Subject: Re: WG I.2 Chair and Co-Chair Date: Sun, 17 May 2009 13:49:23 +0100 From: Alan G Jones To: Bengt Hultqvist CC: Eigil Friis-Christensen , efc@space.dtu.dk, edp@ig.cas.cz, Yasuo Ogawa , "Ian J. Ferguson" , Hari narayana , Harinarayana , Ian Gough , Pascal Tarits , Andreas Junge , MTnet Dear Bengt, Very many thanks for both your speedy reply and your reassurances that the current IAGA EC has no dark designs for changing the overarching ethos of IAGA. I am sure that the issue of the difference between the election year that best suits WGI.2 and the election schedule for IAGA can be resolved to the satisfaction of both parties. I do have to tell you that over the last months to a year or more quite a few people have contacted me with their grave concerns about the way our WGI.2 is being discussed by the IAGA EC, with rumours coming from many different directions and sources that this EC wants to exert control and micro-management of our WG. I am very pleased that these rumours are simply not true, and that this EC is committed to keeping IAGA as a bottom-up driven organization that permits the Working Groups to organize themselves as best they see fit. As these rumours are so wide-spread, I am sending our correspondence around the whole of the WGI.2 community, as I am sure that you wish to quash them with your reassurances and for WGI.2 members to know the truth. Should you or Eigil wish to send your own message around the EM Induction community, as you are registered members on the MTNet mailing list all you need to do is to send a message to mtnet@mtnet.info. With best regards, and looking forward to seeing you in Sopron, Alan >-------- Original Message -------- >Subject: Re: WG I.2 Chair and Co-Chair >Date: Sun, 17 May 2009 11:23:13 +0200 >From: Bengt Hultqvist >To: Alan G Jones >CC: Eigil Friis-Christensen , efc@space.dtu.dk, edp@ig.cas.cz > > > Bengt Hultqvist wrote: > Dear Alan, > Thank you for your mail. EC appreciate the good work done and > have no revolutionary plans. The CoD has required EC to do a better > job in geographical distribution of Division/Commission chairs who are > finally decided by CoD, but the WG chairs are decided by the division > heads and are not a matter for EC or the CoD. The problem has been the > different periods of service of the chairs of WG 1.2 compared with all > other officers in IAGA, and that may hopefully be solved without > changing the way of election you have. The matter will be discussed at > the EC meetings in Sopron and your views and and those of other > spokesmen for the WG will certainly be taken into account when trying > to reach a good compromise. > With best regards > Bengt > > >>-------- Original Message -------- >>Subject: WG I.2 Chair and Co-Chair >>Date: Sat, 16 May 2009 08:13:38 +0100 >>From: Alan G Jones >>To: Eigil Friis-Christensen , Eigil Friis-Christensen , Bengt Hultqvist >>CC: Yasuo Ogawa , Ian Ferguson , Hari narayana , >> Harinarayana , Ian Gough , Pascal Tarits , >> Andreas Junge >> >> >> Dear Eigil, dear Bengt, >> >> I will be short, as long emails are not read, but I can and will be much >> longer if necessary filling in facts and details to substantiate my >> statements. >> >> 1. I have been involved with IAGA since the 1975 IUGG meeting, my first >> ever scientific conference. At that meeting I went to the BMs of IAGA, >> of Div 1, and of WG I.3 (EM Induction in the Earth and Moon, as it then >> was titled and was then WG I.3), and was introduced to the >> administrative side by Professor Ian Gough, with whom my supervisor (Dr. >> Rosemary Hutton) collaborated. Ian was then Chair of WG I.3 and became >> President of IAGA in the mid-1980s (I believe he was Chair of Div 1 >> inbetween, but I am not sure.) >> >> 2. Since then, I have been very much involved in WG I.2, now titled "EM >> Induction in the Earth". (You have the wrong title for our WG in your >> list. It was changed from "EM Induction in the Earth and Moon" to just >> "EM Induction in the Earth" in the mid-1980s, and has not been changed >> since. You need to correct this on the web and in other places.) I was >> elected onto the WG Committee in 1987, then became the Co-Chair and >> Chair of the WG (1991-1999). >> >> 3. I have been Co-Chair of Div. 1 (1999-2003), and was also the Chief >> Delegate for Canada to IAGA for the 1993, 1995, 1997, 1997 and 2003 >> IAGAs, and am currently the National Correspondent for Ireland to IAGA, >> and will be the Chief Delegate for Ireland to IAGA for Sopron (2009). I >> give you these facts so that you are aware that I have been involved >> with IAGA for quite some time, and know IAGA reasonably well. >> >> 4. If you spare the time to find out about us, which I am not sure you >> do, you will come to appreciate that WGI.2 is the most democratic and >> most organized of all WGs in IAGA. Our most significant activity is our >> running of the highly successful biennial workshops since 1972, >> initiated at the idea and suggestion of Ian Gough and Attia Ashur to >> Rosemary Hutton at the 1971 IAGA, with attendances of typically 200-300. >> I have been told by many of IAGA's past Presidents and past SecGens that >> our workshop series is the most successful activity that IAGA >> undertakes. Also as part of the WG activities, I maintain the MTNet >> website (www.mtnet.info) and mailing list. The mailing list comprises >> currently 951 people around the globe with an interest in EM Induction >> in the Earth, most of whom who have attended IAGA events, including our >> workshops. This number represents reasonably well the number of people >> in our broader Working Group. Almost one thousand! Which other WG has so >> many active scientists involved? >> >> 5. To run this workshop series, we have built an organizational >> structure to support the Chair and Co-Chair. This