Congratulations to the following members who were elected to leadership positions that will begin on 1 January 2015.
AGU Board of Directors
AGU Council: Student and Early-Career Positions
AGU Sections and Focus Groups
Atmospheric and Space Electricity Focus Group
Atmospheric Sciences Section
Biogeosciences Section
Cryosphere Focus Group
Earth and Planetary Surface Processes Focus Group
President-elect: William E. Dietrich
Earth and Space Science Informatics Focus Group
Geodesy Section
Geomagnetism and Paleomagnetism Section
Global Environmental Change Focus Group
Hydrology Section
Mineral and Rock Physics Focus Group
Natural Hazards Focus Group
Near-Surface Geophysics Focus Group
Nonlinear Geophysics Focus Group
Ocean Sciences Section
Paleoceanography and Paleoclimatology Focus Group
Planetary Sciences Section
Seismology Section
Societal Impacts and Policy Sciences Focus Group
Space Physics and Aeronomy Section
Study of the Earth’s Deep Interior Focus Group
Tectonophysics Section
Volcanology, Geochemistry, and Petrology Section
Section and focus group presidents-elect will also serve on the AGU Council.
The Governance Committee thanks all the candidates for their willingness to serve AGU. Candidates not elected this year will be encouraged to serve in other leadership positions.
Election Statistics
On 17 September 2014, AGU members completed voting for the 2015–2016 leadership term. Union officers, Board members, section and focus group officers, and student and early-career representatives to the Council were elected. All members who joined or renewed their membership by 7 August 2014 were eligible to vote in this year’s leadership election.
The vote was held electronically, and access to voting was provided to all eligible voters for a period of 31 days. The voting was conducted by Survey and Ballot Systems, Inc. (SBS). SBS, which offers election planning and management services, provided unique login links and other support services for eligible voters throughout the election. Voting results were certified by SBS on 19 September and were reviewed by the AGU Governance Committee on 22 September.
The total number of ballots validated in the election was 7591. The number of eligible voters was 46,484, making the participation rate 16.2%.
SBS provided all voters with the opportunity to rate their satisfaction with the voting process. A little more than 8% of voters provided a rating, and 90.6% were satisfied or very satisfied. Voters provided many comments and suggestions, which AGU will analyze and discuss over the coming weeks. Voter feedback is very important, and comments received in 2012 were instrumental in helping the Governance Committee plan for the 2014 election.
One significant change in voting procedures was implemented this year: After input from voters in the 2012 AGU election and discussion with section and focus group leaders, the Governance Committee recommended that the Council lift the restriction of voting for leadership in a maximum of three sections and focus groups. AGU allows members to belong to as many sections and focus groups as desired to encourage inter- and transdisciplinary research. The Council agreed that members should therefore have the right to vote in all sections and focus groups to which they belong.
The election was supported by communication throughout the year. The Governance Committee published the election timeline and proposed slate in May (Eos, 95(18), 152, doi:10.1002/2014EO180006) and the final slate in June (Eos, 95(25), 211, doi:10.1002/2014EO250005). This information was also communicated through AGUniverse, a biweekly electronic newsletter that is sent to all AGU members. A special elections website, including frequently asked questions, was created to aid members with the voting process. Promotion of the election used the AGU home page, Eos, AGUniverse, Facebook, Twitter, and emails. The election vendor sent four emails to eligible voters throughout the election.
After reviewing the election report provided by SBS, the Governance Committee kicked off the process to notify candidates and announce the results. The process requires that all 110 candidates be notified before the election results are publicly announced. Each of the 23 sections and focus groups provided a single point of contact to receive results and inform candidates. Mike McPhaden, the AGU Governance Committee chair, contacted Board candidates, and other Governance Committee members contacted the student and early-career candidates. Results were released online on 3 October 2014.
The Governance Committee expresses its gratitude to all candidates and to all AGU members who voted in this very important election.
—AGU Governance Committee: Mike McPhaden (Chair); email: michael.j.mcphaden@noaa.gov; Benjamin Dewayne Branch; Julie Brigham-Grette; Mary Anne Carroll; Jaime Urrutia Fucugauchi; Harry Green; Abby Kavner; Chris McEntee; and Cheryl Enderlein
© 2014. American Geophysical Union. All rights reserved.
© 2014. American Geophysical Union. All rights reserved.