BSA ANNUAL REPORTS - 2008

Executive Committee Reports: PRESIDENT | PRESIDENT-ELECT | SECRETARY | TREASURER | COUNCIL REPRESENTATIVE

Editors Reports: AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BOTANY | PLANT SCIENCE BULLETIN

Staff Reports: BUSINESS OFFICE | WEB STATISTICS

Standing Committee Reports (Administrative): CORRESPONDING MEMBERS | ELECTION | FINANCIAL ADVISORY | MEMBERSHIP | PUBLICATIONS

Standing Committee Reports (Awards & Prizes): DARBAKER PRIZE | ESAU AWARD | KARLING AWARD | MOSELEY AWARD | PELTON AWARD

Ad hoc Committee Reports: DEVELOPMENT | INTERNATIONAL

Section Reports: DEVELOPMENTAL AND STRUCTURAL | ECOLOGICAL | ECONOMIC | GENETICS | HISTORICAL | PALEOBOTANICAL | PHYSIOLOGICAL | SYSTEMATICS | TEACHING | TROPICAL| NORTHEASTERN

Representatives Reports: BIOLOGICAL STAIN COMMISSION

ANNUAL REPORT OF THE PRESIDENT - 2008

During the past year, we have continued to promote a “greener future,” as laid out by Past President Chris Haufler in August, 2006.  We have continued to interact with other plant societies to pursue programs of mutual concern and interest (for example, PlantingScience with the ASPB and other societies).  The theme of this year’s meeting is Botany without Borders, and we will again convene a meeting of the Presidents, or other representatives, of all the societies meeting together in Vancouver (plus representatives of other societies that are not meeting with BSA this year).  We have also continued our emphasis on career development for our student members, and the Society has benefited from the contributions of student members to both the Bylaws Revision Committee and the Strategic Planning Committee.  I have also worked with the International Committee, set in place following the 2006 meeting, to expand our contacts and programs worldwide.  Finally, a revision to the Merit Award selection criteria and process has been drafted (discussion begun in summer, 2007).

New themes initiated during the past year emphasize science literacy and expanding participation in science in general and the BSA in particular to include members of underrepresented groups.  Highlights follow:

• The BSA’s PlantingScience educational program has really taken off during the past year, having obtained grant support, new faculty and student mentors, and many new classroom participants.  This program is also drawing participation from other plant scientists outside the BSA, and we have developed partnerships with other societies to support the program.
• A Committee on Underrepresented Groups was established, with the objectives of identifying needs and solutions.  To date, the following have been accomplished:
• A webpage for Women in Science has been established on the BSA website, with profiles of women scientists and resources for women
• Suggestions for making the annual meetings more “family-friendly” have been discussed with the BSA meetings management team
• Plans are underway for a roundtable discussion on Women in Science for Botany 2009

• The Bylaws Revision Committee (Ed Schneider, Scott Russell, Judy Jernstedt, and Andrew Schwendemann) worked with Janice Dahl of Anchor Management to produce a revised set of bylaws and a document of policies and procedures.  The revised bylaws will be discussed further at the meetings, followed by a vote of the membership for approval.  Thanks to all for their dedicated service in this important task.
• The Strategic Planning Committee, composed of members and BSA staff (Brent Mishler, Chris Haufler, Gordon Uno, Greg Anderson, Janice Coons, Karl Niklas, Kent Holsinger, Mackenzie Taylor, Muriel Poston, Pam Soltis, Simon Malcomber, Theresa Culley, Bill Dahl, Amy McPherson, Claire Hemingway, Heather Cacanindin, Johanne Stogran, Wanda Lovan, Rob Brandt, Jennifer Potratz, Richard Hund) met in St. Louis on March 30, 2008, to discuss where the BSA would like to be in 5 or 10 years and how to get there.  Janice Dahl facilitated the discussion and prepared a draft document summarizing the day’s discussion.  Further discussion by the Committee will take place in Vancouver.

In March, I chaired the Spring meeting of the Executive Committee.  The following were among the topics discussed, some of which will be explored further at the Council and various committee meetings in Vancouver.

• Should the EC meetings be conducted remotely?  This approach would save money and be more “green” than having all members travel to St. Louis.  We decided that the rapport that develops in face-to-face meetings is worth the expense of bringing the officers together.  Attention should continue to be paid to the environmental impacts and the expense of multiple face-to-face meetings per year.  (Note that the CSSP is now starting to make recommendations about how to make a Society’s annual meeting as green as possible; this is particularly timely as our staff work to make both our meetings and our administrative offices as green as possible.
• We reviewed the revisions to the bylaws, in preparation for sharing the revisions with the membership at the annual meeting.
• We discussed issues of concern that we wanted to see addressed at the Strategic Planning Committee meeting the following day.
• We discussed the future of the Society and membership issues.  Student memberships are up, and we discussed ways to continue to improve our services for students.  In particular, we discussed opportunities for training and career development at all levels.
• We endorsed the general philosophy of providing administrative services to other societies, as long as these activities are cost-neutral and do not detract from any of the BSA’s projects.
• We rejected a proposal from Springer to take over publication of the AJB.  Although a generous offer financially, it would have stripped the BSA of many of its roles in managing the journal, such as setting prices/membership, etc.
• The latest progress with PlantingScience was presented.  We were all very supportive of this program and the role that it plays, and will play, in improving science literacy.  We discussed how the BSA and PlantingScience could help support Broader Impacts activities of NSF projects.  Additional input and discussion are needed.
• Support was given for initiatives that make our science and our Society more appealing and more accessible to members of underrepresented groups.  Possible future activities include (1) obtaining funds to continue the Undergraduate Mentoring program initiated by Program Director Karen Renzaglia with support from NSF; (2) making the annual meetings more family-friendly (suggested by the Committee on Underrepresented Groups).  Additional suggestions will be forthcoming from the Committee.  

Respectfully submitted, Pamela S. Soltis BSA President

ANNUAL REPORT OF THE PAST PRESIDENT - 2008

ANNUAL REPORT OF THE PRESIDENT-ELECT - 2008

The BSA bylaws stipulate that the President–Elect chair the Committee on Committees. In this capacity, I am pleased to report that this committee has discharged its duties successfully. All committee vacancies have been filled and all committees are at their full membership capacity. Also, for the first time in the history of the BSA, one or more student members sit as new members on all but one BSA committee. The one exception is Financial Advisory Committee. In addition to chairing the Committee on Committees, all regularly scheduled meetings of the Executive Committee meetings and the Strategic Planning Committee were attended.

