Executive Committee of the American Institute of Physics
Minutes of Meeting
Members Present: R. A. Sawyer, Chairman; W. R. Brode; J. w. Buchta; S. A. Goudsmit; W. W. Havens, Jr.; R. B. Lindsay; G. E. Uhlenbeck
AIP Staff Present: Elmer Hutchisson; Wallace Waterfall; H. A. Barton; Mary M. Johnson
The Chairman called the meeting to order at 9:15 a.m.
1. Minutes
The minutes of the meeting of June 14, 1960, were approved with the following correction: Item 6, Page 4, beginning line 2 changed to read, “He said money for conferences was granted to AAPT, which asked Educational Services Incorporated to act as fiscal agent. The 17-man Commission which will direct the project includes ex officio the President and Vice President of AAPT and the Director of AIP.”
2. Mail Ballot Approval
The Secretary reported that a mail ballot had been sent to members of the Executive Committee on July 20, 1960, on the appointment of James H. Crawford, Jr., as editor of JAP to replace Mr. Krumhansl and the appointment of Mr. Krumhansl to replace Mr. Crawford as a member of the editorial board. Both appointments were approved unanimously by the ballot and upon motion made and passed, the results of the mail ballot were confirmed.
3. Financial Statement for Six Months Ended June 30, 1960
Copies of the financial statement showing income and expense for the first six months and projections to the end of the year were distributed (copy attached). The Treasurer commented that both income and expenses were somewhat over budget but the net income was substantially over budget considering the extra amount credited to the Operating Reserve.
Our net worth on June 30 was the value of our land, building and equipment, plus $112,550 and the four special purpose funds. We expect advertising to be somewhat better than budgeted. The coat of editorial mechanics is less than budgeted due mainly to the fact that we had expected to include the salary of the Director of Publications but have not done so since he will be replacing Mr. Kelly in the Education Department for the balance of the year. In answer to a comment that our publication charge may be too high, it was pointed out that at the time this charge was raised, it was intended to offset future increases in costs. We have already been notified by our printer that we may expect an increase of about 8 ½% in over-all printing costs and an allowance for this has been included in our budget for the November and December journal issues of this year. In answer to a question, the Treasurer explained that the staff is continuing to investigate offers received from other printers, including foreign houses, but up to now there is no evidence that we can get the work done better and more cheaply than it is currently being done by Lancaster Press.
The Treasurer reported that all of our journals are doing better than break even at the present time. PHYSICS TODAY makes money after advertising is credited to it and publication of conference proceedings in JAP is working out very well.
Our conversion to a punch card operation has been a tremendous task but we expect to be ready to send out member dues bills about the end of October. Processing of the returns will be so much speedier than in the past that we believe we will be caught up by the first of the year. There will undoubtedly be "bugs" in the new system for the first year but after that we should be doing a much better job and at lower unit cost than we could do with the old system.
4. Addition to Signature List for Regular Checking Account
The Treasurer stated that the AIP Regular Checking Account is one which requires two Signatures and there are, at present, five people on the staff who are authorized to sign checks drawn on that account. There are days when it is difficult to obtain two of the five authorized signatures and the staff feels it is desirable to add one more name to the authorized list. The treasurer recommended that Hugh C. Wolfe, Director of Publications, be added to the list. Upon motion made, seconded and passed without dissenting vote, the Executive Committee authorized the addition of Mr. Wolfe's name to the list of persons authorized to sign checks drawn on the AIP Regular Checking Account. The Treasurer commented that it is his practice always to be one of the two signers whenever he is available.
5. Approval of Mary Johnson as Assistant to the Secretary
The Secretary reported that he is occasionally required to sign contracts on behalf of the Institute and, in many cases, such contracts require a certification that he is authorized by the Governing Board to sign them. Because Miss Johnson is familiar with the actions of the Board and the Executive Committee, the Secretary recommended that she be appointed Assistant to the Secretary and authorized to certify his right to sign contracts, etc., on behalf of the Institute. Upon motion made, seconded and passed unanimously she was so appointed.
6. Election of New Corporate Associates
The Director reported that the following organizations had requested to become Corporate Associates of the Institute and, on motion duly made and carried, they were so elected:
- Fairchild Camera and Instrument Corporation (for 1960) $600
- The Budd Company (for 1960) $350
- Packard Bell Electronics Corporation (for 1960) $350
- Operations Research Incorporated (for 1961) $350
- Ball Brothers Research Corporation (for 1961) $350
The Director said we now have 180 Corporate Associates, including those whose membership starts in 1961, with a gross income to the Institute of $97,050.00. After the cost of journals to which they are entitled is deducted, we will have a net income of $70,290.00. Dues are calculated on a sliding scale with $350 as the minimum and, although adherence to this scale is voluntary, in most cases we receive the amounts suggested. Expenses charged against this account include the cost of the Corporate Associates meeting at Arden House, part of Miss Lasky's salary, and expenses of promotion.
7. Request for Affiliation from Scientists of Tomorrow
The Director reported receipt of a request from the subject organization to become an Affiliated Society of the Institute. Its purpose is the promotion of educational activities in science and the support of career conferences for 11th and 12th grade youth. They apparently feel it would be helpful to be affiliated with various professional societies. After brief discussion, during which it was pointed out that their scope of operations appears to be broader than that of our present Affiliated Societies, and acceptance would open the door to all kinds of organizations, the following motion was made, seconded and passed without dissenting vote:
MOVED that the application of the Scientists of Tomorrow to become an Affiliated Society of the Institute be rejected.
