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Miscellaneous

Standing Committees (specified in the By-Laws)

Continuing Committees

Ad-Hoc Committees

Board of Directors

TERMS OF REFERENCE

Regional Representatives

TERMS OF REFERENCE

Appointed Officers

TERMS OF REFERENCE

Local Representatives

TERMS OF REFERENCE

Bilingualism

(STANDING COMMITTEE)

TERMS OF REFERENCE

ESTABLISHMENT

By-Laws 16.2 and 16.6.

COMPOSITION

Chair: Appointed by the incoming President.
Membership: Two members in good standing employing English as their working language and an equal number of members in good standing employing French as their working language, appointed by the incoming President.

TERMS AND DUTIES

The Bilingualism Committee shall promote the application of the principles of bilingualism as recognized in the By-Laws.

A primary responsibility of the Bilingualism Committee is to ensure the completion of the required translation of the program and abstracts for Annual Meetings, as detailed in the Guidelines for Annual Meetings.

Notes

  • At the 1987 Spring Board Meeting the Bilingualism Committee was asked to consider ways in which the bilingual nature of the Annual Meetings might be enhanced and to provide specific suggestions for implementation.
  • At the 1991 Fall Board Meeting, a motion was passed that the Chair of the Bilingualism Committee be a member of the Program Committee.
  • At the 1994 Spring Board Meeting, a motion was passed that the Program Secretary revise the Program Guidelines, in consultation with the Bilingualism Committee, to make sure that the bilingualism policy is implemented. In particular, steps should be taken so that a suitably bilingual person proofreads the Program.
  • At the 1994 Fall Board Meeting, a motion was passed that the Executive Committee establish a task force to oversee implementation of the Society's policy on bilingualism for Annual Meetings, in particular, to ensure a fully bilingual program.
  • At the 1998 Fall Board Meeting the Bilingualism Committee was mandated to determine how to implement the bilingualism policy on the Web site.
  • At the 2001 Spring Board Meeting the Bilingualism Committee recommended that the Annual Meeting Program should be fully bilingual, and that speakers be encouraged to submit abstracts in both languages.
  • At the 2005 Spring Board Meeting the Bilingualism Committee reported that they organised a draw from all those with acceptable translations in order to encourage speakers to provide their abstracts in both French and English. The winner of the draw receives a free SSC membership. The intention was to continue this each year.
  • At the 2007 Fall Board Meeting the Bilingualism Committee recommended that at the Annual Meeting:
    • People that present in one language should be encouraged to have their slides in the other language. A short text should be added on the Web page to encourage this practice.
    • Information on language used for the presentation and the slides should be added to the program. This information could be collected when the author is submitting the abstract.

Election

(STANDING COMMITTEE)

TERMS OF REFERENCE

ESTABLISHMENT

By-Laws 16.2 and 16.5.

COMPOSITION

Chair: Past-President.
Membership: At least three individual members in good standing, appointed by the incoming President, who have agreed not to run for election. In practice the membership of the committee has consisted of the Past-President (Chair), Past-Presidents of the Sections (Biostatistics, Business and Industrial Statistics, Probability, Survey Methods), Accreditation Committee Past Chair plus at least two other members in good standing, appointed by the incoming President, who have agreed not to run for election.

TERMS AND DUTIES

The Election Committee shall perform duties in accordance to Section 12 of the By-Laws.

12. ELECTIONS

12.1 On or before October 1 of each year, the President shall appoint an Election Committee composed of at least three individual members in good standing who have agreed not to run for the next election.

12.2 The Election Committee shall submit at least one nomination for each position on the Executive Committee and the Board of Directors which is open for election. The chairperson of the Committee shall arrange for this list to be circulated to all members of the Society on or before February 1, together with a call for further nominations. Additional nominations must be supported in writing by at least five individual members in good standing and must be received by the chairperson of the Election Committee on or before March 1.

12.3 No candidate may stand for more than one of the positions on the Board of Directors detailed in §7.1 in a given election.

12.4 Only individual members in good standing on April 1 shall be eligible to vote. Voting by proxy shall not be permitted.

12.5 Election of Directors shall be by the membership at large. Each voter shall be entitled to vote once for each officer to be elected and, for each region, to vote for as many candidates as there are Regional Representatives to be elected in that region.

12.6 Candidates shall be elected according to total number of votes. Ties shall be resolved by the chairperson of the Election Committee.

12.7 On or before April 15, the Office shall send, either by mail or by electronic mail, a ballot to each individual member of the Society eligible to vote. A brief biographical sketch of each candidate shall be provided in both official languages. The number of ballots received within a period determined by the Election Committee must respect the quorum of §15.5. This period shall not be less than thirty days.

12.8 The Election Committee shall supervise the election and certify the outcome of the vote to the Board of Directors. The counting of the votes shall be done in the presence of at least one of the members of the Election Committee and at least one teller designated by the Executive Committee.

Note: Referring to By-Law 12.1 above, current practice has been for the President to appoint the Election Committee sometime in July, well “...before October 1”. This allows for a timely schedule for soliciting nominations, completing a slate of candidates and publishing same in Liaison.

Guidelines

In implementing the election By-laws the Election Committee shall:

  • Arrange for nominations for election of Directors and Officers of the Society to be solicited in Liaison. In the past this occurred in an issue in October which is no longer published. The issues now published in that time of the year are in August and November. Current practice is for such a call for nominations to appear in the August issue.
  • Prepare a slate of candidates for election, obtain agreement from the candidates, and request that each candidate send biographical information to the Chairperson of the Election Committee. In the past it was suggested that this occur by early December. Current practice is to complete this task by the end of October.
  • Arrange for the slate of candidates to appear in Liaison along with a request for further nominations for any position made through a petition signed by at least five individual members in good standing, and communicated to the Committee on or before March 1. In the past, in order to adhere to By-Law 12.2, the slate of candidates prepared by the Election Committee was to appear in the February Issue of Liaison, but often such issue appeared after March 1. Current practice is for this slate to appear in the November issue of Liaison. If additional nominations are received on or before March 1, the final list of candidates is distributed electronically.
  • Request that each additional nominee send biographical information to the Chairperson.

    • Prepare, in conjunction with the SSC Office, the ballot and a brief biographical sketch of each candidate.
      • To speed the counting process and to minimize cost, care should be taken so that all the entries on the ballot are on one side of a page.
      • When a person is a candidate for a Society office and a Section office, in the interests of clarity the biography of such candidates should be printed in both places.
    • Ensure (as per By-Law 12.7) that the SSC Office sends on or before April 15 a ballot to each individual member of the Society who is eligible to vote, together with the appropriate instructions and a brief biographical sketch of each candidate (in both official languages).
    • Supervise (as per By-Law 12.8) the election and certify the outcome of the voting to the Board of Directors (the counting of the ballots must be done in the presence of at least one of the members of the Election Committee and at least one teller designated by the Executive Committee). As per By-Law 12.7, ballots must be counted no sooner than 30 days after mailing. A notation on the ballot should specify the day on which the ballots are to be counted. Ballots arriving after that day may not be opened or counted.
       
  • Inform the Executive Committee of the results of the Election (vote tallies to be reported only to the Executive Committee).
  • Write to all candidates in the election, thanking them for running and informing them of their own results. (To be done as far in advance of the Annual Meeting as possible; in view of the 30 day period mandated for members to return the ballot after mailout, this will normally occur on or about May 15.)

Note:

  • At the 1996 Spring Board Meeting a new procedural rule was suggested, which was followed in the 1997 election, namely, that the date announced as the deadline for receipt of ballots is the date that ballots are to be counted.
  • At the 2007 Fall Board Meeting, the following motion was adopted.

    MOTION: that the Executive Committee make the necessary arrangements for the 2008 elections to be held electronically, if feasible / / que le Comité exécutif prenne les mesures nécessaires en vue de la tenue d'élections par voie électronique en 2008, si possible.

