BACKGROUND
It is widely documented that fundamental changes in modes of communication, demographics, new technologies, and intergenerational attitudes and expectations are forcing professional societies such as the Mathematical Association of America (MAA) to re-examine their traditions and practices and find ways to take advantage of the opportunities that these changes present. In January 1999, the MAA Board of Governors asked a group of members, officers, and staff to review the status of the MAA, and to prepare recommendations to guide the Association during the first three years of the new century.
In preparation for the work of this planning group, MAA staff obtained input from committees and councils of the MAA, from current and past Project NExT Fellows, Section officers, and individual members. In addition, a professional survey firm, Kerr & Downs, carried out a major telephone survey of MAA members. The survey focused on members’ perceptions of the value of the MAA, their views on current publications and services, and new products or services they believe the MAA should launch. A total of 558 telephone interviews were conducted, and a summary of the results prepared. Kerr & Downs also prepared a series of recommendations to the MAA, based on the results of the survey and its experience with over 300 other associations.
The planning group met for two days, March 26-27, 1999. It reviewed the data and commentaries that had been collected over a period of several months, discussed many critical items, and identified new or renewed directions for the MAA. This document presents the recommendations of the group for priority action over the next three years.
THE MAA’S MISSION
The planning group examined the current MAA mission statement, which has changed only slightly since the founding of the MAA in 1915, and concluded that a broader, more explicit, statement of mission would serve the Association better in the 21st century. The current mission of the MAA is:
To advance the mathematical sciences, especially at the collegiate level.
The proposed mission is:
To promote communication, teaching and learning, and research in mathematics and its uses, especially at the collegiate level, for all who are interested in the mathematical sciences.
The planning group agreed that communication is one of our major activities and major challenges. We have successful journals at different levels already meeting the needs of many members, and we are considering additions to our family of journals. Our book publishing is going very well and promises even more to support the aims of the Association. These same aims help shape MAA Online as it grows and evolves as an increasingly important source of day-to-day information and as a forum for discussion of issues of interest to members.
The interconnected activities of teaching and learning have been a focus of the MAA from its inception, and the MAA continues to be the major voice supporting the efforts of individuals and departments to do a better job of this primary responsibility. Many of our efforts will continue to involve cooperation with granting agencies and other organizations concerned with the advancement of our profession, particularly in the encouragement and education of new teachers.
Research in mathematics and mathematics education has been a part of our publications and presentations at sectional and national meetings from the founding of the MAA in 1915, and we recognize the importance of nourishing the relationship between teaching and research at all levels. Interest in the uses of mathematics has always been high within the MAA, but new emphasis on applications is needed as mathematics becomes increasingly important in other areas, such as economics, business, biology, chemistry, physics, psychology, and art.
The phrase “especially at the collegiate level” acknowledges our traditional commitment to serving members working in universities, four-year colleges, and two-year colleges. We also recognize that our concerns overlap considerably with those involved in pre-college education and graduate-level education, as well as those committed to research.
Finally, in order to include the greatest breadth of audience for our MAA activities, we state our commitment to serving “all who are interested in the mathematical sciences.” By this we mean to reach beyond our traditional core group of academic mathematicians to welcome undergraduate and graduate students, former mathematics students now working in the private and public sectors, academics in allied disciplines (such as statistics and operations research), and all those enamored of the beauty of mathematics.
A NEW AGENDA
The planning group examined both membership and fiscal trends of the Association, and confirmed that the decline in membership since 1994 is serious and requires both additional research to determine why members are leaving the MAA, and vigorous retention and recruitment efforts. The group agreed that there is no “right” size for the MAA, and therefore no specific membership goal that should be set. The focus, instead, should be on the mission of the organization and whether it is reaching and serving the populations identified in the mission statement. In formulating a more explicit proposed statement of mission, it became clear that not only are there many people in the MAA's traditional core who are not joining or retaining their memberships in the MAA, but also that there is a much broader population which should be included in our target audience, to be served through membership, publications, meetings, and on-line services.
