June 21, 1984

Executive Committee of the American Institute of Physics

Minutes of Meeting

1. Convene – Roll Call

The meeting was called to order at 4:00 p.m. by Chairman Ramsey.

Members Present
Norman F. Ramsey, Chairman of AIP
Robert T. Beyer
Roderick M. Grant
William W. Havens, Jr.
H. William Koch, Director
David Lazarus
Theodore E. Madey
Jack M. Wilson
Ann E. Wright

Members Absent
Robert R. Shannon

AIP Staff
Gerald F. Gilbert, Treasurer
Robert H. Marks, Associate Director for Publishing
Lewis Slack, Associate Director for Educational Services
Bernard Dolowich, Comptroller
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.

2. Minutes of Executive Committee Meetings of 21-22 February and 17 March 1984
The draft minutes of both meetings, distributed prior to the meeting, were approved by acclamation following one correction in each.

  1. Recent Awards to Members
    Koch offered congratulations to two members of the Executive Committee who had recently received gold medals: Ramsey (IEEE's highest award) and Beyer (ASA's highest award).

  2. Report of the Director
    Koch distributed his 20 June 1984 report to members of the Executive Committee and reviewed it, his purpose being to provide some perspective on topics to be discussed in the course of the meeting:

    1. Future role of page charges,
    2. Proposed expenditures for AZTECH software and hardware,
    3. Proposed expenditures for ATEX composition equipment, and
    4. Leasing and renovation of building space.

3. Preliminary Report of AIP-Society Relations Task Force

  1. Procedure
  2. Evolution of AIP-Society Relations
  3. Possible Problem Areas
  4. Findings
  5. Recommendations

Koch noted the draft report, prepared by him and contained in Attachment A. Changes are needed in the Bylaws and in the Memorandum of Agreement. He expects that there will be a thorough discussion of the report at the September meeting, and invited preliminary comments at this time.

Lazarus noted that the Member Society obligations to AIP are minimal, the only real one being the $2.00 dues. Is this what we want? Is it right? Shouldn't we do something about this?

Koch said that every time long range planning comes up we wonder about this, but Member Society officers clearly want to exercise their prerogative as to what services they want to select (buy) from AIP.

Wilson asked if alternatives to the concept of a contract had been suggested. The lead time for a change in the contract might vary with the type of service involved. This would avoid drastic shifts. He suggested a more flexible memorandum of agreement. Grant said that this is exactly the concept of the memorandum of agreement.

The discussion focused on what kind of minimum obligations might be required for existing societies or for new societies. Havens said he tried to write something on this in 1974, without success. An initiation fee was proposed at that time, but this concept founders on the requirements of a 501(c) (3) organization.

It was suggested that new societies should be asked to accept some minimum obligation, such as publication of a journal by AIP, contributions to Educational services, subscription fulfillment through AIP, "active participation", etc. Wilson suggested that AIP services should be so attractive that Societies would not want to go elsewhere, making a minimum obligation statement unnecessary.

Grant noted that Society membership is not growing as fast as are the services that the membership requests. This places stress on their resources and forces changes in the way that they operate. Overlap between Societies can cause conflicts. He thinks it is necessary for AIP to be a catalyst and to serve as a forum for discussion and resolution.

Havens said that he plans to duplicate and distribute this draft proposal for discussion at the APS Council meeting, to be held next week.

Wright thought that although the draft was important, it could be misleading if it were to be taken as a whole, as it is incomplete. For instance she noted that there is nothing here regarding space or facilities for Member Societies. Ramsey thought it should be noted that this is a draft of a partial document and should not be misconstrued.

Koch said that changes suggested at this meeting would be incorporated in the draft statement before it is distributed to the APS Council for discussion and feedback.

Koch said that a draft revision of the Constitution and Bylaws is now under review. This and the draft of a proposal for online electronic services can be sent to the Task Force for their comments by the third week of July. He suggested that if there is not sufficient consensus after the September meeting, it would not be advisable to take it to the Governing Board. This was agreed.

