Executive Committee of the American Institute of Physics
Minutes of Meeting
The October 7-8 meeting of the Executive Committee was held in two sessions, as follows:
I. Session at the Milleridge Inn, Jericho, Long Island, New York Thursday, October 7, from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m., following a tour of the Waldemar Building in Woodbury, Long Island, and dinner at the Milleridge Inn
II. Session at AIP Headquarters, Friday October 8, from 9:00 to 11:10 a.m.
Session I – Milleridge Inn
Members Present: Philip M. Morse – Chairman, Robert T. Beyer, W. A. Fowler, L. W. Fredrick, W. W. Havens, Jr., H. William Koch, Sidney Millman, Melba Phillips, Jarus W. Quinn
Nonvoting Participants: J. R. Knox (SOR), J. H. Singleton (AVS)
Guest: J. A. Burton (APS)
AIP Staff: H. William Koch, Director; Sidney Millman, Secretary; G. F. Gilbert, Treasurer; Lewis Slack, Assoc. Director for General Activities; R. H. Marks, Associate Director for Publishing; Dorothy M. Lasky, Assistant to the Director
Following dinner, Chairman Morse called the session to order at 7:30 p.m.
Koch briefly reviewed the recent activities of the Ad Hoc Committee on Building Plans of AIP, and referred to the report of H. R. Crane, Chairman of that Committee, with its unanimous conclusions:
On Long Island: Had visited several buildings and recommended the purchase of a building, originally the Chemical Bank building in Melville which is no longer available;
In Manhattan: Had visited the General Electric building (Madison Avenue and 32nd Street), Franklin National Bank building (in the Wall Street area), IBM building, and others, but for one reason or other considered none suitable except the IBM building if we could purchase it for an appropriate price.
1. Discussion of Present Status of Building Search on Long Island and Recommendation to the Governing Board
At the suggestion of Morse, the discussion was first confined to sentiments about a recommendation for Governing Board action on October 9 regarding purchase of a building on Long Island. Koch stated that the recommendation of the AIP Management Committee, which is consistent with the recommendation of the Crane Committee, is to put in a bid of $800,000 for the Waldemar building in Woodbury, Long Island. It has a mortgage of $650,000 which, he understood, can be taken over by AIP. The bid would be based on the condition that the zoning variance obtained from the township in 1962 would be applicable and that the mortgage would be transferred. This two-story building, which everyone present at dinner had previously toured, has an area of a little over 35,000 square feet and is situated on a 10-acre plot on Sunnyside Boulevard in Woodbury at the intersection of the Long Island Expressway and Northern State Boulevard.
Koch noted that land values in this area are about $75,000 per acre if sold for commercial purposes and about $25,000 per acre for residential use. The financing of the building would be accomplished by taking $150,000 from the AIP reserves. An estimated additional $150,000 would be taken out of AIP reserves for necessary alterations, reconstruction, decoration, and repairs to render about two-thirds of the first floor suitable for immediate occupancy by Metaxas’s typewriter composition people. (This includes roof repairs and other repairs listed in the engineering valuation report.)
The discussion then revolved around the time scale contemplated by the AIP management for shifting certain additional publishing production and related activities from Manhattan to the Waldemar building, so that we would be freed from rental needs in Manhattan and have only the headquarters location. Morse expressed the hope that this could be accomplished within two or three years, whereas Marks felt that it would be safer to stay in town for two to five years. Marks cited the rapidly changing nature of composition and the desirability, during the initial development stage of computer composition, of having this operation in Manhattan. He stated further that the newly installed 90/30 computer could not be prudently moved for at least one and a half years and that, in a move to the eastern end of Nassau County (unlike the Queens-Nassau County line with its access to public transportation), one would expect to lose almost all of the affected staff and would have to retrain new staff.
A motion to recommend to the Governing Board the purchase of the Waldemar building was introduced by Phillips and seconded by Havens. Fowler commented that his intended favorable vote was based principally on the fact that every member of the AIP Management Committee is in favor of this action and that purchase is consistent with the guidelines provided by the Crane Committee. The following motion was then passed without dissent (all six members of the Executive Committee voting):
MOVED that the Executive Committee recommend to the Governing Board to authorize the AIP management to put in a bid for the Waldemar Building in Woodbury, Long Island, for the purchase price of $800,000 conditional on the favorable transfer of the original zoning variance for AIP operations and the transfer of the existing mortgage arrangements of $650,000 at 8% interest.