Topics of Discussion
The planning group discussed eight topical areas at length during the retreat:
The selection of these topics was based on the commentaries and recommendations gathered from committees, councils, and individual members, and from officers and staff. The planning group made a clear distinction between “what to do” and “how to do it.” The group’s discussions were limited to “what to do.” The details of “how to do it” will be dealt with in depth in the implementation phase of the planning project which will be launched after this report and its recommendations receive Board of Governors’ approval. Because of the natural affinity and interconnectedness of the topical areas, several topics were lumped together for discussion and recommendation.
A healthy financial base is essential for any organization seeking to serve its members and carry out its mission more effectively and to launch new programs and services. The MAA’s fiscal resources were discussed at the retreat. However, the group decided not to select financial resources as one of the priority topics on the grounds that finances should not drive programming. Each action item below will require fiscal resources. How these resources are to be secured – from the operating budget, from contributions, from external grants, or elsewhere – will have to be determined by the MAA leadership as detailed plans are developed.
The Five Priority Action Items
The group discussed many current and potential projects, publications, and issues, recognizing that the MAA is a large organization with many facets. In response to its charge to focus on those aspects of the MAA which are fundamental to the health and effectiveness of the organization over the next three years, the group selected five priorities for MAA’s New Agenda. The group was very clear that this does NOT mean that other on-going or projects in the planning stage are not important to the future of the organization. They are. But the information about MAA’s membership reviewed carefully by the group, along with information gained from the telephone survey and the input from members and committees, made it abundantly clear that the decline in membership must be addressed immediately and vigorously.
The priorities selected by the planning group as critical to the health of the Association all relate directly to retaining the members we have, and attracting a broad range of new members. The priorities are: Better Serve and Expand Our Diverse Membership; Communicate the Programs, Products, Services, and Activities of the MAA More Effectively; Continue to Develop MAA Online, Making it a More Inviting, Sophisticated Member Destination; Facilitate the Formation of Special Interest Groups (SIGs); and, Explore the Possibility of Launching a General Interest Magazine. These priorities are described in more detail below.
I. Better Serve and Expand Our Diverse Membership.
We should utilize a variety of means for getting input from our members about their views on the services, benefits, and programs of the MAA, and then use this information to better serve the members we already have.
In addition, the traditional core of MAA’s membership should be expanded to include many more graduate students, young professionals with bachelor’s degrees in the mathematical sciences, mathematically-trained professionals in business, industry, and government, and individuals who have a personal interest in, and affection for, collegiate mathematics.
There are many ways of achieving this goal, such as new approaches to institutional membership which provide complimentary or low-cost membership to mathematics graduate students, increasing the focus on Student Chapters, widening the circulation of Math Horizons, and providing special low rates for young professionals. However, care needs to be taken to assure that new approaches and/or services can be introduced without detracting from the benefits and services offered to the traditional core membership. We should continue to seek to attract into membership all undergraduate mathematics faculty.
The MAA already serves over 1,000 international members. With the advent of geography-independent communication, we should explore new services, such as electronic-only membership for our colleagues abroad.
II. Communicate the Programs, Products, Services, and Activities of the MAA More Effectively.
The MAA has many ways of communicating with its members, and has done reasonably well in informing members about publications, workshops, meetings, and other activities. However, we need to be more effective in informing members about the many ways in which we serve the general mathematics community -- e.g., testimony before Congress about legislation affecting mathematics education and research, programs to serve the needs of young people entering the profession, etc. More effective communication throughout the organization, including its 29 sections, about MAA’s programs, products, and service to the profession should help improve MAA’s image in the minds of members and convince them of the value of membership.
Many associations and businesses are moving to a more personal, one-on-one approach to members and prospective members. While the MAA prides itself on its friendliness and openness, this may not be the way some members, particularly those outside of the core membership, experience their membership. To carry out this more personal type of interaction, the MAA needs to develop a sophisticated database which is capable of capturing more information about each member and their interests, recent purchases, etc., information which can be quickly retrieved when members log onto MAA Online or interact with MAA staff and officers. Information from this database should prove useful in assisting Section leaders to personalize interactions with members of their Sections as well.