4. Fund Raising

  1. Concepts for Consideration

  2. Comments from Outside Consultants

    Koch noted that this was initiated by Ramsey's December 1983 memo proposing a Physics Foundation. He sees three alternatives:

    1) Preserve the status quo, with AIP and the Member Societies each doing its own fund raising.
    2) Combine these into a coordinated campaign with 10 "boxes".
    3) Collapse all or part of the above into a physics foundation.

    Koch noted that the consultants were not particularly enthusiastic about a physics foundation. They seemed t~ think a joint fund raising campaign would be more viable, but with Societies and AIP participating as distinct entities.

    Slack said that AIP Management, on instruction of the Governing Board, had discussions with two firms. Their reports were distributed to the Executive Committee. Both firms suggest further study to evaluate the potential for fund raising, done either jointly or separately. Marts & Lundy, with whom AIP had talked several years ago, quoted a figure of $9,000. Staley, Robeson, Ryan, & St. Lawrence quoted a figure of $16,000 for a somewhat more extensive effort.

    The three general schemes noted above were discussed with both firms. There was not much enthusiasm for a physic foundation for a number of practical reasons. The firms described the kind of help they would provide, including guidance for identifying and approaching potential donors. Both firms were strong in their emphasis on the need to clarify our objectives and for a fairly large menu of needs, as different things appeal to different people. An essential feature would be an analysis of the giving capability of the community, likely interest in programs, and the general financial climate. Management thought both firms were quite professional in their approach. Neither firm would automatically recommend starting a campaign.

    Koch said that no action is requested at this time, and suggested deferring additional discussion until a further study is made. Whatever fund raising program we enter would be distorted by a building program if that must be undertaken.

    Gilbert recommended that this be put on the agenda of the Committee on Fiscal Policy which will meet in August. This was agreed.

5. AIP Co-sponsorship of International Conference on Magnetism - 1985

  1. Background
    Koch referred to his 8 March 1984 letter to J. Dillon, which stated that AIP could not take fiscal responsibility for this conference. The most recent correspondence on this matter was a 24 May 1984 letter to Havens from Dillon, suggesting that APS, AIP, and the Magnetics Society each assume one-third responsibility. The National Conference on Magnetism doesn't want to incur a deficit of more than $10,000. If it should be more than $10,000, they want a third party.

    Havens recommended making a $5,000 commitment, similar to the one that APS has already made. APS would not accept an open-ended commitment. He has made inquiries regarding the conference: the attendance and finances are pre-ordained, and the Controller they have selected (F. E. Werner) is very good.

  2. Confirmation of AIP's Position
    Koch noted the statement of our position in his letter of 17 April 1984 to Malozemoff, Werner, and Jacobs (contained in Attachment C). He recommends not limiting the amount, as per the policy of the Magnetics Society.

    After discussion, the following motion was made by Lazarus, seconded by Beyer, and unanimously carried.

    MOVED that AIP participate, as one of the three fiscally responsible organizations, in the 1985 International Conference on Magnetism, per arrangements outlined in the 17 April 1984 letter from Koch to Malozemoff, Werner., and Jacobs.

6. Follow-up on Governing Board Resolutions
Grant reported that the resolutions passed at the March 1984 Governing Board meeting had been sent as directed, and copies and relevant materials were sent to members of the Governing Board. He noted the AAAS action on freedom of scientific information and their stated interest in similar actions taken by other scientific organizations, and recommended that we communicate with them on this matter. Ramsey agreed.

Ramsey reported on the exchange of letters between Ambler (Director of the NBS) and himself, regarding the resolution on radian units. The first set was circulated and he will circulate the recent exchange. He thinks Ambler is on the right track.

IEEE responded to his letter, stating that it would be passed on to the appropriate committee.

7. Status of Planning for 1984 and 1985 Corporate Associates Meetings
Merrill reported that the 1984 meeting at McDonnell Douglas would be structured similarly to last year's. The topics and speakers are all set. The tours are now being arranged.

An invitation has been extended by Eastman Kodak, through Benjamin Snavely, to host the 1985 meeting. Koch and Merrill visited Snavely at Kodak and thought the logistics were very good. Kodak has agreed to videotape all of the sessions at no cost to AIP, an arrangement similar to the one with Xerox last year and McDonnell Douglas this year.