2. Discussion of IBM Building Bid and Decision on a Bid
The need for reopening this question, even though at the previous Executive Committee meeting at Woods Hole the AIP was authorized to put in a bid of $2,500,000 for the IBM building, arose from the fact that one of the provisos that accompanied the authorization could not be assured, namely, that under the worst possible conditions the operating expenses incurred would not be appreciably greater than at present. Koch stated that the new recommendation of the Management Committee is to put in a bid of $2,000,000. If this bid is accepted, AIP would ask APS for a loan of $1,500,000 at a reasonable interest rate until such time as AIP sold its present headquarters. Then AIP would repay $1,000,000 of this loan. He reminded the Committee that what is involved at present is a risk of $10,000 in the event that IBM accepts our bid and that AIP decides not to purchase the building. He noted also that APS has indicated that it would be ready to provide $5,000 to share this loss if that should come to pass. Havens confirmed that the APS Executive Committee had indeed authorized the $5,000 offer to AIP.
Morse thought that APS ought to be willing to offer the short term loan at a considerably lower interest rate than it now realizes from its reserve funds. Havens expressed agreement with this sentiment and thought that the interest rate for a short term loan ought to be in the 5% to 6% range and for a longer term loan in the 6% to 7% range.
The following motion was then made by Quinn and passed with 4 votes in favor and 2 opposed:
MOVED that the AIP management be authorized to put in a bid of $2,000,000 on the IBM building on 8 October. This action involves a risk of only $10,000 should IBM accept and should AIP subsequently decide not to buy the building.
Beyer indicated that he would oppose the purchase of the building if IBM accepts this bid.
Session I was adjourned at 9:30 p.m.
Session II – AIP Headquarters
Attendees: All those listed in Session I and the following:
Nonvoting Participants: Jacques Ovadia (AAPM), R. A. Young (ACA)
AIP Staff: Mary M. Johnson, Assistant to the Secretary
Session II was called to order at 9:00 a.m. on October 8.
3. Minutes
Millman stated that the minutes of the Woods Hole meeting were not ready because of the short interval between that meeting and the present meeting and because of the extensive agenda items discussed and acted on at Woods Hole. He had prepared excerpts of that meeting and these were distributed at Session I.
4. Report on Meeting with OSA Committee
Gilbert reported on the meeting of AIP staff with representatives of the Optical Society held on September 20 at Institute headquarters. He stated that the problem is one of interpretation and analysis of data presented. The OSA report covered computerized operations only. Gilbert explained to the OSA people the use of unit costs, which he segregated into computerized and manual or labor-intensive operations. Of the $66,000 total cost, only $19,000 is applicable to the computerized operations. The remainder, $47,000, in the nonmember subscriptions cost is used up for the labor-intensive operations. Quinn stated that every one of the OSA group was pleased with the result of the meeting with AIP staff. They became better informed on the subject. He stated that the OSA Ad Hoc Computer Evaluation Committee was originally set up to look at certain other areas of business that could possibly be solved by their own computer or nearby facilities.
Fredrick said that he expects that other Societies go through this exercise and come up with some outstanding questions involving apparent excessive costs of operations. It may be in the way AIP presents reports to the Societies. Gilbert replied that he does spend time explaining the accounting procedures to Society representatives on the Fiscal Policy Committee. At times we hear that our reports go into too much detail, and at other times that we do not break the expenditures down by projects. He thought this is a problem that the Fiscal Policy Committee has to wrestle with and come up with a recommendation on some standards for accounting presentations. Morse added that the Fiscal Policy Committee should have all the Member Society Treasurers on it. Burton agreed that the Committee ought to be expanded to involve all Treasurers by membership or by invitation.
