CONSENT AGENDA

McClain introduces the 2020 APSA Spring Council Meeting minutes for approval. Goren moves to approve the minutes; the motion is seconded by R. Smith and passes unanimously. McClain introduces the proposed Perspectives editorial board changes for Council approval. Goren moves to approve the Perspectives editorial board changes; the motion is seconded by Williams and passes with one abstention. McClain introduces the 2021 record dates for Council approval. Goren moves to approve the 2021 record dates; the motion is seconded by Filindra and passes unanimously. McClain introduces the proposed PS editorial board changes for Council approval. Goren moves to approve the PS editorial board changes; the motion is seconded by Filindra and passes unanimously.

PRESIDENT’S REPORT

McClain provides an update to Council on recent association activities and accomplishments. She begins her report by thanking APSA staff and the 2020 Annual Meeting program chairs, Efren Perez and Andra Gillespie, for their work in transitioning the 2020 Annual Meeting to a fully virtual format. She recognizes Mealy for transitioning the 2020 Ralph Bunche Summer Institute to a virtual format.

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S REPORT

APSA Executive Director Steven Rathgeb Smith provides updates on association programming and operations. S. Smith begins the report by noting the unprecedented times, discussing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on APSA and the discipline and noting the importance of widespread protests against and attention to systemic racism. S. Smith notes that there is uncertainty around teaching models; reduced or eliminated travel and research funding; pressure for digital and open access journals; reduced earned income from membership, rental property, sponsorship, and publication revenue; and an expectation for more public engagement. In response to these challenges, S. Smith emphasizes that APSA must be responsive, flexible, and promote the value of membership while engaging the public on behalf of the discipline. He notes that APSA has undertaken or adjusted several operations and programmatic efforts to better support staff and members in the current environment. S. Smith thanks President McClain, Past-President R. Smith, and Treasurer Pepinsky for their leadership. He concludes by thanking the vice presidents and council members who are concluding their terms, and by thanking the APSA staff.

TREASURER’S REPORT

Treasurer Thomas Pepinsky introduces the treasurer's report to update the Council on the association’s financial position. Pepinsky reports that APSA continues to operate in sound financial shape, even in the midst of unprecedented financial volatility. He reports that, as of July, APSA is not far off from budgeted revenues; although, due to the effects of the pandemic, year-on-year revenue is lower. Expenses have been low and are on par with expenses for the prior year. Despite effects of the pandemic, APSA investments are up as the stock market has recovered. The total fair market value of all APSA investments is $43.1 million, with the most significant investment groups being the Congressional Fellowship Program trust portfolio which totaled $20.6 million and the Trust and Development Portfolio which totaled $20.4 million. As of July, net income was $2.3 million, which exceeds the net income from the same time in the prior year. Pepinsky notes that there is uncertainty surrounding the insurance consequences from the annual meeting. APSA has event insurance which should permit some recovery from losses; however, it is unclear what how much will be paid. He reports that APSA is finalizing the status of the loan that was received from the Payroll Protection Plan program. APSA received $450,000 under the program, but it is not reflected in the revenues as of July 31. Pepinsky reports that the investment committee is working with the financial advisor to continue moving toward socially responsible investing targets. At the end of the 2020 calendar year, 10% of stock holdings will be in socially responsible investment vehicles. He notes that the investment committee can decide to move a greater portion of stock holdings to socially responsible investments if desired. He notes that APSA has suffered no negative consequences as a result of moving stock holdings to socially responsible investments.

S. Smith adds that APSA’s rental income is down as tenants have been affected by the pandemic. He notes that one tenant is moving to a new location, which will further impact rental income but will permit APSA to examine the functionality and use of the building for both APSA and tenants. On behalf of the audit committee, Bowman notes that auditors gave strong praise in the financial operation of the organization.

UPDATE ON 2020 ANNUAL MEETING

S. Smith updates the Council on the status of the 2020 annual meeting. He reports that the transition to a virtual annual meeting, which had been slated to be held in San Francisco, raised the possibility of over $1.5 million in cancellation fees. He notes that one hotel has returned the deposit, but three of the four hotels have not yet responded to the cancellation message from June. The San Francisco Tourist Bureau has contacted APSA about rebooking for 2028, which is the first available date. S. Smith notes that APSA has insurance to cover the lost revenue from the conference. APSA has submitted financial information for insurance purposes, but APSA will not learn the amount of insurance reimbursement until later in the fall of 2020. He reports that the 2020 virtual annual meeting is on track to generate a surplus of revenue over expenses. He notes that, currently, there are close to 5,200 participants in approximately 6,800 roles across 1,300 panels. In addition, there are 31 exhibitors.