The following motion was made by Wilson, seconded by Beyer, and unanimously carried.

MOVED that AIP accept the invitation of Eastman Kodak to host the 1985 Corporate Associates meeting.

(The meeting recessed at 6:25 p.m. Dinner was served at the Sheraton-Russell Hotel. The meeting resumed in executive session at 8:30 p.m. at the Hotel.)

8. Executive Session
This is reported in the official minutes only.

(The meeting recessed at 10:10 p.m. and resumed at 8:30 a.m. on 22 June, at AIP Headquarters.)

9. Financial Reports

  1. Investments
    Gilbert reported that a meeting of the Committee on Investments is scheduled for 20 July. Representatives from the investment management firms used by AIP will be present to give reports on our investments and to answer any questions.

    A decision is needed at that meeting concerning the investment of the excess 1983 revenue (approximately $2.2 million) which will be transferred to Designated Funds. This is now in AIP's cash management plan, earning 11% interest. $800,000 had previously been designated for mutual funds, but it is not considered advisable to take it out of the cash management plan at present. These transfers will bring the current total value of the Designated Funds to approximately $6.2 million.

  2. Quoted Prices
    Gilbert reported that the schedule of 1985 quoted prices, dated 1 June, has been sent to all Member Societies. Copies were distributed to members of the Executive Committee who requested one.

  3. Audit
    Dolowich, reporting after his arrival at the meeting, said that the audit is close to completion, and it will be ready about the same time as last year. Investments are an additional major item to be audited this year.

  4. NYC Tax Refund
    Gilbert noted Attachment E*, a copy of the recently received bill for New York City real estate taxes for 1984-85, which officially confirmed the fact that the Institute is exempt from these taxes. We must file every year for this exemption, but the chance of a future denial is remote. Both the assessed valuation and the tax rate were increased this year.

    Although we were listed in the legal briefs as a scientific, educational, and charitable organization, on this bill we are listed only as a scientific organization. Lehrfeld, the AIP attorney, said it was very important that we be recorded in all three categories on the tax rolls of any organization that levies taxes. We will take exception to this listing, since the Law Department had ruled that we are educational (the most important classification in New York City).

  5. Update on Approved 1984 Capital Expenditures Budget
    Gilbert referred to Attachment F (attached herewith). Most of the costs are below budget. He recommended that each time the budget is amended, new items be given a number and added to the status report. Wright suggested that it would be useful to include the date of the addition as well. When the 1985 budget is presented, it will show what has been carried over from a previous year.

  6. Financial Arrangement with F. W. Faxon Co. Regarding Payment for 1985 Subscriptions
    Gilbert noted Attachments G and G*. He explained that with the current high interest rates, agencies pay as late as possible, resulting in delays in payment for non-member subscriptions. Faxon had requested that payment on 1985 orders be deferred until March. The Institute agreed to payment being deferred on renewals until the end of February because of the two-month gracing period. We cannot delay payment on new orders, as this would cause operating problems. Their letter states that AIP will be paid interest on delayed payments from 12/16/84 to 2/28/85 at the then current CD rate. Gilbert will request from them an irrevocable letter of credit, which is tantamount to cash.

10. Report of Committee on Publishing Policy
Marks noted his memo of 5 June 1984 and explanatory materials (Attachment H) which detailed the recommendations from the Committee on Publishing Policy to the Executive Committee.

  1. Requests for Capital Expenditures

  2. Additional ATEX CPU
    Marks reviewed the history of the ATEX system, first installed in 1977. He is satisfied with the current system. We now operate with two CPU's. JCP and all the Soviet journals have been added plus a variety of projects, and the system is loaded. ACA wants more publishing done through AIP. In order to have it perform at maximum efficiency, an additional CPU is needed, as the system is now running dangerously close to saturation. This additional CPU should take care of all needs for the next few years.

