Annual Report 2007: FY July 1, 2006-June 30, 2007
Gulf Coast Association of Geological Societies
Gulf Coast Association of Geological Societies 2006–2007 has been an exciting year for GCAGS, as we have moved forward on several items consistent with our stated goal and purpose of fostering education amongst the geologic community in the Gulf Coast region.
Convention
GCAGS remains strong financially and our main source of income continues to be our annual convention. Our total net assets as of December 31, 2006 were $725,103. The highly successful 2006 meeting in Lafayette was held in conjunction with the Gulf Coast Prospect Expo, and headed up by Mary Broussard and her team of committed volunteers. Overall convention attendance was approximately 1,700, with 140 technical presentations, five short courses and two field trips. Total sponsorship money raised was $194,470 and the final surplus was $92,355.61.
The 2007 meeting will be held October 21–23 in Corpus Christi, Texas and an exciting program is being planned. An excellent technical program has been assembled along with a forum on global climate change.
In September 2006, GCAGS signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Bruce Lemmon, of Global Events Management (GEM), to help with the management of our yearly meeting. The contract begins in 2008 and is effective through 2012. The contract covers all exhibition and registration areas of the convention with hopes of expanding this service so smaller societies will have the ability to host conventions in the future. GEM is to provide us with an operational handbook for guidance to the convention committees, and also include a complete job description for each of the convention officers and committee chairs. The Continuity Committee was formed in 2005 and is responsible for establishing host convention cities, centralizing GCAGS functions and is the vehicle to transfer best practices from convention to convention. The committee members consist of the past, present and future general chairman, president and past president, president-elect along with Brian Locke and Kate Kipper. The past general chairman chairs this committee.
In keeping with GCAGS’s attempt to streamline convention operations, Finance Chair Steve Hill has centralized the credit card account system so it can be inherited by the following convention host society.
The 2008 convention will be held in Houston in conjunction with Geological Society of America, American Society of Agronomy/Crop Science Society of America and the Soil Science Society of America. A memorandum of understanding is presently being adopted between the groups and GCAGS is looking forward to the opportunity of expanding to wider groups of scientific communities.
Education
The Student Grant Committee consists of Chairman Danny Harrelson and his co-chairs Tom McGehee and John Marble. GCAGS presently funds approximately $25,000 per year in Student Grants. In an effort to supplement the lagging funds currently available for faculty research, GCAGS has implemented a Faculty Grant program. The committee consists of Danny Harrelson, Renee Dehon and Tom McGehee. GCAGS plans to award two grants of $10,000 and $5,000 per year with the academic season and guidelines the same as the Student Grant Program.
Other New Business
GCAGS has accepted the offer by AAPG for the liability insurance coverage. This will save GCAGS approximately $3,200 per year.
GCAGS agreed to provide seed money for the “Maps in Schools Program.” GCAGS will provide $1,000 per affiliated society as start up money for the program. Owen Hopkins, from the Corpus Christi Geological Society initiated this program and is spearheading the effort. The goal is to put geologic maps in schools in an effort to encourage an interest in science in general and geology in particular. Since April 2007, GCAGS has provided seed money to four geological societies.
GCAGS and GCSSEPM have had a successful 50-year history of working together on our annual meeting. In an effort to preserve this mutually beneficial relationship, a Memorandum of Understanding between the two groups has been proposed to better clarify our roles and expectations. This will be presented and voted on by GCSSEPM, and if approved will be presented at the annual GCAGS meeting in October.