Highlights of the November 2012 ASA Board of Directors Meeting

Ron Wasserstein, ASA Executive Director

ASA President Bob Rodriguez conducted his final meeting as board chair, leading everyone through a forward-looking agenda guided by the ASA’s strategic plan. The board met November 16–17 at the ASA Office in Alexandria, Virginia. As always at the final meeting of the board, new members were present as part of their orientation. Here are the highlights of the meeting:

• Treasurer Keith Ord presented his regular report on the status of the ASA’s finances and investment portfolio. The organization has a healthy balance sheet; 2012 has been good financially for the ASA, and investments have, in general, continued to recover value.
• The board received the report of a panel on the future of ASA publications. Members of the panel made a number of preliminary recommendations. Over the coming months, articles in Amstat News will present various aspects of the report and seek feedback from the membership.
• The board had a discussion about the policies for access to journal articles prior to their official publication in a journal.
• Philadelphia was selected as the site for JSM 2020. Other future JSM sites are Montréal (2013), Boston (2014), Seattle (2015), Chicago (2016), Baltimore (2017), Vancouver (2018), and Denver (2019). The board also considered other JSM matters regarding fees and fee waivers in special circumstances. In addition, the board discussed the means by which other associations can become “special partners” in JSM. JSM currently consists of five founding organizations and four special partners (see JSM website for details).
• As always, the board heard reports from the Council of Sections Governing Board and Council of Chapters Governing Board. A new section, the Mental Health Statistics Section, was chartered to begin January 1. The Council of Sections is trying to find ways to share best practices among sections. A new chapter also has been formed, the Orange County/Long Beach Chapter.
• The board received final reports from the 2012 strategic workgroups:
• The In-Reach Workgroup, which is developing materials to improve communication to members about the ASA’s activities, has completed its work. Materials on a variety of ASA-related topics will be made available to members soon, along with information about how to use them.
2013 ASA Board of Directors
Marie Davidian (President)
Nat Schenker (President-Elect)
Bob Rodriguez (Past-President)
Mary Mulry (3rd year Vice President)
David Morganstein (2nd year Vice President)
Jim Rosenberger (1st year Vice President)
John Bailer (3rd year Council of Sections Representative)
Janet Buckingham (2nd year Council of Sections Representative)
Dick De Veaux (1st year Council of Sections Representative)
Bonnie LaFleur (3rd year Council of Chapters Representative)
Nick Horton (2nd year Council of Chapters Representative)
Mary Kwasny (1st year Council of Chapters Representative)
Ray Chambers (International Representative)
David Banks (Publications Representative)
Keith Ord (Treasurer)
Ron Wasserstein (Executive Director)
• The Career Success Factors Workgroup reported on the progress of developing programs for four success areas it has identified: presentation skills, influence skills, personality training and team building, and career planning. The workgroup is officially completed, but development and delivery of materials in these four areas is ongoing.
• The 2012 Education Workgroup reported a set of seven recommendations regarding outcomes for terminal master’s degree programs. Feedback on these recommendations will be widely sought through Amstat News and other means.
• The board received the annual report of the Education Council. Rod Little and Roxy Peck updated the board on the activities of the committees within the council. The annual reports of the councils provide a key mechanism for the board and the many ASA committees to stay in touch with each other.
• Steve Pierson, ASA director of science policy, reported on advocacy and outreach activities of the ASA. See www.amstat.org/policy/index.cfm for details. Providing feedback to the National Science Foundation on the structure of support for the statistical sciences within NSF is an important current activity.
• The board devoted considerable time to a review and refresh of the ASA’s Strategic Plan. The plan has proven to be extremely helpful to the board, and particularly the presidents, in guiding decisions.
• Ron Wasserstein updated the board onthe activities under way in preparation for the International Year of Statistics.
• The board continued its discussions of how to improve the visibility of statistics, developing some areas of strategic focus. More will be reported on these activities as details are worked out.

The board next meets April 5–6 at the ASA Office in Alexandria, Virginia.