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News from the AWG Board Meeting in Reno, Nov. 9-11:
GSA: Wow! What a fundraiser!
Board Meeting:
Many thanks to Nadine Langley, Elizabeth Zbinden, and other members of the Sierra Chapter for hosting the Fall 2000 Board of Directors meeting in Reno at the Truckee River Lodge. For those of us who had to move to 'casino hotels' after the BOD meeting, the Truckee was a true oasis. It provided a smoke-free, scenic view of the Truckee River, along which we had some time to stroll-before or after the meeting, but not during!
This meeting was an historic one for AWG because we voted to re-structure our Association and change the way you are represented to the Board. Here are highlights from the meeting:
- Between 21 and 23 of the 26 Board members could attend (the number varied with flight schedules)
- These folks voted unanimously to change 11 of the Association bylaws that changed the makeup of the Board. If you've ever had to read a bylaw, much less write it to make sure it makes perfect sense, you can appreciate what your Board endured by doing this!
- AWG membership will be grouped into 6 Regions that roughly coincide with GSA Sections (see Figure below to find out which Region you're in).
(Click on map above for larger
version.)
- Each Region will send one or more delegate(s) to the Board, depending on the population of members in the Region as of membership renewal closeout, January 31.
- Based on last year's numbers, the Pacific Region will have 3 delegates, the Northeast Region will have 2 delegates, and each remaining Region will have one delegate, giving 9 delegates to the Board.
- There will be a student representative, nonvoting, to represent student interests to the Board. Although the position is nonvoting, the student's voices are of great importance to us-these are our future leaders and we will greatly value their input into how AWG is run.
- The Officers, or Executive Committee, will remain the same: 6 officers, including President, President-Elect, Past President, Treasurer, Secretary, and Editor.
- AWG Chapters will no longer receive automatic dues rebates, but must request these rebates from the Association Business Manager.
- We hope that with the savings from rebates, we will be able to fully fund each delegate to attend the Board meeting. This will prove a big savings for Chapters.
- We will no longer have proxy votes at the meeting. If the delegate cannot attend, the "replacement delegate" will attend in her/his stead.
- This means that we will be electing not only 9 new delegates next year, but 9 replacement delegates as well. WE NEED YOU! To consider running for one of the new delegate or replacement delegate positions!
- And WE NEED YOU to staff committees now that the Board is smaller. See the Dec. 2000 issue of Gaea for details on how you can participate.
- We had a joint meeting with the AWG Foundation during which Foundation President Rachael Craig explained to the Board (which had 7 new members) the legal status of the Foundation, what sort of projects they have funded, and the process of obtaining funding. It was most enlightening for all present, and we will provide the membership with Rachael's notes in forthcoming issue of Gaea and on the Foundation's web page (http://www.awg.org/foundation/ ).
- The Board raised $10,000 for AWGF!!! $5,000 from the AWG Foundation Board (which meets concurrently with AWG's Board), and $5,000 from the AWG Board!
- The AWG Foundation Board of Directors met concurrently with the AWG BOD and selected 11 proposals for funding. Actions of the Board included
- establishing a new endowment for the Chrysalis Scholarship. The endowment will need to grow substantially over the coming years before this scholarship is totally self-sustaining but this is a beginning. We thank Jeanne Harris for her continuing efforts as chair of the AWG Chrysalis Scholarship committee.
- Under the guidance of Phyl Halvorson the San Francisco Bay Area chapter submitted three proposals that received funding: the Education Outreach, Science Fair and Outstanding Student Awards.
- Phyl also is leading AWG's efforts with the newly established Ethnic Minorities Scholarship.
- Two projects from the Los Angeles chapter were selected for funding, the State Science Fair and the Junior Geologist Club.
- Other projects include Welcoming Receptions at GSA sectional meetings (Joanne Klussendorf), the AWG/SAGE International Program (Valerie Honeycutt), Table Rock Trail Guide (Patti Best) and the AWG Booth.
- The Foundation Board also voted to change our Bylaws to allow e-mail votes. This will allow us to provide quicker response for emergency proposals. We welcome new or continuing proposals that further the goals of AWG and will be able to consider your proposal during the spring AWG BOD meeting. Please contact AWGF President Rachael Craig for more details or visit the web site: http://www.awg.org/AWGFoundation/
- Nadine conducted two wonderful field trips. The first ran during the ExComm meeting and went to Pyramid Lake for a half day. The second went all day Sunday to Lake Tahoe, pointing out the many problems of runoff and lake degradation generated by development around the lake. It is still very beautiful, nonetheless!
