Report of the Committee on Nominations
for the Year Ending June 30, 2000

At the November 1999 Annual Meeting in Minneapolis, due to changes in by-laws adopted at the 1998 Assembly of Delegates, the Committee on Nominations was expanded from nine to fifteen members. Eight members were either newly elected or appointed. Two members, elected by the Regional Assemblies, were Peter O. Cervenka (Mid-Atlantic Region), and James D. Haynes (Northeast Region). Five members, elected by the new Constituency Groups, were David D. Cass (Canadian/International), Paul A. DeYoung (Baccalaureate Colleges), John A. Knesel (Comprehensive Colleges & Universities), Lee A. Meserve (Research & Doctoral Universities), and David L. Morrison (Area Groups, Industries, State & Federal Laboratories). One member, appointed to represent a Constituency Group, was Raymond P. Lutz (Membership-at-Large). The four continuing members were Harjit S. Ahluwalia (Southwest Region), C. W. Comer (Southeast Region), Richard W. Schwenz (Northwest Region) and Charles B. Smith (North Central Region). The three Past Presidents on the Committee were Robert A. Frosch, C. Kumar N. Patel, and Frederick C. Robbins.

The Committee met twice by telephone conference call to select two candidates for the office of President-elect. At the first meeting on March 17, 2000, the Committee reviewed the procedures for the Committee on Nominations established by the Executive Committee in January, 1998. The Committee discussed and reconfirmed the agreement reached by the Committee each year since 1997 that only full, active members of Sigma Xi could stand as nominees for the office of President-elect. The Committee also discussed means of soliciting nominations for the office of President-elect. Nominees were solicited from the membership through the Regional Directors, the Directors-at-Large, American Scientist, The Intercom, and the Sigma Xi web site.

Prior to the second meeting of the Committee by telephone conference call on April 21, 2000, the Committee received biographical materials on twenty-four individuals whose names had been placed in nomination for the office of President-elect. Included were the name(s) of the nominator(s), and a record of each nominee's prior participation in the activities of Sigma Xi at the local, regional, national and international level. At the second meeting of the Committee each of the twenty-four nominees was discussed. No voting took place at that meeting, but, as agreed upon by the Committee and in accord with the procedures established by the Executive Committee, an iterative, weighted ballot, executed by email, was used to select the two nominees to be presented to the 2000 Assembly of Delegates. The Committee decided that after each vote the top ranked candidate should be approached by the President of the Society and by any member of the Committee who might be personally acquainted with the candidate. This process was repeated until two nominees had agreed to stand as candidates for election at the November 2000 Annual Meeting.

From the list of outstanding nominees, the Committee chose Jared L. Cohon (Carnegie Mellon University) and Franklin W. Gilmore (Montana Tech of the University of Montana) as candidates for election to the office of President-elect by the 2000 Assembly of Delegates.

The Committee expresses its deepest appreciation to Sigma Xi Deputy Executive Director Evan R. Ferguson for the outstanding support that he provided the Committee.

Respectfully submitted,
Charles B. Smith, Chair, Committee on Nominations, North Central Region
Harjit S. Ahluwalia, Southwest Region
David D. Cass, Canadian/International
Peter O. Cervenka, Mid-Atlantic Region
C. W. Comer, Southeast Region
Paul A. DeYoung, Baccalaureate Colleges
Robert A. Frosch, Past President
James D. Haynes, Northeast Region
John A. Knesel, Comprehensive Colleges & Universities
Raymond P. Lutz, Membership-at-Large
Lee A. Meserve, Research & Doctoral Universities
David L. Morrison, Area Groups, Industries, State & Federal Laboratories
C. Kumar N. Patel, Past President
Frederick C. Robbins, Past President
Richard W. Schwenz, Northwest Region