Gary C. Bergstrom, on behalf of APS Council

Recent surveys indicate that, overall, APS members are satisfied with how their society is being run. However, few members are probably aware of the extent to which governance and strategic planning are being conducted differently today than they were even three years ago. Many governance activities that formerly were conducted by council are done effectively today by various boards, offices, and committees that are accountable to council. Decisions that once were deferred until the winter or summer meetings of council are now being made on a year-round basis through the use of electronic mail and phone conferencing. Council meetings are briefer and more efficient. Written reports of committees, offices, and boards are studied by councilors in advance, and discussion at council meetings is limited primarily to policy issues and action items in the context of the APS Strategic Plan. Well-considered motions for financial actions from the Financial Advisory Committee have streamlined budget discussions at council meetings. The Executive Committee, in regular consultation with various committee chairs and staff and in communication with other societies, agencies, and organizations, ensures a timely response to current issues, opportunities, and developments. The officers carry out the ongoing dialogue and coordination necessary for communications and issues across the APS governance structure. APS Council has effectively utilized a sequence of five-year strategic plans (we are in the fourth year of our current plan) as blueprints for making decisions and deploying resources. But in today’s constantly changing environment, successful organizations like APS need to engage in continuous rather than periodic strategic planning to reach their full potential, meet member expectations, and, yes, even to survive.

APS Council discusses new planning/governance model during its midyear meeting in St. Paul.

Council is functioning increasingly as a policy, planning, and communications body. To ensure that it remains successful at these functions, council must be broadly representative of the APS membership as well as the programmatic areas of the society. Council has appointed a sequence of ad hoc committees to make suggestions on APS governance and specifically on council structure. In August 2001, council received “A Vision of Council: Report of the APS Governance Structure Committee” from Larry Madden (chair), O.W. Barnett, Joyce Loper, Jacque Fletcher, Luis Sequeira, Isaac Barash, Chris Becker, Danise Beadel, and Steve Nelson. In March 2002, a council subcommittee composed of Gary Bergstrom (chair), John Andrews, Sharon Cantrell, Jacque Fletcher, Brad Hillman, Noel Keen, and Steve Nelson reported its evaluation of the “Madden Committee Report” and made additional recommendations on governance. Still other models of governance were proposed at the council meeting in March, and concepts were refined in a subsequent conference call that included Executive Committee and Governance Subcommittee members. A majority of current council members feel that strategic planning and governance can be accomplished best by a fairly large council that includes more representatives than are currently provided for in the APS Constitution. Additional representatives would include editors-in-chief, directors of offices and boards, and councilors elected to represent what are proposed as Disciplinary Divisions of the society.

Council is now considering a two-tiered planning/governance structure (Table 1) comprising a large (35+ member) council and a moderate-sized (11–12 member) Executive Committee. While an expanded council would continue to govern the society in all aspects, including decisions on appointments, policy, financial, and other issues, a greater proportion of its time and energy would be focused on planning. Figure 1 provides a schematic representation of a continual strategic planning process. Council would provide “the what” of planning by creating the vision of a future APS, considering major trends and issues, approving goals and priorities, setting policy, and monitoring progress. The Executive Committee (to be combined with the Financial Advisory Committee) would coordinate the council planning process; communicate; charge committees, offices, and staff; create financial strategies; consider short-term opportunities; initiate ad hoc activities; monitor ongoing input from members; and bring issues to council. Committees, offices, and boards would provide “the how” by receiving their charge from the Executive Committee; working with staff to formulate strategies; and reporting progress on these strategies at regular intervals to council. Staff would facilitate the whole planning process, work with committees to formulate strategies, gather information, and monitor financial objectives.

Prior to proposing any amendments to the APS Constitution, council has decided to experiment with a new format and structure for APS strategic planning and governance. For one and a half days preceding the annual meeting in Milwaukee, council will meet in a strategic planning session and will invite approximately 14 other members (including additional editors-in-chief and directors of boards and offices) to join them as if the proposed new council structure were in place. Councilors and other participants will critique this experiment. We are all anxious to see how this new system might work. Council greatly values member input about the proposed changes in planning and governance structure. Feel free to e-mail your comments to Gary Bergstrom at gcb3@cornell.edu.

CURRENT COUNCIL STRUCTURE

Current Council (21):
Officers (7)
Councilors-at-Large (3)
Editors-in-Chief (5)
APS PRESS
MPMI
Phytopathology
Phytopathology News
Plant Disease
Division Councilors (6)

Current Executive Committee (8):
President (chair)
Secretary
Treasurer
Vice President
President-Elect
Immediate Past President
Executive Vice President (ex officio)
Senior Councilor-at-Large

Current Financial Advisory Committee (8–9):
Treasurer (chair)
*Treasurer-Elect (* for 1 year)
Vice President
President-Elect
President
Executive Vice President (ex officio)
APS PRESS Editor-in-Chief
A Division Councilor (appointed)
Another Council member (appointed)


PROPOSED COUNCIL STRUCTURE

Proposed Council (35+):
Officers (7)
Councilors-at-Large (3)
Editors-in-Chief (7)
APS PRESS
MPMI
Phytopathology
Phytopathology News
Plant Disease
Plant Health Instructor
Plant Health Progress
Geographic Division Councilors (6)
Disciplinary Division Councilors (6)
Foundation Director
Office of Electronic Communications Director
Office of Industry Relations Director
Office of International Programs Director
Office of Public Affairs and Education Director
Scientific Programs Board Director

Proposed Executive Committee (10–11):
(combined with Financial Advisory Committee)
President (chair)
Secretary
Treasurer (sets financial agenda)
*Treasurer-Elect (* for 1 year)
Vice President
President-Elect
Executive Vice President (ex officio)
Immediate Past President
Junior Councilor-at-Large
Intermediate Councilor-at-Large
Senior Councilor-at-Large
Publications Board Representative

 Figure 1. A proposed process for continuous strategic planning by APS.