UPDATE ON APSA BUILDING AND TELEWORKING

S. Smith introduces discussion of several improvements to the APSA office building for the purpose of updating Council. S. Smith notes that the $2.1 million mortgage that paid for the 2011 renovation and HVAC installation has an outstanding balance of $900,000 and will be paid off in 2024. He reports that the HVAC system has never worked properly and has been inoperable since March 2020. A new HVAC system will be installed in fall 2020. He notes that the rear windows will be replaced, and the historic front windows will be refurbished in fall 2020 to permit all windows to open. He reports that financing will come from operating reserves, and expenses will be capitalized over a multi-year period, which will result in a minimal impact on the annual budget.

S. Smith also updates Council on telework for APSA staff. He reports that APSA staff have been working remotely since March 2020. He notes that the office will not reopen until early 2021 at the earliest, and that an updated teleworking policy offers staff the option to telework until at least July 2021. He notes that, in order to better facilitate teleworking for staff, APSA has made upgrades to its network, purchased laptops for all APSA staff, and offered a telework allowance. Super adds that policies are and will be planned with enough flexibility to meet staff needs and accomplish the mission and work of the organization.

FISCAL YEAR 2021 AND 2021 ANNUAL MEETING

S. Smith introduces discussion of two proposed changes to the APSA’s fiscal management for Council consideration and approval. First, S. Smith offers a proposal to change the fiscal management of the Centennial Center and non-section funds. Currently, growth in these funds is returned back to the award funds as temporarily restricted funds, that may exceed legal and donor intent requirements. Instead, this proposal suggests that the growth in these funds may be pooled, allocated as board-designated funds, and used to support current and future programming, rather than being returned to the award fund. In response to a question from Leal, Super clarifies that only some funds may be altered, depending on the language and intent of the gift agreement. Super notes that the proposal would be for staff to prepare a plan for Council approval which would indicate which temporarily restricted funds can be altered to board designated funds and how those funds can be utilized. She adds that the proposal does not change how those funds are currently used. R. Smith moves to authorize staff to study and make recommendations for how the funds may be redirected in ways consistent with the gift agreement; Goren seconds and the motion passes unanimously.

Next, S. Smith offers a proposal to change the APSA fiscal year from the current October 1–September 30 fiscal year to instead correspond with the calendar year. To enact this change, Council would approve a 3-month budget from October 1, 2020–December 31, 2020. The 2021 fiscal year would then begin on January 1, 2021 and the 2021 fiscal year budget would be approved at a December 2020 Council meeting. S. Smith and Burner note that an altered fiscal year will improve efficiency by aligning operations with accounting and budgeting processes. Linn moves to approve the proposed change in fiscal year; Goren seconds and the motion passes unanimously.

S. Smith directs the Council’s attention to the proposed October 2020–2021 budget and the 2021 annual meeting. He notes the projected membership revenue for 2021, indicating that the updated projections anticipate a 14% decline in membership due to the effects of the pandemic and the shift to a virtual annual meeting. He further notes that planned expenses have been reduced for the upcoming fiscal period as many programs’ budgets have been decreased by 15–20%. S. Smith reports that there is uncertainty regarding an in-person annual meeting in 2021 and that APSA staff will come back to Council in early 2021 with a recommendation on the feasibility of an in-person meeting. The decision will be partly based on the feedback regarding the 2020 virtual annual meeting. In response to a question from McClain, S. Smith reports that it is unlikely that insurance would cover a possible cancellation for the 2021 annual meeting.

