Summary of the 1998 IEEE Divisions I and IV Region 8 Chapters Meeting
The third annual joint Division I and IV Region 8 Chapters Meeting was held on 4 October 1998 in Amsterdam, The Netherlands in conjunction with the European Microwave Conference (EuMC). This Division level meeting evolved two years ago from the chapters meetings coordinated since 1994 by Mike Adler for the Electron Devices Society, with the goal being increased chapter formation and support in Region 8. At this year’s meeting, there were 78 attendees representing 9 societies and 50 chapters, from 30 countries in Region 8. Of the 33 Region 8 ED Chapters, 31 were represented at this meeting. The meeting, which started at 8:30 a.m. and ended at 6:45 p.m., featured a series of presentations from the two Division Directors, the Region 8 past Director, society presidents and representatives, two workshops, and reports from chapters. The chapter reports highlighted best practices as well as problems facing the chapters. The last hour of the meeting was devoted to an open discussion of chapter issues and concerns.
The meeting was co-chaired by Michael R. Lightner, Director of Division I, and William G. Duff, Director of Division IV. Division I includes the CAS, CPMT, ED, LEO, and SSC societies. Division IV includes AP, BT, CE, EMC, MAG, MTT, and NPS societies. The idea of a combined Division I and IV chapters meeting was a fairly natural occurrence, since many chapters in Region 8 are joint ones involving the two divisions. Of the 50 chapters present, 35 are joint chapters, with 23 of these involving societies in both divisions.
Mike Lightner chaired the morning session and gave a brief introduction. He set the tone for the main themes of the day, namely, the dual-parent (Section vs. Society) system for chapters, and the globalization of IEEE. Bill Duff, Hans Noordanus, Benelux Section Chair, followed with brief welcoming speeches. Tony Davies, Region 8 Chapter Coordination Committee Chair, gave the next presentation on the state of the chapters in the Region. He raised concerns about the processes of funding a chapter by its Section and Society, respectively, and pointed out flaws in each process. Presentations from representatives of the nine societies were then given. Cary Yang gave an overview of EDS and a summary of chapter-related activities. For most societies, the statistics presented confirmed that Region 8 remained the fastest growing region during the past year.
The morning session concluded with a panel discussion on the globalization of IEEE, chaired by Mike Adler. Panel members consisted of Rolf Jansen, Wilhelm Leuschner, Jozef Modelski, Roger Pollard, Charles Turner, and Revaz Zaridze. Mike posed the questions, "Is IEEE perceived as a global organization?" and "Should IEEE be globalized?" Several comments from the panel were noted. Similar points were made in slightly different contexts throughout the day by both speakers and the audience.
**The most important asset of IEEE is the top quality of its publications.
**Within the United States, IEEE serves as the national society for electrical and computer engineers, while national societies already exist in many countries.
**Partnership with national societies should be explored to avoid competition.
**Establish IEEE-Europe as a sister organization.
**IEEE-USA is an obstacle for globalizing IEEE.
The afternoon session, chaired by Bill Duff, was divided into a workshop on membership development and presentations by chapter representatives. The workshop was moderated by Charles Turner, with a presentation given by Peer Martin Larsen. The "4 Rs" (recruitment, retention, recovery, recognition) and "4 Is" (information, identification, innovation, implementation) in relation to membership development were introduced. The fact that IEEE loses over 10% of its members every year was pointed out in conjunction with suggested means for member retention. There was a consensus on the importance of recruiting student members and keeping them after they graduate. Proper utilization of resources available at IEEE Headquarters, from Regions/Section offices and Society AdComs was deemed critical in membership development. The usage of the Internet was also suggested.
Twenty chapter reports were given by chapter representatives. The majority of the presenters summarized the chapter’s activities in the past year and discussed problems faced by the chapter. Most of the problems were related to funding of activities and the need for subsidy of membership dues. The difficulty in remitting funds to the former Soviet Union (FSU) countries was underscored. Some concerns were raised about turnaround times of publications. Several suggestions were made about the transfer of funds to FSU countries.
. -- IEEE public relations