Fall 2011 State of the Society Letter |
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What a fabulous meeting we had in Portland! The fair weather was a wonderful reprieve for those of us who had been suffering under continuous oppressive heat for much of the summer, and the scientific program was outstanding. Thanks to Jodi Flaws and her remarkable team on the Program Committee, there was high quality and great diversity in the topics presented at the annual meeting last month. This is one of the main reasons why I return to the annual meeting year after year. As a professor who teaches reproductive biology to undergraduate and graduate students, learning about the research in such a wide array of topics is an excellent method for staying current not only in my own field, but across all fields in reproductive biology. Of course meeting up with old friends is another notable benefit that many of us enjoy.
So while those memories are still fresh, why not renew your membership in this wonderful Society today? The benefits of SSR membership are well worth the cost. In addition to reduced registration fees to attend the annual meeting, membership includes subscriptions to our outstanding journal, Biology of Reproduction, and to the SSR Newsletter. Most importantly, there are no page charges or color charges for publication in BOR when the corresponding author is a Regular member in good standing. The value of this benefit far exceeds the cost of membership, and will allow members to submit their best papers to BOR without having to consider the expense of publication costs.
To help the members of the Society stay connected between annual meetings, SSR is now on Facebook and on Twitter. Anyone can sign up to “Like” SSR on Facebook and “Follow” SSR on Twitter by clicking on the links on the BOR and SSR webpages and in SSRepro announcements.
Our valuable members
There is strength in numbers and your membership has helped us to remain the pre-eminent Society in reproductive biology. Having said that, there is concern about the gradual erosion in the number of Regular members seen during the past decade. At present, our membership stands at 1,760—a 13% decrease from last year. This is the first time in more than a decade that our membership has dropped below 2,000. It is even more disconcerting to note that the membership has decreased at least 10% in all categories—Regular, Trainee, Associate and Emeritus. The reasons for this are not clear, and the timing of this particular decline is quite baffling, given the recent substantial increase in the benefits of SSR membership.
However, there are two dynamic young SSR members who understand the challenges and are committed to developing strategies to reverse this decline in membership. The Membership Committee has been greatly expanded to include representation from all regions of the U.S. as well as regions around the world with a strong presence of SSR members. In his short time as Chair of the Membership Committee, Jon Oatley has worked with his committee to compile a list of strategies to increase, retain and recognize SSR members. Trainee members should soon find it easier to transfer to Regular membership. To recognize member loyalty, the committee has initiated an SSR Fellows Program to recognize members with 20+ years of membership and major service to the Society. The Membership Committee has also undertaken a major effort to encourage membership renewal and to identify the reasons for failure of renewal—information that will allow them to develop strategies that could help to retain those members.
In recognition of the growing stature of the SSR as an international Society, John Nilson created the International Relations Subcommittee in 2009 (now called the International Members Subcommittee). This is an area of growth in our membership and, under the leadership of Kate Loveland (Chair), this subcommittee has been incredibly active during the past year—recommending and facilitating a number of changes to benefit our international members. This includes podcasting the plenary lectures at the annual meeting so that those members who are unable to travel can still benefit from these invited speakers. As a step towards strengthening our interactions with other reproductive biology societies, this year’s annual meeting featured an International Scholar Award, the result of a partnership between the SSR and the Society for Reproductive Biology (Australia/New Zealand). Kate and her subcommittee are also currently developing a survey to assess how the SSR can better serve the needs of its international members.
The Society is indebted to Jon and Kate and their committees who have already put so much creative effort into increasing our membership. Please make their work much easier by renewing your membership promptly!
Biology of Reproduction
Biology of Reproduction continues to be the premier journal in its field, and that is confirmed by the recent announcement by ISI that the 2010 Impact Factor for BOR is 3.870, the highest ever. In addition, the 5-Year Impact Factor is 3.979 and the cited half-life of BOR articles is 9.2 years, indicating that BOR articles remain relevant over time. Of course we all knew that, but it is nice to see the evidence. Much of this achievement is a reflection of the work of the previous Editors-in-Chief, John Eppig and Mary Ann Handel, and the innovations that they introduced to the journal during their tenure. Current Editors-in-Chief Bernard Robaire and Bruce Murphy have continued that innovative spirit by introducing a Commentary section where the context and impact of at least one key paper in each issue is presented, and by including at least one mini-review in each issue of our Journal. Notable recent papers are now brought to our attention in the World of Reproductive Biology, a series of brief summaries focused on new research published or presented elsewhere and judged to be of significance to our readership.
It seems like just yesterday that the current Editors-in-Chief took on those responsibilities, but it is already time to address the fact that their term will end in June 2013. The Call for Applications for Editor(s)-in-Chief of BOR was announced in the June 2011 SSR Newsletter and in the July 2011 issue of BOR, stating that “Applicants should be active scientists with a distinguished record of service to SSR, a broad background in the reproductive sciences, an appreciation for integrative and cellular/molecular approaches to research, and a strong commitment to fairness and high standards for publications. Applicants must be fully committed to maintaining BOR as the premiere journal in its field.” The deadline for applications is 31 December, 2011.
