The Genetic Epistemologist

Table of Contents for this issue:

Highlights from the Minutes of the Twenty-Sixth Winter Meeting of the Executive Committee

Saturday, January 27, 1996
The Doubletree Hotel, Philadelphia

In Attendance:

Michael Chandler (presiding), William Gray, Cynthia Lightfoot (recording), Ulrich Meüller (student member), Katherine Nelson, Peter Pufall, Ellin Scholnick, Robert Selman, Elliot Turiel

Absent:

David Bearison, Willis Overton

President's Remarks

1. The slate of proposed nominees for election to the Board in June is as follows: Thomas Bidell, Dante Cicchetti, Patricia Greenfield, Geoffrey Saxe, and Jacques Von¸che.

2. Terry Brown has agreed graciously to act as temporary Production Manager of the GE; we need to work to identify someone willing to take over this post. Pete Pufall, Bill Gray, and Theo Dawson have been lending their time and talents.

3. In the wake of Gerald Weinstein's resignation it was agreed that Chris Lalonde should assume responsibility for managing the Piaget List Server.

4. It was decided to share with ACT the costs of hosting their invited speaker, Paul Cobb.

5. It was decided that LEA is to handle book sale at the 1996 Symposium. Pufall agreed to work with Judy Amsel and the LAC to insure that a safe but well trafficked location is identified. Student volunteers will be encouraged to assist in the staffing of this sale. The possibility of JPS running the Book Sale at future Symposia was discussed.

6. Chandler distributed a draft of revisions to our Bylaws (last amended in October, 1989) which reflects his understanding of 7 years' worth of Board decisions and that would substantively alter the 1989 document. We are called upon to review the draft, and provide him with feedback in the next 3-4 weeks so that he can bring forward a final draft for approval at the June board meeting.

7. Chandler distributed a draft of what is to become our Policies and Procedures Manual. This, also, needs to be reviewed, and feedback provided.

8. It was agreed that we should pursue some form of corporate sponsorship for the principal purpose of supporting our third world colleagues' participation in Society activities and functions.

9. It is essential that we identify a President Elect by June, and individuals were encouraged to communicate their ideas both to Michael and David Bearison, chair of Nominations. The position is costly in terms of time and money, and there was some discussion about how to make it more attractive. Ellin Scholnick introduced the possibility of regularly including in the annual Symposium a Presidential Address which would be published subsequently in GE or the Symposium volume. It was agreed that this proposal should go on the Agenda for the June meeting of the Board.

10. Our current Vice President, Peter Pufall, will not be able to serve the full 3 year term of office. He urged that a replacement be identified by June in order that the new VP-Elect could be tutored through the fall, and prepared for organizing the 1997 Symposium.

11. The approved slate of Ex-officio members (pending further collaborations with the Nominations Committee) is as follows:
    

    Nominations: David Bearison
    Publications: Harry Beilin, Chris Lalonde, Theo Dawson
    Symposium: Connie Milbrath, Susan Gelman
    Finance: Terry Brown, Kurt Fischer
    Membership: Eric Amsel, Jack Meacham
    Outreach: This committee is to be organized as a network of domains of interest, with 3 Ex-Officio members chosen to head up networks of colleagues from the international, educational and clinical spheres.

12. Given JPS's commitment to international outreach, it was agreed that some general policy should be set to allow for invited JPS representation at international meetings to be properly chosen and perhaps partially financed. A discussion of this is to be included on the Agenda for the June meeting of the Board.

Standing Committee Reports

Finance Committee Report:

1. William Gray circulated a summary of JPS finances. The funds in the two bank accounts sum to $42,181.31.

2. A draft of the 1996 Membership Letter was circulated, and feedback sought. It included directions for signing up, a snazzy Membership Renewal Statement form, and instructions for being included in a directory located on the Society's world wide web homepage.

Publications Committee Report:

1. Ellin Scholnick reported that the Noam/Fischer Symposium volume is out, and that progress on upcoming volumes is continuing as it should.

2. The Publications Committee promised to develop guidelines for publication practices and editorial policy pertinent to producing the Genetic Epistemologist.

Nominations Committee Report:

Program Organizers Report:

1. Peter Pufall circulated a summary of the submissions and acceptances, and a tentative schedule for the 1996 Symposium, which was discussed at length.

2. There was a tour of the site.

3. Ellin Scholnick circulated copies of abstracts for invited presentations.

Symposium Committee Report:

1. For 1997, assuming that Saxe or another appropriate person can be identified as a second Organizer, the theme will be Culture and Cognition, the venue, Chicago, or perhaps southern California.

2. For 1998, the theme will be Theory and Application, the venue, Boston.

3. For both Symposia, ideas and feedback are strongly encouraged, and should be communicated by means of the ACTION distribution list (JPS-Action@unixg.ubc.ca).

4. We need to explore new ways of promoting JPS. Possibilities discussed include exploiting the local market of the Annual Symposium sites, and putting a flyer on the world wide web.

Other Business

1. The June Board meetings will be held Thursday, 12-1:30, and Saturday, 4:45 until 7:00, or thereabouts. (Please note that there will not be a Wed., June 5th Board Meeting in advance of the Symposium, as was done in Berkeley. The Executive Committee's decision to set this perhaps risky course of action was taken on the expectation that much of the necessary but time consuming process of information sharing can be better accomplished by circulating advanced copies of relevant reports on the Board list server.)

2. New nominees will attend the first board meetings as on-lookers.

Respectfully submitted,