structure comprises a >> committee of twelve, plus some observers. You will find the latest list >> of names, and links to previous committees, at >> http://www.dias.ie/mtnet/working_group/wg_struct_mem.html. You will note >> that it is very geographically diverse, with committee members >> representative of their "regions" of the globe. >> >> 6. At the request of the Past Chair, Andreas Junge, I have been >> attempting to write down the "Modus Operandi" of our WG. Attached is my >> latest draft. These are for now my own words, as they have not been >> adopted by the WG, but I believe they well describe how we operate. >> These rules have been built from 36 years of running workshops, and >> represent primarily precedent. I have read IAGA rules diligently, and >> contend that our own rules of operation are totally aligned with IAGA's, >> IUGG's and ICSU's aims, objectives, statutes, etc. >> >> 7. In those rules you will find that each of the twelve members on the >> WG Committee is elected by those in attendance at the BM, but that the >> WG works very hard to ensure appropriate geographical, discipline and >> gender balances. One very strict rule, for example, is that no two >> people from the same country can be WG voting members. (We do allow >> Observers - non-voting members - to come from the same country as voting >> members.) >> >> 8. Also elected are the positions of Chair and Co-Chair. As the Co-Chair >> always has become Chair, but need not necessarily do so, the focus is on >> the Co-Chair's election. That person is very carefully chosen through a >> democratic election process. The Co-Chair is usually from a different >> continent from the Chair, so we ensure geographic diversity. A list of >> Past-Chairs can be found on >> http://www.dias.ie/mtnet/working_group/wg_struct_mem.html. >> >> 9. In order to be as democratic as possible, we moved the elections of >> WG Committee members from odd years to even years in the early-2000s >> during the time that Professor Pascal Tarits was Chair of the WG. The >> BMs on the odd years are at IAGA and IUGG conferences, and are always >> very poorly attended, with typically 10-15 people at them. The BMs at >> our workshops are attended by ALL, as they are organized during the >> active part of the workshop, so 200-300 people. I will let these facts >> speak for themselves. A democratic process that permits 200-300 to be >> involved in electing the officers for a group of 1,000 is far more >> democratic than one in which only 10-15 are involved. >> >> >> I understand that this current Executive Committee is apparently wishing >> to impose two rules on WGI.2, namely >> 1) moving the elections back to odd years, and >> 2) the requirement that the WG provides to the IAGA EC two names for >> each position, Chair and Co-Chair, and the EC would choose from those >> names the persons it wants. >> >> I respectfully remind you of the following IAGA statues: >> 1. Guide for IAGA Officers: >> http://www.iugg.org/IAGA/iaga_pages/pdf/IAGA_officers_guide.pdf >> Section 1 Preliminaries, Sub-Section 1.1: "IAGA has a bottom-up >> tradition in which the Working Groups and Divisions have the >> responsibility of deciding how to structure themselves and how to >> undertake their own business." >> This is EXACTLY what we do. For the EC to impose itself on our WG in the >> manner you propose is in contravention of this statute. >> >> 2. Guide for IAGA Officers: >> http://www.iugg.org/IAGA/iaga_pages/pdf/IAGA_officers_guide.pdf >> Section 7. Working Group Chairperson, Sub-Section 7.1: "Appointment >> should follow nomination and election." >> This is EXACTLY what we do! To move to your proposed new scheme would be >> in contravention of this statute. >> >> 3. IAGA web page: http://www.iugg.org/IAGA/iaga_pages/science/iaga_mo.htm >> Your own web page flow chart shows "Individual Scientists" electing >> "Working Group Leaders". To move to your new scheme is in contravention >> of this description. >> >> >> Prior ECs that I am familiar with lived and breathed these concepts of >> allowing the WGs to organize themselves as best fits them. Prior ECs >> lived and breathed the concepts of a "bottom-up" approach. This EC >> appears to be moving to a top-down dictatorial approach, which is in >> stark contrast to the way IAGA has operated, at least since I have >> known it. >> >> So I ask you, is IAGA a bottom-up organization that allows the WGs to >> organize themselves, or has it now become a top-down dictatorial >> organization that tells WGs how they will be organized? >> >> I cannot speak for anyone but myself, but if this EC is going to move >> IAGA to becoming a top-down dictatorial organization, then I no longer >> wish to be involved with IAGA. >> >> >> I am copying this email to a number of people, current officers on our >> WG and also past officers, and also to Professor Ian Gough who we hold >> in very high esteem within our WG as he is primarily responsible for the >> very existence of our most successful activity, the workshop series, but >> who also held the most senior post in IAGA so perhaps can give words of >> wisdom to yourself, Eigil. >> >> >> With regards, >> >> Alan >> >> cc. Yasuo Ogawa, Chair, WG I-2 >> Ian Ferguson, Co-Chair, WG I-2 >> Harinarayana, EC member >> Ian Gough, Past Chair WG I-2, Past President IAGA >> Pascal Tarits, Past Chair, WG I-2 >> Andreas Junge, Past-Chair, WG I-2 > -- Professor Alan G. Jones Senior Professor and Head of Geophysics School of Cosmic Physics Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies 5 Merrion Square, Dublin 2, Ireland Direct: +353-1-653-5147 x224 Secretary: +353-1-653-5147 x200 Reception: +353-1-662-1333 Fax: +353-1-443-0575 Email: alan@cp.dias.ie Secretary: geosecretary@cp.dias.ie Web: http://homepages.dias.ie/~ajones MTNet: http://www.mtnet.info