Respectfully submitted by Karl J. Niklas

ANNUAL REPORT OF THE SECRETARY - 2008

In my role as secretary, I attended the 2007 BSA meetings in Chicago, where I took notes at the executive committee meeting on Saturday, the council meeting on Sunday, the business meeting, and the second executive committee meeting on Thursday.  I also helped with the organization of the awards presentation at the BSA banquet.  Additionally, I attended and took minutes at the executive committee meeting in March 2008 at St. Louis.

Respectfully Submitted, Steve Weller

ANNUAL REPORT OF THE TREASURER - 2008

The Botanical Society is in healthy financial condition. A big impact on the present year’s budget is the receipt of $682,129 in grants to support the Planting Science program (two from NSF, one from Monsanto and one from GEAR-UP St. Louis)!  The budget was revised after last year’s council meeting to accommodate the income and expenses associated with the grants, although net impact of the projects are nearly cost neutral for BSA.  A second substantial impact on BSA’s financial situation over the past year has been weakness in the financial markets that has eroded the gains the endowment has made in the past two years.  Despite this change, the Society has substantial financial assets, the income from which could also be used to support new or expanded program initiatives.  

Assets
As of 15 July 2008, assets in the Society’s investment accounts totaled nearly $3.2M (Table 1), a decrease of approximately $451K from 31 December 2007 (and $437K from last year’s report). The loss of funds in the first half of 2008 has been at approximately a -9.5% annual rate of return. This loss reflects the overall market trend.  The Society’s investments are distributed among domestic equities (55%), international equities (22%), fixed income securities (19%) and cash (4%).  Figure 1 shows a history of endowment growth since 1998.  Total investment growth over that period is $2M, of which $1M represents returns on investment and $1M represents additions from BSA operating surpluses.  The performance goal on the endowment is 9.44%, although recent performance has been off, overall gains exceed this goal.

Table 1: Investment fund balances for the Botanical Society of America

Figure 1: BSA Endowment 1998 - 2008

Income and expenses
The budget approved for 2007/2008 included budgeted income of $2.10M and budgeted expenses of $2.08M versus year-to-date totals of $1.41M and $1.18M, respectively (Table 2). The Society budgeted investment income (dividends plus capital gains) at $66K. As mentioned earlier, the only substantial change in our current finances relative to that budgeted is the loss of investment income.

Budget for 2008/2009
Budgeted income is projected at $2.15M in 2008/2009 versus $2.10M in 2006/2007. The modest increase in income reflects greater funds associated with American Journal of Botany (a 10.6% increase in institutional subscription rates). Budgeted expenses are projected at $2.12M in 2008/2009 versus $2.08M in 2007/2008. The budget reflects both grant associated income and expenditures for the next year.  

Table 2: Summary of income and expenses for the Botanical Society of America

Respectfully submitted, Laura Galloway, Treasurer

ANNUAL REPORT OF THE COUNCIL REPRESENTATIVE - 2008

The main duties of the Council Representative are to work in conjunction with the Executive Director to prepare the Young Botanists of the Year nominations. The call for nominations states that the top 25 nominees will be selected based primarily on their accomplishments, described in recommendation letters and any supporting materials. These 25 will receive a Certificate of Special Achievement from the Society and have their names published in the Plant Science Bulletin. It further states that all other nominees with strong records of achievement (at least a 'B' average, and meritorious activity in plant biology) may receive a "Certificate of Recognition," complimentary student membership for the rest of the calendar year, and have their names published in the Plant Science Bulletin.

I reviewed 27 applications for this award. On March 20, 2008. I suggested that all 27 nominees were deserving of the Certificate of Special Achievement" from the Society and to have their names published in the Plant Science Bulletin. These 27 Young Botanists will all receive the Young Botanists Award at the Botany 2008 meeting in Vancouver.

Respectfully Submitted, David Spooner

ANNUAL REPORT OF THE EDITOR, AMERICN JOURNAL OF BOTANY - 2008

• The current editorial staff includes Ms. Amy McPherson (Managing Editor), Mr. Richard Hund (Production Editor), Dr. Sophia Balcomb (Assistant Editor/Content Editor), and Dr. Beth Hazen (Manuscript Editor).  Sincere thanks to reviewers, Associate Editors, and the Editorial Staff for their diligent work on behalf of the AJB over the past year.
• The complete switch to Dartmouth Journal Services and Sheridan Press as the compositor and printer of AJB, and EditorialManager as the online manuscript submission and tracking system took place in January, 2008 (Volume 95, Number 1).  Thanks to staff, authors, reviewers and Associate Editors for their hard work and patience during this time.  It wasn't fun, but we survived. 
• All communications (electronic, mail, and telephone) should be directed to the Editorial Office, which is located in St. Louis, at the BSA headquarters at the Missouri Botanical Garden.  The address is American Journal of Botany, P.O. Box 299, St. Louis, MO  63166-0299; tel. 314-577-5112; fax 314-577-9515; email to: ajb@botany.org; www.amjbot.org).  If you return paper copies of reviews or marked manuscripts, please send them to St. Louis, not to Davis. 
• Associate Editors (AEs) are integral to the publication process.  Their responsibilities include suggesting reviewers, reading and evaluating manuscripts and reviews, and making recommendations for the EiC’s final decision. 
• Volume 96 (2009) will include a special issue, " The Abominable Mystery: The Origin and Early Diversification of Angiosperms," several special papers about scientific literacy for the "Year of Science," and special papers about current research in the areas of Charles Darwin's book titles (twining plants, domestication of plants and animals, power of movement in plants, and insectivorous plants). 
• Suggestions for special paper topics and books reviews are encouraged.  Please contact Darleen DeMason (demason@ucr.edu) for special papers and Michael Christianson (mxianson@pacbell.net) for book reviews.
• The impact factor for the American Journal of Botany fell from 2.969 in 2006 to 2.512 in 2007; the Journal’s impact factor ranking dropped from 16 to 26.  This was not unexpected, since the popular 2004 special issue no longer counted in the 2007 ratings.  We continue to work to improve AJB's standing, importance, and value to authors, readers, libraries, and funding bodies. 
• We continue working to bring more AJB papers to the wider notice of scientists, educators and the public. It is to the advantage of the authors and the journal to have explicitly stated in the abstract and elsewhere why they did the research they did, what major question in biology in general or botany in particular their research addressed; why anyone outside the specific discipline of the paper should care about the results; and how knowledge of general principles and mechanisms of biology is expanded by publication of this paper.  The answers to these questions should appear in the abstract, in part because we intend to use the first sentences of the abstract as RSS feeds, and also to attract readers who might not be specialists in the sub-discipline of the research.  
• Authors have two opportunities to submit an acceptable manuscript to AJB:  the original submission and one revision.  If the revised manuscript is deficient in any way other than typos and very minor details, it is declined for publication. 
• There continues to be a moving one-year wall for open access to all AJB content.  BSA members and subscribing institutions have immediate access to all current and all past AJB content. 
• Comments and suggestions are always welcome from readers, authors, reviewers, staff, and Associate Editors.  E-mail to ajb@botany.org.    