    As a result, the 2008 Election was held electronically, with the voting period from April 15 to May 15.
  • Subsequent elections will continue to be held electronically. The bullet items in the Guidelines above, with empty bullet refer to paper ballots, their layout, and the mailing of same, and are to be reinterpreted within the parameters of electronic voting.

Suggested Election Timetable Reflecting Current Practice:

DateActionResponsible 
JulyAppoint SSC and Section Election CommitteesSSC President Elect & Section Presidents Elect
 
 Identify Offices requiring candidates and outgoing Officers     SSC President Elect & Section Presidents Elect
 eligible for re-electionSSC Executive Secretary, Section Secretaries
 
 Prepare Election notice for Liaison Chairperson
 
August       Request candidate names from Committee members, Sections, Accreditation Committees and others Chairperson
   
 Publish Election notice in Liaison 
 
October Finalize slate Chairperson
 Transmit to Liaison Editor with request for additional nominations 
 
October – mid      Develop biographies and send to SSC Office Chairperson, Sections
     
November Update Online System with Election Material Chairperson, Election Software Support Staff
 
Early November Approve costs with SSC Office for ballots, bio-booklet, ballot envelope, mailing envelope, return envelope and stuffing & labelling Chairperson
   
 Approve address for return envelope with SSC Office 
 
November Publish slate and solicit nominations Liaison Editor
     
 Send SSC office information on what is required regarding “members in good standing as of April ” and what format files should be prepared Chairperson
 
December – Prepare translations SSC Office
     
January Prepare and approve master copy of ballot SSC Office, Chairperson
     
 Prepare web bilingual biographical sketches Chairperson
 
March Cleanup email addresses on file: secure missing addresses and correct addresses for bounced email Chairperson
 
On or before April 15 Obtain list from SSC Office of all members in good standing as of April 1 SSC Office
    
 Mail paper ballots; Send online elections instructions to members Chairperson, Election Software Support Staff
   
 Approval of teller(s) for counting of the ballots Executive Committee
 
Around May 15 Count ballots in the presence of at least one of the members of the Election Committee and teller(s)     Chairperson
    
 Report to Executive Committee 
   
 Thank candidates and report to them their own results 
 
June Provide SSC Office with Updated list of elected individuals Chairperson
   

Section Elections

By-Law 19.3 The election of Section officers shall take place annually at the same time as the Annual Election of the Society. Only those members of the Society who are also members of a given Section on April 1 are eligible to vote in the election of officers for that Section in that year.

The election of Section officers is conducted by the Election Committee as part of the Society elections. Past- Presidents of the Sections are members of the committee and participate in all the activities of the committee. In addition, they serve as liaison with the Section Election Committees. Sections shall provide the SSC Election Committee with Section slates and biographies of candidates in accordance to the schedule given in the Election Timetable.

Executive

(STANDING COMMITTEE)

TERMS OF REFERENCE

ESTABLISHMENT

By-Law 14.1.

COMPOSITION

The Executive Committee shall consist of the President (Chairperson), the President-Elect, the Executive Secretary, the Treasurer, the Publications Officer, the Meetings Co-ordinator and the Past-President.

TERMS AND DUTIES

The Executive Committee shall have the power to:

  • appoint the Editor of each publication of the Society, and the non-elected officers of the Society, in accordance with By-laws 11.2 and 17.2;
  • recommend to the Board of Directors policies and actions designed to promote the welfare of the statistical profession;
  • prepare and submit an annual budget for approval by the Board of Directors;
  • administer and, if necessary, modify the budget between meetings of the Board of Directors, provided that any changes are reported at the next meeting of the Board;
  • supervise investments;
  • discharge such other responsibilities as may be assigned to it by the Board of Directors.

Note

According to the SSC Awards Guidelines adopted by the Board of Directors on 27 October 1984, the Executive Committee has the power to ratify the decisions of the Awards Committee with respect to the awarding of gold medals and plaques.

SEE ALSO: Board of Directors

Finance

(STANDING COMMITTEE)

TERMS OF REFERENCE

ESTABLISHMENT

By-Law 16.1 and 16.4.

COMPOSITION

Chair: Treasurer.
Membership: Executive Secretary and at least two other individual members in good standing, appointed by the incoming President. In practice, in addition to the Treasurer and Executive Secretary, the membership consists of the Treasurers of the Sections, and at least two additional individual members in good standing, appointed by the incoming President.

TERMS AND DUTIES

The Finance Committee shall be responsible, in a general sense, for setting the fiscal policy and supervising the financial affairs of the Society.

By-Laws Relating to the Treasurer and Finances:

By-laws 7.9, 9.4, 14.7, and 16.11 state that the Board of Directors, officers, members of the Executive, and members of committees “...shall serve without remuneration. However, members of committees may be paid expenses incurred in the performance of their duties. Such payments must be authorized by the Treasurer.” Such authorization from the Treasurer must be received prior to incurring such expenses, and in such cases, reimbursements will be made upon presentation of receipts.

8. EXECUTION OF DOCUMENTS

8.1 The President, jointly with the Executive Secretary or Treasurer, shall sign all contracts, documents and instruments in writing requiring the signature of the Society, and all contracts, documents and instruments in writing so signed shall be binding on the Society without any further authorization or formality. The Board of Directors shall have the power from time to time by resolution to appoint an officer or officers on behalf of the Society to sign specific contracts, documents and instruments in writing. The seal of the Society when required may be affixed to contracts, documents or other instruments in writing signed as aforesaid or signed by any officer or officers appointed by resolution of the Board of Directors.

10.5 The Treasurer shall:

a) have charge and custody of, and be responsible for, all funds, securities, books, vouchers and papers of the Society; all such funds and securities shall be deposited in the name of the Society in such banks, trust companies or other depositories as may be selected by the Executive Committee;
b) submit, at the request of the Executive Committee, a cash statement showing receipts and disbursements and such information relative to the financial position of the Society as the Executive Committee may from time to time determine;
c) render a detailed audited report of the conditions of the financial condition of the Society at the regular meeting of the Board of Directors preceding the annual general meeting of the members, and have this report circulated to all members of the Society;
d) receive all monies due and payable to the Society and issue receipts;
e) maintain a list of addresses of all the members and provide names of those members who are in good standing and those members who are entitled to receive the publications of the Society;
f) serve on the Publications Committee and chair the Finance Committee; and
g) in general, perform all the duties incidental to the office of Treasurer and such related duties as may be assigned to the Treasurer from time to time by the Executive Committee or by the Board of Directors.

18. FINANCE

18.1 The fiscal year shall be the calendar year.

18.2 The Treasurer shall have authority to purchase securities with funds that the Board of Directors has designated for investment and to sell such securities. The Treasurer shall have the authority to borrow money. All such purchases, sales and loans shall be made only in accordance with such regulations as the Board of Directors shall prescribe. The Board of Directors may also appoint an individual member in good standing with the Society to serve as a depositor for funds.

18.3 At each annual meeting, the members shall appoint an auditor to audit the accounts of the Society for report to the members at the next annual meeting. This auditor shall hold office until the next annual meeting, except that the Board of Directors may fill any vacancy in the office of the auditor. The auditor may not be a director, officer or employee of the Society.

Notes:

  • The Development Fund is a portion of the Society's accumulated surplus, which has been set aside by motions of the Board. (The accumulated surplus is the sum of all yearly surpluses minus the sum of all yearly deficits, from the inception of the Society.) It was intended to act as a financial cushion, in the case of a financial disaster or possibly as a mechanism for the funding of major projects which could not be funded from a single year's revenues. The Development Fund was established by the Board in 1990, with an initial contribution of $10,000.
  • Under the Corporations Act, the Society is required to file the “Annual Summary” form with Industry Canada. This annual summary as of March 31 of a given year must be filed on or before June 1 of that year. This form must be signed by a member of the Executive. In recent practice, the Treasurer has signed the form, which has been prepared and submitted by the Office.
  • The Treasurer should take note that the “Registered Charity Information Return” must be filled out by the auditors each year.
  • The Lise Manchester Award was established at a meeting of the Board of Directors on 10 June 2007, and amended on 25 May 2008 and 23 October 2010. This award is funded through an endowment of $20,546.34, used for purchasing of a 44 year term certain annuity. At the 19 November 2007 meeting of the Executive, the following four-part motion was passed.

