MAA Dues Structure Simplified

MAA Dues Structure Simplified

You'll see a different — and simpler! — structure to MAA dues, starting with the dues notice for 2007. The new structure replaces the current dues matrix. The restructuring was approved by the MAA Board of Governors in January. The goals were to: simplify the dues notice and to determine dues by considering actual costs. In particular, the new structure reflects the fact that many MAA activities do not produce revenue — such things as administration, governance, planning, and programs that are not fully funded externally (Project NExT, for example). The idea is that member dues should reflect the actual cost of these activities.

The new structure has two parts: a base rate and additional items.

The base rate for each member category includes membership and exactly one journal — one rate for just the American Mathematical Monthly, and another for either just the College Mathematics Journal or just the Mathematics Magazine (both of which publish half as many issues a year as the Monthly does). The base rate for Regular members should be approximately equal to the per-member share of the cost of MAA operations that do not produce revenue plus average cost of the journal selected. It is currently less than this, and so the rate will gradually be adjusted to that level. For 2007, the base rate for Regular members will be $178 for those choosing the Monthly and $158 for those choosing the Magazine or the CMJ.

Members will be able to select additional items for their total membership package. These can include membership in SIGMAAs, subscriptions to journals not included under the base rate, subscriptions to Math Horizons, and JSTOR access. The prices of these options will be the same in every member category, discounted or not. In 2007 the prices of additional journal subscriptions will be $56 for the Monthly and $36 each for the CMJ and the Magazine.

As happens now, the base rates for members in discounted categories will be certain percentages of the Regular base rate. The base rate for “Regular Discounted” members will be $142 for the Monthly and $126 for either the Magazine or the CMJ. For Retired members, the base rates will be $89 and $79, respectively; for Graduate Student members, $59 and $52, respectively.

The practical effects for 2007 will be a much simpler dues form and a modest increase in dues that better reflects the fiscal realities of the Association. Here are two examples.

1) A Regular member taking the Monthly and the CMJ will have dues of $214 ($178 Regular base with the Monthly + $36 CMJ subscription, or $158 Regular base with the CMJ + $56 Monthly subscription).

2) A Discounted Regular member taking those same journals will have dues of $178 ($142 Discounted Regular base with the Monthly + $36 CMJ subscription) or, if preferred, of $182 ($126 Discounted Regular base with the CMJ + $56 Monthly subscription). Thus, discounted members taking the Monthly will save (a little) money by choosing the Monthly as their base journal.

The Board of Governors hopes that members find the new dues structure both simpler and more logical and the dues notices simpler and shorter. Questions can be addressed to MAA Director of Membership Jim Gandorf (jgandorf@maa.org) or to MAA Budget Committee Chair Jim Daniel (daniel@math.utexas.edu).