AJB Statistics

Manuscript Types and Processing Time

Manuscript Categories Submitted to Journal

Decisions on Manuscripts

Respectfully submitted, Judy Jernstedt, Editor-in-Chief

Amy McPherson, Managing Editor

ANNUAL REPORT FROM THE EDITOR, PLANT SCIENCE BULLETIN - 2008

Volume 53

1. Four issues, 180 pages, were published on schedule with press runs of 3800 copies.
2. Feature articles included:
   -Public Gardens and the New Family Visitor –Katherine Johnson, Morton Arboretum
   -Allelopathy or Pseudo-allelopathy in Classroom Experiments – David Hershey
   -The University of Northern Iowa Botanical Center – 70 years of Progress – Jean Gerath, University of Northern Iowa.
   -The Lloyd Library and Museum, Cincinnati, OH – Maggie Heran, Director, Lloyd Library and Museum
   -Linnaeus – Stephen Freer, Cambridge University
   -CITES and the Herbarium Voucher – Pat Duncan Raven, Missouri Botanical Garden
   -Landmarks and Milestones in American Plant Biology: The Cornell Connection – Lee Kass and Edward Cobb, Cornell University
   -The Struggle for Botany Majors – Gordon Uno, University of Oklahoma
   -Coastal Roots: A Pre-college Plant-based Stewardship Program to Connect Students with Coastal Issues – Pam Blanchard, Louisiana State University
   -The Green World: Plants for Now and the Future – Ann Hirsch, University of California, Los Angeles.
3. Summaries of the Annual Meeting in Chicago
   -Forum Plenary Address , “Naturally Right by Design: Bringing Learning and School to Life” Stephanie Pace Marshall, President, Illinois Math and Science Academy.
   - President-elect Address. “Scientific Literacy, Participation, and the BSA” Pamela Soltis
4. 80 books were received for review; 43 reviews were published.

Volume 54

1. Two issues, 84 pages, have been published on schedule with a new printer, Sheridan Press. Fall issue is in preparation.
2. Feature articles included:
   -Science, Success, and Satisfaction: A Look at Planning a Botany Conference – Johanne Stogran, Botanical Society of America
   -Experiences of a Local Arrangement Committee for a Large Scientific Conference – David Spooner, Shelley Jansky, and Alvin Bussan, University of Wisconsin – Madison
   -The Three C’s: Early Botanical Leaders at the University of Chicago – Nels Lersten, Iowa State University.
   -The Students Were Right All Along - - Plants Really Are B.O.R.I.N.G – David Senchina, Drake University
   -Symposia in Plant Neurobiology: A New Venue for Discussion of Plant Behavior and Communitcation. – Mark Staves, Grand Valley State University, Mark Mescher, Pennsylvania State University, Virginia Shepherd, University of New South Wales, Australia, Eric Brenner, New York Botanical Garden, and Elizabeth van Volkenburgh, University of Washington
3. A total of 44 books were received for review, 22 reviews were published.
4. Books received now on-line under Plant Science Bulletin on the Society web page with real-time request for review accessibility. Announcements, Positions Open, and News also are posted on-line in real time. (Each issue is being “built” on-line prior to publication for timely access to information by the membership.)

Individuals interested in submitting feature articles or in suggesting future article topics should contact the editor.

Respectfully Submitted, Marsh Sundberg, Editor, Plant Science Bulletin

ANNUAL REPORT OF THE BUSINESS OFFICE - 2008

I. BSA Business Report - Introduction
The following report provides an overview of the activities of the Botanical Society of America’s business office over the past twelve months. Let me begin by thanking and acknowledging the Executive Committee for their support and direction. On behalf of the Executive Committee, the Society, and myself, I also thank and acknowledge the Society’s staff, Rob Brandt, Heather Cacanindin, Claire Hemingway, Richard Hund, Wanda Lovan, Amy McPherson, Jennifer Potratz and Johanne Stogran, for their efforts and dedication to the Botanical Society of America. What an exciting year! Once again, as a team, we were able to improve our ability to support BSA members, meetings and our mission.

II. Thank you!
I extend a special thank you to those members who donated to our endowment and to the BSA sectional/awards funds. Contributions totaled over $73,000 (see FAC report for details). At the meeting you will hear about our efforts to support future generations of botanists through the establishment of the BSA Legacy Society. It is exciting to see this aspect of the Society maturing and planning so positively for our future.

I would like the EC and the Council to consider collaborating with the Missouri Botanical Garden and the Center for Plant Conservation by investing funds to move our offices to a carbon-neutral position. At this point, I see easy fixes in the areas of lighting and hot water. We should also consider solar and wind energy. BSA can provide community leadership by reducing the amount of paper, organizing greener meetings, and office improvements as outlined above.

III. Financial Update
It is pleasing to note that Wanda and Mary Widner (our accountant) have completed the project of separating the BSA accounts into distinct units: operations, conference and investments. The bad news is, the account balance is off by three cents – in our favor.

Our key operational revenue streams for the year to date are budgeted at $1,386,56. Income to date is $1,079,827. Variance is due to grant activity taking place later in the summer than initially anticipated. Expenditures reflect the same situation, with anticipated expenditure of $1,316,422 and actual of $856,382. I anticipate we will end the year slightly below budget on both counts given this is our first year in managing the NSF PlantingScience grants.