    Havens thought it good policy to have at least one publication done outside, as it is a good way to monitor costs. Marks said that outside costs are much higher. We have an emergency backup at Lancaster Press, which is $5.00 per page higher, and at Mack Printing, which is $10.00 per page higher. Marks noted that we do have two separate composition systems inhouse. The UNIX has a second shift available. He considers this a good backup. The big drawback with the UNIX is that it has a different keyboard system.

    Lazarus asked if we would be making this financial commitment in order to pick up new business. Mar ' s said the basic reason is to better handle the present work, not for new business.

    Havens said the technological .advances are enormous in this area. If we are saddled with this large system, we would not be free to take advantage of these new advances. Marks said that no outside supplier could immediately take on our composition needs. This investment would not close off future options if they should arise.

    Marks said that these capital expenditures involve publishing, and are the result of discussions in the Committee on Publishing Policy in the context of operations. These are modest additions to capital investments, and some come out of funded reserves. Gilbert suggested it could be useful to note if an item is a depreciated replacement or is a new addition.

    Wright made the following motion, which Lazarus seconded, and which was unanimously carried.

    MOVED that the expenditure of up to $145,000 for the purchase of an additional ATEX CPU and ten terminals be approved, as outlined in Agenda Attachment H.l.

  3. Remote ATEX System for PT
    Marks said that Physics Today editorial operations need updating. A staff study (Attachment H.2) considered various systems and concluded that an ATEX remote entry system would best suit the needs of the office. This is be a new system, to be amortized over five years.

    Grant asked if the need for communication with the Washington office is being considered in this request. Marks said that Goodwin now sends text by telemail. This is evolving. If it seems useful in the future, an ATEX terminal in Washington could be added.

    The following motion was made by Wright, seconded by Lazarus, and unanimously carried.

    MOVED that up to $98,000 for the purchase of a remote ATEX 4008 entry system with 8 terminals for Physics Today be approved, as detailed in Agenda Attachment H.2.

  4. Kodak Processor
    Marks said that this purchase has been recommended by Andersen and is proposed to replace the first processor purchased by AIP which is no longer serviceable.

    The following motion was m de by Havens, seconded by Lazarus, and unanimously carried.

    MOVED that the expenditure of up to $38,000 for an additional Kodak processor be approved, as detailed in Agenda Attachment H.3.

  5. Kurzweil Optical Character Reader
    Marks said that this experiment was initiated by the Subcommittee on Electronic Publishing. An earlier experiment was inconclusive. Since then the equipment has been improved, although it still cannot do math. The plan is to carry out a test at AIP on this equipment. The rental cost would be $6,000 for the experimental period. Total purchase cost, if that option is exercised, would be about $45,000. The contract calls for purchase, but it has an escape clause. The experiment will be monitored by the Subcommittee as well as the staff. If it proves successful, we would trade wage costs (four keyboarders) for capital equipment.

    Havens moved the following, which Madey seconded, and which was unanimously carried.

    MOVED that the expenditure of up to $48,000 for the purchase (including a 90-day trial period) of a Kurzweil optical character reader be approved, as described in Agenda Attachment H.4.

  6. Recommendations, on Journal Subscription Prices and Page Charges for 1985
    Koch referred to Agenda Attachment I (1 June 1984 memo to Koch from Marks) which details the proposed AIP page charges and subscription rates for 1985. A page charge reduction of $15.00 per page and an increase of about 15% in non-member subscription prices are proposed. The one exception would be JMP, for which a $25.00 reduction in page charges is proposed, along with a 17% increase in the non-member price.

    The only journal which would eliminate page charges is RSI. This journal has advertising income and the articles are shorter than in other AIP journals. It is recommended that member prices remain the same, with the exception of RSI, for which a $5.00 reduction is recommended.

    Lazarus asked for discussion on dropping page charges for JMP to zero, adding that he sees reasons on both sides of the issue. Koch said one issue is whether you treat the different journals differently. The competition for authors varies in different journals. On the other hand, if the page charge is dropped to zero, it is difficult to restore it at a later date.

    Havens said if the charges were dropped to zero, the editors would have different editorial problems. With no page charges, papers have to be limited by some means. It is cheaper to accept a paper than to reject one. In rejecting papers, there is a cost not only in staff time but also in authors' feelings.