MCCLAIN PRESIDENTIAL TASK FORCE UPDATE

McClain introduces discussion of the McClain Presidential Task Force to update Council. She begins by recognizing the sub-committee chairs: John Garcia, University of Michigan; Carol Mershon, University of Virginia; Niambi Carter, Howard University; Cathy Cohen, University of Chicago. She notes that each sub-committee chair is focusing on a specific area in relation to systemic racism within the discipline. Garcia’s sub-committee is studying citation patterns; Mershon’s sub-committee is studying climate and context; Carter’s sub-committee is studying graduate training and graduate student experiences; and Cohen’s sub-committee is studying tenure and promotion standards among faculty of color. McClain notes that the task force’s report and recommendations are expected to be released in fall 2021.

ASSOCIATION RESPONSE TO SYSTEMIC RACISM

S. Smith introduces discussion of the association response to issues of systemic racism for Council discussion and consideration of several proposals. Mealy speaks first on initial plans to enhance and increase support for the McClain Presidential Task Force on Systemic Inequality and ideas for institutionalizing the recommendations and findings once the Task Force has completed its work. Mealy notes possible mechanisms include the creation of a center for equity, issuing guidance for equitable hiring and tenure and promotion practices and recruitment of graduate students, and initiating an equity audit of APSA governance structures and policies to identify practices that may affect inequalities in professional outcomes. Marso asks if the proposed center would have a role in academic freedom and protection of scholars who elect to speak out on social issues. Mealy replies that the exact role of the proposed center is yet to be determined, but it would be a place to amplify the voices of minority scholars and those who study race and ethnicity. She continues by noting that APSA staff and the Council will guide the mission and work of the center as it is developed.

Mealy then turns to the idea of a historical archive project with a focus on race and racism in the profession. Mealy reports that the goal is to investigate the history of race and racism within the profession as well as highlight contributions of minority scholars. She notes that a possible proposal is to update and supplement APSA’s collection of oral histories of African American political scientists through another series of interviews.

Super introduces discussion of the Woodrow Wilson Foundation Award and the possibility of renaming. Super notes that the Wilson Award is the longest running continuous award given by APSA. She reports that it was financially supported by the Woodrow Wilson Foundation until its dissolution in the early 1990s. Since then, Princeton University has supported the award. Super notes that the Executive Committee has recommended suspending the granting of the Wilson Award, and, instead, awarding an unnamed best book award. Super and S. Smith note that, in a few years, after establishing the infeasibility of granting the Wilson Award, APSA and Princeton University would file a joint court action to allow for a change in the name of the Wilson Award while continuing the support from Princeton University. This would be subject to the approval of the Attorney General of New Jersey as it would require a change to the gift agreement. Super reports that if the court action is approved, APSA would explore other funding options. McClain notes that she received a letter from 36 former Wilson Award recipients asking that the award name be changed. Ansell asks if a separate, discipline-wide best book award would be granted in the meantime. S. Smith replies that the Executive Council recommends awarding a best book award that would temporarily be unnamed. Goren moves to suspend the Wilson Award; Pepinsky seconds and the motion passes unanimously. Goren moves to establish the APSA Best Book Award; Pepinsky seconds and the motion passes unanimously. Goren moves to establish a committee to name the APSA Best Book Award; Pepinsky seconds and the motion passes unanimously.

Super then updates Council on a proposed equity audit of the APSA administration, organization, policies, and procedures. This audit would involve working with a consultant specializing in diversity, equity, and inclusion in organizations and nonprofits who would review data from staff surveys as well as data on understanding the experiences of people of color on the APSA staff. The purpose of this data gathering would be to identify and institutionalize best practices for diversity and inclusion.

UPDATE ON 2020 RALPH BUNCHE SUMMER INSTITUTE

Mealy introduces discussion of the 2020 Ralph Bunche Summer Institute (RBSI) to update the Council. Mealy reports that the 2020 RBSI was shifted to a virtual format that provided programming for 16 fellows over the course of four weeks in June and July. She indicates that the virtual RBSI programming included professional development trainings, faculty and RBSI alumni-led research talks, a virtual graduate school fair, and deep dives into main political science subfields. Twenty-five faculty, five grad students, and eight RBSI alumni assisted in various elements of the virtual programming. She reports that the 2020 RBSI fellows will have access to further internal and external opportunities, including a GRE prep course and attendance at the 2020 virtual annual meeting. She notes that seven 2020 RBSI fellows will present research at the 2020 virtual annual meeting.

