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2002 Membership Committee Report
The 2001 year has been very successful in terms of recruitment of new
members. From April 2001 to June 2002 a total of 643 Regular members have
been approved (approximately 20% increase over the previous year). Of the
new members 449 are male and 163 female. The degrees held are 457 PhD, 79
MD, 56 MD/PhD, 2 DSc, 1 DVSc, 1 BMs, 14 Dphil, 1 Dodont, 1 MD/DMSc, 6 MSc, 1
MBBS/MD/PhD, 2 DVM, 6 PhD/DVM, 1 DM, 1 DR, 1 DNSc, 1 MD/MPH, 1 MD/FRCP, 2
PhD/DSc, 1 FESC, 1 MDCM, 1 PhD/MPH, 1 MRCP, 1 MBBS, 1 MA, 1 MSE, 1 MBA, 1
EdD. These new members hold a variety of position titles. For example, among
the new members in 2001 were 94 Professors, 58 Associate Professors, 130
Assistant Professors, 8 Senior Researchers, 20 Lecturers, 12 Instructors, 16
Research Scientists, 126 Postdoctoral Fellows, 33 Research Associates, 17
Research Fellows, 12 Researchers/Investigators, 18 Research Assistants, 16
Research Directors, 4 Chiefs, 2 Chairpersons, 2 Vice Presidents, one
Associate Dean, one Editor, and one Teacher.
The Membership Committee met in New Orleans, at the Experimental Biology
2002 meeting. The primary topic of discussion at that meeting was how the
Committee might best serve the Society in light of duties that go beyond
approval of membership applications. The Committee reviewed the membership
application approval process to determine if any adjustments were necessary.
It was agreed that the current mechanism is working well. The APS Council
has previously accepted a recommendation put forth by the Membership
Committee that the APS staff be allowed to approve all straight-forward
membership applications and that final approval be granted via a Council
email ballot on a monthly basis. This procedure has greatly expedited the
membership application review and approval process.
Linda Allen shared the newly designed “New Member Packet” with the group.
The packet is sent to all newly approved members as of May 2002. The packet
contains information about APS committees, sections, chapters, etc. The
information included in the packet is designed to get the new members
involved in the Society’s activities from the very start. Additionally, all
new members will now receive a Certificate of Membership, signed by the APS
President. The Committee agreed the packet is very worthwhile and valuable.
The material included in the packet will constantly evolve and will include
such items as current press releases, new Society initiatives, etc. The
Committee will inform staff of items that should be added to or removed from
the packet.
It was noted that the Society needs to maintain communication with
current membership—not just with new members—and the information included in
the member packet would also be of interest to those constituents. This
mechanism should help with member retention, a problem that most societies
are facing. However, the cost of mailing a member information packet to
every current member would probably be prohibitive.
Discussion arose about how to provide a forum to reach new members on an
annual basis. While the new member packet is a start, the need for some type
of personal interaction is apparent. After some discussion, it was agreed
that the Society could host a “New Comers Coffee” event at the annual
meeting where committee and section chairs inform members about
opportunities for involvement. The session would be an early-morning event
to last about one hour and would not conflict with the scientific sessions.
The benefits of membership were reviewed. It is agreed that membership
benefits provide the greatest incentive. While member benefits have been
increased (such as the online library of journals and free color prints) the
Committee would like to see APS provide a discounted manuscript submission
fee and/or page charges to members publishing in APS journals.
The Committee inquired if journal authors are targeted for promotion. Sue
Sabur informed the Committee that letters are sent to all nonmember journal
authors. The letter is sent under the President’s signature. Discussion
arose about whether this mailing should include information specific to the
related section’s activities (e.g. authors of AJP: Endocrinology and
Metabolism would receive a copy of the Endocrinology & Metabolism Section’s
newsletter).
Sabur informed the Committee that she exhibits at many scientific
meetings throughout the year and this is an excellent venue for recruiting
members. Occasionally, journal editors or section leaders will assist her in
the booth. The Committee would like to be informed of upcoming exhibitions
and, when possible, assist Sabur in the APS Exhibition Booth.
The meeting then focused on mechanisms that can be implemented to
increase member involvement/retention. Below is an outline of the ideas
discussed:
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Each member on the Membership Committee recruits members
from inside their department.
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Design a “Join the APS” poster and mail to Chairs of
Departments of Physiology and possibly other basic and clinical sciences
departments. The poster may not have a response card.
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Contact Chairs of Departments of Physiology at least one
time per year to give them a status report on APS membership and ask for
their assistance in promoting the benefits of membership.
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Provide links on the APS web site to grants that are
available for postdocs (the Society for Developmental Biology web site as
an example).
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Print the picture of new members in The Physiologist and on
the web page.
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Have a New Members page on the APS web site.
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Provide opportunity for members to pay for 3- or 5-years of
dues at one time to receive a 5-10% discount (American Heart Association
as an example).
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Allow members to vote online.
In summary, this is a time of change for the Membership Committee. The
duties related to review of applications have been streamlined, freeing up
time for the Committee to focus on other important goals, especially those
related to recruitment and retention. On behalf of the Committee members, I
would like to say that we continue these important duties with great
enthusiasm.
Raouf A. Khalil, Chair
Council Actions
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Council accepted the report of the Membership Committee.
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Council endorsed the idea of inviting new members to come to
the APS office at the EB meetings to meet various members of Council and
Committee Chairs.
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Council approved a motion to allow members to pay for 3
years of membership dues at one time.
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