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 I write this message while traveling back from the
IEEE Technical Activities Board (TAB) meeting in San Diego. TAB is the
governing body of IEEE Technical Activities that includes all programs of the
45 IEEE Societies and Technical Councils and is the largest of six major boards
within IEEE. TAB meetings can actually have a profound impact on our society
activities as it establishes operational procedures to assist the management
and operation of the IEEE Societies and Technical Councils. February's TAB
meeting included the presentation by the 2016 IEEE President, the 2016 IEEE
President-Elect and the 2016 Past President of the proposed IEEE Constitutional
Amendment and the restructuring of the IEEE Board of Directors. The session
included a serious and long debate on the pros and cons of a possible decision
that could have a profound impact on the strategy and operation of the IEEE.
You will probably hear a lot about this topic through the official IEEE
communication channels as well as through other non-official channels. As an
IEEE member, I encourage you to read carefully the information and take part in
the decision with your vote, should it be finally presented to the IEEE members
in the annual election ballot.
TAB meetings include meetings of very important committees within
the IEEE. This includes, for example, the Conference Publications committee
(recommends new requirements or changes to conference publication policies and
processes), the Periodicals committee (decides on the approval of new IEEE
publications), or the Future Directions committee to name a few. The IEEE
Future Directions committee is the committee that approves and launches new
IEEE initiatives on emerging topics where IEEE is felt should have a strong
presence. As an IEEE member, you have probably come across a few of these
initiatives on topics such as Internet of Things, Smart Cities or Software
Defined Networks.
But
this TAB meeting was particularly relevant for our Society, and for me as the
2016 VTS President, as it included our 5-year society review. The objective of
the review process is to identify potential issues that could have a negative
impact in the operational and strategic organization and management of
societies, and to recommend improvements and best practices for societies to
follow. I am happy to inform you that the meeting went well, and the committee
very positively highlighted some of our important society assets (publications,
conference management, strategic planning, DL program, volunteer engagement,
finances, etc.). Of course, it also made valuable suggestions that we will
certainly implement to further improve the service we provide to our members.
As VTS President, I would personally like to thank the Society Review Committee
for the constructive running of the review meeting and the suggestions
provided. The implementation of the recommendations provided and our continued
efforts to improve our service to members will depend on the engagement and
participation of our members. So once more, I take this opportunity to strongly
encourage you to consider volunteering and actively participate in our society
organization and management. There are constantly new volunteering
opportunities, and I am sure some of you are thinking about new projects and
activities that could benefit all our members. So don't hesitate to get in
touch or approach our Board of Governors at our VTC conferences to get more
information on how to get involved. |