    Part 1: That a term certain annuity be purchased on behalf of the Statistical Society of Canada in January 2008; that the term of the said annuity be 44 years; that the annuitant be the Statistical Society of Canada; that payments to the annuitant be made every second year, beginning in 2008; that the said payment be in the amount of $1400 in 2008; and that a provision be included in the annuity so as to guarantee that the payment be indexed 2% annually thereafter.

    Part 2: That the amount of the Lise Manchester Award for 2008 be $1000; that the remaining portion of the annuity payment for 2008 be used in total or in part for advertising purposes.

    Part 3: That a bank account be set up by the Statistical Society of Canada in January 2008; that the funds in the said account be devoted exclusively to the Lise Manchester Award; that any unused portion of the biennial payment made to the Society by the Lise Manchester term certain annuity be deposited in the said account; and that at the expiry of the said annuity, all moneys accumulated in the account be used to insure the continuation of the Lise Manchester Award as seen fit by the Directors of the Society at that time.

    Part 4: That beginning in 2010 and thereafter, the Board of Directors of the Society may choose to increase the amount of the Lise Manchester Award within the financial resources provided by the term certain annuity purchased to this end.

Program

(STANDING COMMITTEE)

TERMS OF REFERENCE

ESTABLISHMENT

By-Law 16.2 and 16.3.

COMPOSITION

Chair: Meetings Co-ordinator.
Membership: Present Program Chairperson, Past Program Chairperson, Present Local Arrangements Chairperson, Past Local Arrangements Chairperson, Treasurer, Publications Officer, and SSC Executive Director. As soon as a future Program or Local Arrangements Chairperson is appointed, he/she shall join the committee. The Committee shall include the Chair of the Accreditation Committee, and a representative from each of the Sections.

TERMS AND DUTIES

The Program Committee shall be responsible for:

  • setting general policy for all scientific meetings organized by the Society
  • fostering innovation in Annual Meetings and evaluating the results
  • fostering regional scientific meetings.

The Meetings Co-ordinator, in addition to chairing the committee, shall be responsible for:

  • co-ordinating the activities of the Program Chair, the Local Arrangements Chair, and the individual in the Office responsible for dealing with registration matters, so as to ensure the success of the meeting
  • soliciting bids from potential candidate sites for the organization of future meetings.

By-Laws Relating to the Meetings Co-ordinator and Program Committee.

10.7 The Meetings Co-ordinator shall:
a) chair the Program Committee;
b) advise the Board of Directors on matters of policy for all scientific meetings organized by or sponsored by the Society; and
c) in general, perform all the duties incidental to the Meetings Co-ordinator and such related duties as may be assigned from time to time by the Executive Committee or by the Board of Directors.

15.1 The Society shall hold at least one general meeting each year in Canada at a time and place to be decided by the Board of Directors on the advice of the Meetings Co-ordinator. Additional general meetings shall be held whenever requested by twenty individual members in good standing or by twelve members of the Board of Directors. Such request must be filed with the Executive Secretary at least sixty days prior to the date of such a meeting.

16.3 The Program Committee shall be chaired by the Meetings Co-ordinator and shall be responsible for setting general policy for all scientific meetings organized by or sponsored by the Society.
 

Note:

The position of Meetings Co-ordinator was instituted through a modification to the By-Laws at the Annual General Meeting of the Society on 27 May 2008, and approved by Industry Canada on 5 August 2008. Prior to this the Chair of the Program Committee was filled by an appointed Officer with the title of Program Secretary.

Notes:

  • At a meeting of the Board of Directors held on 4 May 1986, a report from the Program Committee recommended that the locations of meetings should be governed by the following concerns:
    • the energy and talents of potential local organizers;
    • the facilities of the potential sites interpreted in the broadest sense;
    • that the holding of a meeting has an important meaning to the host statistical community - and that no group should be denied this benefit for geographic reasons;
    • that, where possible, locations should be determined early, perhaps two years in advance;
    • that all types of members, from university, government and industry, should be encouraged to host a meeting.
       
    At the same meeting the Board of Directors decided to establish the position of Program Secretary in order to provide continuity and in order to facilitate long-range planning. It was suggested that there should be an attempt to plan for a five-year horizon. The Program Secretary is responsible for maintaining a booklet on Program Guidelines for Annual Meetings of the Statistical Society of Canada, and for ensuring that Program Chairpersons are provided with copies upon appointment.
     
  • At the 1991 June Board Meeting it was recommended that “the composition of the committee change so that all future identified organizers be members or observers, that planning for Annual Meetings be 3 years ahead and that the Program Chairperson be selected by whomever will be President at the time the Program Chairperson is to serve.”

    The following motions were also adopted:
    • that any person appointed as Program or Local Arrangements Chairperson join the Program Committee as soon as the appointment takes effect
    • that the Local Arrangements Committee ensure there is on-site daycare provided during the scientific meetings.
  • At the 1991 Fall Board of Directors Meeting a motion was passed that the Chair of the Bilingualism Committee be a member of the Program Committee.
     
  • At the 1994 Spring Board Meeting, a motion was passed that the Program Secretary revise the Program Guidelines, in consultation with the Bilingualism Committee, to make sure that the bilingualism policy is implemented. In particular, steps should be taken so that a suitably bilingual person proofreads the Program.
     
  • At the 1994 Fall Board Meeting, a motion was passed that the Executive Committee establish a task force to oversee implementation of the Society's policy on bilingualism for Annual Meetings, in particular, to ensure a fully bilingual program.
     
  • At the 2000 June Board Meeting, a motion was passed to confirm the practice of having invited speakers register and pay registration fees continue, but that invited speakers who are not SSC members should pay the SSC member rate. Another motion specified that the Program Chairs will continue to be allowed the flexibility of scheduling sessions parallel to the Pierre Robillard and CJS Addresses, but that in scheduling such parallel sessions, they should take into consideration the importance of these Addresses.
     
  • At the 2005 October Board meeting the following motions were approved.

    Refund Policy for SSC's Annual Meeting
    1. All cancellations must be submitted in writing to treasurer@ssc.ca;
    2. Cancellations received by Friday, 5 weeks before the meeting will be subject to a cancellation fee of the amount we are charged to register one participant;
    3. Cancellations received between Saturday, 5 weeks before the meeting and Thursday, two weeks before the meeting, will be subject to a cancellation fee of the amount we are charged to register one participant plus the amount for the Banquet; BBQ, extra Banquet tickets and workshop registration will be subject to a 40% cancellation fee;
    4. Any cancellations received after 11:59 p.m. EDT, Thursday, two weeks before the meeting will not be refunded.

    Registration Policy for Speakers
    All speakers must pay registration fees. Invited papers pay the member's rate, whether they are SSC members or not. Speakers have until the early-bird deadline to register. If they are not registered by that date, their paper will be withdrawn. In practice, right after the early-bird deadline, the list of speakers who have not registered yet will be sent to the Program Chair who will contact them (with cc to the session organizer in the case of invited speakers) to warn them that if they have not registered within one week, their paper will be withdrawn. Those who will not have registered by that second deadline will have their paper withdrawn.

    Note:
    The practice referred to above of extending by as much as a week the early-bird registration deadline for Invited Speakers to register is one that is at the discretion of organizers. Circumstances may require strict adherence to the early-bird registration deadline.

  • At the October 2007 Board meeting the Bilingualism Committee recommended that at SSC Annual meetings:
    • Presenters be encouraged to give their talk in one language and to have their slides in the other language.
    • The information on the language used for the presentation and the slides be added to the program.

Publications

(STANDING COMMITTEE)

TERMS OF REFERENCE

ESTABLISHMENT

By-Law 16.1 and 16.7.