COVID-19 TASK FORCE UPDATE

Co-chair of the COVID-19 Task Force Virginia Sapiro updates the Council on the association’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Sapiro reports that the task force focused on issues where the association could make a reasonable difference. She refers the Council to the task force’s findings in the report and four statements that had been provided. The four statements attempt to specifically address four constituencies or issues—federal and state funders of higher education, academic institutions, teaching, and personnel and career matters—affected by the pandemic and the multitude of ways in which the pandemic affects each one. Sapiro notes that the hope of the report is that all constituencies realize the diverse ways in which the pandemic affects people. Goren moves to accept the statement on federal and state support for institutions of higher education; Williams seconds and the motion passes unanimously. Goren moves to accept the statement to academic institutions; Williams seconds and the motion passes unanimously. Goren moves to accept the statement on teaching; Williams seconds and the motion passes unanimously. Goren moves to accept the statement on personnel and career matters; Williams seconds and the motion passes unanimously.

RELATED GROUPS POLICY UPDATE

S. Smith introduces discussion of implementation of the new policy on related groups to update the Council. He reports that, over the previous two years, the Meetings and Conferences Committee developed updated policies to encourage related groups to have a closer connection with the association, including entering into memorandums of understanding (MOU) with other 501(c)(3) organizations. He notes that beginning June 1, 2020, the 72 existing related groups could complete bylaws and remain a related group or could enter a MOU with APSA. 41 groups remained a related group, 13 groups entered 9 MOUs, three groups chose to cease functions as a related group, and the status of 15 groups is still pending. Harrigan notes that, of the 15 outstanding groups, two are finalizing bylaws to remain a related group and two are finalizing MOUs. S. Smith reports that related groups must maintain at least 35 APSA members in order to retain their status. Harrigan clarifies that organizations that entered MOUs would not have a membership requirement. S. Smith notes that current related group membership ranges from one member to 69 members per group, and, as of August 31, 2020, there are 549 total related group memberships. Bowman asks if related groups will charge member dues. Harrigan replies that related groups do not currently charge dues, but it is a topic that Council may discuss going forward. Marso asks how the updated policy will affect panel counts. Super and S. Smith reply that related group policy implementation will be continually assessed and that 2019 annual meeting panel counts will be used to determine 2021 annual meeting panel allocation because of the shift to a virtual meeting in 2020.

DDRIG PROGRAM UPDATE

McConaughey introduces discussion of the APSA Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Grants (DDRIG) to update the Council. She reports that, in March 2020, APSA took over the management of the DDRIG program from the National Science Foundation (NSF). APSA received a three-year NSF grant totaling $1.41 million to support doctoral dissertation research in the core areas of political science that NSF seeks to support. The program will support 20–25 grants of $10,000–$15,000 each year totaling approximately $300,000 in grant disbursements yearly. This is similar to the number and amount of awards made by the NSF DDRIG program. McConaughey reports that APSA received 180 applications for the 2020 grant cycle, which was more than expected. After review by a 22-member review panel, she reports that APSA expects to make 23 awards ranging from $7,995–$15,000 for a total award amount of approximately $307,000. Wedeen asks how the 22-member review panel was selected, and if it kept to APSA’s commitment to diversity and inclusion in demographic factors as well as methodological expertise. S. Smith replies that selection of the review panel did include consideration of diversity in both demographic factors and methodological approach. He indicates that APSA put out an open call for reviewers and selected reviewers that were diverse across institution, race, gender, and method. Wedeen asks if the grant recipients were also demographically and methodologically diverse. McConaughey replies that the recipients were diverse in those areas as well as being broadly diverse in subfield and topic.

