Building on the Past - Looking to the Future

January 2005 7

P R E S I D E N T ’ S M E S S A G E

P u b l i s h e d b y t h e I E E E C o m p u t e r S o c i e t y

H appy New Year to everyone.I hope that 2005 is a trulyoutstanding year for you andyours as well as for the IEEEComputer Society.

I find myself in the both enviable andintimidating position of following aseries of outstanding presidents whohave led a transformation of ourSociety, often in the face of almostunbelievable obstacles. We owe a con-siderable debt to these individuals,especially the sequence beginning withGuylaine Pollock and extending to BenWah, Willis King, Steve Diamond, andCarl Chang. Without the dedicatedefforts these folks have willingly pro-vided, and continue to provide, I doubtthat the Computer Society as we knowit would exist today.

In his message to the membership inComputer’s January 2004 issue, then-President Carl Chang referred to theSociety’s vision of being “the leadingprovider of technical professional ser-vices for the world’s computing profes-sionals.” He further indicated that “thetransformation process has begun.”

For 2005, my approach is to buildon the excellent work of the past fiveyears and see that the visions that havebeen articulated can now be success-fully implemented. To accomplish this,I urge all of you reading this message tojoin with me and the team that we haveassembled to make it work. We wel-come and encourage your ideas andyour participation. Come join us in thejourney—the time is right, and thewater is fine.

THE 2005 TEAMLet me first identify the team we have

assembled. The 2005 ExecutiveCommittee includes Past President CarlK. Chang (2004 president), chair of theDepartment of Computer Science atIowa State University, and President-Elect (2006 president) Deborah M.Cooper, the founding president of anindependent consulting firm in Virginiaspecializing in computer security andinformation assurance.

First Vice President Michael R.Williams, head curator at the Com-puter History Museum in SiliconValley, is the chair of the PublicationsBoard. Second Vice President James W.Moore, a senior principal engineer atMITRE Corporation, is chair of theElectronic Products and Services Board.

The vice president for conferencesand tutorials is Yervant Zorian, vicepresident and chief scientist of VirageLogic and chief technology advisor ofLogicVision. Stephanie M. White, aprofessor of computer science and man-

agement engineering in the College ofInformation and Computer Science,Long Island University, is the vice pres-ident for technical activities. ChristinaM. Schober, a product team leader/staffengineer at Honeywell Sensor GuidanceProducts Division, is vice president forchapters activities. Murali R. Varanasi,a professor of computer science andengineering at the University of NorthTexas College of Engineering, is the vicepresident for educational activities.Susan K. (Kathy) Land, a software engi-neering section manager for NorthropGrumman in Huntsville, Ala., is vicepresident for standards.

The Board secretary is Stephen B.Seidman, dean of the College of Com-puting Sciences at the New JerseyInstitute of Technology; the treasureris Rangachar Kasturi, the HoodProfessor and chair of computer sci-ence and engineering at the Universityof South Florida. As prescribed bySociety bylaws, Computer’s editor inchief, Doris L. Carver, the associatevice chancellor of Research andGraduate Studies and a professor ofcomputer science at Louisiana StateUniversity, is also a member of theExecutive Committee.

In addition to David W. Hennnage,Executive Director of the ComputerSociety, the three members of the IEEEBoard of Directors elected by Societymembers serve as nonvoting membersof the Executive Committee: 2005-2006 IEEE Division VIII Director SteveDiamond, who completed his term asone of the Society’s “three Ps”—thecurrent president, the immediate pastpresident, and the president-elect—in2004; Gene F. Hoffnagle, the researchand technology strategist for IBM’sCenters for Advanced Studies, IEEEDivision V Director; and Oscar N.Garcia, a professor and founding deanof the college of engineering at theUniversity of North Texas.

In 2005, Jean M. Bacon and GeorgeV. Cybenko will return for their secondterms as members of the Board ofGovernors. Newly elected to the Boardare the following individuals: Richard

Building on thePast—Looking to the Future

Gerald L. Engel,IEEE Computer Society President

8 Computer

P r e s i d e n t ’ s M e s s a g e

A. Kemmerer, Susan K. (Kathy) Land,Itaru Mimura, Brian M. O’Connell,and Christina M. Schober. In a specialelection conducted during the Board ofGovernors meeting in November, JimIsaak and Rohit Kapur were selectedto fill vacancies on the Board.

I look forward to working with thisexcellent group of leaders in our field.

EXPRESSION OF APPRECIATION I must also extend my thanks and

best wishes to a number of individualswho are completing their terms of ser-vice to our Society.

The following Society leaders com-pleted terms on the Executive Com-mittee in 2004: Lowell G. Johnson,Vice President for Electronic Productsand Services; Richard A. Kemmerer,Vice President for Chapter Activities;and James D. Isaak, 2003-2004 IEEEDivision VIII Director. We will misstheir contributions as members of theExecutive Committee this year, and welook forward to their involvementagain in the future.

