To expedite action on AAS and ACA, the Executive Committee authorized a mail ballot of Governing Board members on the proposed formula.
Present Formula Proposed Formula Number of Members Number of Directors Number of Members Number of Directors 0-500 1 0-2,000 1 501-1,000 2 2,001-3,500 2 1,001-2,000 3 3,501-5,000 3 2,001-4,000 4 5,001-8,000 4 Over 4,000 5 8,001-12,000 5 12,001-17,000 6 17,001-23,000 7 23,001-30,000 8 Over 30,000 9 Representation on Governing Board Based on Current Membership Present Formula Proposed Formula APS 5 7 AAPT 5 5 OSA 5 3 ASA 4 3 SOR 2 1 ACA 1 1 AAS 1 1 At Large 3 3 26 24 -
Qualifications for Various Classes of Society Membership in AIP
The Director stated that he has been working on a statement of qualifications for various classes of membership but it is not yet ready for consideration by the Executive Committee and Governing Board.
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Membership of Individuals in AIP
The Governing Board had taken action at its last meeting requesting the Member Societies to express an opinion on the possible reinstatement of individual membership in AIP. A letter was sent to each Member Society giving a brief history of individual memberships in AIP and requesting Society attitude on the subject. Copies of the letter were sent to all Governing Board members and a copy is attached to the official minutes. Replies received from OSA and ASA, after meetings of their governing bodies, indicated willingness to consider individual memberships and requested details of constitutional changes involved. APS expressed surprise but also asked for further details. It had apparently not been made clear that the intent was to limit individual memberships in AIP to the individual members of Member and Associate Member Societies. Also there was some fear that AIP might decide to assess dues on individual members. The Institute’s legal counsel has assured us that this could not be done without the approval and cooperation of the Societies.
The Executive Committee believed that a specific constitutional change should be submitted to the Societies as quickly as possible and passed the following motion, without dissent, and authorized a mail ballot of Governing Board members on the change proposed:
MOVED that the Executive Committee recommend that the Governing Board propose to the Member Societies the deletion of Section 2 of Article XI of the Constitution and the addition of the following as Section 6 of Article V:
6. Each individual person who is a member of a Member Society or an Associate Member Society shall be designated a Member of the American Institute of Physics.
The meeting adjourned for luncheon at 12:30 and reconvened at 1:52 p.m.
8. Replacement of Director of Education and Manpower Department
As had been previously announced, Mr. Kelly is leaving the Institute in September. The Director said he had been giving much thought to his replacement and had concluded that there should be some reorganization of the Department. In addition to a department head there should also be some capable person in charge of an Undergraduate Physics Education Program to coordinate and expand our efforts in this area. The Director said he believed additional aid could be obtained from industry and others to develop a major program commensurate with the magnitude of the problem. He said he believed the annual amount needed for this new man and his secretarial assistance, office, etc., would be about $25,000 and recommended an appropriation of $8,000 to cover a four-month period in 1965. The Executive Committee approved the recommendation as indicated in Item 10 of the minutes.
9. Liability Insurance to Cover Society Meetings
The Secretary stated that several Member Societies have expressed concern about their liability, and that of their local committees, in the event of injury or damage in connection with meetings. The Institute offered to look into the possibility of extending AIP’s liability policy to cover all Member Society meetings. Preliminary information indicates that the cost to the Institute would be $20.38 per meeting day per building for coverage of both injury and property damage up to $500,000 per accident, and details are being worked out between our attorney and our insurance broker. We believe the total cost to the Institute would amount to approximately $2,500 per year.
In the discussion which followed, it was agreed that only principal meetings of Member Societies should be included, and the following motion was made, seconded and passed without dissenting vote:
MOVED that $2,500 be appropriated to extend AIP’s liability insurance policy to cover Member Society national meetings.