APSA’S APPROACH TO THE 2020 ELECTION

S. Smith introduces the topic of APSA’s approach to the 2020 election for Council discussion and consideration. He reports on APSA’s Democracy 2020 initiative, meant to highlight the civic engagement APSA is already doing in relation to the 2020 election. Paulson, Schwarz, and Grigg give more detail on elements of Democracy 2020 programming. Paulson notes that APSA staff and members are continuing to mobilize support for the discipline in Congress, including working to create a political science caucus in Congress. Schwarz notes that, as a part of Democracy 2020, APSA began the Raise the Vote campaign in November 2019 to highlight research, teaching, and campus engagement done by political science faculty and students. Super asks for Council feedback on whether the organization is situating itself in a way that is productive in supporting public engagement and scholarship about citizenship, civic engagement, and voting, and maintaining strategic plan commitments to diversity, inclusion, and non-partisanship. Pepinsky, Marso, and Leal comment that non-partisanship is difficult in a highly polarized political environment, especially for a 501(c)(3). S. Smith agrees, and notes that any position must be grounded in political science research. Filindra comments that the membership is looking to APSA for information and guidance, so how APSA handles calls to take positions will impact organizational legitimacy in the eyes of the membership. Price draws attention to the difference between a taking a political position and taking a truthful position that happens to be politicized. Price and Williams notes that APSA should comment on the mechanisms by which the 2020 election will be conducted and the idea of electoral integrity. Marso suggests creating a resource collection regarding democratic and electoral processes. Pepinsky cautions that even a statement about democratic and electoral process that is objectively non-partisan may be interpreted as having a partisan stance and that an administration may use objectively non-partisan statements to identify and suppress civil society groups. R. Smith suggests that carefully crafted statements can be seen as non-partisan and avoid possible pitfalls, but he also notes that statements only have a certain level of impact in broader society. He seconds Marso’s suggestion of a resource collection as well as working with other non-profits on election assistance. Box-Steffensmeier suggests creating a task force to address APSA’s approach to the 2020 election, election assistance, and teaching resources. Price moves to create a task force on election assistance; Goren seconds and the motion passes unanimously.

OPEN ACCESS PREPRINT OVERLAY PROPOSAL

S. Smith introduces a proposal to develop an open access preprint overlay for Council discussion and consideration. S. Smith begins by noting that the Council approved an open access journal in 2015, but the editorial search at that time was unsuccessful. He notes that multiple factors such as increasing government mandates in Europe and the United States for open access to government-funded research, the COVID-19 pandemic, and rising journal submission rates, highlight the need for more publication outlets for political science research and open access. Gurstelle mentions that APSA Preprints, since its launch in 2019, is home to 300 working papers. Gurstelle reports that APSA was the launch partner for Cambridge University Press’s Cambridge Open Engage, a platform which will permit APSA to realize savings with an open access journal. He indicates that Cambridge University Press has suggested an overlay journal with APSA Preprints which would use the existing working paper platform to connect papers to a new open access journal. He notes that overlay journals are common in biology and physics. Gurstelle notes the advantages to an overlay journal: first, articles promoted as preprints would be more cited and downloaded; second, the journal would cover every political science subfield and provide options for content not typically accepted by existing journals; third, the role of the editor would primarily be selecting preprints articles for further review, which would improve speed and transparency for the author; finally, he reports that an overlay journal offers an opportunity to innovate in methods, format, and presentation. Pepinsky asks how an overlay journal would fit within the larger journal environment. Ansell mentions concerns regarding the prestige of an open access journal that is an overlay for APSA Preprints. He suggests that this is a promising trajectory, but he feels it needs more study. Leal seconds that it is a good trajectory, but he expresses concern about the financial ramifications of a fully open access journal. He and Box-Steffensmeier mention that some scholars do not want to go through a review and rejection process with a more prestigious journal and would rather publish in a less prestigious journal. Filindra asks how this proposal would guard against editor bias. Gurstelle replies Preprints has no barriers to submission and might not have self-selection biases. He continues by noting that editors would have to follow guidelines to prevent biases. Super notes that the overlay system would also be more transparent than current journal submission systems. Williams moves to approve continued exploration of an overlay journal with Cambridge University Press and the Publications Policy Committee with recommendations to be brought to Council at a later date; Price seconds and the motion passes with three abstentions.

PROPOSED CHANGES TO PS

S. Smith opens discussion on proposed changes to PS for Council consideration. S. Smith notes that the journal has undergone several changes since its establishment in 1968, with the current format dating to 1993. He reports that the proposal under consideration would remove the associational news and notes section of PS and create a new APSA member magazine. Gurstelle notes the creation of a magazine would open more pages for scholarly material and an expansion of symposia in PS. Gurstelle continues that it would be free online and at a low cost for print copies for members. S. Smith notes that the current PS editors support the proposed changes. Box-Steffensmeier suggests that the proposed magazine could be an avenue to attract undergraduates and highlight practitioner-scholar opportunities. Bowman moves to approve the creation of an APSA magazine and associated changes to PS; Goren seconds and the motion passes with twenty-two ayes, one nay, and one abstention.