The meeting income and expenditure reflect the late billing by ASPB for the Botany 2007 conference. Botany 2008 is showing roughly $233,400 in income and $63,000 in expenditure, leaving a balance of $170,400.

The BSA Smith Barney investment account closed June at $3,329,009. It appears the Smith Barney team is doing a reasonable job of managing our downside risk given a very poor overall market. See the Financial Advisory Committee report for more detailed information.

The DRAFT 2008-9 BSA budget can be found online at
http://www.botany.org/governance/reports/board/2009-BSA_Budget-080612.xls .

IV. Membership
Membership in the Society remains a highlight, with 2,916 members in total for the year to date. We have been able to maintain a strong student presence with 747 members, surpassing the 2007 record of 715. Given we have three months to go before the October renewal season starts there is a good chance we will see a new membership record.

Recommendation 1: It is recommended membership rates for 2008 remain the same.

Recommendation 2: It is recommended we provide students an incentive to renew, with an “early renewal” rate of $15, October 1 – December 31.

Recommendation 3: It is recommended we hold a new student membership drive beginning at the opening of classes in the fall of 2008 at a gift-rate of $10 per student.

Recommendation 4: In conjunction with items 2 & 3 above, and BSA’s desire to increase student involvement, it is requested the sections waive fees to allow student memberships to include sectional memberships.

V. American Journal of Botany
The 2008 American Journal of Botany institutional rates have been set at $625.00. This is an increase of 10.6% ($60.00) over the 2008 rate.

We have registered 1,450 Print, plus Print & Online institutional subscriptions for the year to date (1,473 in 2007). By year’s end we should exceed the budgeted sales volume of 1,463 subscriptions. Sales revenue is $800,867 as compared to a budget of $785,745.

Member subscriptions, at 675 print copies, are slightly below the budget of 700.

I’m pleased to report the move to Sheridan Press has gone smoothly, and that publishing members will see and experience the benefits of doing so. See the American Journal of Botany Editor’s report for more detail.

Recommendation 5: It is recommended member rates for the print version AJB increase by $5 for professional ($90) for the 2008 year, a 5.9% increase.

VI. Botany Conference
Upcoming Botany Conferences:
• 2009 – Joint meeting with the Mycological Society of America, ABLS, AFS, and ASPT in Snowbird, Utah
• 2010 – Joint meeting with the AFS and ASPT in Providence, Rhode Island
• 2011 – Joint meeting with the Society for Economic Botany, AFS, and ASPT in St. Louis, Missouri

VII. Strategic Planning & Bylaws
Strategic Planning - Thank you to all members who took part in the recent membership survey. Results will be available in the Plant Science Bulletin online shortly after Botany 2008. The committee is scheduled to meet for breakfast on Tuesday morning in Vancouver. We’ll update the Society as we move into the next steps in the process.

Bylaws - We will hold a meeting for the membership to ask questions at 7:00 am on Monday, July 28, in Vancouver. The suggested updated bylaws and policies are online at: http://www.botany.org/governance/AMbylaws.php and http://www.botany.org/governance/AMpolicy.php.

VIII. Plant Science Bulletin
The Plant Science Bulletin is now live online. We are working with Marsh to place all items online as they come in. In addition, we have upgraded the “Botany in the News” feature and the “Books for Review” as RSS feeds, allowing us to experiment with this technology. All appear to be receiving positive feedback.

IX. PlantingScience
I’m pleased to report, in conjunction with our NSF grants, we have hired Jennifer Potratz as Education and Outreach Coordinator. Jen is working out of the St. Louis office and will add new depth to the team.

I’m also pleased to report that interactions on the PlantingScience site continue to improve. Close to 500,000 people have visited the program online, with over 32,000 visiting the spring session in April. Our understanding of how the online interactions work best, and Claire’s approach to recruiting, training and supporting online mentors, are beginning to pay off.

We have just completed our first round of project reporting to both NSF and Monsanto. You will find links to each report below.
http://www.botany.org/plantingscience/reports/DRK12_submitted08report.pdf
http://www.botany.org/plantingscience/reports/ITEST_submitted08report.pdf
http://www.botany.org/plantingscience/reports/Monsanto_submitted08report.pdf

Over the past month we held conversations with the American Society of Plant Taxonomists (ASPT), 4-H, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the American Society of Agronomy (ASA), looking to build the PlantingScience partnerships. I’m pleased to note ASPT and ASA have come on board. We are waiting for further discussion with 4-H National and the BLM.

We are in the process of recruiting a large number of BSA members who indicated they wanted to actively participate in Society programs. We hope to have over 400 BSA members participating as scientist mentors in the 2008 fall session.

X. Website
The overall growth trend for people accessing the BSA website at www.botany.org shot up in April, May and June. It is pleasing to see the line move back up: over 9,000,000 people have now visited the BSA web site since we began recording statistics in February of 2000.

Respectfully Submitted, Bill Dahl July 18, 2008

ANNUAL REPORT OF THE WEBMASTER - 2008

Introduction
Two million, two hundred and forty-five thousand, three hundred and thirty-three (2,245,333) visitors came to the Botanical Society of America's main websites from July 1, 2007, to June 30, 2008. This is up 0.3% on the previous year (2,237,446), and reflects website statistics across the board. We have logged over 9,000,000 visitors to www.botany.org since February, 2000.

We have completed or made substantial progress on all of the projects listed in last year's report. Our accounting systems are now all online. As those attending the Botany 2008 conference can attest, we have made major changes to the web-based conference support systems, this component will continue to evolve. Our educational outreach is gathering momentum and will be a big part of what we accomplish over the coming year. The PlantingScience project remains our single largest effort.

Statistics – BSA site
The trend for people accessing the BSA website has begun to move up after a brief period of decline. Over the past few months we have had roughly 8,000 people per day visiting the site. For the same period last year the number was about 6,700, 7,000 in 2006 and 4,000 people per day in 2005. Our highest monthly average for visitors per day was achieved in May 2008 with 8,648. May 2008 was also our busiest month to date with 268,096 visitors (previous high was March 2006 with 235,991).

Over the past year our main web sites experienced over 29,783,722 hits. For the month of June 2008 the Botanical Society of America's main websites experienced 2,415,105 successful hits (2,149,304 in 2007 and 2,872,508 in 2006). Our record high was achieved in April of 2008 with 2,959,318 hits (previous was May of 2006 with 2,952,683 hits).