5. Review of Report on Center for Physics
Koch opened the discussion of this topic by reminding the group that the need for a Center for Physics was raised at the March 27, 1976, Governing Board meeting and was followed up at the April 26 meeting of the Executive Committee by authorizing a study by Professor Alex Harvey, and that the report by Harvey was distributed prior to the Woods Hole meeting of the Executive Committee. Koch thought that the report should be regarded as a compendium of various possibilities for the physics community to consider and a discussion of implications of some of the alternatives. It is not intended as a collection of recommendations to be followed in their entirety. Koch mentioned some of Harvey's recommendations. He noted particularly the desirability of a single center to act as a referral source for people seeking some information on physics. Koch felt that the Center should be an evolutionary concept with the Harvey report as a guide for the various activities that can be introduced at the proper time. Fowler thought that Harvey had done an excellent job. He expressed surprise at the reconstruction costs for headquarters cited by Harvey. The physics community certainly cannot afford to implement many of the recommendations.
Of greatest immediate importance is the Center for History of Physics. Every effort should be made to get voluntary contributions, as is done in APS, to support some of the recommended activities. It needs more room now. Havens noted that some years ago, in 1967 and 1968, there was a concerted drive to get outside support for the Center for History of Physics but it was not successful.
Koch raised the question of the disposition of the Harvey report. He noted that copies of this report had been sent to every Member Society council. He thought the Executive Committee ought to accept the Harvey report with thanks. It would be discussed the following day at the Governing Board meeting and, in abbreviated form, it will appear in the AIP Annual Report for 1976. Havens suggested that it might be published in Physics Today.
The following motion was introduced by Havens and passed unanimously:
MOVED that the report entitled "General Considerations on a Center for Physics," prepared by Professor Alex Harvey, be accepted with thanks.
6. Status Report on the Phototypesetter Purchase
Marks reminded the Committee that, at its meeting on June 29, 1976, it had approved the purchase of the Autologic APS-5 photocomposer. The management requested authorization for an expenditure of $160,000 based on estimates we had obtained. In the process of placing an order for this facility, the vendor (Autologic, Inc.) decided to increase the price by $30,000. We also heard that this company was in financial difficulty. We had previously also considered the purchase of the Videocomp 500, which is preferable to the APS-5 photocomposer since our own software will run on this Videocomp 500, and it is now not much different in price. Accordingly, we are proposing to order the Videocomp 500 from Information International, Inc. It will require an additional $40,000, for a total of $200,000. This means an increase of $8,000 annually. The total annual cost, when amortized over a five-year period, will be $81,500 compared with the $95,000 we are now carrying. This estimate includes maintenance and salaries.
The following motion was then passed without dissent:
MOVED that the AIP management be authorized to make an expenditure, not to exceed $200,000, for the cathode-ray tube photocomposer installation.
This motion supersedes the motion of June 29, 1976, authorizing funds for the purchase of the APS-5.
7. Request for Additional Contribution to the Omnibus Copyright Revision Book
Marks informed the Committee that about four years ago, in anticipation of forthcoming revisions to the copyright bill, AIP, with ACS, IEEE, and others, contributed money to fund a study of then existing copyright practices. A book called Omnibus Copyright Revision was issued. There was some income derived from the sale of the book but not enough to pay for the study. Each of the major sponsors is now being requested to contribute an additional 50% which, for us, would be $1,250. ACS backed the financing of it and are putting up an additional $2,500. The results have been excellent and Marks thought that AIP is obligated to make the additional contribution. A motion to authorize the expenditure of an additional $1,250 for the Omnibus Copyright Revision book was made by Quinn and passed without dissent.
On a related item, Koch called attention of the Committee to the approval by Congress of the new copyright law. He mentioned also a recent meeting of the Association of American Publishers who will be involved in developing guidelines for photocopy uses.
8. Report on Renewal Billing
Gilbert distributed a memo dated October 7, entitled "1977 Renewal Billing Statistics - Fall Billing" and noted that all of the billing for 1977 has been completed. The member bills exclude those for APS, which now go out in the spring. He went over some of the figures in his memo and stated that, if the APS spring billing amounting to $1.1 million is included, the total would be about $10 million for the year. He noted also that all bills were printed on the new computer, and that the Subscription Fulfillment Division is processing returns on it while maintaining a parallel setup with the old equipment.
