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Southern
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President Barbara Smith called the meeting to order at 3:45PM.
The minutes of the previous Business Meeting (2002 Orlando, FL) were distributed and a motion was passed to approve them.
Treasurer's Report (Barbara Smith). The 2002 report, prepared by R.J. McGovern (SD-APS Secretary/Treasurer), was distributed. The beginning balance was $10,137.09. Total income during the year was $9,420.25 while expenses totaled $6,953.29. The ending balance was $12,604.05. A motion to accept the Treasurer's Report passed.
Membership Report (John Damicone). The membership report, prepared by Secretary/Treasurer R.J. McGovern, was distributed. As of 31 March 2003, there were 477 members of SD-APS, an increase of 3 members over the previous year.
Remarks
from the APS President
(Jacque Fletcher). APS President Fletcher greeted the SD-APS members present
and gave an excellent presentation on society activities. She shared the APS
vision statement and the increasingly global society membership. APS Governance
will maintain divisional representation and President Fletcher stressed that
member input through targeted surveys was important. Strategic planning has
been emphasized. Communications is a focus area of APS and on-line resources
are continually added to APSnet. Journal subscriptions continue to be the largest
source of society income. APS is expecting changes in revenue as a result of
the increased emphasis on electronic publishing. The society is studying ways
to find new customers. An example being the Plant Health Network, which currently
contains Plant Health Progress, Crop Management, and Forage
and Grazing Land sections in cooperation with other scientific societies.
The addition of sections on turf and soils is currently being discussed. Other
society issues being addressed include student support, alliances with other
societies, private practitioners, and divisions. President Fletcher announced
the 2008 will be APS's Centennial and a big celebration is being planned for
the annual meeting that year. The Public Policy Board continues its work to
increase funding for plant pathology. Emphasis areas for the Board include genomics,
crop biosecurity, and sustainable agriculture. President Fletcher reminded SD-APS
members of the upcoming APS Annual Meeting to be held in Charlotte, NC.
Necrology Report (John Damicone). A moment
of silence was observed in remembrance of SD-APS members deceased during the
last year. Deceased members were: Dr. John R. Ewardson (FL), Dr. Pascal Pirone
(KY), Dr. Michael C. Y. Lung (KY), Dr. David R. MacKenzie (LA), Dr. Jack A.
Bailey (NC), Dr. Ervin L. Williams (OK), Dr. Gustav McKee Watkins (TX), and
Dr. Walter Thames (TX).
Outstanding Plant Pathologist Award (Barbara Smith). There were no nominations for the award this year. It was speculated that the lack of nominations was a result of the problems with newsletter distribution. President Smith strongly encouraged nominations for next year's meeting.
Councilor's report (Albert Culbreath). Councilor Culbreath presented an informative update on mid-year APS Council activities. Changes in the structure of APS governance continue to evolve. He stressed that a regional structure with divisional representation will be maintained. Council is now focusing on strategic issues while APS headquarters is handling routine matters. Councilor Culbreath announced that Barbara Christ (Penn State University) is chairing a newly formed committee that will focus on strengthening APS Divisions. A breakfast for APS divisional officers will again be offered at the meeting in Charlotte. Councilor Culbreath acknowledged the efforts of Mike Benson and Bonnie Ownley in the newly created SD-APS web site. However, he noted with dismay that only ½ of APS members residing in the Southern Division were SD-APS members. Discussion followed on ways to increase membership in SD-APS. Councilor Culbreath announced that Anaheim, CA and Austin, TX will host the 2004 and 2005 annual APS meetings, respectively. Kira Bowen and Tim Murray were announced as new Senior Editors for Plant Disease and Phytopathology, respectively. Councilor Culbreath reminded the membership of the Southern Division's long-awaited, thrilling march to victory in the DeBary Bowl at the 2002 annual meeting. A motion was made and approved to make a set of T-shirts for Southern Division participants as they defend their title in Charlotte.
Student Travel Award (Mike Benson). Checks in the amount of $300 each to support travel expenses for students presenting papers at the 2003 Pan American Plant Disease Conference/SD-APS Meeting were presented to Layla Sconyers (University of Georgia), Maritza Abril (University of Southern Mississippi), Ronald French (University of Florida), and Fabricio Rodrigues (University of Florida).
Graduate Student Paper Competition (Bonnie Ownley). Past-President Ownley congratulated the seven graduate students who participated in the graduate student paper competition for their excellent presentations. She acknowledged the other members of the Graduate Student Paper Competition Committee (Mike Benson, NC State University) and Ken Seebold (University of Georgia) for the difficult task of selecting winners. The 1st place award ($300) went to F. A. Rodrigues (University of Florida), 2nd place ($200) to Melinda J. Sullivan (NC State University), and 3rd place ($100) to Ronald French (University of Florida).
Vice President Election Results (Barbara Smith). President Smith announced that Tim Brenneman (University of Georgia) was elected Vice President.
Resolution (John Sherwood). John Sherwood solidified his "Chair of One" standing by reading a humorous, but good-natured summary of the events of this year's meeting.
Old Business (Barbara Smith). Discussion occurred on ways to improve distribution of the electronic newsletter. It was agreed to put the APS logo on the SD-APS web site.
New Business (Barbara Smith). It was announced that SD-APS would meet with SAAS in Tulsa, OK in 2004. Dates of the 2004 meeting were not yet available. Vince Morton reminded members of the Disease Assessment Workshop to be held before the 2004 APS meeting in Charlotte, NC. Dave Wedge announced that the APS Chemical Control Committee would be sponsoring a symposium on fungicide resistance at the Charlotte meeting.
Adjournment (John Damicone). The presidential gavel was passed to incoming president John Damicone who expressed appreciation to Barbara Smith for her work and leadership to SD-APS. The meeting adjourned at 5:15PM.
Respectfully submitted by,
John Damicone