Council, the Society's trustees, met on 23 June 2021, in what was a very productive and engaging session.
Council members agreed a number of motions for approval at the Society’s AGM in September. Council reviewed the relevant papers and recommended that, at the AGM, fellows approve the annual accounts for 2020 and freeze the 2022 standard membership fee at the 2020/2021 rates.
Following a presentation from Blaise Egan, Honorary Officer for Sections and Local Groups, Council agreed a change in the name of the Data Science Section, which will now become the Data Science and Artificial Intelligence Section.
Council was pleased to approve the appointment of Professor Byron Morgan as the new chair of the Obituaries Commissioning Panel; Professor Qiwei Yao as Joint Editor of RSS Journal Series B; and Robert Raeside as chair of the ISO 18404 Oversight Committee.
Members congratulated Rachel Hilliam, the Professional Affairs Committee and RSS staff on their successful work to launch the new Data Analyst membership option. Council went on to approve the development of a new Data Science Certificate, led by the RSS and licensed to members of the Alliance for Data Science Professionals. The certificate will provide a route to accreditation for data scientists with the relevant experience and training.
Members noted that the Society’s policy and campaigning work was continuing to go from strength to strength. Council resolved to introduce a new governance structure to support this workstream by convening a Campaigns Advisory Group, chaired by Christl Donnelly, Vice President for External Affairs. It was agreed that this group would work closely with Council to develop RSS campaign strategy. Council members noted that this structure would support strategic planning, as well as improving transparency and accountability.