April 1984 Council Minutes
APRIL 1984 COUNCIL MINUTES
The Council met on 5 April 1984, at 7:05 PM, in Room 210-214 of the Center for
Continuing Education on the Campus of the University of Notre Dame in Notre,
Dame, IN. Members present were S. Armentrout, H. Bass, D. L. Burkholder, P.L.
Duren, R.M. Fossum, S.J. Friedlander, W. Gautschi, P.R. Halmos. M. Jerison, I.
Kaplanski, M.S. Montgomery, E. Pitcher, J.B. Robinson, and J. Jerry Uhl, Jr.
Also present were L.K. Durst, R. Hahn, W.J. Leveque, C. McConway, and J. L.
Selfridge. Those present by invitation were F. Browder, F. Gehring, J.E.
Kister, and O.C. McGehee. President Robinson was in the chair.
At the beginning of the meeting, J.L. Selfridge introduced Jane E. Kister,
Associate Executive Editor of MR.
MINUTES
1.1 COUNCIL MINUTES OF 7 AUGUST 1983. These minutes had been distributed by
mail. The minute 4.1 item 8, should read as follows:
8. INCREASE some conference registration fees. There has been two sorts of
fees, a long standing social fee covering coffee breaks and any planned
group parties, and a more recent registration fee. If the conference is to
include proceedings, the registration fee is increased to cover the purchase.
With this correction, the minutes were approved.
1.2 MINUTES OF COUNCIL BUSINESS BY MAIL OF 20 FEBRUARY 1984. The attached
minute shows that Hyman Bass was elected to the EC for a four year term.
OFFICERS
5.1 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY; A slightly edited version of the report is
attached. In the discussion there was consensus that no decision should
be made about Spring meetings until matters related to the Summer Meeting
(see 8.2) are settled.
5.2 REPORT OF THE TREASURER. The audited report for 1983 is attached.
COMMITTEES AND BOARDS
4.1 NOMINATIONS: The Nominating Committee proposed names for various offices
in the election of 1984. The Council then nominated the following persons:
Vice President Linda Preiss Rothschild
(1 position) Shmuel Winograd
Secretary Everett Pitcher
(1 position)
Associate Secretary Frank T. Birtel
(2 positions) W. Wistar Comfort
Treasurer Franklin P. Peterson
(1 position)
Associate Treasurer Steve Armentrout
(1 position)
Trustee Lee P. Neuwirth
(1 position) Ramesh A. Gangolli
Editorial Committees
BULLETIN Calvin C. Moore
COLLOQUIUM Raoul H. Bott
MATH. REVIEWS Morton Lowengrub
MATH. SURVEYS M. Susan Montgmery
MATH. OF COMPUTATION Donald Goldfarb
PROCEEDINGS Donald S. Passman
Committee to Monitor Problems
in Communication Floyd L. Williams
(2 positions)
MEMBER-AT-LARGE A.T. Bharucha-Reid
(5 positons) Daniel M. Burns
Joseph B. Keller
Harvey B. Keynes
Carl Pomerance
Michael C. Reed
Audrey A. Terras
All persons named had agreed to be candidates and to serve if elected.
The agendum leading to the following minute was presented late and was
accepted.
4.2 RESEARCH FELLOWSHIP: The Committee on the AMS Research Fellowship made
two suggestions for slight modification of the terms of the fellowship.
1. That it be for persons 5 to 10 years past the Ph.
(or equivalent) degree, rather than 4 to 10. The intent
and effect is that the period of eligibility not overlap
with that of the NSF Postdoctoral fellowship.
2. That the candidate show the equivalent of three full
years postdoctoral teaching experience, rather than two.
The report of the Committee is attached.
The two recommendations were approved. Moreover, the Council recommended that
the stipend be set at $30,000, for nine months rather than eleven.
4.3 SCIENCE POLICY COMMITTEE: The report of Professor Felix Browder, Chairman
is attached.
OLD BUSINESS
8.1 INFORMATION OF INTEREST: Under this heading, the Council of 24 January
1984, (see minute 9.4) authorized "the distribution through the 'local
information table' of announcements submitted by participants in the meeting,
of local events of a non-mathematical nature". The Secretary noted in the
minute that, insofar as this resolution applied to joint meetings with the MAA,
that group should be consulted. Indeed, subsequently, they had been, but will
not be able to respond definitively at least until the August 1984 meeting of
their Board of Governors.
8.2 SUMMER MEETINGS: The Council of 24 January 1984, went on record in favor
of cancelling summer meetings beyond the one already contracted for 1984 and
recognized both the necessity of consulting the MAA and its obligations to the
MAA, particularly with respect to the 1985 meeting. (See minutes 9.1 and 9.2
of 24 January 1984.) The initital response of the MAA is given in the attached
letter from Kenneth A. Ross, Secretary.
The following paragraph is an extract from a letter from H. Rossi to the
Secretary.
The Council has to be reminded over and over again that
the majority of AMS members are non-research mathematicians
with, however, an interest in current mathematics. Without
the latter, they would be members of some other society.
