In My Opinion: Challenges and Changes

by Walter C. Wright

Since its beginning 25 years ago, the Actuarial Review has been a forum for CAS members who wish to express their views. As the AR's third editor-in- chief, I will work to preserve this legacy.

CAS membership has grown from 545 at the beginning of 1974 to 3,059 today. This increase in numbers has been accompanied by an increase in diversity—we are not the relatively homogeneous Society that we were back then. As a result, full and open communication within the CAS has become more difficult, making the role of the AR more important.

Increased diversity surely leads to an increase in the divergence of opinions about fundamental questions affecting our organization generally and our members specifically. As the CAS changes within a larger environment that is also changing, members' views need to be heard. What does a casualty actuary do? What are the proper roles for the CAS beyond the shores of North America? What professional standards should we follow? How should our profession relate to others, and how should our professional society relate to other professional societies?

The challenge to each and every member is to express those views. The AR stands ready to provide a forum. Write letters to the editor and submit opinion pieces. Suggest topics that should be debated within the publication. It is important that all members share their points of view so that the leadership and others can take them to heart when making decisions that affect our Society.

The use of the AR as a vehicle for opinions occasionally leads to a dilemma: The AR is an official publication of the CAS, and yet the editorial staff has always operated independently of the CAS Board. How can the AR fulfill its responsibility of providing news and views of interest to members and at the same time be responsive to the concerns of the CAS Board? Conversely, how can the CAS Board ensure that the AR, as an official publication of the CAS, appropriately promotes the interests of the CAS and at the same time is an open forum for the expression of opinion? To reconcile this dilemma, the editorial staff of the AR and the CAS Board have agreed to two changes.

First, we have decided to rename the "Editorial" column. It is now called "In My Opinion." We made this change because the term "editorial" is sometimes interpreted as an official opinion of the CAS. We now have about 5,000 readers who are not members of the CAS, including students, academics, and other interested parties. We want to be clear about the fact that the opinions expressed in the AR are not official opinions of the CAS.

Second, we have established an Editorial Board whose responsibilities are to provide advice and counsel regarding the suitability of material for publication, recruit contributors, recommend topics, and occasionally write an opinion piece. The words "advice" and "counsel" in this context are vitally important—the Editorial Board provides assistance. The Editorial Board cannot override the AR editorial staff or censor what is published.

The Editorial Board comprises four ex officio members and three members appointed by the President. The current ex officio members are the editor-in-chief of the AR, myself; the managing editor of the AR, Paul Lacko; the chairperson of the CAS Editorial Committee, Gene Connell; and the Executive Council's VP-Administration, Gary Dean. The three current appointees are Chuck Bryan, Dave Oakden, and Everett Truttman. The VP-Administration serves as the chair.

Three things are crucial to the success of this new process:

• the editorial staff of the AR will need to be sensitive to the concerns expressed by other members of the Editorial Board;
• the other members of the Editorial Board will need to sensitize themselves to the journalistic issues that are important to the editorial staff; and, most importantly,
• CAS members must contribute their opinions to the AR.

We are optimistic that this system will work well and that with your help the AR will continue to be a valuable and stimulating publication for our Society.