10. Budget Changes
A new policy is being adopted under which appropriations authorized during any quarter will be added to the budget in the financial statement at the end of the quarter. The Education and Manpower Department has requested additions to several budget items totaling $3,635.00. The Public Relations Department also requested additions totaling $7,000 to cover the reprinting of glossaries and extra work in publicizing the greatly increased number of visits in the Visiting Scientists Program. AIP administrative officers recommend both of these additions.
The Secretary summarized the various budget changes as recommended above and as approved earlier in this meeting as follows:
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Education and Manpower Department
For Career Booklets $800 Visiting Scientists Program 2,535 Newsletter 300 $3,635 -
Public Relations Department
Extra Salaries – Temporaries $2,500 Extra Postage 1,000 Extra Supplies 1,000 Reprinting Glossaries 2,500 $7,000 -
“Institute” program as explained in Item 6 of minutes, $15,000
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Staff addition for Undergraduate Physics Education (Item 8 of minutes), $8,000
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Liability insurance for Society meetings (Item 9 of minutes), $2,500
In addition to the above, the Secretary said that some adjustments had been made in the PHYSICS TODAY budget to take care of personnel additions and changes recommend by the PT Advisory Committee.
On motion made and carried, without dissent, the above budget changes were approved.
11. Progress Report on Magnetic Tape
Mr. Gilbert distributed copies of a memorandum outlining recent developments in our study of magnetic tape systems for dues billing and subscription fulfillment. It is quoted below:
“The following developments have occurred in this area since the report contained in the minutes of the Executive Committee of 29 January 1965:
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“W. W. Havens’ letter of 19 April 1965 to G. F. Gilbert (with copy distribution to the Executive Committee) recommending that the AIP should seek proposals from competitive manufacturers of EDP equipment.
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“The staff worked with Honeywell, Inc. for three months exploring the economic and operational feasibility of replacing our present system with a low cost Honeywell Computer System. A formal presentation of a proposal by them was made to the AIP on 20 May 1965 recommending the installation of their series 200 system. Copies of their proposal are available for perusal.
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“The staff is currently working with IBM for the purpose of seeking a similar proposal from them.”
12. MOSS Meeting
The Secretary reported that a meeting of Managing Officers of Scientific Societies was held at the Institute on 19 and 20 April, attended by about twelve people. Mutual problems and programs were discussed, and there was considerable interest shown in our activities with respect to the history of physics.
13. Travel Expenses
The Secretary read a motion passed by the Executive Committee on 30 September 1958 which authorized the payment of travel expenses for AIP delegates and committee members only if such expenses were specifically authorized at the time of appointment. He stated that, in the future, AIP representatives and committee members should be told at the time they are appointed whether or not travel expenses will be paid by the Institute.
14. Publication Charges
Mr. Gilbert distributed copies of a memorandum (copy attached to official minutes) summarizing the problems which are being encountered with increasing frequency in billing for publication charges and reprints. In discussions earlier in the meeting, Mr. Gilbert had described some of the complications in detail. One of the main areas of difficulty appears to be the lack of communication between authors in academic institutions and their bursaries. Another problem area is the increasingly large number of requests for firm price quotations. Since the publication charge is based on the actual number of pages printed, this figure cannot be determined exactly in advance of publication.
Two suggestions were made: (1) That publication charges be billed on the basis of galleys rather than final printed pages, and (2) that blanket purchase orders be solicited from institutions which do volume business with us. The staff agreed to consider these and also to explore fully and report later on what appears to be increasing difficulty in billing and collecting for publication charges and reprints.
15. Book Binding
Mr. Wuimby asked whether the Institute would consider adding to its activities the binding of journals. The Secretary stated that it would not be feasible for AIP to do this on the premises but we will be glad to arrange to have binding done for the Member Societies if they wish.
16. Status of Tax Legislation
In answer to a question, the Secretary reported that there is nothing new to report on the subject of possible taxation which had been discussed at several recent meetings of the Executive Committee and Governing Board.
17. Next Meeting
It was agreed that the next meeting of the Executive Committee be held some time during the three-day assembly of Board members and Society officers scheduled for 29 September through 1 October 1965.
The meeting adjourned at 3:00 p.m.