1988 ACM election candidates.

1988 ACM Election Candidates

David C. Wood ACM has many high quality publications, and our SIGs provide outstanding specialized services through their conferences and newsletters. However, we need to increase the coverage in our journals of such technical fields as software engineering and artificial intelligence. We need to respond more rapidly to changing technology by establishing SIGs and sponsoring conferences on leading edge topics. As a member of the Executive Committee, I have emphasized strategic planning and am committed to implementing the recommendations that have now been identified.

ACM can only continue to grow if it has excellent products and services that are competitively priced. We have to be concerned both about the value of membership for ACM's basic dues, and also about the bottom line total on the renewal invoice including additional publications and SIG memberships. It is naive for anyone to propose reductions in dues without identying the corresponding reductions in services, but we must reduce ADM's cost of doing business in the long run. As ACM Secretary, I have focused particularly on Headquarters operations and long term planning, including examination of location alternatives when the current lease expires and planning for a more economical membership processing system.

ACM is the largest educational and scientific society of computing and information processing professionals. Members belong to ACM not just to receive a publication but as a professinal responsibility concerned with the growth and status of computing as a discipling. We must enhance ACM's reputation and influence as the source of expert advice to government and the public. The ACM President must have the technical reputation and management abiity to represent the Association and the computing profession in relationships with other organizations and the public. I have the reputation in the field of computer communications, as a former chair of SIGCOMM and a manager at MITRE.

We also need to improve our volunteer management. I support the Governance Committee's recommendations on the structrue of Council, including a reduction in size and greater representation from the technical community.

The ACM President must have management experience in a senior positioin within ACM, and have a thorough understanding of the organization. As a member of the Executive Committee for the past four years, I have become familiar with Headuarters operations and have updated almost all ACM's policies and procedures. I have also previously held leadership positions in successful SIGs, chapters, and conferences.

AS your President, I can provide the experience and leadership to translate into action my goals for ACM's future planning, business management, and public service.

1. ACM Sec., Mbr. Exec. Comm. 1984-88; ACM Council Capital Reg. Rep. 1980-84; Finance Chm. ACM/IEEE-CS 1986 FJCC; SIGCOMM: Chm. 1981-83; V.-Chm. 1979-81; Chm. SIGCOMM '83 Symp.; Chm. SIGCOMM/SIGMETRICS/SIGOPS Comp. Network Performance Symp. 1982; Chm. Washington, D.C. Chap. 1977-79.

2. Mbr. IEEE-CS; British Cptr. Soc.

3. Computer networks; communications protocols; acquisition of large information systems and communications systems.

4. Dept. Head, Mgr. Networking Technical Ctr. 1983-; Assoc. Dept. Head 1979-83; Group Leader 1976-79; Mbr. Technical Staff 1969-76 The MITRE Corp., McLean, VA; Mbr. Evening College Faculty, The Johns Hopkins U. 1975-80; Asst. Prof. Comp. Sci., U. of Virginia 1967-69; Asst. Lect. Computat., U. of Manchester 1966-67.

5. Ph.D. U. of Manchester 1966 (Math).

6. ACM/IEEE-CS Recognition of Service Award, 1986; ACM Recognition of Service Award, 1985; ACM Wash., D.C. Chap. Recognition of Service Awards, 1979, 1980.

Herbert Maisel

My objective as President will be to strengthen the ACM By changing both our governance structure and some of our financial and membership policies.

Regarding governance, I endorse the recommendations of the Committee on Governance and would work to implement them.

Regarding finances and membership, wee need some new policies in order to attract new members, avoid a series of dues increases and improve the quality and responsiveness of our activities and products. I am proposing these new policies in this statement. Since this issue has neither been studied by an ACM committee nor adequately discussed, my statement will concentrate on it.

I expect the new policies I am proposing to have a major impact on all of the activities of the ACM by improving our financial position, upgrading the quality of ACM's product and activities and permitting the membership to have greater control over the products and activities they choose to use. If you believe this is a good idea, vote for me; I will view my election as a mandate to implement these new policies.

Present financial policies will inevitably lead to a series of dues increases because:

a. Many activities should be and will probably always be subsidized (for example, ACM awards, visiting lecturers and student membership),

b. Some activities are not income-producing, and

c. Our income-producing activities are not required to generate a surplus adequate to sustain the subsidized and non-income generating activities.

To correct this problem I propose establishment and enforcement of the following four new policies:

1. Activities and products that can generate sufficient income and that are not now sel-supporting are required to become self-supporting by a predefined deadline. Worthwhile new activities and products may be exempt from this requirement for a prescribed period of time in order to nurture their development.

2. Activities and products that are self-supporting are required to generate a surplus that would be returned to the ACM for the support of subsidized and non-income generating activities. The surplus to be returned would be approximately five percent of the annual cash flow of the activity per year. The exact amount will be set as a part of the budget process.

3. All activities and products of the ACM, except for a modest newsletter, will be unbundles from the dues. Members will select and pay for only those activities they wish to participate in and those produts they wish to have.

4. Once dues are sufficiently reduced (this figure would be determined by Council), membership in the ACM would be a pre- or co-requisite for membership in any SIG, chapter or student chapter.

The most important long term effets of these new policies should be:

a. To reduce dues to a sufficiently smalal level so that membership in the ACM would be a much more attractive option for professionals in the computer field, and

b. to place additional competitive pressure on the various activities and products of the ACM.

1. Chm. External Activities Bd. 1981-1986; Council Mbr.-at-Lge. 1984-1986; Mbr. and Chm. Nom. Comm. 1980-1985; Capital Reg. Rep. 1977-1980; Chm. Mbrs. and Chap. Bd. 1978-1980.

2. Panel on Ethics and Mbr. AAAS 1964-; Commissioner, Comm. on Profess. in Sci. and Tech. 1986-; Mbr. Amer. Stat. Assoc. 1960-1985; Mbr. Fed. of Amer. Sci. 1978-; Mbr. Union of Concerned Sci. 1984-.

3. Simulation of stochastic systems; graphics for music-like dynamic visual images; software engineering; computer applications in industry and government. Author of half a dozen books and several dozen articles and reports on topics in these areas.

4. Asst. Prof. Assoc. Prof. and Prof. of Comp. Sci. Georgetown U. Wash., D.C. 1963-; Syst. Adv. Soc. Sec. Admin. Baltimore, Md. 1976-1984; Dir. Acad. Comp. Ctr. and Comp. Sci. Prog. Georgetown U. Wash., D.C. 1963-1976; Opns. Res. Analyst Dept. of Army Wash., D.C. 1959-1963; Statsn. Aberdeen Proving Grounds Aberdeen Md. 1954-1959.

5. Ph.D. Catholic U. of Amer. 1964 (Math. Statistics).

6. Outstanding Contribution Award 1986; Recognition of Service Awards 1980 (2), 1984, 1986 (2); Vicennes Medal, Georgetown U., 1985; Outstanding Service Award, Intl. Assoc. of Parents of the Deaf, 1982; Phi Beta Kappa, 1951.

…