Over the past year, the BSA main web sites transferred over 1,007 gigabytes of information to visitors' computers. In June of 2008 we transferred 84.86 gigabytes of data to visitors (67.78 in 2007 and 59.34 in 2006). Our highest month for data transfer was April of 2008 with 112.26 gigabytes transferred (previous was May of 2007, at 84.404 gigabytes).

In each of my previous webmaster reports I point out that the website is a tool with two main purposes. It acts as: 1.) a means of storing and communicating information to the BSA membership; and 2.) a medium for the dissemination of information that supports our wider mission. Our potential to reach people, including potential future botanists, is nearly unlimited, but very much related to the effort we put into the content used on the site.

On behalf of the Society I'd like to thank the following members for thinking part in the development of the online version of Careers in Botany, through the submission of a member profile to the site: David Spooner, Marsh Sundberg, Joseph Armstrong, Jack Horner, Scott Mori, Jenny Xiang and Mudassir Asar Zaidi. I would also like to thank the students involved in the growing LIVING BOTANY – science from a students' perspective: Tatiana Arias, Janelle Burke, Laura Burkle, Jill Duarte, Uromi Goodale, Nathan Jud, Kyra Krakos, Sarah Kyker, Cassie Majetic, Tracy Misiewicz, Olofron Plume, Julia Nowak, Roxanne Steele,  and Cheng-Chiang Wu.

Over the past year, we have strengthened the foundations of the BSA website. We have continued creating tools that provides impact on our mission (and the promotion of the science of botany). We look forward to continued developments in the year ahead.

Website statistics can be viewed online in the reports section of the website at: http://www.botany.org/newsite/reporting/webstats.php.

Statistics - American Journal of Botany
The trend for use of the American Journal of Botany online remains extremely positive. The AJB website has have over 29,127,000 visitors over the past nine years. In 2008 the number of visitors coming to the site on a monthly basis has grown dramatically, increasing by 53%. Thus far in 2008 the site has sees over 4,700,000 visitors.

We currently have 1,639 members (1,616 in 2007, 1,634 in 2006, 1,404 in 2005, 1,476 in 2004 and 1,505 in 2003) and 1,482 institutions  (1,259 in 2007, 1,366 in 2006, 1,038 in 2005, 764 in 2004 and 182 in 2003) activated for online access to the American Journal of Botany. We are working with subscription agents to ensure as many institutions as possible activate and use the online component of their subscriptions.

PlantingScience
In 2006 the PlantingScience web statistics were included in the main BSA web stats. In 2007 we moved to tracking this site as a separate entity. Stats will be reported alongside the main site at http://www.botany.org/newsite/reporting/webstats.php. As you will see, we are growing! Four hundred fifty-one thousand, five hundred and fifty nine people visited the site since opening in 2005. From July 1, 2007 through June 30, 2008, 273,187 people visited the site with 111,827 visits for the same period in 2007.

Functional Developments
Over the past year we have continued to develop the BSA websites as centers for our educational outreach, business, and conference operations. We have streamlined our processes in an effort to improve accuracy, reduce manual input, and improve timeliness of and accessibility to information.

Summary
In 2008 the BSA staff continued to develop the BSA's 3M concept, with the three Ms being: Mission, Member Services & Support, and Member Recognition. We trust you'll find the concepts carrying forward to the BSA websites in that we are: #1 moving forward and delivering on the BSA's mission; #2 making things easier for you in all aspects of member support and services; and #3 if you are producing work for the Society, be it in the AJB, PSB, images, educational resources… we'll make sure people find your work if they are looking.

I look forward to your contributions and, wherever possible, your involvement over the coming year. Your feedback is most appreciated.

Thank you for your time. Respectfully Submitted, Bill Dahl July 17, 2008

ANNUAL REPORT OF THE CORRESPONDING MEMBERS COMMITTEE - 2008

Christopher Haufler, (Chair); Edward Schneider; and Allison Snow

Prof. Dr. SUN Ge

Professor of Paleobotany, Director of Paleontological Museum of Liaoning, China, Director of Paleontological Institute, Shenyang Normal University; Director of the Research Center of Paleontology, Jilin University

Professor Sun is recommended unanimously as a Corresponding Member of the Botanical Society of America. He has published about 100 refereed papers, authored or co-authored 3 books, and edited or co-edited 7 collected papers volumes. His publications span his major interests in Mesozoic floras. His work includes detailed presentations of ferns, cycads, conifers, ginkgos, and angiosperms. Professor Sun is one of the founding fathers of modern Chinese paleobotany and he has strongly supported multinational collaboration on a number of significant topics. He has been a leader in the discovery and description of some of the earliest angiosperms and has also played a significant role in understanding the botanical response to the Cretaceous-Tertiary Boundary impact event. Professor Sun has made significant and varied contributions to international palaeobotany through research, collaboration, direction, support, and facilitation. He is richly deserving of appointment to the BSA as Corresponding Member.

ANNUAL REPORT OF THE ELECTION COMMITTEE - 2008

Christopher Haufler, Past President, Chair, ex officio, Jun Wen, Bob Jansen, Jeff Doyle, Stephen G. Weller, Secretary, ex officio

The election committee solicited nominations from the membership of the Botanical Society of America for President Elect and for Program Director. In addition to these, Committee members provided additional nominations.

The Chair of the Committee contacted the top nominees and from among those who agreed to run, two were selected as candidates, Kent Holsinger and Richard Olmstead.

For the position of Program Director, only one nominee was received, and David Spooner was chosen to run unopposed.

The election was held and the results were:

Kent Holsinger 216, Richard Olmstead 169

David Spooner 384, Write In 1

Thus, Kent Holsinger will become President Elect and David Spooner will become Program Director.