Departing from the Board of Gover-nors at the end of 2004 were RicardoBaeza-Yates, Haruhisa Ichikawa, andThomas W. Williams. We thank themfor their service; we will miss them andtheir valuable contributions to theSociety.

I also want to extend a specialthank-you to Wolfgang K. Giloi for hisoutstanding work as the 2004 chair ofthe Computer Society Awards Com-mittee. He has established a standardby which all future leadership of thiscommittee will be measured.

I would be remiss in failing toacknowledge the contributions ofmembers of the Computer Society staff,including Anne Marie Kelly, AssociateExecutive Director; Angela Burgess,Publisher; Violet S. Doan, Director,Administration; Robert G. Care,Director, Information Technology;Richard J. Price, Assistant Publisher;and Desmona D. Harris, Manager,Finance and Accounting. One of thegreatest strengths of the Society is oureffective volunteer-staff partnership,

all of our constituents—members, cus-tomers, and the public at large—aboutthe great things that are happening inour Society. My hope is that this will,in turn, serve as a positive public rela-tions effort that will naturally lead toincreases in our membership, the num-ber of customers we serve, the effectivelinkages between our existing pro-grams, the esteem in which we are held,and, finally, in effective ties that willensure the success of SP-5.

I expect that a result of this effort willbe the formation of an ad hoc commit-tee to determine how to best present theface of the Society. I have been temptedto call this either a marketing group ora public relations group, but it has beenobserved that both of these terms carrysome level of baggage. Hence, I willrefer to this as the “Virtual MarketingAd Hoc Committee” until a betterdescription is suggested.

RELATIONS WITH THE IEEEI also anticipate that in the coming

year we will continue to positivelydevelop our relationship with the IEEE.Certainly, much has been accomplishedin this effort in the past several years,but often this has been done at a highcost in terms of volunteer and staff timethat could have been devoted moreproductively to other things.

With the leadership of our IEEE divi-sion directors, the careful attention ofthe three Ps, and the concurrence ofour Board of Governors, I hope thatwe can clearly articulate our vision forthe future within the IEEE and beginmovement toward its implementation.

Indeed, our linkages within the IEEEare probably better now than theyhave been for years. I believe there isan opportunity for the successful res-olution to any existing differences tothe benefit of all concerned.

OTHER OUTSIDE RELATIONSIn addition to the IEEE, we have

relationships with a number of otherorganizations and associations. I planto carefully evaluate all of these rela-tionships in the coming year to deter-

and it is these folks who make it hap-pen. They are the continuing voice ofthe organization, and they do an excep-tionally good job in this role.

Finally, I regret that space limitationsprevent me from adding thanks to allthe others who make the Society whatwe are. Whether your involvement iswith one of the standing committees,chapters, conferences, educationalactivities, electronic products and ser-vices, publications, standards, or as astaff member, we couldn’t have done itwithout you. Thank you very much.And, in the sense that every good deedresults in another request, I look for-ward to even more contributions fromyou in 2005.

2005 PLANSAs I mentioned earlier, the Computer

Society has benefited over the past sev-eral years from leadership by realvisionaries. As a result, with the com-pletion of the 2004 Strategic Plan,“Evolving the World with the World’sComputer Society” (SP-5), we haveprepared ourselves for a move into anexciting and dynamic future. I view myprimary role as being the one to ensurethis is done smoothly, while maintain-ing all of our existing strengths.

Perhaps our biggest concern shouldbe whether we are effectively highlight-ing all the great things we have doneand continue to do. Indeed, this may beone of our most significant weaknesses.Over the past year, I have been amazedat the number of times I have heardabout how one of our peer societies wasundertaking the development of a planto solve a problem that we had success-fully addressed years ago.

As a result, I am going to ask each ofour program boards to focus initiallyon ways in which we can better inform

With the completion of SP-5, we have prepared

ourselves to move into an exciting and dynamic future.

January 2005 9

been extremely helpful and effective,and I would like to see them expandedin 2005.

T hank you for giving me theopportunity to serve as the 2005Computer Society President. I sin-

cerely hope that, at the end of the year,you will be able to conclude that I dida good job.

Hopefully, reading between thelines, you have seen my main message:I need your help. Let me hear fromyou. What are we doing well? Whatare we not doing so well? What should

mine if they are in fact in our best inter-ests and whether they are implementedin the best way possible. From this, wewill be able to determine the optimalway to proceed in the future.

I also hope to expand our presencewell beyond our peer organizations. In2004, we began holding informal din-ner meetings with the leadership ofother scientific and educational asso-ciations and government agencies withsimilar interests. So far, these effortshave focused primarily on organiza-tions in the Washington, D.C., area,where our headquarters offices arelocated. I believe these meetings have

we be doing that we currently are notdoing? Most importantly, what canyou contribute?

I cannot promise that we will be ableto do everything suggested, but I dopromise you a hearing regarding what-ever you tell me. I look forward tohearing from you and to working withyou in 2005. �

Gerald L. Engel is a professor of com-puter science and engineering at theUniversity of Connecticut. Contacthim at president@computer.org.

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