AFS-Management-Comm-Call-7-19-11-Notes

AFS Management Committee Call, July 19, 2011 Notes Management Committee Wayne Hubert, President Bill Fisher, President-elect John Boreman, 1st Vice-president Bob Hughes, 2nd Vice-president (absent) Don Jackson, Past President Phil Downy, Northeastern Division, President-elect Randy Schultz, North Central Division, President Brian Murphy, Southern Division, President-elect Lori Martin, Western Division, President (absent) Jesse Trushenski, Fish Culture Section, President (absent) Joseph Margraf, Fish Habitat Section, President (absent) Robert Curry, Fisheries Administration Section, President Ken Beal, Marine Fisheries Section, President (absent) Ira Adelman, Constitutional Consultant Gus Rassam, Executive Director (absent) Mentees/members attending: None Call was called to order by President Hubert Executive Director's Report, Gus Rassam, Executive Director (presented by Wayne Hubert) 2011 annual meeting in Seattle There are more than 1,000 people registered to date, a much higher number than in recent years at this time The three hotel blocks are filling Rooms at the government rates are still available The trade show will be very large: 97 booths (79 are paid); are provided to large donors This exceeds all previous records 2015 annual meeting A proposal was anticipated from the CO-WY Chapter, but will not occur The Colorado Division of Wildlife could not support participation of its personnel in planning for the meeting The Oregon Chapter will be stepping up with a bid Most likely for a location in Portland The audit is almost complete The ED should have the report to the Audit Committee within weeks Sale of AFS interest in the Sullivan Building Negotiations continue The ED is asking for cash plus conversion of lease interest in the Glascock Building to actual ownership Taylor & Francis transition appears to be benefiting AFS Impact factors for Fisheries, TAFS, NAJFM have all increased Fisheries is the fourth highest ranked fisheries journal Submissions to the JAAH have increased three fold this year with over 80% of the submission coming from outside of the U.S and Canada A representative of T&F will make a brief presentation to the GB in Seattle 6 The Ed is continuing to develop the USFWS Scholarship Program to enhance diversity among federal employees This will involve a transfer of funds ($1M each year) from the USFWS to the AFS and TWS to administer the program for years 20% of this total will go to the societies for administration of the project The AFS and TWS will hire a full time coordinator to handle applications, marketing, and website development The AFS will receive approximately $35K to cover administrative and staff costs The ED will also get involved with marketing and travel to all AFS division meetings The program will involve scholarships for 90 students annually Selections will be made by a three-person panel in each of the USFWS regions Panels will consist of a representative from AFS, TWS, and USFWS A document describing the project was provided to President Hubert on Friday, July 15th An agreement has been signed between the AFS and TWS regarding their relative responsibilities A planning meeting is planned with TWS ED in near future A request was made that the USFWS Scholarship Program document provided to President Hubert be distributed to the MC for review and comment That document is attached to the end of these notes Comments may be addressed to President Hubert and Executive Director Rassam via email Officers' Reports Wayne Hubert, President Preparations for 2011 Annual Meeting continue Plenary Session agenda is planned Business Meeting agenda is being prepared All awards recipients have been identified and notified Reports for the briefing book for the GB meeting are being submitted Substantial progress by several AFS standing committees has taken place this year The agenda for the GB meeting is in preparation Gretchen Bolton, a representative from the financial management organization that AFS contracts to manage its investments, will make a presentation as part of the ED's financial report The ESAB will be presenting a report on the assessment of the AFS website by contractor, Canton Group The RPC will be making motions to move policies on lead in sport fishing tackle and the needs for anesthetics/sedatives forward for electronic voting by the AFS membership GB retreat will take place on Friday preceding GB meeting The topic will be affiliates of AFS How we create stronger ties of affiliates to the Society? Involves affiliates associated with chapters and with sections William Fisher, President Elect Preparations for the 2012 Annual Meeting are ramping up Working on identification of chairs for committees GB retreat in Seattle will focus on affiliate members of chapters and sections President-elect Fisher provided more detail on the intent of the retreat John Boreman, First Vice-president The Membership Committee has selected two mentees for the upcoming year: Bradley Ray and Ben Batton Mentors will be Steve Chipps and Brian Murphy 2 Surveys that are part of the Executive Director Succession Planning Process are being planned RFPs are being solicited for two surveys: (1) survey of AFS staff (approximately 20 people), and (2) survey of AFS partners and