ANNUAL REPORT FROM THE FINANCIAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE - 2008

From: BSA Financial Advisory Committee (FAC), Joe Armstrong (Member), Russell Chapman (Member), Jack Horner (Member and Chair), Pam Soltis (ex officio, BSA President), Laura Galloway (ex officio, BSA Treasurer), Bill Dahl (ex officio, BSA Executive Director)

To: Executive Committee and Council of the Botanical Society of America

Since the previous 2007-2008 Annual Report, the FAC:

• has monthly monitored the BSA Endowment Fund (EF) invested with Smith Barney (SB);
• had one conference call on July 10, 2008 with the SB staff in Des Moines, IA;
• voted to restructure the endowment fund portfolio, per Smith Barney recommendations, to meet the challenges of the changing global markets and the Endowment Fund Investment Performance Goal of 9.44%, based on the BSA statement of investment policy objectives & guidelines
• recommends $35,000 of the EF for 2008-2009 to the EC/Council for initiatives, pending further discussion and vote in Vancouver prior to Council meeting

As of June 30, 2008 the EF value was $3,326,358, a decrease of -14.7% for the 2007-2008 fiscal year. For comparison, as of a year ago, June 10, 2007, the EF value was $3,633,455 (an increase of 17.3% for 2006-2007). The Endowment Fund total management fee for this last calendar year was $28,110 (0.0076%).

Presently, the EF is divided into four categories:

    » Stocks + Money Funds = $1,927,653
    » Stocks + Money Funds = $ 517,580
    » Stocks + Money Funds = $ 169,923
    » Fixed Income + Money Funds = $ 711,202
    » Total = $3,326,358 (as of end of June 30, 2008)

The FAC collected information from several investment firms to compare their general strategies for investment as a comparison to the presently used Smith Barney Management.. The FAC has not evaluated these firms and their proposals yet, and plans to make this a goal for 2008-2009.

The FAC believes the EF will hold its own during 2008-2009 with the restructuring of the EF portfolio by SB to keep it in line with the 9.44% growth goal. In expectation of the fluctuating markets the FAC continues to encourage the membership to consider gifts to the Unrestricted EF, to reach the 5 million mark it established three years ago.

There is no recommendation at this time to provide the EC/Council with an amount of money from the Endowment Fund for BSA initiatives for fiscal 2008-2009. A recommendation of $35,000 will be considered at the FAC forthcoming meeting on July 27, in Vancouver, before the Council meeting.

The FAC meeting in Vancouver will be at 8:30 am, Sunday morning, July 27 (see meeting schedule for room and building). Any BSA member interested in attending the meeting is welcome.

The chair or any member of the FAC will be willing to answer questions about the EF.

Respectfully submitted, Harry T. (Jack) Horner, FAC Chair

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

This is the first year (2007-2008) that the entire list of donors to BSA Awards, Endowments & Funds Gifts has been included in the Annual Financial Advisory Committee’s Report. All of these gifts are deposited into the Endowment Fund, and the records and intended use of these gifts are maintained in the BSA Business Office. All gifts are tax deductible. The Society sincerely thanks all donors for their continuing financial commitment.

BSA AWARDS, ENDOWMENTS & FUNDS GIFT GIVING
for 2007-2008
***$73,928***

MAJOR AWARDS, ENDOWMENTS & FUNDS GIFTS - $60,000

Anonymous - $50,000, James M and Esther N Schopf Fund, http://www.botany.org/awards_grants/special_funds/James_and_Esther_Schopf.php

Anitra Thorhaug - $10,000, Award in development - Best paper in the AJB

AWARDS, ENDOWMENTS & FUNDS GIFTS - $13,928

AJ Sharp Award – $110
Walter Bien, Raymond Holton, Mark Mayfield, Matthew Nelson, Steve Rice

Botanical Friends - $236
Michelle Barthet, Andrew Bowling, W. Hardy Eshbaugh, Greayer Mansfield-Jones, Neil Sawyer

BSA Endowment Unrestricted - $6,174
Luke Albert, Edith Allen, Joseph Armstrong, Mary Barkworth, Andrew Bowling, Kenton & Henrietta Chambers, Russell Chapman, Lynn Clark, Martha Cook, S. H. Costanza, Nancy Cowden, James Crants, Belen Estebanez Perez, Katherine Gregg, Richard Greyson, Jocelyn Hall, H. David Hammond, Leo Hickey, Harry & Cecilia Horner, David Inouye, Judy Jernstedt, Kathleen Keeler, Terri Koontz, Jean Kreizinger, Nels Lersten, Wesley Leverich, Greayer Mansfield-Jones, Mark Mayfield, Ailsie McEnteggart, David McLaughlin, Beth Middleton, Brent Mishler, Jeffrey Osborn, Robert Price, Alison Roberts, Thomas Rost, Neil Sawyer, James Seago, Allison Snow, Tamora Spiller, David Spooner, Alice Stanford, Todd Vision, Linda Watson, Andrea Weeks, Anne Worley, Richard Wurdack, Jun Yokoyama

BSA Graduate Student Research/J. S. Karling Awards - $155
Darleen DeMason, Benjamin Hall, Gary Maier, Todd Vision

Charles Edwin Bessey Award - $30
Carol Caha, Alice Stanford

Darbaker Prize - $1460.91
Mellon Trust of New England

Edgar T. Wherry Award - $90
Thomas Gavnish, Christopher Haufler, Thomas Ranker

Education and Outreach - $261
Kobinah Abdul-Salim, Amy Berkov, Andrew Bowling, Steven Carrol, Russell Chapman, Lynn Clark, Wilson Crone, Margaret Conover, S. H. Costanza, Daniel Gladish, Terri Koontz, Olga Kopp, Katherine Preston, Neil Sawyer, Alice Stanford, Irene Terry, Anne Worley

Planting Science - $551
Andrew Bowling, Margaret Conover, Linda Graham, Rosemarie Haberle, Donna Hazelwood, Krause Family, Mary Leck, Gary Maier, Muriel Poston, Katherine Preston, Steve Rice, Neil Sawyer, Tamora Spiller, Alice Stanford, Rahmona Thompson,

Emanuel D Rudolph Award - $25
Victor Riemenschneider

Grady L. Webster Fund - $425
Bruce Baldwin, David Bates, Russell Chapman, Heidi Dobson, H. David Hammond, Noel & Patricia Holmgren, Mark Mayfield, Genevieve Walden

Isabel Cookson Award - $225
William Crepet, Leo Hickey, Bonnie Jacobs, Gar Rothwell, , James M and Esther N Schopf Fund - $80, Aureal Cross, Charles Miller, Jr., Thomas Taylor

Katherine Esau Fund - $378
Russell Chapman, Nancy Coutant, Wilson Crone, Andrew Doust, Susan Eichhorn, R. Geeta, Daniel Gladish, Donna Hazelwood, William McCarey, Christopher Meloche, Brenda Molano-Flores, Eisho Nishino, Hirokazu Tsukaya, Carol Wilson, , Margaret Menzel Fund - $85, Katrina Dlugosch, Clare Hasenkampf, Richard Whitkus, , Maynard Moseley Award - $125, William McCarey, Edward Schneider

