We are raising dues. That was the decision made at the NASW annual business meeting in Boston on February 16. At the board's recommendation, the members present agreed to raise annual dues for the organization's 2,360 regular members from $60 to $75. Dues for its 250 student members will rise from $15 to $25. There was one dissenting vote.
Aug. 5, 2006NASW news
NASW President Paul Raeburn opened the meeting by presenting certificates of appreciation to Carol Rogers, Dennis Meredith, Earle Holland, Rick Borchelt, and Mary Knudsen for their tireless volunteer work on behalf of the organization. All completed long service on the board of directors.
Aug. 5, 2006President Joe Palca opened the meeting by calling on Treasurer Deborah Blum to present some good news. Deborah reported that the organization had a budget surplus of $20,032 in 1999. Total funds, including operating budget, checking account, money market and CDs, totaled $216,792; half of which is now held in cash reserve. This is quite a difference from the days when NASW typically operated at a deficit.
Aug. 5, 2006President Joe Palca announced that the new NASW constitution had been approved.
Aug. 5, 2006The 1998 NASW membership meeting convened at 4:07 p.m. on February 14, 1998 in the Philadelphia Marriott Hotel.
Aug. 5, 2006NASW President Richard Harris called the annual business meeting to order at 4:03 p.m. on Saturday, February 15, 1997, in Seattle. It was one of the shortest and least controversial meetings in recent memory.
Aug. 5, 2006The officers of NASW gathered last week in New York to discuss continuity matters. It was the second time this two-year term we met to decide how to get along without one of our elected officers.
May 8, 2006With great sorrow, NASW announces the death of its president, Laura van Dam, on April 24, after a long and courageous battle with central nervous system lymphoma.
Apr. 26, 2006With great sorrow, NASW announces the death of its president, Laura van Dam, on April 24, 2006, after a long and courageous battle with central nervous system lymphoma.
An independent book editor, Laura spent many years as a senior editor with Houghton-Mifflin, where she specialized in books related to science, technology, medicine, and health. She worked with authors including Natalie Angier (Woman: An Intimate Geography), Daniel Schacter (The Seven Sins of Memory), J. Richard Gott (Time Travel Through Einstein's Universe), and Steve Olson (Mapping Human History, a National Book Award finalist).
Earlier in her career Laura served as a senior editor with the MIT publication Technology Review and as a newspaper reporter.
An NASW member for nearly 20 years, Laura was elected a board member in 1997 and became an officer in 1999. She assumed the responsibilities of NASW president in 2005 after serving as the association's secretary, treasurer, and vice president. Under Laura's leadership, NASW took a more prominent role on the national and international journalism scene through the Council of National Journalism Organizations and World Federation of Science Journalists.
Laura was involved in the planning of, and eventually chaired, the annual NASW workshops. During her presidency, she oversaw the transition of the workshops to an independent, national meeting that further enhanced the reputation of NASW as a professional organization.
Throughout her illness, Laura fulfilled her responsibilities to NASW in the face of overwhelming personal difficulties with courage, determination, generosity, humor, and dignity. She is survived by her husband, Howard Saxner, and son, David Saxner. A memorial service is planned for Sunday, April 30, at 2 p.m. at the First Parish Unitarian Church, Harvard Square, Cambridge, Mass.
Donations may be made in Laura's name to the Pappas Center for Neuro-Oncology c/o Massachusetts General Hospital, Development Office, 165 Cambridge St., Suite 600, Boston, MA 02114.
Robert Lee Hotz Acting President
Mariette DiChristina Treasurer
Nancy Shute Secretary
Apr. 26, 2006