    Lazarus said that he is concerned that some of the great papers are not published in our journals because the competition (for-profit publishers) does not have page charges.

    Koch summarized the arguments:
    1) Reducing page charges would get better authors and papers.
    2) Editorial problems would be created due to more papers.

    The following motion was made by Lazarus, seconded by Havens, and unanimously carried.

    MOVED that the schedule of subscription prices and page charges for 1985 be approved, as recommended by AIP Management and the Committee on Publishing Policy and stated in Agenda Attachment I.

  7. Recommendations of Non-Journal Abstracts for Translation Journals
    This new concept will be given further study by the Committee on Publishing Policy. No recommendations have been made.

  8. Non-Honored Delay in AIP Journals
    Marks reported that the Committee on Publishing Policy recommended that the publication delay for non-honored pages for RSI be reduced to zero, and that the sizeable delay for non-honored pages for JAP be reduced.

    The following motion was made by Lazarus, seconded by Beyer, and unanimously carried.

    MOVED that the non-honored delay be eliminated for Review of Scientific Instruments and that a maximum of 500 additional pages be authorized to reduce the non-honored delay for Journal of Applied Physics.

  9. General Physics Advance Abstracts

    Marks said this proposed new publication would be a companion to Physical Review Abstracts. It would be drawn from abstracts of to-be-published articles, He noted the sample copy supplied with the Agenda and the details given in Attachment K.

    In response to Madey's question, Marks said that GPAA will include those Society journals that are published by AIP. The proposed cost for Member Societies to supply it to their members would be $5.00. Publication would start in January 1985. Sample issues would be distributed in the fall of 1984 as promotion. An advance tape would also be made available to users of the SPIN tape.

    The following motion was made by Madey, seconded by Lazarus, and unanimously carried.

    MOVED that AIP publish, on a semi-monthly schedule, General Physics Advance Abstracts, beginning in January 1985.

  10. Directory of Physics and Astronomy Staff Members
    Koch noted the sample letter sent to all Member Societies explaining the offer to distribute the Directory (Agenda Attachment L). APS has accepted the offer. AAS did not accept the offer. He urged the other Societies to consider it soon.

  11. Recommendations of Subcommittee on Copyright
    Koch noted Agenda Attachment M, which gave the charge as accepted, report of the first meeting, and recommendations which were made. As was recommended, a legal review is now being made of the AIP transfer of copyright process.

  12. Recommendations of Subcommittee on Books
    Marks noted Agenda Attachment S, a 23 May memo from Lerner to Marks giving data on the books that were recommended for publication by AIP. The book activity has started slowly. The committee is initially looking at out-of-print books, and reprinting of PT articles. Tile book on astrophysics is now at the printer. He hopes that next year four or five books can be proposed for budget approval, including one for the Niels Bohr centennial.

    The following motion was made by Wright, seconded by Wilson, and unanimously carried.

    MOVED that approval be given for publishing the four books recommended by the Subcommittee on Books and the Committee on Publishing Policy, as described in Attachment S.

    Beyer, Chairman of the Subcommittee, said that suggestions were being solicited from the Member Societies. A uniform format is planned for the PT reprints and a uniform format for other titles.

  13. FIZ Agreements
    Marks noted that we have an ongoing agreement with FIZ. Tile royalty from the tape is being distributed to the journals which participate. Tile current agreement is in effect for 1985 unless cancelled by 30 June 1984. FIZ has sent a proposed new agreement which omits provisions for the royalty and ownership of abstracts. We would return it to FIZ next month with suggested changes for their reaction and approval. He thinks the influence of Chem Abstracts (and STN International) have led FIZ to remove the royalty provision. Our agreement with FIZ is a non-exclusive arrangement as far as sale of our abstracts is concerned.

    The FIZ tape is being demonstrated and marketed by AIP and a marketing associate, Gregory Payne. FIZ is paying the marketing costs.

    The following motion was made by Beyer, seconded by Lazarus, and unanimously carried.

    MOVED that AIP submit a revised draft contract, including provision for royalty and ownership of abstracts, to FIZ for discussion and approval.