Michael Cichan Fund - $185
Susan Eichhorn, Charles Miller, Jr., Stephen Scheckler, Thomas Taylor, M. F. Wojciechowski

Paleobotanical Endowment - $482
Anne-Laure Decombeix, Ted Delevoryas, Diane Erwin, Jason Hilton, Richard Lis, Gene Mapes, Charles Miller, Jr., Hermann Pfefferkorn, James Stichka, Bruce Tiffney, Andrea Wakefield, Peter Wilf, Andrea Wakefield

Vernon I. Cheadle Award – $2,195
William Cheadle, John Choinski, Margaret Conover, Donna Hazelwood, William McCarey, Neil Sawyer, Alice Stanford, Bruce Tiffney

Winfried and Renata Remy Fund - $78.83
Pat Gensel, Thomas Taylor

SECTIONAL FUNDS AND STUDENT AWARDS

Developmental & Structural Section Fund and Student Travel Awards - $504
Joseph Armstrong, Brendon Boudinot, Wilson Crone, Pamela Diggle, Andrew Doust, Frank Ewers, R. Geeta, Daniel Gladish, Martin Goffinet, Clare Hasenkampf, Cynthia Jones, Brigitte Marazzi, Christopher Meloche, Eisho Nishino, Cyrille Prestianni, John Romberger, Thomas Rost, Edward Schneider, Joseph Williams, Wenying Wu

Ecological Section Fund and Student Travel Awards - $641
Ann Antlfinger, Jonathan Bauer, Amy Berkov, Brendon Boudinot, Andrea Case, Brenda Casper, Gregory Cheplick, Joseph Colosi, Nancy Coutant, Mitchell Cruzan, Stephen Davis, Heidi Dobson, Thorsten Englisch, Thomas Gavnish, Lars Goetzenberger, David Gorchov, H. David Hammond, Jeffrey Karron, Kathleen Keeler, Stephanie Klein, Mary Leck, Gary Maier, Irving Mendelssohn, Beth Middleton, Brenda Molano-Flores, Nancy Nicholson, Janet Onnen, Virgil Parker, Rosemary Pendleton, Alison Snow, Anne Worley, Jun Yokoyama, David Zaya

Economic Botany Section Fund and Student Travel Awards - $50
Andrea Case, Genetics , Jean Labonne, Mari Marutani, Flor Rodriguez, Kristina Schierenbeck, Randall Small, David Zaya

Mycological Section Section Fund and Student Travel Awards - $60
Brenda Casper, Richard Hanlin, Zheng Wang

Paleobotanical Fund - $601
Brendon Boudinot, S. H. Costanza, Nestor Cuneo, Jason Hilton, Bonnie Jacobs, Stephanie Klein, Charles Miller, Jr., James Stichka, Ralph Taggart, Bruce Tiffney, Wenying Wu, Atsushi Yabe

Phycological Section Fund and Student Travel Awards - $135
Russell Chapman, Linda Graham, Raymond Holton, Richard McCourt, Nancy Nicholson

Physiological Section Fund and Student Travel Awards - $120
Stephen Davis, Henri Maurice, Nancy Nicholson, Peter Straub, Lee Tarpley

Phytochemical Section Fund and Student Travel Awards - $22
Amy Berkov, Flor Rodriguez

Pteridological Section Fund and Student Travel Awards - $270
Brendon Boudinot, Thomas Gavnish, Jennifer Geiger, Christopher Haufler, Blanca Leon, Joan Nester-Hudson, Thomas Ranker, Joanne Sharpe, Randall Small

Systematics Section Fund - $80
Brendon Boudinot, Lars Goetzenberger, Jocelyn Hall, Donald Les, Flor Rodriguez, Randall Small, Linda Watson, Wenying Wu

Teaching Section Fund - $25
Stokes Baker, James Crants, Donna Hazelwood

Respectfully submitted, Harry T. (Jack) Horner, FAC Chair

ANNUAL REPORT OF THE MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE - 2008

Membership in the Society remains a highlight, with 2,916 members in total for the year to date. One of our initiatives, to increase student members, has been quite successful. We have been able to maintain a strong student presence with 747 members, surpassing the 2007 record of 715. The current composition of our membership is as follows:
71% Professional members (includes Life, Corresponding, Emeritus/Emeriti, Retired)
26% Student members
3% Other

Given we have three months to go before the October renewal season starts there is a good chance we will see a new membership record.

Some highlights of the past year include:
• Hiring a Director of Membership and Subscriptions
• Membership Renewal Drive (you may remember receiving some reminder notes)
• Reaching out to Lapsed Members of the past few years
• Launch of our first electronic Membership Survey

Despite the positive news regarding membership numbers, it will be quite a challenge to maintain the levels of continuous growth that we would like to see. With many libraries providing electronic access for their clientele to journals, and many modern scientists eschewing print versions of scientific publications, some of the benefits of society membership are no longer the driver for joining/maintaining BSA membership as they once were. Thus, the need for a detailed membership survey like the one that was launched in early July. To date we have had a 20% response to the survey which is well above the average response rate for these types of questionnaires.

The good news from the survey is that 89% of those responding to the survey say they are either highly satisfied or somewhat satisfied with their BSA membership. 10% were neutral on the matter. This is a phenomenal number compared to many other societies and associations. We hope that the survey will provide insights for us into new avenues for reaching new members and retaining current ones. BSA as a “community of networking peers” is a concept that keeps coming to the forefront of the survey. In the coming year, we plan to:

1) Utilize a few small surveys to test out new ideas (coming from the membership survey) that will extend our reach and influence, build community, and hopefully, increase our membership and journal subscriptions.

2) We need to actively solicit colleagues in other American (North and South) countries to join us, and nominate accomplished Americans for Corresponding Memberships. This will inspire their students and colleagues to get more involved with the society, for the benefit of all.

3) Continue to increase student membership, fostering an alliance that continues with professional memberships after the terminal degree. To this end, our Executive Director suggests a discount for early renewal for students ($15) and post-Docs ($20), to encourage renewals as well as first-time memberships.

Our recommendations are:
Recommendation 1: It is recommended membership rates for 2008 remain the same.

