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AMS Committee on Meetings and Conferences (COMC) 2003 Annual Report

Highlights of 2003 meeting (March 29, 2003)

Review of Committee Charge. CoMC approved a revised Committee charge listing the most up to date Review Activity List. This updated charge will be sent to the Council for formal approval.

Report of the Secretariat. AMS Secretary Robert Daverman gave a report of the March 28 Secretariat meeting. CoMC approved the following recommendations of the Secretariat:

1. It is highly desirable (but not mandatory) to avoid sectional meetings on the same weekend.

2. At the JMM, drop the 3rd Colloquium and have the CoMC 2004 review committee make a recommendation on what to do with the third slot.

3. Continue with the "Special" Special Session on Mathematical Current Events at the JMM for another year and attempt to standardize the Session for future years.

Report of the Subcommittee to Review Sectional Meetings. This subcommittee was composed of Irene Fonseca (Chair), Richard Randell and Craig Huneke. As part of the review on sectionals, the committee collected materials from the Notices, Meetings Web pages, the Sectional Program books, Instructions from the Associate Secretaries and a survey sent to Special Session Sectional Organizers from the 2001 Sectionals. The subcommittee found that the AMS Sectionals are valuable and successful and that the AMS staff and Associate Secretaries do an excellent job in organizing and supporting the meetings. Participation by AMS members is vigorous. The subcommittee made several recommendations involving, diversity, especially gender diversity, young mathematicians, hour talks, activities with other organizations, and meeting mechanics.

CoMC approved the following recommendations:

1. Diversity: Collect data regarding various forms of participant diversity at Sectional Meetings by changing the Sectional registration form to allow for the participants to voluntarily mark off ethnic diversity.

2. Hour Talks: Re-emphasize in the invitation to invited speakers that they or someone of their choosing is encouraged to organize a related special session.

3. Hour Talks: The Sectional program Committee members should be again reminded that their main goal is to select speakers who will deliver high-quality talks with a commitment to gender diversity.