President Reflects On Past Fiscal Year

This is the last letter I shall write to AAPG members as their 89th president, and it summarizes the Executive Committee’s goals and accomplishments during the 2005-06 fiscal year.

The accompanying table provides details comparing the EC’s 11 stated goals at the start of our fiscal year 2005-06 last July 1 with what has actually been accomplished (as a percentage) during the following 11 months.

Following are some comments on a few developments not anticipated when I took office. From there I’ll move on to some observations about AAPG policies and directions, and conclude with some personal observations about my year as president.

Summary

• Fiscal year 2005-06 has been an excellent year for the Association. As promised, we stayed within budgeting constraints and will finish in the black, with an expected surplus of around $500,000 (final financial results will be reported in fall 2006).
• Although membership continued its expected decline, active new measures are under way to reverse this trend next year.
• AAPG sponsored or co-sponsored seven U.S. and international meetings during FY 2005-06. All were technically successful; six of the seven were commercially successful.
• The Executive Committee enjoyed a good working relationship with Executive Director Rick Fritz.
• All the goals that are rated in the 50-70 percent range were multi-year initiatives that made a good start in their first year. There were no major disappointments.

There were other unanticipated, but noteworthy, developments during FY 2005-06:

• AAPG undertook two legal actions -- one to protect its copyrights from unwarranted infringement, the other to recover deposits from its ground operator for the September 2005 international conference in Paris. Negotiations are proceeding in both matters and favorable outcomes are expected.
• The joint AAPG/SPEE/SPE Reserve Evaluator Training project continued to progress, implemented on behalf of AAPG by the Division of Professional Affairs and co-chaired by DPA’s Dan Tearpock. The first Geotechnical Training module was completed and presented at the Annual Convention in Houston. The AAPG/SPEE/SPE group provided the basis for proposing, with the World Petroleum Council and other sister societies, a spring 2007 conference on reserves and resources in Washington, D.C., involving three concerned groups -- accounting professionals, geotechnical/engineering professionals and government regulators, administrators and legislators.
• Proposals affecting U.S. as well as international AAPG members were suggested by the president:
  • Constitutional and Bylaws amendments creating two vice presidents -- a VP (Sections) and a VP (Regions) -- were passed overwhelmingly by the HoD on April 9 in Houston.

The Constitutional Amendment was sent out to members for their approval on April 26, and final results will be known by June 30.

• Graduated dues based directly or indirectly on “ability to pay” was referred to a “blue ribbon” committee chaired by the chair of the Advisory Council, for study and recommendation to the EC and HoD leadership by Oct. 15, 2006.
• Simplifying and facilitating applications for AAPG membership was referred to Executive Director Fritz, to be implemented by Tulsa HQ. Online applications, with translations of applications into Chinese, Arabic, Russian and Spanish, plus establishment of Regional/Sectional Applications Review Committee, were all under way in the last half of FY 2005-06.
  • Responding to continued suggestions and inquiries (as well as the Strategic Plan), I asked past president Marlan Downey to head a committee charged with evaluating the optimum long-term location of AAPG’s headquarters, and to report back to the Executive Committee in June 2006.
  • Recognizing the long-term potential financial liability represented by AAPG’s current Defined Benefits Pension Plan, the EC established an ad hoc committee to explore procedures by which the plan could be discontinued, fully compensate participating employees and adopt an alternate 401(k) plan. This committee reported progress to the EC on May 22.
  • In February, AAPG HQ received a number of complaints about our decision to award the 2006 Journalism Award to author Michael Crichton for his novels State of Fear (2004) and Jurassic Park (1991). Most of the complaints were directed at State of Fear, for its condemnation of scare-tactics employed by the environmental lobby.

Fritz issued an excellent public justification of the award, while acknowledging that it was poorly named. The EC changed the name of the award at its April 12 meeting to “Geosciences in the Media” Award.

Kudos and olive wreaths to General Chairman Charles Sternbach, vice chairs Deborah Sacrey and Dan Tearpock, and technical program chair Bob Merrill for a superb 2006 Annual Convention. Contributions chair Gonz Enciso raised a record $600,000 in corporate contributions.

HOUSTON, WE HAD A MEETING! See Report

There were 8,223 attendees who enjoyed excellent facilities, mind-boggling exhibits, a superlative technical program and every ancillary feature and event one could imagine. It was a truly memorable convention, sponsored by an outstanding host society -- so successful that crude oil went up to $75 within two weeks afterward. Now that’s performance!

Members of the HGS worked for more than two years organizing and preparing for the 2006 meeting. They deserve a warm thank-you from everyone who attended.

As a respected international association of professional geoscientists, it is now time for AAPG to adopt an informed and responsible public stance with regard to world supply and usage of crude oil and natural gas.