8. Society of Rheology Inquiries
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International Meeting on Rheology
The Director reported that the Society of Rheology will act as host to an international meeting on rheology to be held at Brown University about three years from now. They expect to receive financial assistance from industry but it is likely that some funds will have to be laid out in advance of receipts. Although no formal request has been received yet, the Society of Rheology expects to ask the Institute for assistance in meeting these pre-meeting obligations. After brief discussion, the Executive Committee agreed that it would be in order for AIP to furnish such assistance.
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Membership in IUTAM
The Director reported that the Society of Rheology wishes to become a member of the International Union of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics (IUTAM) but they feel the cost would be too high for their budget. He pointed out that on a previous occasion AAPT wanted to be represented in the American Council on Education but felt financially unable to pay the dues. The Institute paid the dues and became the member but appointed representatives on the recommendation of AAPT. During the discussion which followed, it was noted that this earlier action does not set a precedent for the current situation inasmuch as AIP has an Education Department and education is one of our major fields of activity. It was the consensus of the Committee that the Institute should not share the expense of membership in IUTAM for the Society of Rheology.
9. Inquiry of Electron Microscope Society
The Secretary reported that for some time now the staff has been having conversations and correspondence with officers of the Electron Microscope Society about their desire for a closer relationship with the Institute. They are currently an Affiliated Society and have expressed a wish to have the Institute headquarters as their official address and have also asked about the possibility of our performing some services for them. The Secretary suggested that such an arrangement would be more appropriate if they were to become an Associate Member Society and AIP could then offer services on the same basis we do to our other Associate Member Societies. They were advised of the procedure to be followed in applying for this class of membership.
A copy of the EMS membership list and a meeting program were circulated. The Secretary read a list of their current officers and, after brief discussion, it appeared to be the consensus that an application for Associate Member Society status from the Electron Microscope Society would receive favorable consideration.
10. Report on Grants
A list of our current grants received and grants requested as of August 24, 1960, was distributed (copy attached). In commenting on the NSF grants for Russian translation projects, the Secretary said that our success in promoting circulation of those journals has increased subscription income more than expected. We were embarrassed by having an unexpended balance of about $175,000 from grants for the year ending last June 30. The situation has been explained in detail to NSF and they seem to be delighted. We have been told to keep the funds and apply them to future work.
Some questions about specific grants were asked and answered, and the Director reported that a request for funds to pay publication charges not honored by Asian authors was turned down by the Asia Foundation.
11. Honoring of Publication Charges
The Secretary reported that the Governing Board had approved the Institute’s undertaking to improve the honoring of publication charges for its own journals; and the staff is to furnish quarterly statements to the Member Societies for their use in improving their income from this source if they wish. (see Item 5, Page 2, of the September 30, 1960, Governing Board minutes.)
12. Confirmation of Appointment of Director as Member of US Delegates to 11th General Conference on Weights and Measures
The Director reported that he had been asked by the Director of the National Bureau of Standards to represent the AIP at the subject Conference to be held in Paris in October 1960. The present treaty is to be revised and it was felt that it is important that the Institute be represented. The Director explained that it appears AIP will probably have to pay the expenses of its delegate and, after brief discussion, the following motion was made, seconded and passed without dissenting vote:
MOVED that Elmer Hutchisson be approved as the AIP delegate to the 11th General Conference on Weights and Measures, with the understanding that the Institute will pay his expenses; and that the Chairman be authorized to suggest an alternate for Mr. Hutchisson, if necessary.
13. Replacement of Alice Mastro by Sistina Greco as Circulation Manager
The Secretary reported that Mrs. Mastro had resigned as Circulation Manager and had been replaced by Mrs. Sistina Greco who was her assistant. Mrs. Greco has been with the Institute for many years and has demonstrated outstanding ability to supervise personnel and cope with the various problems which beset such a complex operation.
14. Change in Staff of Documentation Research Project
The Director reported that Robert E. Maizell, who was head of our documentation project, has returned to Olin Mathieson Company and Robert B. Arnold has been appointed to replace him. Mr. Arnold holds the rank of Colonel in the Army and is about to retire from his present position as professor of physics at West Point Military Academy. Although he has not had any experience in the specific area of documentation, we believe he has the ability to carry on successfully the projects initiated by Mr. Maizell. The Director commented that Mr. Maizell made many contributions and created a high degree of outside interest in the Institute’s work in documentation.
There was a discussion of whether Mr. Arnold should be referred to as Colonel Arnold. It was the opinion of the Executive Committee that the use of such a military title would not be appropriate in the Institute.
At this point, Mr. Hutchisson retired from the meeting.
15. Policy on Replacement of Key Personnel
The Secretary said that most of our key personnel – Messrs. Hutchisson, Barton, Waterfall, Vorburger, Wolfe, and Miss Setze, reach retirement age between 1963 and 1970. He would like the advice of the Executive Committee on the establishment of a policy for replacing them. Mr. Seitz, when he was Chairman, felt strongly that the Director should be someone who is brought into the Institute specifically for that position after he has achieved stature in physics outside the Institute. The Secretary said he agrees this should be our policy with respect to the Director but he feels other administrative positions, including his own, should be filled from within. This can be done either by promoting old employees who show outstanding ability or by hiring new ones with the intention of grooming them for certain jobs. Specifically, the Secretary asked whether responsibility for grooming and recommending replacements for key personnel rested with current management or whether the responsibility should be left with some committee which will select the replacement at the time a key official retires. For operating positions such as his own and others the Secretary recommended hiring potential replacements several years in advance and grooming them for the jobs. The Executive Committee appeared to agree that present management should give thought to its own replacement and that a grooming period was desirable.
16. Next Meeting
It was agreed that the next meeting of the Executive Committee, which will be the annual budget meeting, will be held on Saturday, December 10. The Secretary recommended that Executive Committee and Governing Board meeting dates for next year be set at that time and members should be prepared with information about their availability.
The meeting adjourned at 11:50 a.m.