ACSP Annual Business Meeting

Saturday, October 23, 1999

Chicago, Illinois

Member schools present: Alabama A&M University, Arizona State University, University of Arizona, Ball State University, University of California (Berkeley), University of California (Los Angeles), California Polytechnic State University, University of Cincinnati, Clemson University, Cleveland State University, Cornell University, Florida State University, Florida Atlantic University, Georgia Institute of Technology, Harvard University, University of Illinois - Chicago, University of Illinois - Urbana-Champaign, Iowa State University, University of Kansas, University of Louisville, University of Massachusetts, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of Memphis, Michigan State University, Morgan State University, University of New Orleans, New York University, State University of New York at Albany, State University of New York at Buffalo, University of Pennsylvania, Portland State University, University of Rhode Island, Rutgers University, San Diego State University, Saint Louis University, University of Southern California, Texas A & M University, University of Virginia, Virginia Commonwealth University, Wayne State University, University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee.

Corresponding schools present: McGill University, Ryerson Polytechnic University.

Affiliate member schools not present: Appalachian State University, Eastern Kentucky University, Eastern Michigan University, Georgia State University, New School for Social Research, Northern Arizona University, Queen's University, Sonoma State University, Southwest Texas State University, State University College - Buffalo, University of Massachusetts - Lowell, University of Minnesota, University of Utah, University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh, West Virginia University.

Member schools not present: Auburn University, Boston University, California Polytechnic State University - Pomona, California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo, California State University, Columbia University, East Carolina University, Eastern Washington University, Frostburg State University, Hunter College, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Indiana University, Jackson State University, Kansas State University, Miami University, Minnesota State University, Ohio State University, Pratt Institute, Princeton University, San Jose State University, Southwest Missouri State University, University of Akron, University of Alabama, University of California - Irvine, University of Colorado, University of Delaware, University of Florida, University of Hawaii, University of Iowa, University of Maryland,  University of Michigan, University of Minnesota, University of Nebraska, University of New Mexico, University of North Carolina, University of Oklahoma, University of Oregon, University of Pittsburgh, University of Puerto Rico, University of Southern Maine, University of Tennessee, University of Texas - Arlington, University of Texas - Austin, University of Toledo, University of Washington, University of Wisconsin - Madison, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Washington State University.

Corresponding member schools not present: Dalhousie University, Griffith University, Nova Scotia College of Art & Design, Queensland University of Technology, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Universite de Montreal, University of British Columbia, University of Calgary, University of Guelph, University of Liverpool, University of Manitoba, University of Newcastle upon Tyne, University of Nottingham, University of Saskatchewan, University of Sheffield, University of Toronto, University of Waterloo, University of Windsor, York University.

The meeting was called to order by President Stiftel at 5:45pm.

Motion: to dispense with the calling of the roll was made by Barbara Becker, University of Arizona and seconded by Fred Collignon, University of California, Berkeley. The motion passed without dissent.

Members present at the Business meeting were asked to sign-in.

President Stiftel, Florida State University, began the meeting with introducing the members of the Executive Committee: Vice President Chris Silver, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Secretary/Treasurer Susan Bradbury, Florida Atlantic University, Past-President Sandi Rosenbloom, University of Arizona, Phillip Clay, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Salah El-Shakhs, Rutgers, Northeast Representatives, Johanna Looye, University of Cincinnati, and Sanda Kaufman, Cleveland State University, North Central Representatives, Nancey Green Leigh, Georgia Institute of Technology, and Daphne Spain, University of Virginia, Southeastern Representatives, Thomas Clark, University of Colorado, Denver, and Elise Bright, University of Texas, Arlington, South Central Representatives, Genevieve Giuliano, University of Southern California, and Deborah Howe, Portland State University, Western Representatives and Caitlin Waddick, Georgia Institute of Technology, and Jennifer Dill, University of California, Berkeley, Student Representatives.

President Stiftel also reminded everyone that elections for President-elect, South Central Representatives and Western Representatives would be held in the spring. He invited nominations for the various positions and encouraged each school to vote.

President Stiftel paid tribute to Sandi Rosenbloom by reviewing the accomplishments she had made to ACSP under her direction as President. He then presented her with a Presidential Service Award.

The minutes from the last ACSP Business meeting were passed out and reviewed.

Motion: to accept the minutes of the 1998 Association Business Meeting held in Pasadena as written was made by Fritz Wagner, University of New Orleans and seconded by Dennis Gale, Florida Atlantic University. The motion passed without dissent.