COMPOSITION

Chair: Publications Officer.
Membership: Executive Secretary, Treasurer, Editors and Managing Editors of all periodicals published by the Society, Electronic Services Manager and such additional members as may be determined by the Board of Directors.

TERMS AND DUTIES

The Publications Committee shall generally supervise the publication policy of the Society, make recommendations to the Board concerning the editorial policies of the Society's various publications, and make recommendations to the Executive Committee concerning the appointment of editors of these publications.

By-Laws Relating to the Publications Officer

10.6 The Publications Officer shall:

a) serve on the Program Committee and chair the Publications Committee;

b) be responsible for the editorial contents of periodical news bulletins or special bulletins, and shall be responsible for providing press releases;

c) be responsible for relations between the Society and its Sections and Regional Associations;

d) be responsible for developing good relations between the Society and other associations and statistical societies; and

e) in general, perform all the duties incidental to the Publications Officer and such related duties as may be assigned to the Publications Officer from time to time by the Executive Committee or by the Board of Directors.

Note:

The title of Publications Officer was instituted through a modification to the By-Laws at the Annual General Meeting of the Society on 27 May 2008, and approved by Industry Canada on 5 August 2008. Prior to this modification the position was known as Public Relations Officer.

Accreditation

(CONTINUING COMMITTEE)

Accreditation Committee website

TERMS OF REFERENCE

ESTABLISHMENT

The Accreditation Committee was established by motion of the Board of Directors on 8 June 2003.

COMPOSITION

Chair: Appointed by the Board (see Note below).
Membership: Twelve other P.Stat. Members elected by the P.Stat. membership of the SSC. The term of office is two years with a maximum of two consecutive terms.

NOTE:
At the October 2007 Board meeting the following motion regarding the Chair of the Committee was approved.

MOTION: that the Chair of the Accreditation Committee be appointed by the Board of Directors from amongst the P.Stat. membership, upon the recommendation of the Executive Committee, and in consultation with the Accreditation Committee, the Elections Committee and accredited members / que le président du Comité d'accréditation soit un membre portant la désignation P.Stat. élu par le Conseil d'administration, sur recommandation du Comité exécutif, après consultation auprès des comités d'accréditation et d'élection, ainsi que des membres accrédités.

That the term of the Chair of the Committee be two years / que le mandat du président du comité soit d'une durée de deux ans.

That the Chair of the Committee cannot serve more than two consecutive terms / que le mandat du président du comité ne soit pas renouvelable plus d'une fois.

TERMS AND DUTIES

The Accreditation Committee is responsible to the Board, and operates under the terms of reference defined in the document Accreditation of Statisticians by the Statistical Society of Canada.

The mandate of the committee is:

  • to make recommendations to the Board about the accreditation process
  • to assess applications for the qualifications of A.Stat and P.Stat according to the approved requirements for qualification, and to make recommendations to the Board on applications for accreditation
  • to provide feedback to universities, employers, associations and other interested bodies as requested by the Board
  • to assist in the planning and provision of services to accredited members
  • to review requests for recognition of courses and inform the Board of its decisions (see Notes below).

The Accreditation Committee shall report to the Board at least twice a year, and furnish a written report at the Annual Meeting of the SSC describing the activities of the Committee in the preceding year.

The Accreditation Committee shall submit a budget proposal for the Accreditation process to the Treasurer each September.

Notes Regarding the Recognition of Courses:

  • At the October 2006 Board meeting, the following motion was approved.

    MOTION: that the Statistical Society of Canada recognizes certain courses as partially satisfying the requirements for the A.Stat. designation.
     
  • At the June 2007 Board meeting the following motion was approved.

    MOTION: That the Board instructs the Accreditation Committee to approve courses from universities to be used for facilitating the adjudication of applications for A.Stat. and report to the Board on such approvals.

    Notes from the Board meeting:
    • The motions from the Accreditation Committee on such approvals should state that “The following suite of courses from ( Name of University) be used for facilitating the adjudication of applications for A.Stat.”
    • It is not appropriate to for the SSC to make the minimum mark requirements set by departments for such courses publically available.
    • Completion by a student of such courses does not, of itself, guarantee that the applicant will be recommended for an A.Stat. Rather, the submission of these courses will facilitate the committee's evaluation of the application.

Accreditation Appeals

(CONTINUING COMMITTEE)

Accreditation Committee website

TERMS OF REFERENCE

ESTABLISHMENT

The Accreditation Appeals Committee was established by the Board of Directors on 8 June 2003.

COMPOSITION

Chair: Past-President.
Membership: Six P.Stat. members elected by the P.Stat. Membership of the SSC. The term of office is two years with a maximum of two consecutive terms.

TERMS AND DUTIES

The mandate of the committee is:

  • to review appeals of negative decisions by the Accreditation Committee
  • to strike a panel to investigate substantiated allegations of misconduct, ethical issues, and/or misuse of the trademark, and issue a preliminary ruling
  • to review members struck from the rolls for non-payment of the annual fee.

The Accreditation Appeals Committee is the final arbiter for all appeals involving the accreditation process and its decisions are final. Decisions are made by majority vote with the Chair voting only in the case of a tie.

The Accreditation Appeals Committee shall furnish a written report at the Annual Meeting of the SSC that maintains the confidentiality of the members affected.

Awards

(CONTINUING COMMITTEE)

Award Winners

TERMS OF REFERENCE

ESTABLISHMENT

The Awards Committee was established as a continuing committee at a meeting of the Board of Directors on 27 October 1984, with a mandate to make recommendations for the awarding of Gold Medals and Plaques (the Plaque became the “SSC Service Award / Prix pour services à la SSC” in 1998 and the “Distinguished Service Award/ Prix pour services à la SSC” in 2003). In 1987 a decision was made to amalgamate the Awards Committee and the Honorary Members Committee, and to call the resulting committee the Awards Committee. The Awards Committee was given the mandate to make recommendations for all awards that are offered by the Society (except the Pierre Robillard Award and the CRM-SSC Prize). At a meeting of the Board of Directors on 10 June 2007, new awards were established, and the composition of the Awards Committee changed. This committee has the mandate to serve as the selection committee for the Gold Medal, Award for Impact of Applied and Collaborative Work, Honorary Membership and Distinguished Service Award. At a subsequent meetings of the Board of Directors held on 23 October 2010, the selection responsibility for the Award for Impact of Applied and Collaborative Work was transferred to the Award for Impact of Applied and Collaborative Work Committee, a separate continuing committee. The Awards Committee will also provide input to the Executive Committee and the Board of Directors on any issues surrounding the awards, including implementation of new awards, changes to award criteria, etc. It also has the mandate to make recommendations for awards offered by other societies or bodies, such as membership in the Royal Society of Canada or awards offered by the Committee of Presidents of Statistical Societies.

COMPOSITION

Chair: Past Past-President.
Membership: Voting members: Four members in good standing, appointed by the incoming President, plus the chairs of the CJS Award Committee, the Pierre Robillard Award Committee, the SSC Award for Impact of Applied and Collaborative Work Committee, and the Lise Manchester Award Committee. In addition, it is customary to invite the Past President to be a member of the Award Committee. Non-voting members: the chairs of the selection committees for the Award for Case for Case Studies in Data Analysis, Student Research Presentation Award, and CRM-SSC Prize.

TERMS AND DUTIES

The Awards Committee shall:

  • solicit nominations for awards through announcements in the November issue of Liaison;
  • recommend to the Executive Committee by the end of February, via the President, potential recipients of Honorary Memberships and submit short citations and accompanying documentation. Ratification by the Board of Directors is required; this is normally done by electronic vote;
  • by March 31, recommend to the Executive Committee, via the President, potential recipients of the SSC Gold Medal, Distinguished Service Award, and the Canadian Journal of Statistics Award and submit short citations and accompanying documentation for each award;
  • after the above recommendations have been ratified, make arrangements with the Executive Secretary for medals and plaques to be engraved and certificates to be prepared (the President should contact recipients of the awards, inviting them to be present at the Annual Meeting for presentation, also by the President, of the awards);
  • submit articles for publication in Liaison, announcing the winners of awards;
  • review the selection criteria for awards and recommend changes to the Board of Directors, as appropriate; and
  • actively encourage nominations for all awards from a wide spectrum of the membership through various venues including, but not restricted to, announcements in the November issue of Liaison (see the deadline in the Calendar), general e-mail notices through g-ssc and personal contact with local representatives as well as Section presidents and Regional Association presidents.

