HomeMy WebLinkAbout[002] NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES PROPOSED AMENDMENT TO THE BYLAWS REGARDING THE NUMBER OF MEMBERS ELECTED0 NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES
THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES
PROPOSED AMENDMENT TO THE BYLAWS
REGARDING THE NUMBER OF MEMBERS ELECTED
The Academy bylaws require that the number of members to be elected annually, currently set at
no more than 72 for the past six years, return to 60 in the year 2007 unless the bylaws are amended at the
2006 annual business meeting.
Based in part on member input from the regional meetings, the Council has adopted a resolution
proposing that the bylaws be amended to continue the maximum number of members to be elected at 72
for an additional six years. The proposed bylaw amendment is as follows (deleted text is shown as
; new text is underlined):
IV. Of Elections and Regulations
Nomination and Election of Members
9. Total Number Elected: Beginning with the 2001 annual meeting, not more than seventy-two members
shall be elected at that annual meeting and at each succeeding annual meeting until the 20W 2013 annual
meeting. Not more than sixty members shall be elected at the 24W 2013 annual meeting and at each
annual meeting thereafter.
The proposed amendment will be discussed and voted on at this year's annual business meeting
on Tuesday, April 25, 2006
Robert's Rules of Order specify that amendments to the Council proposal offered from the floor
at the business meeting cannot exceed the scope of the amendment proposed by the Council and
submitted to members prior to the business meeting. This means that the temporary increase in the
number to be elected can be modified, but must be between 60 and 72, and the year the number to be
elected returns to 60 can be modified, but must be between 2007 and 2013.
PRIVILEGED INFORMATION
Prior to proposing the bylaw amendment that would continue to permit the election of 72
members annually for six more years, the Council considered carefully the arguments in favor of retaining
the current number, increasing it, or letting it return to 60. The Council considered both the effect of the
number of members elected annually on the size of the Academy in the steady state, and on the rationale
for higher or lower numbers.
Academy officers discussed this issue with approximately 400 members in a series of eleven
regional meetings between October 2005 and February 2006. The graphs that follow, which were
presented at these meetings, illustrate the size of the Academy membership since its inception and its
estimated steady state membership assuming the election of 60, 72, or 80 members each year. Following
discussion of these data, the majority of members voting in a straw ballot at regional meetings favored
keeping the maximum number of members elected annually at 72, with smaller numbers of members
voting to increase that number to 80 or to reduce it to its previous level of 60.
Members in favor of retaining or increasing the maximum number of members elected at the
current level or increasing it noted that the number of scientists in the United States has increased
dramatically and that many outstanding scientists worthy of election to the Academy cannot be elected,
even under the current maximum of 72. It seems clear, however, that increasing this number by eight will
not significantly affect the number of members elected in any of the six Classes, let alone the 31 Sections.
Members in favor of reducing the number of members elected annually expressed concern over
the growth in the Academy's size and a sense that the Academy has become less collegial as a result of
this growth. They also expressed concern about such administrative aspects as the lack of meeting space,
although this is more a function of the number of Sections and the configuration of the NAS building than
of the absolute size of the Academy.
The Council considered these views carefully, and concluded that it is appropriate to continue the
maximum number of member elected at 72, in part because the additional twelve positions permit the
Academy to better accommodate emerging disciplines and provide greater flexibility in addressing
demographic issues. The Council believes, however, that extending this limit for a six-year time frame
ensures that the question will be reconsidered periodically as circumstances and viewpoints may change.
PRIVILEGED INFORMATION
Elections and Demographics
The following graphs show the impact of the number of members elected on the size of the Academy.
These data were discussed during a series of eleven regional meetings held from October 2005 through
February 2006, and are provided to the full membership for consideration.
Graph 1: The Size of the NAS Since Its Founding
The size of the Academy since its founding is shown below. The growth of the Academy has roughly
paralleled both the size of the research Ph.D. workforce (-1%) as well as that of the general population
(-.001%). The current Academy membership comprises more than half of the members elected since the
founding of the Academy in 1863.
National Academy Membership
2500
2000
N
i
C1
E 1500
O
i
,Op 1000
E
7
Z
500
0
1840 1860 1880 1900 1920 1940 1960 1980 2000 2020
Year
PRIVELEGED INFORMATION
Graph 2: Length of Academy Membership
We can project the size of the Academy at steady-state as equal to the number elected annually multiplied
by the average time a member spends in the Academy.
Length of Academy Membership
35-
30-
25-
E
d
(A 20
H
a..
W
0
15
W
L
> 10,
Q
5-
0.
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
1860 1880 1900 1920 1940 1960 1980 2000 2020
Year of Death
PRIVELEGED INFORMATION
Graph 3: Academy Size Has Not Yet Reached Steady State
The Academy has never been at steady-state, and it is not now, although the number of members elected
annually has been fairly constant for many years.
Elections and Deaths
O
Li U
9 D
E3 5W-IP
• • • p
Q C3 O 13
1840 1860 1880 1900 1920 1940 1960 1980 2000 2020
Year
100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
• Elected a Died
PRIVILEGED INFORMATION
Graph 4: Size of the Academy at Steady State
Assuming the average lifetime in the Academy remains at about 30 years (average age at election remains
constant as does the average age at death), the projected size for various annual totals (60, 72, and 80) are
shown below. The transition is NOT calculated correctly, but estimated from a relaxation time of about
30 years. The actual maximum will probably be somewhat higher. The average age at election is mid-
fifties and the average age at death is mid-eighties.
Projected Steady State Membership
80
72
60
1850 1900 1950 2000 2050
Year
3000
2500
2000
1500
1000
500
0
2100 2150