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TPUG Newsletter
2007 Business Meeting Minutes
2006 Secretary's Report
TPUG
Newsletter
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2007 Business Meeting Minutes
The Transportation and Public Utilities Group had its annual meeting
on Friday, January 5, 2007 in Chicago, IL. After the introduction of
2006 officers and reports from those officers, (See attached Secretary-General’s
report below.) Jeffrey Cohen of the University of Hartford, Hartford
CN, USA was selected as President-Elect.
A general discussion was conducted about methods of recruiting new members
and increasing the level of activity of TPUG. It was agreed that the
Dissertation Award would be revived for 2008. To support the Dissertation
Award it was agreed that a not-for-profit foundation would be established
to provide an endowment for a cash reward.
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2006 Secretary’s
Report
Two issues of pressing importance are worth reporting to the membership.
First, in August of 2006, I received a letter from John Siegfried, Secretary
of the AEA, demanding that TPUG stop characterizing itself as the Transportation
and Public Utilities Group of the AEA. We were told to remove all such
characterizations from our web-site and other materials. The explanation
is that the AEA is concerned with protecting their trademarks. After
consultation with the other officers, we complied. It is possible, given
the long-standing usage, we could have prevailed in a trademark action.
However, since AEA is the organization that allocates sessions at the
ASSAs, picking a fight did not seem the wisest course.
The second is issue is related to session allocations. The AEA appears
determined to get more sessions at these meetings under their control.
John Siegfried has said that it is easier to get a paper accepted at
the AER than for an AEA sponsored session at the ASSAs. One result of
this is the new session schedule with some sessions offered during what
has been the lunch hour on Friday and Saturday (or the first two days
of the convention as the meetings of 2009/10 will extend beyond the
weekend.) This potentially could impact the scheduling of the annual
luncheon, although we will have the opportunity to express a preference
if one of our sessions is scheduled in the lunch hour.
Another consequence has been reductions in the number of sessions allotted
to some organizations. So far, TPUG has not been hit with any reductions.
We have also thus far received favorable time slots and good locations.
This is a tribute to the contributions of the Presidents and Presidents-elect
who have developed excellent programs, including regularly getting jointly
sponsored sessions with AEA. John Siegfried claims that groups losing
sessions are too inbred, with the same individuals appearing on their
programs year after year. This has never been a problem for TPUG.
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