stakeholders (options of 25, 50, or 75 contacts) Another survey of GB members will be conducted by AFS Reports on these surveys should be available for presentation to the GB at the annual meeting in Seattle Don Jackson, Immediate Past-president What is the status of the Native American travel scholarships? President Hubert answered that he did not know and would follow up with inquiry to Executive Director Rassam Division Representatives Phil Downey, Northeastern Division, President-elect Planning for the 2012 annual meeting of the division beginning April 18th in Charleston, WV Southern New England Chapter recently held its summer meeting Atlantic International Chapter has planned its annual meeting for September 2011 near Quebec City Randy Schultz, North Central Division, President Planning for Midwest Fish and Wildlife Conference in December in Des Moines Brian Murphy, Southern Division, President-elect Planning annual meeting for January 26-29, 2012 in Biloxi, MS Section Representatives Bob Curry, Fisheries Administration Section Planning for section meeting in Seattle Discussion Management Committee calls agenda, frequency, topics President Hubert introduced the topic by reminding MC members of the function of the MC as stated in the AFS Procedures Manual "The Management Committee functions as an Executive Committee of the Governing Board, monitoring society activities to ensure that policies and plans approved by the Governing Board are implemented appropriately and guiding the Executive Director in these endeavors The Management Committee reviews the Executive Director's proposed budget and makes recommendations for Governing Board approval." He also reminded the MC members of the stated frequency for communications "The Management Committee communicates monthly via conference calls at a time determined by the AFS President to discuss issues and through email as necessary." Curry: addressed the three concerns Frequency, periodic, but not necessarily monthly Agenda, focus on ED and officers' reports Topics, officers concerns Murphy: Focus on issues Frequency, schedule monthly, up to the President to cancel if not needed Adelman: Let conference call be cancelled by President if not necessary Fisher: Suggested change to Procedures Manual with insertion of "monthly as needed." Jackson: Suggested change to Procedures Manual with insertion of "monthly or as needed." Went on to make suggested changes an agenda item for upcoming GB meeting Hubert: Suggested inclusion in Procedures Manual of a suggested agenda for MC conference calls Fisher: Officers and ED should set the agenda during preceding officers' calls Jackson: Need to think about Division and their input regarding issues Ask for agenda items from Division presidents Schultz: Likes the idea of an agenda More MC members likely to participate Adelman: Suggested modification of language by one or two officers and presentation to GB as a motion in the briefing book Hubert: Asked Fisher and Jackson to draft a motion identifying modifications to present language in AFS Procedures Manual Make draft available for discussion by officers during their August call (August 2, 2011) Will place motion in briefing book Discussion wandered to bigger questions Downey: Intertwined problems travel to mid-year meeting, MC calls, and GB size Hubert: Size of the GB voting members: officers, officers from each division, and over 20 section president About 35 Downey: Nonvoting members include ED, Constitutional Consultant, presidents of sections with less than 50 members, and presidents of chapters Fisher: AFS governing procedures have developed in an ad hoc manner A large issue for the Society New Business None Next Management Committee call will be August 16, 2011 at 1:00 pm Eastern time The discussion topic will be the structure and size of the Governing Board Call was adjourned by President Hubert DEVELOPING A SUSTAINABLE INTEGRATED DIVERSITY SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM TO ENHANCE FEDERAL NATURAL RESOURCE AGENCY EMPLOYMENT Gus Rassam and Michael Hutchins American Fisheries Society and The Wildlife Society Introduction The U.S Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) is working cooperatively with the American Fisheries Society (AFS) and The Wildlife Society (TWS) to develop a new scholarship/internship program intended to increase diversity in the Service’s workforce USFWS is concerned about the lack of diversity in its current workforce and is experimenting with new ways to attract and develop a more diverse population of qualified students into the natural resources fields and into federal service Similarly, both AFS and TWS, have among their priorities the goals of helping to develop the next generation of natural resource professionals and to promote gender and ethnic diversity in their fields The Executive Directors and government affairs staff of both organizations met with a USFWS Committee chaired by Bryan Arroyo (Appendix I) for the first time on May 12, 2011 to discuss some of the particulars During that meeting, USFWS leadership expressed a desire to move quickly to implement the program and begin to develop a continuous conduit of new recruits beginning in high school and extending through college undergraduate and graduate training Since some of