Proposal to Experiment with increased Vice Chair Travel

To be discussed and potentially moved, that an experiment to determine the benefits/costs of the following leadership/training initiative:

1. Region 3 would invite all R-3 ExCom Vice Chairs to SoutheastCon 2001. It is estimated the additional expense is between $10K - $20K.
2. To offset these additional expenses, Region 3 would hold its winter (January/February) ExCom meeting as an e-conference meeting; and
3. Region 3 would hold only two face-to-face ExCom meetings next year (2001), one at SoutheastCon 2001 (March 30 - April 1, 2001) and the other in October/November at an as yet undetermined location.

Background Information

Goal

The goal of this experiment is to show that funding Vice Chairs to more fully participate in committee activities will improve the committees, increase the pool of known leaders for IEEE volunteer positions, and provide some succession planning for continuity in Region 3 efforts.

Note that with the push towards electronic meetings, this effort plus effective use of e-conferencing has the potential of invigorating the committee structure and expanding participation.

From our Treasurer:

For our three meetings in 1999, the following travel expenses were paid.

• Excom in Birmingham - 27 attendees, $8,700.41, average cost $320.53.
• SoutheastCon in Lexington - 51 attendees, $27,805.18, average $545.20.
• Excom in Nashville - 31 attendees, $12,179.93, average $392.90.
• Total for all three meetings - 109 expense reports, $48,685.52, average cost $446.66.

From our roster:

• 10 Standing Committees
  (it seems that Finance does not need a Vice Chair and that Nominations does not need funding for a vice chair to attend)
• 9 Area/Council Vice Chairs
  
• 5 Subcommittee Vice Chairs and one Subcommittee Chair
  PACE, Archive, Electronic Communications, Newsletter, Public Information plus Employment Assistance Chair
• 10 Ad Hoc Committees

Note that potentially a few of these Vice Chairs will already be funded to attend Southeastcon for other reasons (Section representative, PACE represenative, conference participant, etc.)