Recommendation 2: It is recommended we create two new membership categories. Post-Doc at a rate of $40 and Community College Professional at a rate of $30

Recommendation 3: It is recommended we provide students and Post-Docs an incentive to renew, with an "early renewal" rate of $15 for Students and $20 for Post-Docs.

Recommendation 4: It is recommended we hold a new student membership drive beginning at the opening of classes in the fall of 2008 at a gift-rate of $10 per student.

Recommendation 5: In conjunction with this drive, it is requested the sections waive fees to allow student memberships to include sectional memberships.

Respectfully Submitted, Suzanne Koptur, July 18, 2008

ANNUAL REPORT FROM THE PUBLICATIONS COMMITTEE- 2008

It has been a very quiet year for the Publications Committee, but there are several issues on the horizon that need to be addressed. American Journal of Botany and Plant Science Bulletin moved the printing contract from Allen Press to Sheridan Press this year. The new bulletin and journal as produced by Sheridan Press look great, although E-i-C Judy Jernstedt reports that they are still working with Sheridan to get them “up to our standards” for illustrations.

Judy also notes that AJB declined in journal rankings this year and she is focused on getting the journal included in PubMed, which she believed will help with citation numbers. Encouraging submissions of manuscripts of broad interest and encouraging authors to put their work into a broader context are ongoing efforts that should result in increases to the citation statistics. Another need is to hire a science writer to produce front matter for the journal, which should enhance the value and demand for the journal. The topic of open access remains as an issue that needs to be thought through very carefully to determine the appropriate strategy for the journal and BSA.

Perhaps the most significant thing on the horizon is the end of Judy’s term as Editor in Chief in December 2009. The Publications Committee needs to begin discussions on conducting a search for a new E-i-C.

Respectfully submitted, Patrick S. Herendeen

ANNUAL REPORT OF THE DARBAKER PRIZE COMMITTEE - 2008

Members: Linda E. Graham Chair, Wayne Fagerberg, Chuck Delwiche

The Darbaker Prize in Phycology is presented to a resident of North America for meritorious work in the study of microscopic algae based on papers published in English by the nominee during the last two full calendar years. Upon conferring with Bill Dahl, the committee learned that there were sufficient funds to make two awards in 2008. The two Darbaker prize winners for 2008 are Debabish Bhattacharya and Virginia (Ginger) Armbrust.

D. Bhattacharya was nominated on the basis of his contributions to an international tree of life project and phylogeny papers published on a wide range of algal groups during the years of 2006 and 2007, particularly Li, S., T. Nosenko, J.D. Hackett, and D. Bhattacharya. 2006. Phylogenomic analysis provides evidence for the endosymbiotic transfer of red algal genes in chromalveolates. Mol. Biol. Evol. 23:663-674.

V. Armbrust was cited for several notable research contributions on the biology of diatoms in 2006 and 2007, including the following: Oudot-Le Secq, M.-P., J. Grimwood, H. Shapiro, C. Bowler, E. V. Armbrust and B R. Green. 2007. Chloroplast genomes of the diatoms Phaeodactylum tricornutum and Thalassiosira pseudonana: comparison with other plastid genomes of the red lineage. Molecular Genetics and Genomics 277:427-429.

Respectfully submitted, Linda Graham, Chair

ANNUAL REPORT OF THE ESAU AWARD COMMITTEE - 2008

The Katherine Esau Award was established in 1985 with a gift from Dr. Esau and is augmented by ongoing contributions. It is given to the graduate student who presents the outstanding paper in developmental and structural botany at the annual meeting.

Last year’s Esau Award was presented at the Botany 2007 conference in Chicago, IL to Mackenzie Taylor, University of Tennessee, for her paper “Fertilization timing and the pollen tube pathway in Cabombaceae (Nymphaeales).” Her co-author was Joseph H. Williams.

The paper’s abstract was as follows:
Fertilization in seed plants is the result of concurrent development of four distinct entities, the male and female sporophytes and the male and female gametophytes. In angiosperms, these ontogenies are especially intertwined during the period between pollination and fertilization, the progamic phase. Relatively little is known about the progamic phase in recently defined basal angiosperms. A range of studies indicates that the Nymphaeales, or water lilies, comprise one of these earliest lineages of angiosperms. In this presentation, the pollen tube pathway in the two genera that comprise the water lily family Cabombaceae, Brasenia and Cabomba, will be characterized and the relative timing of developmental events that occur during the progamic phase will be described. These events include the duration of stigma receptivity, female gametophyte receptivity, pollen germination, ovule entry, and fertilization. Maximum pollen germination occurs within 15 min in Cabomba and 60 min in Brasenia. Pollen tubes grow at the same rate in both genera, but ovule entry was first observed after 2 hrs in Cabomba and 6 hrs in Brasenia. Stigmata are receptive the entire time the flower is open in Cabomba, while in Brasenia, the duration of receptivity is less than 4 hrs. Brasenia and Cabomba are sister genera that flower in a similar environment; however, Brasenia is wind-pollinated, while Cabomba is insect-pollinated. Divergence of pollination syndromes in Cabombaceae can explain disparity in floral structure, and has had direct and indirect effects on reproductive timing.

For 2008 at least seven papers will be judged in Vancouver for the award. These student talks will be presented back to back during Session 48 on Tuesday July 29th from 1:00-3:30pm. This year’s judges will be Kenneth Cameron (Chair), Joe Williams, and Michael Christianson who is standing in for Jennifer Richards. Jennifer is unable to attend the meeting.

Respectfully Submitted, Ken Cameron July 17, 2008

ANNUAL REPORT OF THE J. S KARLING AWARD COMMITTEE - 2008

The BSA Graduate Student Research Award including the J. S. Karling Award

The BSA Graduate Student Research Awards support graduate student research and are made on the basis of research proposals and letters of recommendations. Within the award group is the Karling Graduate Student Research Award. This award was instituted by the Society in 1997 with funds derived through a generous gift from the estate of the eminent mycologist, John Sidney Karling (1897-1994), and supports and promotes graduate student research in the botanical sciences.

The Committee asks that the Council gives approval to submit a proposal to restructure the BSA Graduate Student Research Awards. We suggest three to five of the awards be focused earlier in the student’s development path.

The 2008 award recipients are:

J. S. Karling Graduate Student Research Award