Most of these people have obligations which make attendance
at the winter meeting difficult; on the other hand, the
summer meeting is easier. The summer institutes and other
research conferences held during the summer are not
appropriate for these mathematicians. I think, by appealing
to these members, we can revitalize the summer meetings,
increase attendance, and stop losing money. The special
sessions, colloquium lectures and invited speakers should
be selected more for breadth of appeal, rather than excellence
in mathematics (for the summer sessions). We should have more
expository series of lectures, like the first two colloquium
lectures. We should more actively encourage sessions for
contributed papers, or outside contributions to special
sessions to get more members actively involved.
The Agenda & Budget Committee recommended rescinding the Council action.
In response to the specific request that the Summer Meeting of 1985 be held,
the Secretary consulted with other officers of the Society and then assured
the MAA that the 1985 meeting would go forward as planned.
As to the cancellation of later meetings, the Secretary was of the opinion that
the financial obstacles could be overcome, particularly with the proferred
financial cooperation of the MAA. With this in mind, the Secretary was also of
the opinion that these meetings should be continued for their scientific value
to the membership and the mathematical community. Thus, he moved that the
Council delay the effective operation of the resolution of 24 January 1984,
until after the Summer Meeting of 1985, when the finances of the meetings of
1984 and 1985 under increased registration fees can be examined. The motion
was passed.
The agendum leading to the following minute was presented late and was
accepted.
8.3 UNIVERSITY ADMINISTRATION OF RESEARCH GRANTS; At its meeting of 24
January 1984, the Council considered a proposed policy by the Polytechnic
Institute of New York that NSF grants that are ordinarily regarded as being
for two months of summer research be used for one month of summer research
and a reduction in teaching load of three hours in one semester. This appears
to divert funds from the principal investigator to the University with little
compensating advantage to the former. A Letter to the Editor from Lesley
Sibner, with comment, and an extract from the report of the Secretary on the
Louisville Council are attached.
In the attached letter from Lesley Sibner, it is stated that the information
received by the Council turned out to be incorrect and that a similar policy
is still in effect.
The Council passed the following resolution:
The Council of the AMS reiterates its strong opposition to the
policy of the administration of the Polytechnic Institute of
New York concerning salaries paid by NSF grants, as contained
in Dean Pearce's memo of 10/24/83, and believes it is contrary
to the interst of scientific research. As Dr. E.F. Infante,
Director of the Division of Mathematical Sciences of the NSF
has stated, "the implementation of a rigid policy of research
management of any university which is perceived by individual
reserachers as not promoting an environment beneficial to
research and scholarly endeavors cannot be welcomed."
At the same time, the Council requested the Secretary to verify the facts and
the current developments of the Polytechnic Institute of New York before
sending copies of the resolution to administrators at the Institute.
[Accordingly, on 9 April 1984, the Secretary called Professor Harry Hochstadt,
Chairman of the Mathematics Department. It appears that he had protested the
policy as described in the letter from Professor Sibner of 31 Marych 1984, and
had just received a somewhat different version from the provost. The statement
was that if a granting agency did not forbid it, a proposer in seeking a grant
of two months summer salary must also ask for 10% additional to cover release
from one course in one semester. However, if the agency does not grant the
10%, the Institute does not intend to use the money for one month in its place
to cover a release during one semester. It was the advice of Professor
Hochstadt, in which Professor Sibner concurred, that it could be
counterproductive to forward the Council resolution at this time. Should it be
useful in the near future, its appearance will be requested. E.P]
NEW BUSINESS
9.1 DUES: The annual dues of an ordinary member are set by the Council with
the approval of the Trustees. The Council performed this duty at the Annual
Meeting of 1982 by establishing a formula whereby dues are increased each
year a whole dollar amount equivalent to the percentage increase in average
salary for institutions reporting data to the AAUP for the last decade.
According to this rule, dues for persons with higher academic earnings are as
follows:
1982 $48
1983 52
1984 56
The formula would produce a figure for 1985 of $60.
Analysis in the Department of Membership and Sales and elsewhere has shown that
dues are not covering member services, so that publication is unduly
subsidizing service by an annual amount on the order of $120,000. Dues of $72
rather than $60 would eliminate this subsidy.
The Secretary proposed that dues at the higher salary level for 1985 be set at
$72, rather than $60 and that dues,thereafter, be continued by the formula
from the base of $72 rather than $60.
Professor Susan Friedlander objected on the grounds that the increase was
sufficient to cause resignations according to a small poll that she had
conducted. After discussion, Professor Kaplansky proposed that the change
in base be accomplished in two years, with higher level dues being $66 for
1985, $78 for 1986, and being determined by the formula thereafter. The motion
was passed with the understanding that the change be explained in advance
through an article in the NOTICES. The division between the higher level of
dues as stated above, and a lower level, was set at $23,000 for 1985.
A motion was passed that dues for students and unemployed be set at a
convenient figure about one quarter of the higher level of dues.
A motion was passed that the dues for membership by reciprocity be set at a
convenient figure about half of the higher level of dues. This motion was
advanced by the Secretary and was explained to be contrary to a stated
recommendation from the Agenda and Budget Committee that the fraction be three
fourths. The argument hinged on the fact that external membership, with dues
slightly larger than reciprocity dues, would become an almost meaningless
concept.
The Council adjourned at 10:50 P.M. April 5, 1984.
EVERETT PITCHER, SECRETARY
