Policies & Procedures - 5.6 Magazines Board

- approved 1/99, updated 7/08, updated 3/10 -

Objectives

The Magazines Board is responsible for establishing policies and setting strategic directions for magazines publication, and the actual editing and production of magazines of the IEEE Communications Society, within the context of providing services to Society members.  To the extent that non-member professionals can be viewed as potential Society members, or that their needs should be understood in maintaining current and formulating new society services, they, too, will be considered.  The magazines include the Communications Magazine, the Network Magazine, and the Wireless Communications Magazine.  Additionally, the Global Communications Newsletter is published as an insert to the Communications Magazine.

Organizational Structure

The Magazines Board is made up of a Chair (Director of Magazines) and Board Members.  The Director is appointed to the position by the President of the Communications Society, upon recommendation by the Vice President of Publications.  The Board Members are:

• Editor-in-Chief of IEEE Communications Magazine
  
  
• Editor-in-Chief of IEEE Network Magazine
  
  
• Editor-in-Chief of IEEE Wireless Communications Magazine
  
  
• Editor of the Global Communications Newsletter
  
  
• ComSoc Editor for IEEE Press
  
  
• Two members at large
  
  
• Additional members can be appointed, including Liaison Editors to other IEEE magazines.

ComSoc Magazines Editors-in-Chief (EICs) shall be appointed by the Director of Magazines to an initial term of 2 years, renewable for 1 or 2 additional years.  The maximum term of an EIC shall be 4 years.  An Associate Editor-in-Chief (AEIC) can be appointed, as appropriate, for a ComSoc Magazine to serve a 1 or 2 year term with the expectation that the AEIC would succeed the current EIC.

The two members-at-large of the Board are appointed to their position by the Chair, drawing upon a field of candidates from the membership at large, with special attention given to individuals who have previously served in related capacities. The Director shall confer with the Vice President for Publications in making a selection. Members of the Board, shall serve a nominal two-year term, renewable for one or two additional years, based on mutual agreement of the Director of Magazines and the Vice President for Publications.  In the event that a member of the Board position is vacated before the full two- or three-year term is completed, the Director shall appoint a successor to complete that partial term, plus serve an additional traditional (two or three year) term.  A Member of the Board term concludes either by natural expiration, or by invitation to resign, the latter subject to mutual agreement of the Board Chair and Society Vice President of Publications.

Activities

The Magazines Board is responsible for the management of the archival journals published by the Communications Society. Duties of the Magazines Board include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Formulating strategic directions for the suite of archival magazines published by the IEEE Communications Society and to insure that the technical scope of the Communications Society is reflected by the suite of magazines.
  
  
• Insuring the quality of all publications for which the Board is responsible.
  
  
• Establishing policies which affect member services in the area of Magazines Publications.
  
  
• Editing and producing the IEEE Communications Society Magazines.
  
  
• Formulating page budgets for each publication and recommending changes where appropriate.
  
  
• Maintaining the validity of existing programs.
  
  
• Assuring that such programs continue to meet the current needs of the Society Members.
  
  
• Continuously studying the suite of magazines offered by the Communications Society and recommending changes as appropriate. Recommendations should be made to the Vice President of Publications and, as examples, could include the addition of new magazines or changes in the publication schedule.
  
  
• Work with the Director of Journals to insure that meeting facilities are available at regularly scheduled meetings of the Board of Journals and the Board of Magazines. Meetings of the Board of Journals and Board of Magazines are held at ICC and at GLOBECOM. Other meetings may be called as deemed necessary by the Director of Journals.

Areas of concern, issues, or proposals for new initiatives can be generated anywhere — from members of the Board of Governors, the Operating Committee, Society Councils or members of their boards, the membership at large, and professionals outside the Society.  To facilitate follow-through the Director shall ask a Member of the Board, an Editor-in-Chief or a ComSoc Editor, or in conjunction with that Board Member, a member of their Editorial Board, to assume leadership for specific projects.  It is expected that whenever possible, target completion dates will be set, and that the responsible individual will prepare periodic update reports to the Director and (where appropriate) the Editor-in-Chief or ComSoc Editor.  As needed, progress will be reported to the Operating Committee or Board of Governors when they meet.  Such reports will be presented by the Vice President of Publications or, at his discretion, the Director of Magazines.

To successfully fulfill its charter the Magazines Board must keep the ComSoc staff informed of its activities, and work closely with them whenever possible.

The above items represent the ongoing responsibilities of the Magazines Board defined on the date of this document. In addition to these on-going responsibilities, a number of additional activities are typically identified in the course of day-to-day operations of the Communications Society.  These often require the establishment of ad-hoc committees and/or working groups.  The Director of Magazines will maintain a close working relationship with the Vice President of Publications to insure that all such requirements are properly handled as they are identified.