Guidelines

SSC Gold Medal Award

The Gold Medal of the SSC shall be awarded to a person who has made substantial contributions to statistics, or to probability, either to mathematical developments or in applied work. The recipient should be Canadian, or someone whose work for which the medal is awarded was substantially done in Canada. A recipient of the Gold Medal must be a member of the SSC.

Comments:

  • The Gold Medal is intended to honour current leaders in their fields and is normally expected to be awarded to someone still active in research.
  • Publicity should be given to the announcement of the award of the Gold Medal each year (in Liaison, the media and newsletters of other societies) in order to draw attention to the excellent work being done in Canada and by Canadians.
  • Each nomination for the Gold Medal should be accompanied by the curriculum vitae of the nominee and a minimum of four letters of recommendation.
  • Nominations for the Gold Medal should be considered valid for three award competitions unless withdrawn by the nominators. Nominators of unsuccessful candidates should be asked to add, replace or update biographical information and letters of reference as appropriate.

Distinguished Service Award

The Distinguished Service Award should be awarded to a person who has made substantial contributions to the running or welfare of SSC, over a period of several years. A recipient of the Service Award must be a member of the SSC.

Comments:

  • A nomination for the Distinguished Service Award should include a CV and at least 3 letters of support (of which the nominator's letter may be one) which address the award criteria.
  • The Distinguished Service Award will go to someone who, for several years, has worked hard in the service of the Society. Academic reputation, current research, or reputation in the world-wide statistical community will not be major concerns; the award is intended to reward devotion and service to statistics in Canada, as shown by exceptional service to SSC.
  • The award of the Service Award should not be regarded as a run-of-the-mill reward to retiring officers of the Society, even though their service may have been meritorious, unless the Awards Committee truly regards that service as exceptional.
     

Machinery for the Awarding of the Gold Medal and the Distinguished Service Award:
An Awards Committee of 5 persons should be struck by the President-Elect; its purpose is to decide whether the awards will be given, and to whom. The Awards Committee shall call in Liaison for nominations for the awards, and shall report its decisions to the President by March 31; ratification of the decisions shall be made by the Executive Committee by April 30, in time for the recipients to be alerted to receive the award at the Banquet held in conjunction with the SSC Annual Meeting. A short citation composed by the Awards Committee shall accompany each award. A person may receive the Gold Medal and the Distinguished Service Award in different years.

Frequency of the Awards:
Not more than one Gold Medal will normally be awarded each year; if no suitable candidate is found, or if the decision of the Awards Committee is not ratified by the Executive Committee, then no award shall be made. The same provisions shall apply to the Distinguished Service Award.

Honorary Membership Award

Honorary Membership in the SSC may be awarded to statistical scientists, or in special circumstances other individuals, of outstanding distinction who have made exceptional contributions to the development of the statistical sciences. The recipient should be someone whose work for which the Honorary Membership is awarded was substantially done in Canada or has had a major impact in Canada. The recipient need not be a member of the SSC.

Comments:

  • This award is intended to recognize individuals who have had a substantial and longstanding impact on the development of the statistical sciences in Canada; it would normally be expected to go to retired individuals.
  • This award is not intended to recognize individuals whose impact is based primarily on research contributions, of either an applied or theoretical nature, in the statistical sciences. Such individuals would more appropriately be considered as nominees for the more prestigious Gold Medal award. Of course, individuals holding the Gold Medal are eligible for consideration for Honorary Membership.
  • The extent to which an individual's activities have contributed toward the achievement of the goals proclaimed in the Society's published Mission Statement might serve the Awards Committee as a useful guide in their assessment of individuals nominated for this award.

Award for Case Studies in Data Analysis

(CONTINUING COMMITTEE)

TERMS OF REFERENCE

ESTABLISHMENT

The Award for Case Studies was established at a meeting of the Board of Directors on 10 June 2007.

COMPOSITION

Chair: Appointed by the incoming President, serves as one of the organizers of the Case Studies Session and becomes an ex officio member of the Awards Committee.
Membership: Three additional members in good standing, appointed by the incoming President.

TERMS AND DUTIES

Purpose

To raise the profile of data analysis within our Society, to recognize the relevance of collaboration with other disciplines as significant contributions of statistical scientists, to encourage students to participate in these activities, and to recognize excellence among the student teams participating in the Case Studies in Data Analysis event at the SSC Annual Meeting.

Criteria

Quality of approach to case study: Did the approach address the main questions of interest? Was the approach complete and thorough? Did the approach demonstrate some creativity?

Quality of presentation of the approach to case study: Were the presentation materials well organized, clear, concise and focused?

Eligibility

Teams of undergraduate and/or graduate students may participate in the case studies by contacting the case study organizer(s). All participating teams will be considered for the award.

Procedures

  • Such case studies presentations will be in the form of posters.
  • An Award for Case Studies in Data Analysis announcement will be included with the conference promotion material.
  • Coordination with the case studies organizer(s) and the program chair of the meeting will be established to ensure that the case study sessions take place early enough in the meeting to announce the winners at the meeting banquet and to ensure that judges do not have conflicts with other activities.
  • Details about procedures for the student teams will be provided by the case study organizer(s) on the Society's web page. Teams of students desiring to participate will register with the organizer(s) of the case study.
  • A team may choose to have a non-student mentor (e.g., a faculty member). Mentors are encouraged to consult “Guidelines for Mentors to Student Teams Participating in the SSC Case Studies in Data Analysis at Annual Meeting”.
  • The rubric used for the judge's evaluation will be made available to participating teams in advance of the meeting. Please see “SSC Case Studies in Data Analysis Rubric”.
  • To assist adjudication, the case study organizer(s), on behalf of the adjudication committee, may request that all teams submit a copy of their presentation materials to the organizer of the case study session. They may also request that teams submit a summary (1-2 pages, say) describing their general approach to the case study, including the methodology employed for their analyses, by a specified deadline.
  • After all the presentations, the adjudication committee will meet to decide on a winning team.
  • In most years, there will be separate and equal awards for each case study. To grant an award for a case study, statistical analyses from at least two teams must be presented. If there is a large imbalance in the number of teams participating in the two case studies, the adjudication committee may elect to consider the participants in two case studies as one group, with the possibility of giving the awards to two teams participating in the same case study. If this is to happen, an announcement will be made on the case studies web page at least three weeks prior to the meeting. If there are many entrants, the adjudication committee may consider declaring not only a winning entry, but also “runner-up” awards. These might consist of a special “runner-up” certificate, similar to that given to members of the winning team.
  • Winners will be announced at the meeting banquet and in the issue of Liaison following the Annual Meeting.

 

Award

A certificate for each member of each winning team, a monetary award (equivalent to the capped value of a student travel grant) to be shared by the members of each winning team, and an invitation to each winning team to write up their findings for consideration for publication in the Consultant's Corner section of Liaison, subject to any constraints imposed by the data donors and to editorial review, as well as page limits and style guidelines, by the Editor of Liaison (or designate).

Guidelines for mentors
The SSC Case Studies in Data Analysis at the Annual Meeting exists for participation by teams of undergraduate and/or graduate students. All participating teams, if they desire, may recruit a non-student mentor, for example, a faculty member. In order to have the ability to fairly evaluate the work of the student teams, student teams and non-student mentors are encouraged to consider the following guidelines for their participation.

i. Role of the student team: The approach to the case study should be planned, developed, and executed primarily by the student team. The student team should also have responsibility for the organization and presentation of its findings.

ii. Role of the mentor: The mentor should encourage and support the student team. This may include listening to ideas, suggesting references, and asking questions to stimulate consideration of additional aspects of the case study. To be fair to all participating teams, the mentor should not to take an active role in the development of the statistical analyses.