Vice President's Report - Christopher Silver

Chris Silver announced the selection of new Editors for JPER. The new Editors will be Michael Hibbard and Edward Weeks from the University of Oregon.

Chris Silver then announced that the process of selecting the conference site for the 2004 conference would be forthcoming. He invited all schools to consider submitting a proposal, particularly those located in either the West or the South Central region.

Chris Silver then asked David Amborski, ACSP Conference Committee Chair, Ryerson Polytechnic University, to say a few words about the up-coming conferences. David Amborski reviewed the schedule for the conferences starting with the 2000 conference that will be held in Atlanta at the Omni hotel November 1-5. The 2001 conference will be held in Cleveland, the dates and hotels are not quite finalized yet. The 2002 conference will be held in Baltimore and the 2003 conference will be a joint endeavor with AESOP and will be held in Brussels, Belgium.

In addition to the 2001 conference in Cleveland, ACSP is also a co-sponsor of the World Planning Congress that will be held in Shanghai, China during the summer of 2001. Michael Hibbard is the ACSP contact on this conference. It is hoped that approximately 75 ACSP members will attend this conference. Ruth Yabes, Arizona State University, announced that the Global Perspectives on Planning Interest Group will be looking to identify and locate funding sources to help faculty, particularly junior faculty and Ph.D. students, to be able to attend the conference. She also mentioned that although it may at first appear to be expensive to go to China, that it really isn't that much more than typically conferences. She pointed out that although airfares will be higher than what is normally paid to attend an ACSP meeting (approximately $800 to $1100 to get to China) that hotel rooms will be cheaper (typically $100 U.S. a night or less). As a result, the total cost to attend the conference will not be that much greater than to attend a typical ACSP meeting in the U.S.

David Amborski then outlined the procedural changes that would be forthcoming regarding the conference next year. For the first time ACSP would permit online submissions of abstracts. Abstracts can also be submitted by mail but not by email or fax next year. There are several reasons for these procedural changes. Online submissions will ensure that complete information will be submitted with the abstract, will permit more efficient movement and handling of abstracts and reduce response time. Abstracts for the 2000 conference will be due February 15, 2000. Online submission of abstracts can be done by going to the ACSP web site at http://www.uwm.edu/Org/acsp. An online submission form will be available on the website starting in January.

Another change this year concerning the submission of conference abstracts concerns a $25 submission fee that must accompany each abstract. The $25 fee will be non-refundable however, it will be factored into your overall conference fee if you do register for the conference.

Also no preliminary program will be printed and mailed to you before the conference. The costs associated with this practice are just too high. However, a preliminary program will be available on the web at the ACSP web site so that people can view the program and know when their paper is scheduled.

Lastly, as a means to keep costs down the conference committee is considering scheduling conferences in the future for the first week in November. Rates at hotels often fall significantly after the end of October.

Chris Silver then asked Nancy Frank, University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, to say a few words about UPDATE and the ACSP website. Nancy Frank mentioned that the deadline for the next issue of UPDATE is November and that she would welcome any story ideas or suggestions of how to improve either UPDATE or the website. Chris Silver then mentioned that the publishing schedule maybe changed slightly to better accommodate the posting of jobs, etc. in UPDATE. Chris Silver also announced that the ACSP website would become the method to disseminate information. ACSP reports, news, minutes, etc. will be made available on the web in a downloadable format.

Past-President Rosenbloom then reported on the Guide to Schools and the Institutional Data collection project. The Guide will include information on undergraduate, masters and Ph.D. programs in planning. The cost to be in the Guide is $450 for one program, $550 for two programs and $650 for three programs. Schools must be ACSP members in order to be in the Guide. The Guide is expected to go to press before the end of 1999. If your school has participated in the Institutional Data collection project, you should have received model forms that summarize the data submitted. Contact either Sandi Rosenbloom or Valerie Johnson at the Drachman Institute, University of Arizona if you have not received the preliminary summaries of your data. It is not too late for schools to submit information to this project. This project is very important, increasingly administrators are asking for comparative data on planning programs and this is the vehicle that will allow this to be done. The Institutional Data collection project is voluntary, however, all sensitive data will remain confidential. It is intended that preliminary results from the data collection project will be available this spring before the next round of data collection begins. Institutional Data will be made available on the ACSP web site as well as in report format. It was suggested that perhaps the information could also be made available on a CD.

Past-President's Report - Sandi Rosenbloom

Past-President Rosenbloom reviewed some of the procedures and policies that were now in place concerning the operations of the ACSP and the Executive Committee. The Executive has established a policy regarding the use of surveys in order to control the number of surveys and protect the schools from unwanted or unnecessary surveys or questions. This policy will be enacted through the control of the ACSP mailing list.

