On and off for several years, the Board of Governors of the IT Society has discussed the possibility of switching to a yearly symposium schedule, probably to be held every June and alternating in some fashion between North American, European, and Asian locations. At our meeting this
September at the 1995 ISIT in Whistler, British Columbia, this issue will again be discussed. We would like to hear your comments regarding the scheduling of future ISIT's, so that these may play a part in the BOG discussions. The arguments pro and con can be roughly summarized as follows.

Arguments in favor of switching to a yearly symposium schedule.

1) This is our major conference. We should have one every year.

2) A yearly symposium at a fixed time would facilitate travel planning.
Most universities are not in session in June.

3) Most other societies have a yearly conference. So should we.

4) The current symposia are getting too large. A more frequent schedule would reduce the size to a more manageable level.

5) 18 months is too long to wait to report one's best results. A yearly symposium would facilitate the more timely reporting of research.

Arguments opposed to switching to a yearly symposium schedule.

1) The current system seems to be working well. Why change it?

2) A yearly symposium may tend to interfere with the scheduling of IT workshops, which have become very popular recently.

3) It may be difficult for some to attend a yearly symposium. The current schedule allows more members to attend every symposium.

4) A more frequent symposium may result in a dilution of quality. The
current schedule allows more time to generate one's best ideas.

5) We prefer to remain distinctive and not just follow the trend seen in other societies of holding more frequent conferences.

Please send your comments regarding this issue to me by email <Daniel.J.Costello.2@nd.edu> or contact any BOG member directly. Click here to launch an e-mail message (to Daniel Costello).

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