what we covered went beyond the scope of the original proposal discussed by USFWS and TWS, AFS and TWS were asked to develop a more comprehensive plan (and revised budget) for USFWS consideration In the following outline, we develop a comprehensive, sustainable program for increasing diversity in Federal natural resource agencies, while retaining as a critical initial core, the original agreement between USFWS and TWS Core Program Mission The USFWS seeks to develop a continuous conduit of qualified diversity students from high school to undergraduate to graduate university programs that would be eligible and motivated to seek a career in federal service, and more specifically, with the USFWS This mission is deemed critical due to: (1) the current lack of diversity in the natural resources fields, (2) the coming retirement “tsunami” that could see one-half to threequarters of current leaders in the field retire within the next decade, and (3) the growing diversity of our nation, which is predicted to become a majority-minority nation within the next 50 years Method The USFWS, working with its partners AFS and TWS, intends to develop a scholarship/internship program that would assist selected diversity students in finishing their undergraduate and/or graduate studies and also provide opportunities for “handson” summer internships that would help introduce them to careers in USFWS and, more specifically, to natural resources management and conservation Such a program, once fully developed and functioning, will then be marketed by AFS and TWS to other Federal agencies with the aim of building on the core FWS program, enlarge it, and make it sustainable on a long-term basis Role of AFS and TWS AFS and TWS will assist the USFWS in the following ways: Flesh out the core program conceptually, working in cooperation with the USFWS committee Develop a mechanism for selecting students, including an application process, criteria for selection, and mechanism for review and selection of qualified candidates (See draft in Appendix II) Develop promotional materials, including a name for the program, a logo, brochures, and a web presence Promote the program with relevant professional and scientific societies, selected colleges and universities and other groups concerned with diversity in the federal workforce (Appendix III) Provide guidance and recommendations for USFWS on the nature of the internships provided for students and the mentoring that will be provided for the student-participants (It is recognized that the type and quality of mentors will be vital to the success of this program) Inform successful and unsuccessful applicants about the results of the selection process Distribute scholarship funds to the students Develop tools for evaluating the success of the program, using a variety of methods, including participant surveys and a self-updated web site directory for program graduates that will track their future progress Provide the program participants membership in AFS and TWS to demonstrate the value of professional and scientific societies in networking and career development This would also make them eligible to use existing online mentoring programs, career centers and other student member amenities Role of USFWS Establish a Diversity Program Committee, with regional components, to work with Society partners in establishing the goals of the program, monitor its progress, and evaluate its results The USFWS will assign members to the regional selection committees as they are formed and also identify mentors for the student participants The USFWS will be responsible for developing and implementing the student internship programs based out of regional USFWS offices Pay stipends to the student interns during their internships Provide funding for the program, including the cost of administering and managing the program Time line of Completion for Core Project (First year) In order to ensure the timely implementation of the project, we have developed a rough timeline of necessary actions for the first year: July 2011: Program Coordinator hired by AFS and TWS to assist with various aspects of program administration and development August-October 2011: Promotional materials developed November 2011: Initial promotion of the program begins with letters/brochures being sent out to various universities, relevant organizations, web pages developed, etc announcing the program, providing application forms and describing application requirements and selection criteria A joint press release is developed to announce the initiation of the program September-November 2011: Three person selection committees identified for each USFWS region August-November 2011: USFWS begins to identify mentors for summer internships; conducts training on successful mentoring December 15 2011: Applications due from students Applications evaluated for completeness and forwarded to selection committees January-February 2012: Selection committees review materials and make selections based on selection criteria End of February 2012: Successful and unsuccessful applicants names communicated by selection committees to AFS and TWS Early March 2012: Letters sent to successful and unsuccessful applicants informing them of decisions A joint press release is developed to announce