9. Election of Corporate Associates
Lasky reported that the following organizations had applied to become Corporate Associates and, upon motion made and passed, both were elected effective as of 1977:
Standard Oil Corp. (Indiana) – $500
R.C.A. – 2,000
10. Review of Governing Board Agenda
Koch went over the items listed on the Governing Board agenda. With respect to the status of the AIP Placement Service, he noted that, although the Search Committee to Replace R. W. Sears has been active, and it has taken a long time, we now have a highly qualified candidate under consideration and hope that he will accept an offer that is being discussed. The increased activity in the Public Relations Division will be reported at the Assembly of Society Officers to be held on the following day.
On the matter of professional liability insurance, Gilbert noted that the Executive Committee, at the Woods Hole meeting, had already approved our subscribing to this insurance policy which covers members of the Governing Board, officers and employees of the Institute, and AIP committee members against suit. It is for $1 million with no deductibles. He intends to report this to the Board.
On the question of reports from advisory committees, Koch noted that three committees have met since the last meeting of the Governing Board, and that we have a written report so far only from the Advisory Committee on Physics Today. However, this report has not been distributed. Morse commented that it was his understanding that committee reports could be either written or oral. Phillips expressed her strong feeling that the Board should have something in writing from each committee annually; it should not be the minutes of the committee meeting but rather a summary of actions taken or even a brief statement of discussions that led to no action. She introduced the following motion which was passed without dissent:
MOVED that every committee chairman be required to submit some kind of summary report in time for the spring meeting of the Governing Board.
11. Possible AIP Involvement in Administering Grants for Individual Researchers
Koch called attention to a recent letter written by Professor Fay Ajzenberg-Selove, of the University of Pennsylvania Physics Department, to Thomas Neff about the problems encountered by individual physicists who have no attachment to a recognized institution and are applying for research grants. He wondered whether it would be wise for AIP to play some role in this. It was his feeling that this would best be done by an organization that has individual members.
Fredrick stated that the American Astronomical Society has already done this and that, in such a case, the grant is made to the Society. Phillips thought that AIP should certainly not get involved in it, and this was also the general sentiment of the Committee.
12. Trip to London by Morse and Koch for Discussions with the IEE People
Morse informed the Committee that the projected trip to London by Koch and himself has definitely been scheduled for the week of October 11. This is intended to be probably the final attempt to get the Institution of Electrical Engineers to subscribe to the AIP physics abstract tape information service. Koch noted that the trip is based in part on the urging of the Brady-Hookway committee for the elected heads of the two organizations to get together and try to arrive at some satisfactory arrangement. He added that we want to be sure to develop a posture on secondary services that is consistent with the new copyright law and with the arrangements we have with U.S. institutions such as Engineering Index and ERDA.
13. Recent Developments Threatening 2nd Class Mailing Privilege of Scientific Journals
Gilbert distributed copies of his September 30, 1976, letter to William Boylan, the Institute’s attorney, calling his attention to a notification by the U.S. Postal Service to the Astrophysical Journal that articles for which the page charge has been accepted will be considered to be advertising matter, will have to be so labeled, and will be subject to appropriately higher postal rates. Gilbert also stated that AIP has received two additional phone calls on the subject. Our attorneys are studying the matter to determine what type of action we should take. Koch pointed out that a 10¢ per pound increase in postage, which is approximately what it might average, would amount to about $250,000 annually. (Our journals would not qualify for the Second Class rate.) We think it is ridiculous on the face of it.
14. AAPT Proposal on Advertising
Koch informed the Committee that, following the suggestion made at the Woods Hole meeting of the Executive Committee, he wrote and obtained an appropriate response from AAPT regarding the changes they wished to make in their contract with AIP regarding AAPT’s taking over advertising and related business for The Physics Teacher.
15. Next Meeting
The next meeting of the Executive Committee, which is the annual meeting devoted mainly to the next year's budget, will be held on Friday, December 10, 1976.
The meeting was adjourned at 11:10 a.m.