11. Confirmation of Approval for Renovation of Rental Space on 45th Street in NYC
The estimate for renovation was higher than the actual contract by $20,000. The overall budget for the project is $220,000. The space is expected to be ready by August. Approval is needed to confirm the telephone approval received earlier.

The following motion was made by Lazarus, seconded by Beyer, and unanimously carried.

MOVED that the expenditure of up to $220,000 for renovation of the new rental space at 216 East 45th Street be approved.

12. Proposed Building Changes at Woodbury
Koch reviewed some contemplated shifts in space at Woodbury.

13. Report of Committee on Educational Policy

  1. Purpose and Scope
  2. Recommendations
    Slack reported on the first meeting of this new Committee, chaired by Bauman, which was held in May. Agenda Attachment R gave the purpose and scope of the Committee and their recommendations. He said there was a clear call for AIP to get back into education, which was put on hold 12 years ago. There is much to be done in pre-college education. AIP should get involved, working with the relevant Society committees.

    Two things had been referred to the Committee by the Executive Committee:

    1) Hiring of two new staff people in History and Manpower. The staff was present to describe their needs and provided materials to the Committee. The Committee wants to hear implications of educational projects that were proposed at the meeting and will discuss the recommendations for staff again at the September meeting.
    2) Gemant award. The total available for this may be about $140,000, which would make available between $10-15,000 per year for an award. A subcommittee, to1 be chaired by Bauman, was appointed to develop recommendations.

14. Sponsorship of Science Writing Awards
Koch said that U.S. Steel Foundation support for these awards, which have gained prestige in the scientific community, will continue only through the 1984 awards; they have funded them for 16 years. He suggests locating a firm who will endow the award or have a long-term agreement as with the Heineman Foundation. Several contacts have been made in this regard, with no definite commitments as yet.

Lazarus thought that looking for funding on a yearly basis demeans the prize. He thinks it would be appropriate for AIP to fund it on an interim basis. Havens noted the APS has established boundaries for prizes, e.g., a prize has to be guaranteed for a five-year minimum, with a minimum award of $5,000.

The following (considered confidential) motion was made by Havens, seconded by Lazarus, and unanimously carried.

MOVED that the Executive Committee authorize the continuation of the science writing awards for 1985, to be funded by AIP if necessary in the interim between sponsors.

15. Details on Advisory Committee Structure
Grant referred to his memo of 6 June 1984 to members of the Executive Committee regarding AIP policy committee and subcommittee structure. The Governing Board had questioned policies on committee structure. He has studied the 1975 report of the Committee on Committees and more recent actions and has consolidated them in this memo, as a document is needed for the Nominating Committee and for chairs of committees. He felt it important that letters of appointment be sent from the Secretary's Office and that all information on committees and subcommittees be supplied to the Secretary's Office.

Madey suggested noting in this memo which committees have appointments made by the Member Societies.

16. Requests for Bank Account Approvals

  1. Petty Cash Fund for JAP
    Gilbert said that an editor of JAP had recently made a request for a petty cash checking account to reduce the bureaucratic hassles encountered at Argonne.

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

    MOVED that the Treasurer be authorized to open a checking account covering a petty cash fund, not to exceed $700, for the Journal of Applied Physics and for Applied Physics Letters.

  2. The Andrew Gemant Memorial Fund
    Gilbert said that the Institute had received an accounting from the executor of the estate, and will soon receive the cash and securities. The remaining assets in the estate are $147,500. The final value will be about $147,000. An approval is needed to establish this account, which will be a special purpose fund with Bankers Trust.

    The following motion was made by Wright, seconded by Madey, and unanimously carried.

    MOVED that the Treasurer be authorized to open a Special Purpose Fund investment advisory account at Bankers Trust Company entitled "The Andrew Gemant Memorial Fund."

(The meeting recessed for lunch at 12:30 p.m. and resumed at 1:15 p.m.)

17. Status Report on New Computer

  1. Modifications in AZTECH Contract
    Marks reported that in discussions with AZTECH earlier this spring, they had stated that unless they received additional funds, they would have to withdraw from the project. We then arranged to speed up some payments and to make additional monthly payments to conclude the design phase, as software payments had been minimal.