- Chapter Awards for this year:
- Bay Area received the Enhance Award for their proposal writing workshop, among many other endeavors;
- South Florida received the Exchange Award for their active involvement of outside speakers, joint meetings with other organizations, and more;
- Lincoln received the Encourage Award for conducting the Girl Scout Wider Opportunity, Nebraska Rocks!! with the Homestead Girl Scout Council,
- The President's Award went to the L.A. Chapter for the second year in a row, for their focus on encouraging young women to be interested n science, their joint meetings with other organizations, field trips, and newsletter.
AWG Events at GSA:
- The Job Hunting Workshop by Pranoti Asher and Leuren Moret went very well. 50 people signed up. Here's a couple of comments we received via email:
- "Your course was very worthwhile. I urge you to give it at future GSA and AWG meetings.ä
- ãIt was very nice attending your workshop at the GSA Annual Meeting in Reno. Please accept my sincerest thanks and appreciation for holding a very informative and effective workshop. I believe that this would provide excellent leads to the recent/potential job-hunters and show further directions to the more experienced. Thanking you again".
- Dr. Margaret Leinen, the Assistant Director for Geosciences at NSF and AWG member, gave a public lecture sponsored by AWG on Sunday afternoon entitled 21st CENTURY GEOSCIENCE EDUCATION: CAN WE MEET THE CHALLENGES? 25-30 people attended and heard the status of women and minorities in the geosciences. The status is, it's better than 30 years ago, but geoscience has not kept pace with the diversification of the U.S. population. As the U.S. becomes increasingly diverse, the geosciences must recruit a more diverse student body or we will not have enough geoscientists in the coming decade.
- The Booth had many visitors. Some folks signed up for the first time ever, some folks renewed (the sheepishness was definitely NOT necessary!) and some members stopped by to visit, even to volunteer!! 44 new members signed up at GSA, bringing us very close to our goal of 1000 members!
- We now have new liaisons thanks to the call for volunteers for committee work:
- Dr. Gail Ashley, GSA
- Dr. Marilyn Lindstrom, NASA Education and Outreach
- Elli Goeke, Girl Scouts, U.S.A.
- The Breakfast was wonderful again, despite the brutal starting hour of 6:30 am:
- Distinguished Service Awards went to two long-time AWG members who have served in a variety of positions at national and chapter levels:
- Bea Mayes of the Salt Lake Chapter, served as AWG treasurer and brought off AWG's 20th anniversary conference, Perspectives-a mammoth undertaking and, by all accounts, a splendid conference.
- Sarah Stoll, sometime member of the Allegheny-Ohio chapter and other times At-Large member, has been Association secretary, Treasurer, Outside Conventions Committee Chair (booth coordinator) and ad coordinator. She's been with AWG from nearly the beginning, and is now serving as a Director on the AWG Foundation.
- A special thank you went to outgoing President Maggie Toscano for the zillions of hours she put in to AWG over the last two years. Her hard work has paid off hugely as evidenced by a $9,000 surplus in our budget this year!
- The Winnifred Goldring Award winner for this year was acknowledged. Kathryn Thomas of U.C. gamely got up and attended the breakfast as AWG's guest. The W.G. Award is jointly awarded by AWG and the Paleontological Society to recognize an outstanding female paleontology student.
- And the big event we all look forward to: the awarding of AWG's Outstanding Educator Award, this year to Dr. Suzanne O'Connell of Wesleyan University and Trinity College. Students and colleagues of Suzanne's told how their lives have been touched by her attention and dedication. Things took a turn towards something more like a roast when Bruce Applebaum, Chair of the AGI Foundation, took the podium and told a particularly graphic tale of an unfortunate (or, from his point of view, ill-conceived and ill-advised) canoe trip Suzanne organized for the AGI board some time ago. Suzanne had the last laugh, however, when she awarded Bruce a canoe paddle at the AGI Awards banquet the following evening. The first thing Suzanne did when she did finally get the podium was to donate her Outstanding Educator award money to the AWG Foundation for the Minorities Scholarship Endowment Fund, initiated last year by a donation from Marilyn Suiter. Suzanne went on to give a stirring talk on how far we've come, and how far we still need to go.
- And last but not least, in response to the challenge of AWG Foundation President Rachael Craig, the breakfast attendees matched the Board's fundraising efforts by donating another $10,000 to the Foundation! Bruce Applebaum of the AGI Foundation helped considerably by offering a $2,000 donation from the AGI Foundation to the Minorities Scholarship Endowment Fund.
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