PRESIDENT’S CORNER
In January, I shared information about three initiatives undertaken this year to address issues raised in the ASA Strategic Plan and
promised to provide updates to members over the course of the year. The first and second initiatives—on the ASA’s spending policy
and reserves and the organizational efficiency of ASA committees—were described in the June and September issues of Amstat News,
respectively. The article below describes meetings, the third initiative. I thank Nat Schenker, Maura Stokes, and the members of this
working group and the Statistical Practice Conference Planning Committee for their time and attention to how new ASA meetings
can best serve the association, its members, and the profession. ~sally C. morton, AsA President
ASA to Pursue Plans for
Conference on Statistical Practice
Nathaniel schenker and maura stokes
A
sA President sally Morton appointed the applied statistics emerged. We elicited feedback
working group on meetings about a year ago from the Committee on Applied Statisticians, the
and asked it to propose a plan to develop Council of Sections Governing Board, and the
NOMINATIONS
significant new meetings as a member benefit and Council of Chapters Governing Board, and the
revenue source. Revenue from other sources (such reactions were generally positive. Our discussions
as publications) has been declining. Given the ASA’s with these groups also made clear that a planning
expertise in managing meetings that are successful committee with broad representation of applied stat-
from the standpoints of content and revenue, it was isticians would be able to come up with many good
thought that consideration of new meetings would ideas for the conference.
be fruitful. The working group was instructed to At the spring 2009 meeting of the ASA Board of
focus on in-person meetings, although a ‘virtual’ Directors, the board approved our recommendation
component also could be considered for those to pursue plans for an annual conference on applied
unable to attend in person. statistics, with the first conference targeted for 2011
The working group, whose members have been or 2012. Also approved was our recommendation
involved in planning many meetings of the ASA that a planning committee, with appropriate rep-
and other associations, understood the need for resentation, be appointed. The Statistical Practice
the ASA to be a financially self-sustaining—albeit Conference Planning Committee was subsequently
nonprofit—organization so it can serve its mem - appointed and held its first meeting during the 2009
bers, the profession, and humanity as described in Joint Statistical Meetings. Although the planning
its mission. Given our interest in meetings, we also committee will ultimately specify the characteristics
enjoyed the opportunity to think about possibilities of the conference, below are questions and answers
for additional meetings that would serve the mem- that describe initial notions of the working group.
bership and profession. Finally, we strove to con-
sider objectives of the ASA Strategic Plan that are
Why Hold a Conference on Statistical
not solely financial objectives. Practice?
We conducted several conference calls to discuss
Serving the needs of applied statisticians is men-
ideas for types of meetings that could be held, poten-
tioned in three sections of the ASA Strategic Plan:
tial target audiences, and potential times of year and
Membership Growth, Meetings, and Publications
locations. We also considered the ASA and other asso-
and Information Needs. The working group hopes
ciations’ current meetings portfolios and researched
the proposed conference will help serve such needs,
the history of the ASA’s former winter meetings, which
strengthen ties between the ASA and current mem-
were held from the late 1980s through the mid-1990s.
bers, and attract new members, in addition to pro-
From these deliberations, the idea of a conference on
viding revenue for the ASA.
NOVEMBER 2009 AmstAt News 3
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