We should continue to elect the board of directors, but we need to provid=
e
mechanisms for them to state their positions on important issues and answ=
er
questions.
On balance, I think we should continue to have appointed Vice-Presidents.=
This is based on my knowledge of the job of the V.P. Admissions. (While I=
never was V.P. Admissions, but I worked closely with them during my time =
on
the Exam Committee.) The V.P. Admissions has been a veteran of the
examination/education process. This knowledge together with years of
experience is very important to his many tasks, such as finalizing passin=
g
grades.
While V.P.s influence policy, many of their duties are also
administrative/managerial.
They are in some sense analogous to cabinet officers. In many cases, the
appointment to V.P. is based on the work the person did as the head of a
committee, something the general membership may not be familiar enough wi=
th
to judge properly. I think on balance we are well served by shying away
from electing V.P.s.
I could see many reasons to elect the V.P of Admissions. But then one
could argue that the head of the Exam Committee should also be elected. W=
hy
not all the officers of the Exam Committee and every other Committee? We
have to draw the line somewhere. Reasonable people can disagree about whe=
re
to draw that line.
In my opinion, for now we should open up the current election process and=
allow meaningful debates of issues by the candidates. In my opinion, this=
would be a large step in the right direction.
Howard Mahler, FCAS
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