Message from the Treasurer
Ron Dimock
The Society remains solidly in the black. One very bright note in that regard concerns the significant reduction in the cost of the Annual Meeting, something that Burk & Associates had prided itself as being able to do for SICB. Although the final figures are not firmly in hand for the 2001 meeting in Chicago, the actual debit for that meeting will probably come in at about $6000. Since the 2001 Budget had anticipated a $63,000 loss on the meeting, this result is very positive. When put in recent historical perspective, the cost reduction is even more spectacular. For example, the 1999 meeting in Denver cost SICB $113,000; the 2000 meeting in Atlanta was $121,000 in the red. Since the Chicago meeting has every potential of being within about 5% of breaking even, I think we can declare that the annual meetings will no longer be the major financial drain on the Society that we have seen for many years. In fact, if all goes according to plan, the 2002 meeting in Anaheim should certainly break even, if not generate a small profit.
By the time you read this Newsletter, you should all have received a postcard that described a clerical error that was missed in the proofing of the Registration Brochure for the Anaheim meeting. The dues rates for 2002 in that brochure for the Early-Bird renewal (prior to Jan 2, 2002) are incorrect. The correct rates are listed below and reflect the action of the Executive Committee last January of reducing the rates for the second year in a row. This was announced in the Spring Newsletter with the very proud notation that this reduction fulfills a promise that was made to the membership in the dark days of the early 1990s to reduce the dues as soon as the Society returned to its former solvency. We are now solvent, and the dues have returned to their lowest rate since 1993. We all should shout this wonderful turn of events to colleagues and former members who should be encouraged to join/rejoin!
Please note these correct figures for renewal/new membership for 2002 prior to Jan 2, 2002:
Full Member $85 Full Member 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
After the January 2, 2002 deadline to enjoy this Early-Bird reduction, the rates for new members joining SICB or current members renewing will become:
Full Member $95 Full Member 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
Unless the Executive Committee changes the dues rates again at its meeting in Anaheim, the $85 full member rate et seq. will become the dues structure for 2003 and beyond.
When this Newsletter goes to print, the annual Strategic Planning Meeting of the core executive officers and personnel of Burk & Associates will have taken place (scheduled for the end of October). Part of the agenda of that meeting will be to consider investment options in light of the current global financial instability. The Society's finances are fully protected in very conservative instruments. While there is no intention of changing that strategy in any radical way, the meeting will provide a forum to review our current investment strategy.
One very significant component of the Society's income is the level of subscriptions to the American Zoologist. With the coming of the new name for the journal in 2002 (Integrative and Comparative Biology), we all should be vigilant to insure that none of our libraries uses the name change as an excuse to delete ICB from its holdings. The new format of the journal not only will increase its appeal to authors and readers, but the journal will also carry a by-line indicating that this is a continuation of the American Zoologist, not the development of a brand new journal. The volume numbers will reflect that continuation.
We all should make every effort not only to increase individual memberships but also to add subscriptions to the journal at every opportunity.