the successful applicants April 2012: Initial scholarship checks sent to successful applicants Regional offices of USFWS and summer internship mentors develop plans for summer internships June-August 2012: Students paid summer internships November 2010: Promotional materials disseminated seeking second year applicants October-November 2012: Administer evaluation survey to participants Assess if any current participants are interested in pursuing graduate school December 2012: Write progress report Conceptual Plan While the current plan focuses on implementation of the program as originally conceived (i.e., a student scholarship/internship program), AFS and TWS were asked to think a bit bigger and to conceive how the fundamental mission of this program (see above) could be achieved This might involve some “thinking outside the box” and some additional funding There are still some questions to be resolved regarding the best level of students on which to focus our attention AFS and TWS agree that the program, as originally conceived, should be focused on undergraduate and graduate students Undergraduates, who demonstrate an interest in natural resources or a related field, could enter the program during their sophomore or junior years Typically, these would be students who are already pursuing a degree in an appropriate discipline (ecology, biology, zoology, botany, environmental science, wildlife and fisheries, conservation biology, etc.) During the summer months, when school is not in session, the students would participate in a “hands-on” internship program administered out of a USFWS regional office in the region in which they are studying For example, a student participant at Mississippi State University would participate in an internship organized out of the Atlanta Regional Office, but the student could be stationed at a site and working with a mentor in a Southeast regional national wildlife refuge or work out of the regional office itself These internship experiences must be interesting and actively involve the student in the inner workings of the agency, including field research, community outreach and team-decision-making When originally selected, each student will be assigned a professional academic mentor who counsels the student on the best use of their scholarship funds and who monitors progress of the student during the scholarship period This mentor is to be distinguished from the internship summer mentors who will monitor the student/intern during their summer internship Thinking outside the box, AFS and TWS recommend that USFWS: -consider working with other partners to help engage younger children in thinking about natural resources careers and in fostering an interest in nature This would include Youth in the Great outdoors, 4-H, boy and girl scouts, the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, No Kids Left Indoors, Disney and others that have existing youth education programs entered on nature and the environment More specifically, USFWS and AFS and TWS could work together to provide improved fish and wildlife career information to such groups for dissemination to interested children and families Providing information to high school career counselors and biology teachers would also be important -consider dropping the number of student participants from 90 to 45 (5 per region)/year and invest more in each student This would make it possible to develop a tiered program, wherein students who successfully complete their undergraduate degree and decide to go onto graduate school in an appropriate natural resources field (and were successful entering a program) would receive further support This kind of graduated approach would provide further incentive for students to stay in school and complete advanced training in an appropriate discipline and would reduce the risk of scholarship students switching to a totally different field -consider adding attendance to at least one AFS or TWS annual conference to the student participant’s experience during their scholarship/internship program Attending an AFS or TWS annual conference will provide the students with networking opportunities with professionals in the field, exposure to a wide variety of new concepts and challenges, and connections to the professional community in which they may be working in the future Students could be folded into already existing professional development programs, such as TWS’ Native American Wildlife Student Professional Development Program, which is now being expanded to other underrepresented groups USFWS and other agencies should continue their support of such programs, but begin to integrate them with the new scholarship/internship program -consider increasing financial support of the program to include expansion of the proven AFS Hutton Program for high school students who are interested in careers in fisheries to also include wildlife The Hutton program, which provides “hands-on” experiences under the tutelage of fisheries professionals, has been very successful in directing a diverse cadre of students into relevant college programs Expansion into a joint program managed by AFS and TWS and focused on both fisheries and wildlife, could give the USFWS and other federal natural resource agencies, when combined with this new