Under the leadership of Mitch Eddy, the Publications Committee is also working hard to broaden the readership of BOR. A contract has been signed with Dragonfly Sales and Marketing Consulting to give BOR access to its international journal marketing operation, including major marketing efforts in China and Brazil. The journal will be available online-only effective January 2012.
The Treasury
The main sources of revenue for SSR are membership dues, publication revenues, and the annual meeting. We are fortunate that the management of these funds is in excellent hands. Treasurer Marty Matzuk has shown great skill in his stewardship of the endowment, and this was recently confirmed by Glenn Miller from Wegner, LLP, the organization that conducts the audits of this Society’s finances, who noted that he was impressed with the work that Dr. Matzuk was doing as Treasurer and with the work that Ms. Jansen and her staff do with the financial reporting system. Thanks to your generous donations and the profits on our investments, the investment portfolio continues to do well. This has been aided by the expert management of our diversified portfolio by Anne Marie Etergino and her team at Royal Bank of Canada Wealth Management.
But there are definite bumps in the road ahead. Recent changes in the benefits to members (free publication in BOR), and in the business model for publishing BOR, along with the decline in membership, and the current economic volatility have put some strain on our finances. Marty has worked valiantly to preserve our investments and the Board of Directors has recently made some decisions to try to mitigate the consequences of those losses of revenue, but at this point we are facing an anticipated deficit in our annual operating budget for 2011. The Board will continue to make every effort to ensure that the Society remains financially stable during these rocky times. And of course your assistance in supporting your Society is always welcome. All donations, regardless of amount, will help to ensure the continued fiscal health of the SSR.
Annual Meeting
When funding gets tight, researchers tend to become more selective about the conferences that they attend. It is therefore most heartening to know that attendance at our annual meeting has not diminished. The scientific programs continue to offer a breadth of topics that provides an excellent foundation for cross-fertilization of research ideas. Maintaining that breadth, while accommodating an increasing number of special lectures and events, and breakfast and lunch meetings, has led to a schedule that is quite dense, with diminishing opportunities for interaction.
At the suggestion of the Board, with the approval of Mary Zelinski and her Program Committee, and as a reflection of our scientific nature to explore new possibilities, we are piloting a modified format for the 2012 annual meeting program. The plenary lectures, poster sessions and social events will remain unchanged, but the mini-symposia and platforms will be thematically aligned to create twelve “modules”. The 2012 Ovarian Workshop will be incorporated as three of these modules. Each module will include a mix of mini-symposium-like talks, platform presentations and discussion, all on a common topic or theme. There are several objectives in creating these modules. First, it is anticipated that the modules will provide members with more opportunity to discuss the research presented and to allow some debate on controversial topics. This is the discourse that many scientists seek when attending meetings such as the Gordon Research Conferences, but which has not been possible in recent years at our annual meeting as we try to squeeze more and more into the schedule. Don’t we all learn more when the research is discussed, rather than simply presented? Second, these modules will increase the educational opportunities for our trainees, particularly to show the merits of critical evaluation. As scientists, we can never accept the evidence at face value, and we know that there are often several ways that data can be interpreted. Teaching our trainees to assess research critically and constructively will help to ensure that they become even better scientists. Third, the thematic structure of the modules will also help the Annual Meeting and Industrial Relations Subcommittee in their search for sponsors of the annual meeting. This has become increasingly important as the regulations for accessing sponsorship funds become more restrictive.
We have high hopes for the success of these modules and will welcome your feedback after the meeting. The location for the pilot program could not be more fitting. Penn State University with its appropriately named “Forum” will be the perfect venue, and your participation and feedback will be integral to its success. Be sure to join us in this experiment!
A few final words
As President-Elect, I had the good fortune to work with Sally Perreault Darney who was a superb mentor and I am most grateful for her guidance and her “big picture” thinking. She offset my “let’s get this done” approach very nicely, and I learned a lot from her. One of the most comforting revelations is that there are hundreds of SSR members who feel exactly the same way about this Society, our Society. Not a single one said no when I invited her/him to join a committee. I am grateful to the members of the Board of Directors, who really do work tirelessly to ensure the continued well-being of the SSR. And many thanks must go to Judy Jansen and her staff at the SSR Business Office. We might be standing on deck holding the SSR ship’s wheel, but her team is working hard in the engine room, ensuring that we glide smoothly through both calm and rough waters.
This is the first year of the extended presidential chain that will improve the corporate memory and increase efficiency in integrating the activities carried out by the SSR administration. Our activities are guided by the Strategic Plan and we have established an ad hoc committee (chaired by VP-Elect Jock Findlay) to provide oversight on our progress in addressing the goals of this Plan. Additional objectives this year include a review of the contract with the SSR Business Office, the development of a policy that governs our interactions with other societies, and initiation of some long range planning in advance of the next phase of strategic planning that will begin in two years.
As we look to the year ahead, I encourage you to find ways to become engaged in the SSR. It is a most rewarding activity, whether you serve as a member of a committee, encourage your new trainee or colleague to become a member, suggest topics for the mini-symposia for the next annual meeting, or ensure the future of our Society by a donation to the endowment fund. The strength of the SSR is completely dependent on the contributions of its members, so please join me in helping to maintain our Society as a welcoming scientific home for all reproductive biologists.
SSR President, 2011–12