The IEEE Leadership Wire

1 December 2004

Index

***************************************************************************************************************** The IEEE LEADERSHIP WIRE is a report for top-level IEEE volunteers about IEEE affairs and organizational information. It is intended specifically for members of the IEEE Board of Directors, key Board committees and the six major operating boards. The newsletter is sent on or around the first of the month.
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CONTENTS:
*BOARD SERIES HIGHLIGHTS
*OCTOBER MEMBERSHIP HIGHLIGHTS
*IEEE FOUNDATION EXTENDS US$1 MILLION HISTORY CENTER CHALLENGE
*IN THE NEWS

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**BOARD SERIES HIGHLIGHTS**
Here are some highlights from the recent IEEE Board of Directors Meeting Series in San Antonio, Texas.

• CANDIDATES FOR PRESIDENT ELECT: The Board nominated two candidates to run in 2005 for the post of 2006 president elect -- Leah Jamieson, former vice president of the IEEE Technical Activities Board and current vice president of the IEEE Publications, Services and Products Board (PSPB), and Gerald Peterson, former president of the IEEE Standards Association.

• BOARD OFFICERS: the IEEE Assembly elected the following individuals to serve one-year terms on the IEEE Board of Directors beginning 1 Jan.:

      - Moshe Kam, Vice President -- Educational Activities

      - Leah H. Jamieson, Vice President -- Publication Services and Products

      - Marc T. Apter, Vice President -- Regional Activities

      - Mohamed El-Hawary, IEEE Secretary

      - Joseph V. Lillie, IEEE Treasurer

• BUDGET: The Board approved the IEEE budget for 2005, which called for the organization to target a net surplus of US$1.8 million.    

• IEEE PRESS: The PSPB voted to continue the printed book operations of IEEE Press, reversing its recommendation from June. The PSPB asked the IEEE Press Board to work with the staff to develop a new strategic plan under which IEEE Press would break even by 2008. The PSPB will review the plan at the June 2005 meeting and will determine whether or not to approve it and continue operations of IEEE Press. 

• IEEE WEB SITE: Corporate Communications and consultant Interface Guru gave the PSPB a presentation on a recently conducted usability study of the IEEE Web site. The study demonstrated some areas in need of improvement. Interface Guru recommended a redesign from the user perspective. PSPB moved to reappoint its ad hoc committee on Web site usability and asked it to prepare a plan for implementing these changes to be presented at the February Board Series.

• PUBLICATIONS STRATEGIC PLAN: The Board passed a motion to fund a strategic plan for Publications.

• SALES & MARKETING: The Board tabled a motion to establish a Sales & Marketing Oversight Committee as a standing committee of the Board, but passed a motion to issue rebates to organizational units that are the procuring cause of new or renewal licenses of IEEE Enterprise and the IEEE/IEE Electronic Library.

• IEEE SPECTRUM: The Board approved a motion to raise the dues allocation for IEEE SPECTRUM from US$16 to $19 in 2006.

• EXCOM: The Board approved appointing an ad hoc committee to look at the function of the IEEE Executive Committee and how it relates to the Board.

The Board did not support making the ad hoc industry relations committee a standing committee of the Board at this time, a reduction in power to the IEEE Executive Committee or a change to the bylaws that would support separate incorporation for IEEE organizational units.

**OCTOBER MEMBERSHIP HIGHLIGHTS**
IEEE membership remained steady in October, totaling 354,508. Relatively unchanged from September, this is an increase of 1.4 percent compared to October 2003. Higher grade memberships increased 0.2 percent to 288,521; student memberships continued the same growth of 6.9 percent and now total 65,987.

For complete details, read the Membership Development Report at http://www.ieee.org/organizations/rab/md/mdprogrpt.html.

**IEEE FOUNDATION EXTENDS US$1 MILLION HISTORY CENTER CHALLENGE**
In 1998, the IEEE Foundation created the US$1 Million History Center Challenge and agreed to match dollar-for-dollar, up to $1 million, gifts from IEEE societies to the HistoryCenter's endowment.

As of October, ten IEEE societies have responded to the challenge with gifts totaling US$560,000.

The IEEE Foundation has extended the deadline for participation in the challenge until 2008. The proceeds support the IEEEHistoryCenter's mission to preserve, research, and promote the legacy of electrical engineering and computing.

For more information, contact Mike Geselowitz, IEEE History Center, at +1 732 932 1066.

**IN THE NEWS**
The IEEE, its members, and its products and services are mentioned frequently in journalists' reports on technology and the engineering profession. Here are just a few recent references.

14 Nov. -- THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS (http://www.dallasnews.com) reported that the IEEE Dallas Section developed four 30-minute television programs to encourage students to become engineers. The story said the programs showcase local women, entrepreneurs and inventors of the IEEE, as well as the topic of ethics in engineering.

1 Nov. -- BUSINESS WEEK (http://www.businessweek.com/bwdaily/dnflash/nov2004/nf2004111_6327_db016.htm) spotlighted the November IEEE SPECTRUM cover story on research and development spending at the top 100 companies. The article reported Spectrum’s findings that research spending among these businesses rose 2.2 percent in 2003, led by Microsoft, which increased spending by 17 percent over 2002. It cited IEEE SPECTRUM Senior Associate Editor Harry Goldstein who said the spending trend is toward applied rather than basic research.

18 Oct. -- Mark David’s editorial in ELECTRONIC DESIGN (http://www.elecdesign.com/) praised the IEEE Wescon conference as informative and inspirational. Noting that the program mixed hands-on engineering with world changing technology, the article highlighted several presentations including one from the lead engineers on the Mars Exploration Rover and a panel on RFID (radio frequency identification) for military logistics.

12 Sept. -- In an article on ultrawideband, THE INTERNATIONAL HERALD TRIBUNE (http://www.iht.com) said that while the technology offers extremely fast speeds for transfer of large digital files, it will face many hurdles before it becomes widespread including competing versions.  The story cited IEEE 802.15.3a Working Group Chair Bob Heile who encouraged testing different versions of the high-speed wireless radio technology in the marketplace so that U.S. users as well as European and Asian regulators could decide which to adopt.