The Canadian Journal of Statistics Award

(CONTINUING COMMITTEE)

Winners of The Canadian Journal of Statistics Award

TERMS OF REFERENCE

ESTABLISHMENT

A Special Awards Committee was established as a continuing committee at a meeting of the Board, 2 June 1989 as a result of the acceptance of an ad hoc committee report (of the same name). It was renamed The Canadian Journal of Statistics Award Committee at a meeting of the Board of Directors, 19 October 1991.

COMPOSITION

Chair: Appointed by the incoming President, and becomes a voting member of the Awards Committee.
Membership: Three additional members in good standing, appointed by the incoming President.

 

TERMS AND DUTIES

The year YYYY The Canadian Journal of Statistics Award will be given to the author(s) of the best paper from the YYYY volume of the Journal selected by the Committee in March or April of year YYYY + 1. The criteria to be used for selection are excellence, innovation, and presentation. The award will be presented at the YYYY + 1 Annual Meeting of the Society. The author(s) of the winning paper will be invited to present the paper at an invited session at the Annual Meeting at which they receive the award.

Following ratification of the award by the Executive, the Committee Chair should inform the winner immediately, ascertain whether the winner can present the winning paper at the Annual Meeting, and so inform the Program Chair. The Executive Secretary should also be informed so that a certificate can be prepared.

CRM-SSC Prize

(CONTINUING COMMITTEE)

Winners of the CRM-SSC Prize in Statistics

See the CRM-SSC Prize in Statistics on the website of the Centre de recherches mathématiques (CRM).

TERMS OF REFERENCE

ESTABLISHMENT

The CRM-sponsored award, consisting of a $3,000 award and a medal, was established at a meeting of the Board of Directors on 18 October 1997.

COMPOSITION

Chair: Appointed by the CRM, and becomes an ex-officio member of the Awards Committee.
Membership: Three members in good standing appointed by the incoming President and one appointed by the CRM.

TERMS AND DUTIES

The criteria for the selection of the award winner are:

This award is designed to recognize the excellence in research of a statistical scientist whose work was carried out primarily in Canada. Eligibility is limited to Canadian citizens and Permanent Residents of Canada. To be eligible for the CRM-SSC Prize in the year N, a candidate must have received his/her Ph.D. (or equivalent degree) in the year N − 15 or subsequently. Current membership in the Statistical Society of Canada is not a prerequisite. Nominations should be addressed and sent to the Directeur, Centre de recherches mathématiques, by February 1 of the calendar year in which the award is to be made. The nomination should be accompanied by three letters of support and up-to-date curriculum vitae, including a list of publications. Nominations for the award must be renewed each year. Files are not carried over from one year to the next. The award is normally presented at the Annual Meeting of the SSC. The committee should arrange to have an announcement of the award placed in the November issue of Liaison.

As soon as the decision is taken, the Chairperson must contact Vincent Masciotra of CRM (masciotr@crm.umontreal.ca) so that he can make arrangements to have the Medal and the check ready in time for the Annual Meeting (at least six weeks before the Meeting).

Lise Manchester Award

(CONTINUING COMMITTEE)

TERMS OF REFERENCE

Winners of the Lise Manchester Award

ESTABLISHMENT

The Lise Manchester Award was established at a meeting of the Board of Directors on 10 June 2007, and amended on 25 May 2008 and 23 October 2010.

COMPOSITION

Chair: Appointed by the incoming President, and becomes a voting member of the Awards Committee.
Membership: Three additional members in good standing, appointed by the incoming President.

TERMS AND DUTIES

Purpose

This biennial award commemorates the late Dr. Lise Manchester's abiding interest in making use of statistical methods to provide insights into matters of relevance to society at large.

Criteria

The award recognizes excellence in state-of-the-art statistical work which considers problems of public interest and which are potentially useful for formation of Canadian public policy.

Eligibility

Any relevant statistical contribution occurring during the previous two years can be nominated for the award in a given year. Each nomination must be supported by a member of the SSC.

Procedures

The award will be advertised in Liaison and on the SSC website at the same time that the Robillard award is announced. The deadline for nominations will be February 15, for work published or completed between December 31 of the preceding year and December 31 two years previously.

Award

A cash award of $1000 and a certificate. To be announced at the Annual Meeting.

Pierre Robillard Award

(CONTINUING COMMITTEE)

Winners of the Pierre Robillard Award

TERMS OF REFERENCE

ESTABLISHMENT

The Pierre Robillard Award Committee was established as a continuing committee at a meeting of the Board of Directors on 13 June 1977.

COMPOSITION

Chair: Appointed by the incoming President, and becomes a voting member of the Awards Committee.
Membership: Five additional members in good standing, appointed by the incoming President. In practice, the previous year winner of the Pierre Robillard Award has been invited to serve in the committee for one year as one of the five members.

TERMS AND DUTIES

The Pierre Robillard Award Committee shall:

  • arrange to have an announcement of the award placed in the November issue of Liaison;
  • send multiple copies of information sheets to contact persons at all possibly relevant university departments in Canada in October;
  • judge entries on the basis of originality of ideas and techniques, possible applications and their treatment, and potential for impact on the statistical sciences;
  • review all entries and determine a winner by March 31; inform the winner, the winner's supervisor, and the President and Secretary of the Society of the committee's decision; invite the winner to deliver a talk on the winning thesis at the Annual Meeting; inform the Program Chairperson as to whether the winner will be presenting a talk; ask the Treasurer to prepare a cheque to be presented to the winner; arrange with the Secretary for a certificate to be lettered appropriately; invite the winner to submit a paper based on the winning thesis to The Canadian Journal of Statistics and inform the Editor;
  • submit an article for publication in Liaison, announcing the winner of the award.

Notes

  • The year of the award is the year in which the thesis is defended.
  • A motion passed by the Board of Directors on 5 June 1997 states that, in any given year, there shall be at most one winner of the award.
  • A motion passed by the Board of Directors on 17 October 1998 states that the monetary prize of the Pierre Robillard Award is increased to $400.
  • A motion passed by the Board of Directors on 23 October 2004 states that the monetary prize of the Pierre Robillard Award is increased to $1000.

A BIOGRAPHY OF PIERRE ROBILLARD

Pierre Robillard began his university studies in mathematics at the Université de Montréal in September, 1961. Because he had already obtained a baccalauréat ès arts, he was admitted to the second year of the bachelor's program which he completed in three years. He distinguished himself as a brilliant and hard-working student. Teaching a class with Pierre in it was demanding for a professor. Not only did he not let pass anything incorrect or incomplete, but he even dared to ask questions like “could you please give us an example of an application?” Such questions sometimes caused consternation, because the emphasis at the time was very much on pure mathematics. His interest in applications and a course in probability and statistics (the only one offered at the undergraduate level) taught by Professor Jacques St-Pierre (named an Honourary Member of the SSC in 1986), led him to enter the master's program under the latter's direction. Already at that time one saw in Pierre his leadership qualities; he knew how to encourage and stimulate people around him.

In the summer of 1965 Pierre married Lise, a classmate, and in September they left for Chapel Hill where Pierre began his doctoral studies. In doing so he followed in the footsteps of Jacques St-Pierre. Three years later he obtained the doctoral degree with a thesis on the design of experiments.

Pierre began his academic career in 1969 as an assistant professor in the Département d'informatique of the Université de Montréal and quickly established himself as an excellent teacher and researcher. Very soon Pierre took on important responsibilities in several scientific associations and organizations (Canadian Transportation Research Forum, Highway Research Board, Biometric Society). At first he was interested in biomedical questions, but quickly he became very involved in transportation research. Within the University he participated actively in a group of professors interested in the problems of university administration; in his department he helped to develop new programs. The University recognized the excellence of his scientific work and his dynamic qualities as an individual by promoting him to associate professor in 1972.