III. Continue to Develop MAA Online, Making it a More Inviting, Sophisticated Member Destination.
Over the next three years, we aim to enhance and extend MAA Online so that all MAA members will be much better informed of products and services that are central to their individual needs. In addition to on-line ordering of books, which is expected to be fully operational by August 1999, and on-line discussion groups, we are looking forward to the development of a relational database system that is fully integrated with MAA Online. This database will enable membership renewals, as well as member access to their individual Association accounts for book orders, donations history, declarations of areas of interest, order tracking, etc.
It is our goal that after a member has registered (once) on MAA Online, the member will thereafter be individually acknowledged when logging onto MAA Online. Following the acknowledgement, members will be informed of new products and services relating to their specific interests. For example, a member with an interest in the history of mathematics might be informed of new books and videos on the subject, related minicourses and talks to be offered at the next national or section meeting, and online discussion groups on the history of mathematics.
Another enhancement of MAA Online will be access to the electronic archives of MAA journals, including the capability of downloading individual articles. This access will either be member password controlled or available on a “pay-per-view” basis. We also expect to add other features relating to employment information that will be available to MAA members only.
IV. Facilitate the Formation of Special Interest Groups (SIGs).
The MAA should facilitate the formation of SIGs which address special needs, are consistent with the mission of the MAA, and support the national unity of our organization.
The planning group recognized that one of the challenges to MAA membership is the ease of electronic communication. Mathematics faculty and students almost universally now have access to the Internet and, thus, to a world of information and networking far exceeding anything ever seen before. Some of the value received from MAA membership is eroded when virtually everyone has finger-tip access to more information than can possibly be utilized or absorbed, and when anyone can communicate with like-minded colleagues around the world with amazing ease and at little cost. In recent years, several groups have been organized around specific issues. This development has been spurred by the growing convenience of electronic communication.
The group recommends broadening and opening the organization to include on-going informal SIGs, such as the ARUME, History and Project NExT ListServs, as well as the formation of new SIGs. Many SIGs will serve members nationally; some may focus on issues of regional concern. The recommendation on SIGs is based in part on the positive response of many members who participated in the Kerr & Downs telephone survey.
The planning group recognized that guidelines for SIGs will need to be established to insure that the SIGs of the MAA are high-quality, are responsive to real needs of members and potential members of the MAA, and strengthen the MAA as a national and regional organization. The guidelines should provide mechanisms for members to propose topics and take leadership roles in the formation of new SIGs.
V. Explore the Possibility of Launching a General Interest Magazine.
The planning group felt that the MAA could and should publish a general interest magazine, about the size of Math Horizons that would appeal to all constituencies of MAA. The Kerr & Downs survey of MAA members also showed strong support for the development of such a magazine. This magazine also might a strong recruiting device for new members. It should be understandable by those with bachelor’s degrees in mathematics, and thus capable of attracting a subscriber base beyond MAA’s membership. Unlike MAA scholarly journals, most articles for the magazine would be only a few pages in length and written in a journalistic style. MAA news, including meetings information, might be included in the magazine, but the bulk of the material should be of broader interest. A study of the market for such a publication will have to be carried out and a market plan developed to help us understand the resources that will be needed for start-up; the relationship between the magazine, the three MAA journals, other MAA periodicals such as FOCUS and Math Horizons, and MAA Online; and the long-term prospects for the magazine. An integral part of this study will be a review of existing MAA periodicals and MAA Online that centers on audience and purpose.
OTHER PRIORITIES
During its two-day retreat, the planning group discussed many other aspects of the work of the Association and actions that need to be carried out. They include the following:
All of these activities, and many more, are important to the future of the MAA, and deserve time, attention, and resources. Many are already underway, but will require considerable expenditures of time and/or money if they are truly to achieve their goals. With increased attention to membership and with strategic expansion of our publications, programs, and services, the MAA should be able to look forward to continued success and vitality in the 21st century.