ACSP has hired a staff person, Pat Gleason. Pat Gleason was originally hired as our conference coordinator but we have also consolidated other functions with her as well including maintaining the ACSP mailing list.

Efforts are underway to create a Ph.D. student summer workshop similar to AESOP's. Anyone interested in assisting with this or willing to provide funding support please contact Bruce Stiftel.

The next Administrator's conference will be held in Philadelphia in the spring of 2001. Gary Hack, University of Pennsylvania, has agreed to organize and host the conference.

The Best of ACSP has been reconfigured into a new form as part of the work of the Joint ACSP/AICP Taskforce. In its place is the ACSP/AICP Collaborative Project, which will be a judged project involving the joint work of an academic and a practicing planner. The deadline for submissions this year is December 15, 1999. If your project is selected, you will be asked to make a presentation at both the APA conference this spring and the ACSP conference in the fall. See the APA webpage for more information or contact Glenn Coyne at the AICP office in Washington, DC.

Because of misunderstandings in the past award standards have been established concerning the eligibility of students for ACSP awards. Students of member schools, regardless of whether they are full, affiliate or corresponding will be eligible for ACSP awards unless the award committee clearly stipulates otherwise in the wording of the award.

Student representatives Jennifer Dill and Caitland Waddick conducted a survey of master's students last spring asking questions regarding how students decide to pursue a planning degree, how they choose a school, and how satisfied they are with their decisions. This report will be available on the web at the ACSP site. In addition the Report on Free Speech and the Internet will be also available on the web.

The ACSP Diversity Committee has developed a Regional Recruitment Partnership Program to help planning schools to build partnerships with minority schools and assist with attracting minority students to planning programs.

The Institutional Governance Committee is presently working on revising the Constitution. You will be hearing more about these by-law revisions in the spring.

The Strategic Communications Committee conducted a survey this spring which sought information on the strategic communications practices followed by planning programs. The results of this survey will be forthcoming in the spring.

PAB - Diversity Criteria

Last year the wording in the PAB accreditation document was changed mainly to reflect the change in legal climate which was taking place in some states concerning the issue of affirmative action. Last year at the Business meeting several members spoke out against the wording, however, the wording was approved by the ACSP Executive Committee, APA Board and the PAB. The new language that was proposed last year will go into effect next year. However, because of the concern over that language new language has been proposed again this year and it has been approved by the ACSP Executive Committee. Copies of the current language (proposed last year) and the new proposed language were then circulated among the membership. Members were then asked to comment on the new language. While Seymour Mandelbaum, University of Pennsylvania, stated that he felt this new language was poorly written no one else raised any objection to the new proposed language. As a result, the proposed diversity language will continue through the review process.

President's Report - Bruce Stiftel

President Stiftel was contacted by a group of Latin American academics who are interested in forming an Association similar to ACSP. They have asked for ACSP's advice and assistance for forming an Association. As a result, President Stiftel has asked Bill Siembieda to attend a meeting of theirs that will be held next month in Caracas, Venezuela. The U.S. Embassy in Caracas has agreed to pay Bill's costs.

President Stiftel outlined the process followed by this year's Review and Appraisal Committee. Three papers were produced Genie Birch wrote on Planning as Art, Lew Hopkins wrote on Planning as Science and Linda Dalton wrote on Planning as Education.

Also as a result of the Review and Appraisal Committee several new initiatives will be pursued over the next two years. These include:

Developing a research agenda by allowing the various conference tracks to pick one issue a year to focus on as well as select abstracts.

Bringing Planning academics and practitioners together to develop a common statement of areas of interest for research. Once the areas of research have been identified sources of outside funding will be located.

Continuing to identify funding support for planning scholarship, like we already do with Fannie Mae and the Lincoln Institute. Other fundraising pursuits will be explored.

Developing a new award that recognizes a significant contribution to the discipline of planning.

Conducting a study on the impact and responses to distance learning. This will report on the positive and negative impacts distance learning may have on planning education and how we as educators should respond to this new technology.

Development of a strong schools guidebook. This will build on already completed efforts that have come from ACSP committees. This will assist schools to strengthen themselves and will be accessible on the web.

Continuing to expand the efforts of the Diversity Committee by conducting workshops to help schools recruit and retain minority students.

Motion: to adjourn the meeting was made at 7pm by Ann Forsyth and seconded by Chuck Connerly.

Respectfully submitted,

Susan L. Bradbury

ACSP Secretary/Treasurer