Report of the Committee on Meetings
for the Year ending June 30, 2003

The Committee on Meetings met by conference call on January 27, 2003 to consider the format, content and location of Annual Meetings, Student Research Conferences, and Fora. Committee members participating in the call were Patrick D. Sculley, Chair; Francisco J. Ayala, George Bugliarello, Raymond E. Fornes, David Jensen, Peter H. Raven, and Virginia L. Trimble. Staff members in attendance were Evan Ferguson, Dee Windley, and Pamela Blondin.

The Committee selected Montreal as the host city for the November 2004 Annual Meeting, and empowered Dee Windley, staff liaison, to negotiate a most favorable contract with a hotel on behalf of the Society. On February 21, 2003, a contract was signed with the LeCentre Sheraton Hotel in Montreal to host the Society's Annual Meeting on November 11-14, 2004.

The following recommendations regarding format, content and location of the Annual Meetings, Student Research Conferences and Fora were presented by the Chair for consideration by the Committee on Meetings:

Recommendation 1: Separate the topical forum from the annual meeting, beginning in 2004.

1. Separating the forum from the Annual Meeting will allow Sigma Xi to have more topical forums over the course of a single year. The 2002 Membership Survey indicated that members want Sigma Xi to develop visibility and strong programs in a number of programmatic areas. The Strategic Plan articulates this sentiment as a specific goal over the next five years. As Sigma Xi programs continue to evolve and grow, the forum is becoming a key event for both highlighting and launching Sigma Xi initiatives in a variety of programmatic areas - this is the forum's most valuable role for the Society. However, to be timely and effective as catalysts for change, meetings on a given topic need to take place more often than once every four or five years, as is the current practice.
2. The format and location of the forum are constrained by the Annual Meeting format and location. It is often the case that we do not select the topic for a particular forum until after the site is selected (since the forum is sometimes written into grant proposals for ongoing programs). This constrains the organizers' flexibility in selecting a site and designing a program format that is appropriate for the topic.
3. Participation in the forum has dwindled considerably over the last few years. Surveys indicated that annual meeting participants find it hard to attend the forum because of the time commitment required. Trying to squeeze a forum and an annual meeting into the current meeting format has compromised the content of both meetings.

Recommendation 2: Fully integrate the annual meeting with the student research conference, beginning in 2003 (Los Angeles).

1. The Student Research Conference (SRC) was a categorical success in 2001 (Raleigh) and 2002 (Galveston). This conference has the potential to grow over the next several years, and the Committee on Qualifications and Membership endorsed this growth as an opportunity to connect young scientists to Sigma Xi and to promote and nurture the culture of research. A post-conference survey indicated a strong desire for the SRC to be two days long.
2. The potential for expanding the scientific aspects of the Annual Meeting grow considerably when it is combined with the student research conference. Post-meeting surveys and a 2001 Resolution to the Board of Sigma Xi supported an increase in attention to science at the Sigma Xi Annual Meeting. Combining the SRC and the Annual meeting allow for scientific exchange among students and professional researchers in a way that exemplifies Sigma Xi's mission.
3. A combined meeting, without the forum, allows for more time to offer leadership training, chapter management workshops and networking time. These priorities have been articulated by the Committee on Qualifications and Membership in recent years as specific suggestions for ways to use the Annual Meeting to strengthen chapters. Additionally, the Membership Survey showed strong support among members and chapter leaders for Sigma Xi offering this sort of content to members.
4. A combined meeting, without the forum, could take place over three days instead of the current four-and-a-half-day format of the forum / annual meeting. Several years ago, Sigma Xi's most popular Annual Meeting ever was a transitional meeting in New Orleans that did not include a forum. Instead, the meeting ran from mid-day Thursday through mid-day Sunday and allowed for an array of leadership and chapter workshops.
5. The Student Research Conference combined with the Annual Meeting offers a better foundation for negotiations with hotels and meeting facilities. Because the student research conference brings in additional room-nights and meal functions in a more compressed period of time, Sigma Xi has greater leverage and flexibility in negotiating contracts for meeting space and guest rooms.

Recommendation 3: Offer a 'transitional' schedule for the 2003 meeting that accommodates a new format for the Annual Meeting but still includes a forum.

1. The planning for the 2003 forum is well underway and the location cannot easily be shifted.
2. A transitional format will allow Sigma Xi to initiate several leadership activities at the Annual Meeting. Several new initiatives that will support chapters have been proposed by the Committee on Qualifications & Membership and will depend on the Annual Meeting as a training and networking opportunity and as a milestone in extended revitalization activities. For these activities to have an impact as soon as possible, it is desirable to include them in the 2003 meeting in Los Angeles. It also offers an opportunity to respond as quickly as possible to comments from 2002 post-Annual Meeting surveys requesting more networking time between scientists and the students.
3. A transitional format will allow Sigma Xi to pilot an expanded Student Research Conference. As described earlier, it is clear that participants would prefer a two-day student research conference, a format that allows for more networking and allows Annual Meeting delegates to participate in the Student Conference as judges and mentors. While this expansion can wait, it is preferable to initiate it as soon as possible.

With two abstentions, the Committee voted to recommend to the Board of Directors that the Society separate the forum from the annual meeting beginning with the November 2004 meeting in Montreal. This action was subsequently approved by the Board by electronic ballot. A transitional schedule for the November 2003 forum/annual meeting/student research conference which is contracted to be held in Los Angeles on November 13-16, 2003 was also approved.

At the possibility of further enhancing the Society's negotiating posture, the Committee suggested that staff make a determined effort to select sites and book the annual meeting for the fall of 2005 and 2006 by the end of this summer (2003), and maintain confirmed bookings a minimum of three years in advance. The Committee reiterated its desire to see the annual meeting rotate through the Society's geographical regions.
2003 Southwest (Los Angeles. CA)
2004 Northeast (Montreal, Canada)
2005 Northwest (TBD)
2006 North Central (TBD)
2007 Southeast (TBD)
2008 Mid Atlantic (TBD)

In keeping with the Committee suggestion, staff has conducted a thorough search of the Northwest and North Central Regions for possible sites for the 2005 and 2006 Annual Meetings. Site visits have been completed and hotel contract negotiations are currently in progress. Contract negotiations will be finalized and recommendations will be submitted for consideration by the Committee on Meetings by the end of August 2003.

Patrick D. Sculley, Chair
Dee Windley, Staff Liaison
Francisco J. Ayala
George Bugliarello
Raymond E. Fornes
David Jensen
Peter H. Raven
Virginia L. Trimble

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