In the early 1970's Pierre Robillard was a member of several associations in the field of statistics (ASA, Biometric Society). However, he was not entirely satisfied; he wanted a Canadian association in the statistical sciences. His dynamic nature and his talents as a communicator brought him in contact with other like-minded individuals. The Statistical Science Association of Canada was created in 1972. He became Vice-President for 1973-74 and was elected President in June of 1974.

Unfortunately, in January 1975 near Trois-Rivières he and three companions lost their lives in a violent traffic accident. Pierre left behind his wife, three young children, his parents and many friends.

In this short career of five years, Pierre Robillard published many articles, supervised ten students at the master's and four at the doctoral level, and was also very active in university and scientific affairs. One can only imagine what he might have achieved...

 

SSC Award for Impact of Applied and Collaborative Work

(CONTINUING COMMITTEE)

Winners of the SSC Award for Impact of Applied and Collaborative Work

TERMS OF REFERENCE

ESTABLISHMENT

The SSC Award for Impact of Applied and Collaborative Work was established at a meeting of the Board of Directors on 10 June 2007, and amended on 25 May 2008. The Committee was created as a continuing independent committee at the Board meeting held on 23 October 2010.

COMPOSITION

Chair: Appointed by the incoming President, and becomes a voting member of the Awards Committee.
Membership: Two additional members in good standing, appointed by the incoming President.

TERMS AND DUTIES

Purpose

To recognize outstanding contributions by SSC members in collaborative research and applied work, the importance of which derives primarily from its relatively recent impact on a subject area outside of the statistical sciences, on an area of application, or on an organization.

Description

The award could be for published collaborative research, for collaboration in applied work (whether published or not) or, more generally, for the impact of a statistician on an organization (e.g., a company or a government agency) or a subject-area through their collaborative or applied work. It could be for a recent single piece of work, or for a body of work where the researcher is continuing to have an impact through recent contributions. Also, a body of work, the impact of which has only recently become apparent, would also be considered.

Criteria

The essential idea is that the award is for the impact of the work (not for its degree of technical sophistication, for example). The work should demonstrate the importance of the statistical sciences to other areas of endeavour, and should include an intellectual contribution to statistical science motivated by the area of application.

Areas in which a substantial contribution would qualify include:

  • Formulation of new statistical questions and ideas uniquely appropriate to the subject matter discipline or the organization.
  • Development and application of conceptually new approaches appropriate to the subject matter or the organization.
  • New implementation of the best combination of techniques to solve important and difficult research problems in the applied discipline.
  • Development of statistical methods that answer a question in another field that could not have been answered adequately before.
  • Application of creative statistical thinking with demonstration of clear understanding of the science/industry of the area of endeavour.
  • Establishment of the relative merits of alternative analytic approaches leading to guidelines useful to applied scientists in choosing among them.

    This list is intended to be examples of contributions and is not necessarily exhaustive.

Eligibility

Any member of the SSC.

Procedures

Any person or group can make nominations. The onus would be on the nominator(s) to explain the work and to provide evidence of its impact in support of the nomination.

The nomination package should consist of a letter of nomination and at least three letters of support, a CV, a “layperson” description of the work and its impact expressed in terms that would be suitable for publicity purposes, and a citation suitable for public announcement of the award. It is essential that the letters address the criteria for the award. The nomination package should include at least two letters from nonstatisticians representing the field or organization that has felt the impact of the work. The letters should address how the contributions have had a recent impact. Letters of recommendation from those not directly involved in the research are particularly encouraged.

Nominations are to be made by a specified and well-advertised deadline, e.g., February 1. The SSC Award for Impact of Applied and Collaborative Work Committee shall call in Liaison for nominations for the awards, and shall report its decisions to the President by March 31; ratification of the decisions shall be made by the Executive Committee by April 30, in time for the recipients to be alerted to receive the award at the Banquet held in conjunction with the SSC Annual Meeting. A short citation, based on that provided with the nomination and submitted by the SSC Award for Impact of Applied and Collaborative Work Committee shall accompany each award.

Award nominations shall be solicited annually, but if no meritorious candidate is found, an award need not be made every year.

At most one award shall be awarded per year. Nominations for the Award should be considered valid for three award competitions unless withdrawn by the nominators. Nominators of unsuccessful candidates should be asked to add, replace or update recent contributions related to the award criteria, changes to biographical information and updated letters of reference as appropriate.

The Committee will make a recommendation to the SSC Executive as to how the Award will be given public recognition. Examples include, inviting the recipient to present the work or to organize an invited session that highlights the impact of the work at the Annual Meetings in the year following the year of the award. In this case, any special budgetary considerations for such a session need to be considered by the Executive and the results of its deliberations will be passed on to the Program and Local Arrangements Chairs.

Award

A certificate, suitably inscribed and framed, to be presented at the SSC Annual Meeting banquet together with the other major SSC awards.

Student Research Presentation Award

(CONTINUING COMMITTEE)

TERMS OF REFERENCE

ESTABLISHMENT

The Student Research Presentation Award was established at a meeting of the Board of Directors on 10 June 2007, and amended 23 October 2010.

COMPOSITION

Chair: Appointed by the incoming President, and becomes an ex officio member of the Awards Committee.
Membership: Two additional members in good standing appointed by the incoming President. This selection committee has the flexibility to enlist additional members.

TERMS AND DUTIES

Purpose

To provide an opportunity for recognition of outstanding student contributions to the Annual Meeting.

Criteria

Quality of presentation and quality of the underlying research. Was the presentation visually and aurally interesting and compelling? Was the research well motivated and convincingly carried out? The assessment should combine the research summary (see procedures) and the presentation.

Eligibility

Any student presenting a contributed paper at the Annual Meeting, who has not defended his or her thesis by December 31 prior to the time of submission of the abstract, is eligible for the award. Presentations based on joint work with a senior colleague such as a supervisor are eligible, as long as the student presents the work. Presentations joint between two or more students are eligible. Past winners are not eligible.

Procedures

The award will be advertised in Liaison and on the SSC website at the same time that the first announcement for the Annual Meeting appears. The abstract submission form will include instructions for students to indicate their interest in being considered. Prior to a deadline specified by the Committee, students wishing to be considered for the award must submit a short summary of their research, no longer than 4 pages. The directions for this will be prominent in the advertisement for the award. Subsequent meeting announcements will include an announcement of the award and the requirement to send a summary, and information on where the summary should be sent.

Award

A certificate and a cash or cash-equivalent prize.

Membership

(CONTINUING COMMITTEE)

TERMS OF REFERENCES

ESTABLISHMENT

The Committee on Membership was established as a continuing committee by motion of the Board of Directors on 8 June 2003.

COMPOSITION

Chair: President-Elect.
Membership: Four additional members in good standing, appointed by the incoming President.

TERMS AND DUTIES

The mandate of the Committee is to review membership issues and to coordinate recruitment efforts.

Women in Statistics

(CONTINUING COMMITTEE)

Committee on Women in Statistics website

TERMS OF REFERENCE

ESTABLISHMENT

The Committee on Women in Statistics was established as an ad hoc committee by a motion of the Board on 5 June 1997 and made a continuing committee by a motion of the Board on 18 October 1997. Its membership was revised by a motion of the Board on 31 May 2009.

COMPOSITION

Chair: Appointed by the incoming President.
Membership: Four additional members in good standing appointed by the incoming President, one of whom shall be a representative from the Canadian Section of the Caucus for Women in Statistics and one a representative from the ISI Committee on Women in Statistics.

TERMS AND DUTIES

  • To study the participation of women in Statistics in Canada; to develop and maintain a database of current and historical information about such participation.
  • To recommend, monitor, and be a focal point for liaisons with other societies and organizations concerned with promoting the participation of women in their professions.
  • To stimulate professional contact among the members of the Society and the interchange of ideas related to the Society's objectives, to Statistics in general, to the improvement of the status of professional women statisticians, and to the specific challenges associated with the participation of women in the profession.
  • To promote research on scientific issues pertaining to women.
  • To stimulate interest in the study of Statistics among women students.
  • To foster opportunities for women members to assume active roles in the Society, at professional meetings, on governing boards, and on committees.
  • To promote and strengthen the participation of women in the Society.

