I have two areas I would like to comment on in my role as VP(at large):
(1) Wiley Sponsored Membership Scheme;
(2) Links with other societies (esp. ISSS).
(1) Wiley Sponsored Membership Scheme;
The scheme is now currently running and we have two new members under the scheme from Malaysia. However, to develop this scheme further and integrate it with the other memberships of SDS I recommend that the VP(Member Services) takes over the chair of this committee.
Many thanks to Roberta Spencer, Graham Russell (from Wileys) and the WSM committee members David Lane, Scott Rockart and Graham Winch for their support and assistance with getting this scheme established
(2) Links with other societies (esp. ISSS).
I have recently returned from attending the 50th anniversary conference of the International Society for System Sciences (ISSS) in Sonoma, California. It was a very interesting conference covering a wide diversity of topics, philosophies, methodologies and applications from within the wide field of the systems sciences. Just a small number of people from the SD community were present, including George Richardson, who was an invited keynote speaker.
I would like to suggest that SDS tries to establish more a formal long term
relationship with ISSS (web site: http://www.isss.org/ )for the following reasons:
(i) System dynamics is a field within the systems sciences
(ii) Wiley & sons publish both the SDS journal System Dynamics Review and
the ISSS journal Systems Research & Behavioral Science. If joint membership
of SDS and ISSS could be arranged at a substantial discount over two separate
memberships then members would gain the benefits of belonging to both communities,
and hopefully both communities would ultimately benefit.
(iii) ISSS has a large number of Special Integration Groups (SIGs), which would
be of great interest to SDS members. Although ISSS has a SIG called ‘Systems
Modeling & Simulation’ which could include the quantitative aspects
of system dynamics, it may be possible to establish a SIG called System Dynamics
within ISSS.
(iv) ISSS tends to hold a lot of their conferences in the Asia Pacific region
and the west USA (incl. Tokyo in 2007). This would complement SDS which tends
to hold most of its conferences in western Europe and east USA. Hence this would
give more choice for joint members of both societies.
Recommendation: that SDS pursue the opportunities for closer formal links with ISSS to provide more opportunities and benefits for members of both international societies.
Finally I would like to send my best wishes for a successful ISD conference at Nijmegen, but unfortunately I cannot be there for financial reasons and other commitments at VUW.
All the best,
Bob Cavana
VP (at large), SDS