scholarship/internship program, a direct conduit of students from high school to college to graduate school and then to a career in a natural resource field -consider reaching out to other federal natural resource agencies (NPS, USFS, BLM, NOAA, USDA APHIS Wildlife Services, USDA NRCS, etc.) and seek their support to expand the scholarship/internship program All federal agencies are experiencing the same challenges with regard to increasing diversity in their ranks Collaboration among all federal natural resource agencies and the sharing of resources could potentially make this program much more effective than if it were focused on a single agency This makes sense because once students have completed their studies and internships; they have the option to work for any federal agency or non-governmental organization Individual agencies must work hard to convince qualified student participants that their agency has the position, salary level, and location desired by the applicant In addition, employees move from agency to agency and to and from non-governmental and governmental organizations, so we’re really talking about a natural resources community challenge here, not an agency challenge Selection Criteria and Process AFS and TWS recommend that the selection process be based largely on the current AFS Hutton Program criteria Applicants must demonstrate academic excellence by providing a copy of their official transcripts, letters of recommendation from at least two professors that know them personally, and a a cover letter indicating why they are interested in the program and considering a career in the natural resources fields A simple mechanism for selection would be developed A small committee consisting of one USFWS employee and two “outside” volunteer reviewers who are members in AFS and TWS would be established in each USFWS region These individuals would evaluate and score the applicants based on the established criteria The committee members would meet, either in person or by phone, to go over the applications and make a decision on who would be awarded the scholarships/internships The results of those review processes would be communicated to AFS and TWS, who would then inform the successful and unsuccessful applicants by letter A separate selection system, again based on the successful Hutton model, will be developed for the two mentors mentioned earlier, the academic mentor and the internship mentor Evaluation and Follow-up AFS and TWS, working with USFWS, will develop tools for evaluating the program’s success This will include a post-program survey of participants This should also include a web site where participants can upload information about their current employment or other status AFS and TWS would send e-mail reminders to the program participants to update their information on an annual basis The results of the survey will be analyzed and used to develop an annual progress report They will also be used to adjust and improve the program as needed A database of both students and mentors will be developed to track scholars under this program Program scholars will automatically receive free membership in both AFS and TWS and will be encouraged to attend the Society meetings They will also be linked to various networking opportunities, both professional and geographic (local Society chapters.) Appendix I: Members of the USFWS Student Sponsorship Team Bryan Arroyo, Assistant Director U.S Fish and Wildlife Service Fisheries and Habitat Conservation Main Interior Building, 3242 1849 C Street, NW Washington, DC Inez Uhl, ODIWM Equal Employment Opportunity Officer Office of Diversity and Inclusive Workforce Management 4301 N Fairfax Drive, MS 7072-43 Arlington, VA 22203 Tina Lancaster, ODIWM Diversity Program Manager Office of Diversity and Inclusive Workforce Management 4301 N Fairfax Drive, MS 7072-43 Arlington, VA 22203 Hannibal Bolton, Assistant Director U.S Fish and Wildlife Service Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Program Main Interior Building, 3252 1849 C Street, NW Washington, DC 20240 Stephen Guertin, Regional Director (6) U.S Fish and Wildlife Service 134 Union Blvd Lakewood, Colorado 80228 Marvin Moriarty, Regional Director (R5) U.S Fish and Wildlife Service Northeast Regional Office 300 Westgate Center Drive Hadley, MA 01035-9587 Benjamin Tuggle, Regional Director (R2) U.S Fish and Wildlife Service Southwest Region P.O Box 1306 Albuquerque, NM 87103-1306 Denise Sheehan, Assistant Director U.S Fish and Wildlife Service Office of Budget, Planning and Human Resources 4501 N Fairfax Drive, Suite 5000 Arlington, VA 22203 Appendix II: Student Selection Criteria All current students with at least freshman standing and at least 12 credits completed are eligible to apply to the Fish/Wildlife Diversity Program Students must process a minimum GPA of 2.5 out of 4.0 The application process will include the submission of the following:  Official transcript  Completed application form  At least Letters of recommendation from past or current professors  Cover letter detailing the applicant's desire/interest in wildlife, fisheries, and/or natural resources in general and including information regarding the applicant's past experiences in/with natural resources (if applicable) Any eligible student may apply, but