  2. Subscription Fulfillment

  3. and

  4. Requests for Additional 1984 Capital Expenditures for New Computer System
    Dolowich said that since 1 April, things have moved more rapidly in the design phase. The staff has given AZTECH flow charts rather than extensive narrative (making it more efficient to complete the design phase) from which they then prepare documents to guide the programmers. The only major items left in the design phase are the balance of renewal billing, BPA reporting, and stat reports, which they expect to finish by August. AIP staff is making frequent trips to Washington to follow more closely AZTECH's progress.

    Dolowich has made clear to AZTECH that we are watching the expenditures closely. For example, in discussing adding single copy sales to the product record, they felt this was an out-of-scope item but we maintained that it was specified in the original RFP.

    Since January, watchful of fulfillment costs, AIP has reduced its staff by five, a saving of $60,000 per year. One of our programmers wrote a program whereby Univac files can be displayed on the Data General terminals. This will help in training of our staff, as well as eliminating the need for the microfiche readers.

    Dolowich referred to his memo of 14 June 1984 to Gilbert (Attachment Q) which discussed the additional 1984 capital expenditures that are needed for the computer system. He reviewed the request item by item to see what additional funds would be needed. He felt it important to give the Executive Committee an approximate maximum figure for completion of the software. This figure is still under the initial bids from other vendors. We have always felt that AZTECH's programming estimate was low. Payment will be tied to completion of work. We are now paying $8,000 per month (maximum $32,000) to conclude the detail design stage. Testing is to be billed by time and material. He has confidence that AZTECH can complete the project. Many things had to be solved that were not fully understood initially. The main concern is that the system works, and the detail design thus far is sound. We still rely on AZTECH to properly program these specifications.

    Marks reminded the Committee that when AIP was deciding on a vendor AZTECH had the best knowledge of fulfillment. The detail design encountered more problems than anticipated. Every Society is different, and there are many branches on these programs to accommodate this. At this point, the design is well thought out. AZTECH has always been responsive.

    Dolowich reviewed the history of the NCR processors, which have been a continual problem. The details are now being reviewed by NCR at no additional charge.

    Koch asked about the reactions of Doug Fisher (Vice President of AZTECH) to the project. Dolowich said they are able and want to finish it. They are an active company and do have other contracts. They cannot afford to let our project collapse.

  5. Accounting System
    Dolowich pointed out the use of the Data General for accounting purposes. The M & 0 software is the general ledger package. Society statements have been produced with minimal problems. Accounts Payable software is being reviewed. Our programmers are rewriting the package for Accounts Receivable. This will help with publication charges and advertising.

    Payroll has been switched to Managistics for online preparation. The staff is being trained in this operation. The TIAA-CREF tape reporting is now prepared by Managistics. The 40l(k) plan will also receive a tape. Some personnel changes will be made in the accounting area as this proceeds.

  6. Summary of Approvals for New Computer System
    Gilbert referred to Attachment V, his memo of 14 June to the Executive Committee, giving a summary of Governing Board and Executive Committee approvals for the new computer system. He noted that the first estimate included no provisions for accounting. The key to the picture is that the Data General is also being used by, and will be prorated to, Accounting.

    Marks stated that the staff needs the flexibility of being able to authorize additional appropriations to keep the project moving. We have to be able to act quickly. The additional sum the staff is proposing is an estimate on our part, and has not been requested by AZTECH as yet; however, Dolo1wich thinks it may be.

    The following motion was made by Madey, seconded by Wilson, and unanimously carried.

    MOVED that the Executive Committee authorize the AIP Management to amend the fixed price contract with AZTECH to include an additional expenditure of up to a maximum of $75,000.

    (This action brings the total amount available up to the $700,000 originally authorized by the Governing Board.)

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

    MOVED that the Executive Committee amend the 1984 Capital Expenditures Budget to include an equipment expenditure of $16,400 for Accounting and $49,500 for Subscription Fulfillment as detailed in Dolowich's 14 June memo to Gilbert.

