13:35 BST

Share

linkedin icon

Dear MTT-S Members and Colleagues,

As you probably know, the IEEE Annual Election has begun on 15 August. The referendum on the Proposed Constitutional Amendment) will be an important question on this year’s ballot. This issue has been hotly debated and rejected by an overwhelming majority of the IEEE Societies/Councils (25 to 1) and IEEE TAB (Technical Activity Board) members. I have dedicated one special President’s Column to talk about the views from both proponents (IEEE BoD) and opponents (IEEE TAB) (link to TAB.pdf). The MTT-S AdCom ran a straw poll before the IEEE June TAB meeting series. While this poll was taken early in the process, it revealed unanimous concern about the suitability of this proposed Amendment. Clearly there are many strong opinions about this amendment in our IEEE community, and widely held concerns that it may shift influence from volunteers and members to a fewer BoD members and IEEE staff.

I have attached a few files that have been circulated within the IEEE TAB for your information that you may find helpful in forming your opinion. In particular, the IEEE TABin2030 Ad Hoc Committee (led by John Verboncoeur of NPSS), which was created early this year for the analysis of this Constitutional amendment and its impact, has released a report together with one summary and joint statements and findings (see the attached files). In addition, you will find attached a letter from the IEEE about IEEE Electioneering Policies and matters related to the proposed Constitutional Amendment.

Considering the potential impact of this critical vote, I urge all of you to communicate with your local community and MTT-S members and spread the message about the importance of the upcoming IEEE ballot during this Annual Election. Please vote against this Constitutional Amendment. That is the best way to safeguard the traditional values of the Society and the IEEE as a whole. Your action will make difference for all of us.

I welcome any different points of view on this proposed Amendment and I hope this exchange within the MTT-S community will create a better understanding of our own visions for the future of the IEEE.

Sincerely,
Ke Wu

2016 President of the IEEE Microwave Theory and Techniques Society (MTT-S)
Polytechnique Montréal (University of Montréal), Québec, Canada
E-mail: ke.wu@ieee.org