NEW ORGANIZED SECTION PROPOSAL

Harrigan opens the discussion on a proposal for a new organized section. She reports that the Formal Theory division has applied to be an organized section. She notes that the proposal was reviewed by the Organized Section Committee and the Membership and Professional Development Committee. Both committees are recommending that Council approve the proposal. Pepinsky moves to approve Formal Theory’s organized section proposal; Bleich seconds and the motion passes with one abstention.

COMMITTEE UPDATES AND REPORTS

Sjoberg, chair of the Membership and Professional Development Policy Committee, provides updates on the work of the committee. She reports that the committee is working to increase diversity in membership, increase international membership, and update the APSA website to provide more information for international members. She notes that the committee has expressed concern that there is a lack of strategic planning around the associational goals in relation to organized sections and has raised questions to guide strategic planning of organized sections, including the impacts of claiming of intellectual uniqueness, impacts of a proposal that is a subsection of an existing section, the criteria on which section proposals should be judged, and the goal of sections. Sjoberg reports that the committee is proposing that Council task the Membership and Professional Development Committee and Organized Section Committee with conducting a strategic review of organized sections and their role within the association. Sjoberg moves that Council task the Membership and Professional Development Committee and Organized Section Committee with conducting a strategic review of organized sections and their role within the association; Sinclair-Chapman seconds and the motion passes with twenty-three ayes and one nay.

Leal, chair of the Publications Policy Committee, provides updates on the work of the committee. Leal reports that the Publications Policy Committee has worked with the APSA journals to make greater commitments toward diversity. Leal reports that each journal’s editorial board wrote a statement on editorial board diversity. He notes that these statements will stand for each journal rather than have a single statement for all editorial boards due to the varying goals, roles, and objectives of each journal and editorial board. Carens moves to accept the statements provided by APSA journals regarding editorials boards and that these statements be reviewed at the beginning of editorial terms and when making changes to editorial boards; Goren seconds and the motion passes unanimously.

Goren, member of the Public Engagement Policy Committee, provides updates on the work of the committee. She reports that the committee is continuing its work on developing a report about how public engagement factors into tenure and promotion decisions within institutions and departments. She notes the report has been delayed by the pandemic, but the committee will continue work on the report. S. Smith notes that this topic is of great interest in peer associations.

Linn, chair of the Conference and Meetings Policy Committee, reports that the committee has no updates to provide.

Julia Jordan-Zachery, chair of the Teaching and Learning Policy Committee, provides updates on the work of the committee. She reports that the committee is currently considering three topics: first, the committee is discussing support for contingent faculty through membership fees and access to eJobs as the market changes during and as a result of the pandemic; next, the committee is discussing how to offer support for online teaching, including drawing on the expertise of community colleges in online teaching; finally, the committee is discussing issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion. She notes the committee is considering creating a subcommittee or annual meeting panel to address the topics of diversity, equity, and inclusion.

VOTE ON BUDGET

S. Smith introduces the three-month budget for October 1, 2020-December 31, 2020 for Council approval. Linn moves to approve the proposed budget; the motion is seconded and passes unanimously.

NEW BUSINESS

S. Smith introduces discussion on the question of whether APSA should take a position on the scholars’ strike, and, if so, what that position should be. S. Smith notes that the draft statement before Council was written by the three presidents: McClain, R. Smith, and Box-Steffensmeier. Sjoberg and R. Smith comment that the statement does not mention that a striker would not be penalized for abstaining from roles at the 2020 annual meeting on strike days. R. Smith adds that a sentence should be included about APSA respecting academic freedom and the civic commitments of scholars. Pepinsky asks if it would be prudent to include the specific reasons for the scholar strike, considering scholars may strike for various reasons, or if it would be more prudent to echo R. Smith’s comment about respecting civic commitments of scholars in a general sense. Sjoberg moves to approve the statement conditional on amendment by the presidents to include language saying that APSA will not penalize scholars participating in the strike; the motion is seconded and passes unanimously.

McClain adjourns the meeting. ■