Public Relations

(CONTINUING COMMITTEE)

TERMS OF REFERENCE

ESTABLISHMENT

The Public Relations Committee was established as a continuing committee at a meeting of the Board of Directors on 31 May 1987.

COMPOSITION

Chair: Publications Officer.
Membership: A representative from each of the Regional Associations and the Statistical Education Committee.

TERMS AND DUTIES

In a report tabled at the meeting of 31 May 1987, the Committee on Enhanced Services recommended the establishment of a Public Relations Committee which "should be responsible for all SSC activities concerned with publicity, public relations and public recognition." The report recommended that "the responsibilities of the Public Relations Committee should be broadly interpreted", that "the Committee should monitor public debate on issues with important statistical implications, advise the Board through the President of public matters to which SSC should respond or contribute, and coordinate and implement actions on public issues recommended by the Board, including the preparations of news releases and position papers, the drafting of correspondence with newspaper editors, etc.", and that, "in addition to promoting SSC, the Committee should assume responsibility for promoting statistical education and the statistical profession in Canada."

Research

(CONTINUING COMMITTEE)

TERMS OF REFERENCE

ESTABLISHMENT

The Research Committee was established as a continuing committee at a meeting of the Board of Directors on 19 October 1986, and its duties extended on 17 October 2009.

COMPOSITION

Chair: Appointed by the incoming President.
Membership: Four additional members in good standing, appointed by the incoming President.

TERMS AND DUTIES

The Research Committee shall:

  • monitor the state of the statistical sciences in Canada and make recommendations to the Board of Directors where appropriate;
  • maintain, through the Executive Secretary, a catalogue of sources of research support;
  • recommend and monitor liaisons with other societies and organizations and make recommendations to the Board of Directors in this regard;
  • recommend to the Board of Directors co-sponsorship of joint scientific activities where appropriate;
  • recommend to the Board of Directors nominations to national and international groups and committees concerned with statistical research and, in particular, to the Statistical Sciences Grant Selection Committee of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada; and
  • recommend to the Board of Directors statistical research areas which the Society should attempt to foster;
  • maintain a dialogue between the statistical sciences community and the three federal funding councils (NSERC, CIHR, SSHRC). Specifically, its main task is to inform the statistical sciences community on the developments at these councils, and garner and transmit feedback from Canadian statisticians to the councils.

Statistical Education

(CONTINUING COMMITTEE)

TERMS OF REFERENCE

Statistical Education Committee website

ESTABLISHMENT

The Statistical Education Committee was established as a continuing committee at a meeting of the Board of Directors on 4 May 1986.

COMPOSITION

Chair: Appointed by the incoming President.
Membership: Seven additional members in good standing, appointed by the incoming President. The members of the Committee should reflect the diversity of geography of the SSC.

TERMS AND DUTIES

General Objective of the Committee:

To coordinate activities of the Society’s members who are interested in the teaching and learning of statistics, and to provide resources to educators and students of statistics.

Specific Objectives:

  • Organization of a session or presentations on statistical education at the Society’s Annual Meeting (subject to approval by the Program Chair);
  • Development and maintenance of a website for the purposes of reporting the activities of the Committee and providing links to useful on-line education resources;
  • Development of an internet discussion site and/or electronic list could be considered for the purpose of fostering communication among teachers of statistics regarding new developments in textbooks, teaching methods, computer hardware and software useful in teaching, interesting databases and teaching examples, videotapes, etc.;
  • Service to teaching institutions: provide resources and information that could be used to present different aspects of statistics to educators and students;
  • Service to students: provide information about career paths in statistics, student awards available in statistics, and databases and case studies that could be used for statistical projects; and
  • Project judging in the area of statistics and awarding of the SSC prizes at the annual Canada-Wide Youth Science Fair.

New Investigators

(CONTINUING COMMITTEE)

New Investigators Committee website

TERMS OF REFERENCE

ESTABLISHMENT

The committee was first established in January 2007 as ad-hoc Committee on Young Investigators. By Executive decision, it was renamed as New Investigators Committee in April 2008. After a review of the Committee's activities, its term was extended to June 2010 based on their success in organizing events for and networking with junior researchers. In May 2010 its status was changed to “continuing” by the Executive Committee.

COMPOSITION

Chair: Appointed by the incoming President.
Membership: Six additional members in good standing, appointed by the incoming President. The members of the Committee should reflect the diversity of geography of the SSC.

TERMS AND DUTIES

General Committee Objective:

To provide an open forum for junior investigators to network and discuss specific problems and difficulties that are typically met in the first years in academia, to unify efforts in resolving such issues and to voice their opinions on the operation of the SSC and, in particular, on how the SSC can help young researchers in the first years of their academic career.

Specific Objectives:

  • Organization of regional biennial workshops of junior faculty members and senior graduate students.
  • Organization of formal and informal get-together meetings during annual SSC and JSM conferences.
  • Organization of invited sessions and round table discussions specifically featured for junior researchers.
  • Development and maintenance of a website for the purposes of reporting the activities of the Committee and providing links to useful online resources on research and time management for recent graduates.

Student Travel Grants

(CONTINUING COMMITTEE)

TERMS OF REFERENCE

ESTABLISHMENT

The committee was first established in 2005 as an ad-hoc committee. By Executive decision, it was renamed as Student Travel Grants Committee and its status changed to “continuing” in November 2009.

COMPOSITION

Chair: Appointed by the incoming President.
Membership: Three additional members in good standing, appointed by the incoming President. The members of the Committee should reflect the diversity of geography and statistical interests of the SSC.

TERMS AND DUTIES

Purpose

To make allocations of travel funds to students giving presentations at the Society's Annual Meeting.

Criteria

The guidelines to provide the travel grants are:

  • students giving a presentation (poster or oral) who have not received an award in the previous 2 years;
  • no more than two awards per Department;
  • no more than one award per presentation;
  • no more than $500 per award; smaller amounts can be awarded to students who are closer to the meeting site;
  • some geographical preferences will apply (e.g. if the meeting is held in the centre of the country, students from universities in far East and West will have priorities; and if the meeting is held in the West, students from far East will have preference followed by centre students; and so on).

     

Eligibility

Any student at a Canadian university who is giving a presentation at the Society's Annual Meeting is eligible to apply for funds in partial support of their travel expenses.

Procedures

Committee

  • The President notifies the Chair of the Committee by November 15 about the funds available.
  • The Committee will make announcements about the travel awards on the meeting website, in the February issue of Liaison and through an email to SSC members sometime in February.
  • The Committee will make the final decisions by March 31 (which will allow students sufficient time to make further necessary plans to make the trip possible).

Grant Applicants

  • Travel requests should be (electronically) sent to the Chair of the Committee following the announcement. The deadline should be around March 15 (a couple of weeks after the deadline for contributed abstract submissions). The materials will include:
    (i) an abstract (submitted for the meeting);
    (ii) a short budget with justification for the funds; and
    (iii) an e-mail statement from the supervisor indicating the status of the student.
  • Applicants should indicate the section (Biostatistics, Survey Methods, Business and Industrial Statistics, Probability, General, or Case Study) that her/his paper belongs to.

     

SSC Office

(AD-HOC COMMITTEE)

TERMS OF REFERENCE

ESTABLISHMENT

The SSC Office Committee was established as an ad-hoc committee at a meeting of the Executive on 22 October 2010.

COMPOSITION

Chair: President-Elect.
Membership: Appointed by the President and normally consisting of the Executive Director, President, President Elect and the Electronic Services Manager. The Treasurer was added to the membership at the Executive meeting of 2 December 2010.

TERMS AND DUTIES

Duties

  • Investigate alternatives and efficiencies regarding the SSC office and make recommendations to the Executive Committee.
  • Monitor ongoing office activities.

     

Term: 31 December 2012.