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August 31st 2005 Council Meeting Highlights August 31st 2005 Council Meeting Highlights Washington, DC

The APSA Council met August 31st at the Association’s 101st Annual Meeting in Washington, DC. The following are highlights from the meeting:

  1. Treasurer Henry Brady reported on the status of the Association's  finances.  Before including budgeted drawdown from endowments, revenues totaled $4.1 million and expenses totaled $4.2 million. Only half of the budgeted drawdown was needed to balance the budget, and the Council, as usual, opted to leave remaining funds in the endowment.  Director of Finance, Robin Smith explained the adjustments to next year's budget which include an increase in total revenues to reflect the strong advance in registration numbers for the 2005 Annual Meeting and an increase in the net total expenses to reflect the real estate income tax and other items.  With these changes, the revised APSA operating budget for fiscal year 2005-06 anticipates $4.4 million in revenue and $4.39 million in expense. Council unanimously approved adjustments to the FY05-06 budget.

  2. Henry Brady reported the Trust and Development Board is completing a draft of the investment policy statement that clearly defines the goals and purposes of all of APSA's funds and portfolios. 

  3. Council unanimously approved the Administrative Committee's recommendation to explore real estate options with respect to the possible purchase of the property next to APSA headquarters on New Hampshire Avenue, NW Washington, DC.  They appointed an ad hoc real estate committee comprised of the president, president-elect, and treasurer to oversee any potential dealings.

  4. In accordance with the structure of the Audit Committee that was established at the last Council meeting in April, the Council unanimously approved the Administrative Committee's recommendation to appoint David Vogel from the Council, Gretchen Casper from the Trust and Development Board and Treasurer Tony Affigne to the committee.

  5. Council approved the creation of an APSR Editor Search Committee and recommended the committee consider changing the editor's term to a 4-year initial appointment and a 2-year renewal term.

  6. Council unanimously approved the establishment of an Annual Meeting Review Committee that would, among other charges, address specific strengths and weaknesses of the current meeting structure, anticipate trends that could influence the format, organization, rules, and cost of the meeting over the next 5-10 years, and consider issues raised in the resolutions submitted by the Labor Project and the Committee on the Status of Lesbians, Gays, Bisexuals and Transgendered in the Profession.

  7. A motion from Rogers Smith proposed surveying APSA members to ask if the Council should work further on ways to encourage contested elections for APSA offices.  After discussion of both substantive and survey design issues, and consideration of substitute motions including ways to broaden the survey to address electoral processes, a Council vote to move forward did not pass.

  8. The Council Subcommittee on NonPhD Institutions discussed its analysis of political science faculty and their engagement in Association activities across five different department types (PhD, MA, BA, Undergraduate, and nonPS).  The analysis shows that participation in APSA is higher by faculty at PhD institutions in almost all areas of involvement, which include membership, governance, publication in an APSA journal, and attendance at the annual meeting.  This suggests that efforts need to be made to more fully include BA and MA faculty in APSA activities, as well as to create new services and programs that are responsive to faculty in these institutional settings.  Council created a subcommittee within the Departmental Services Committee to tackle these issues and report back to the Committee and Council on an annual basis.

  9. Council unanimously approved the report submitted by the Task Force Review Committee, which endorsed the continued appointment of task forces.  Council noted the report should include task force-like projects, such as the Civic Engagement Committee, in the assessment.  Council also agreed that task forces should expect to include a peer vetting process for all publications, produce a public document, a scholarly volume of their findings, and teaching materials.  Following this, the Council approved the proposal from Ira Katznelson of a new task force on religion and politics.   

  10. Council heard from the Task Force on Difference and Inequality in the Developing World.  They noted the Task Force still has time to continue its work and encouraged active peer review of its products.  

  11. Council unanimously approved the Public Presence Report submitted by Director of International and External Relations Bahram Rajaee that will serve as an action plan for the Association's future public presence activities.

  12. Council agreed to discuss the workshop report on the advancement of women in political science over email in order to determine how to implement the recommendations in the report.

  13. A proposal by the President-Elect Ira Katznelson to begin work on a project that would focus the Association's attention on engaging the political science scholars in Africa was also approved unanimously by Council.  They approved an ad hoc subcommittee of the International Committee to plan this long-term effort.

  14. Other items of unanimous approval by the Council included:
    1. Association participation in the Scholars at Risk Network
    2. President-Elect Committee Appointments
    3. All items on the Consent Agenda