applications from women and minority students are especially encouraged Accepted applications will then be distributed to regional committees corresponding with established geographical regions of the USFWS Committees will be composed of representatives from USFWS, TWS, and AFS Accepted applications will be weighted based on the quality of the applicant, their recommendation letter(s), GPA, and essay, respectfully Students selected for the program will enter the program in the summer season as paid interns with the USFWS in their respective regions During the following academic year, interns will receive $XXXXX (TBD) toward college tuition, providing successful completion of the previous internship Successful competition of an internship includes:  The completion of a report based on work performed during the internship  Evaluation of performance by assigned mentor or supervisor Students can remain in the program a maximum of four (4) consecutive academic years with the maintenance of at least a 2.5 GPA and the successful completion of summer internships Mentor Criteria All members of the US Fish and Wildlife Service are eligible to apply to become mentors Mentors will be chosen based on their area of focus, experience, and regional location Mentors will serve as lead supervisors during students’ internships Mentors are expected to encourage, guide, and develop student skills in the context of many learning activities including:        Goals When a student has trouble articulating goals, be patient As long as students are interested and engaged in their work, they shouldn't be pressured Goals must evolve at a natural pace Remind students that they will almost certainly have multiple positions and perhaps even multiple careers, which is the strongest reason to aim for flexibility in qualification and experience Planning and organization Many undergraduates have little experience in organizing tasks and making good use of time You can help them acquire this skill, beginning with simple scheduling Use mentoring appointments as a framework Writing ability Clear writing is essential to most careers, especially those in administration and management Engage your students in writing tasks and emphasize its importance Oral communication Speaking is at least as important as writing Students must be able to present ideas and results to other scientists and engineers, as well as to the lay public and specialists in other fields For students with low confidence, begin with "safe" exercises: Ask them questions and let them respond without interrupting As they gain confidence, move on to class presentations and talks at student disciplinary-society meetings Help them develop their research presentations Leadership Advise students to join and take a leadership role in disciplinary societies, journal clubs, student government, class exercises, and volunteer activities Creative thinking A productive scientist or engineer is one who approaches problems with an open mind Give students permission to move beyond timid or conventional solutions and remind them that original thinking carries some risk Provide an environment where it is safe to take intellectual risks People skills Discourage students from working in isolation from others People skills-the abilities to listen, to share ideas, and to express oneself-are  indispensable for most positions Look for opportunities to include shy or withdrawn students in social gatherings and group projects Teamwork Learning is often most effective within a community of scholars Cooperative problem-solving skills can be developed through group exercises, collaborative laboratory work, and other team projects Team skills have gained importance with the trend toward multidisciplinary work in science and engineering Mentors are also expected to maintain close contact with mentees during the academic year as well during the internship Appendix III: Marketing Plan AFS and TWS intend to market the program to potential applicants in a number of ways We plan on developing written materials describing the program (e.g., brochures, e-mail blasts, web pages, print ads, letters, etc.) and disseminate them widely Promotion will be focused on places where we hope to gain exposure to diversity students pursuing natural resources studies, including traditional black colleges, tribal colleges, Hispanic leaning colleges in the Southwest, colleges listed as having fisheries and wildlife programs that are listed on the AFS and TWS websites, etc We will also work through and, when possible, display at the conferences of organizations that represent diversity students, such as Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources and Related Sciences (MANRRS), Science and Engineering Alliance (SEA), Minorities in Natural Resources Committee (MINRC) , and Society for the for Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS) In addition, we will advertise the program through the National Association of University Fisheries and Wildlife Programs (NAUFWP), National Association of University Forestry Programs (NAUFP) and their parent society, the Association of Public and Land Grant Universities (APLU) We will also engage our student chapters and advisors who may also be able to identify potential applicants for the program