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SICB


Message from the Treasurer

Ron Dimock

The financial state of SICB continues to be excellent. While full details from the Anaheim meeting are not yet in hand, attendance figures and preliminary summaries of expenses indicate that the meeting was a financial success, perhaps even ending in the black. Certainly it was a great scientific experience.

The final audit for 2001 is not yet complete, but it appears that the Annual Meeting in Chicago will come within a few hundred dollars, or at most, a few thousand, of breaking even. Considering that the budget had projected a loss of over $60,000, ending at probably much less than $5000 in the red would be a major financial success. Each of the previous two Annual Meetings was more than $110,000 in the red.

The Executive Committee has reactivated the membership category of Life Member. Effective immediately, individuals can elect Life Membership in SICB for $1000, payable either in a lump sum or in two consecutive annual payments of $500. This option should be especially appealing to mid-career members who could enjoy the potential tax deduction while making a very significant contribution to the Society.

As a reminder, the current dues structure for 2002:

Full Member$95
Full Family$150
Emeritus with Journal$70
Emeritus without Journal$60
Post-Doc$71
Post-Doc Family$116
Graduate Student$36
Graduate Student Family$59
Student-in-Training$36
Life Member$1000


will for 2003 become:

Full Member$85
Full Family$125
Emeritus with Journal$70
Emeritus without Journal$60
Post-Doc$45
Post-Doc Family$60
Graduate Student$36
Graduate Student Family$59
Student-in-Training$36
Life Member$1000


The solid financial condition of the Society also has enabled the Finance Committee to contract with a professional financial manager to invest and oversee a portion of the Society's assets. The portfolio will be highly diversified and conservative, but should contribute significantly to the future financial security of the Society.

With the advent of a more formal procedure for soliciting budget requests, together with the solid financial position of the Society, Divisions and other components of SICB are encouraged to be thinking seriously about productive and innovative ways to use these resources to improve the services of the Society to the membership and to the professional and lay communities. SICB is poised to be at the forefront of biological science nationally, and increasingly internationally.