18. Future Meetings
Koch outlined the proposed schedule for future meetings, as follows:

6-8 September: Woods Hole.
21 October (afternoon): St. Louis.
13-14 December (evening+ all day): New York.
22 February: New York.
14 March (morning):Woodbury (if needed).
3 May: New York.
12 June: New York.

19. Other Business

  1. Joint Venture with Tomash
    Marks said that Mr. Tomash is one of the founders of Data Products Corporation. He is also interested in publishing and has started to develop a series on the history of computers in conjunction with MIT. He is also working on a history of physics series, which was originally started with the New York Times Co., but was subsequently dropped by them. A series of 20 books is planned. He would like AIP to jointly publish the series with him. He could put up one-half of the capital; the net would be split. The books have been selected with great care, and he has an excellent editorial board. There would not be a large audience for this type of book. All the preliminary expenses have been covered.

    Koch said that he had been cautious about a venture with a commercial publisher. However, Lehrfeld had been consulted and he saw no problem with it. Any final arrangement would have to be cleared with our attorneys.

    The consensus was to send this request to the Subcommittee on Books.

  2. Joint Venture with 3 European Publishers Regarding Abstract Tapes
    Koch reported on a recent visit from Pieter Bolman of North Holland . Bolman discussed the possibility of a joint tape of abstracts produced by AIP, North Holland, and perhaps other firms such as Elsevier, IOP, and Springer Verlag. (IOP does not yet have such a tape but is interested in developing one.) Certain standards, common format, and timing would be agreed on to mesh our tape with that of the other companies. This would make the total product more attractive.

    There was discussion of the merits of such a venture. Koch thought this would strengthen our tapes and give them wider distribution. It is our goal to make the SPIN tape more useful and usable. We could have an editorial board and a management board to oversee this, with joint marketing and instructional arrangements. Bolman will send a proposal for our consideration. There is no commitment on the part of AIP.

    Wright said that these things are far enough along now that it would be good to develop a policy. Koch agreed and will develop one for presentation in September.

  3. SPS Awards
    Slack noted the action of the Executive Committee in December 1983, encouraging SPS to pursue their idea of awards with available funds. Shea had provided a handout reporting the proposals prepared by the SPS Council, which met in April.

    The Council proposes an SPS Scholarship and an Outstanding SPS Chapter Advisor Award. Both programs would be funded by income from the Sigma Pi Sigma Trust Fund. Administration of the awards would be by a selection committee named by the SPS Council.

    Grant said he thinks it would be 'an excellent idea to provide funds for speakers. He had hoped to see more emphasis on the student aspect and perhaps make it financially possible for chapters to obtain speakers as well. He suggested the award of a medal and a certificate to a number of worthy candidates instead of the single scholarship.

    Havens and Lazarus expressed concern about the Outstanding Advisor Award and the selection process outlined in general. Both felt that the selection would be too political and would dilute the impact of the program on the broader community.

    The consensus of the Committee was that this proposal be sent back for further consideration.

  4. Compton and Tate Awards
    Koch said that the last time these awards were presented was in 1981. He suggested presenting the Tate award in the spring of 1985, in conjunction with the APS International Meeting. The Compton award could be presented at the 1985 Corporate Associates meeting.

    Beyer made the following motion, which Havens seconded, and which was unanimously carried.

    MOVED that committees be formed to consider candidates for the John T. Tate International Award and for the Karl Taylor Compton Award.

  5. Recent Reports
    Koch reported briefly on the following:

    1. A report on the use of PACS was received from Strassenburg, and was based on his recent one-month study. This will be looked at by management and then sent to the PACS committee.
    2. Draft of proposed revision of Constitution and Bylaws. This will be sent to the Executive Committee in late July.
    3. Proposal for online electronic services. Inquiries are being made to determine if it would be feasible to develop a concept for making these available to Member Societies. Management would like to get proposals from contractors to ascertain this.

20. Executive Session The staff was excused for the executive session at 2:55 p.m. This session is reported in the official minutes only.

21. Adjournment
The meeting was adjourned at 3:27 p.m.