Governing Documents

Strategic Plan

Membership Growth

Background

A strength of the ASA is the mix of members from business/industry, government, and higher education. However, permanent membership in the ASA has declined annually since the mid-1990s. At the same time, there is widespread concern that the ASA does not serve the needs of applied statisticians (including master's level statisticians) and other non-academic groups. Opportunities for meeting these needs include a program for individual accreditation and serving as the place to go for information useful to general statistical analysts. A challenge for the ASA is to reach out to underserved groups while continuing to serve our traditional constituencies.

Objective

Make membership attractive to students, young statisticians, applied statisticians, quantitative analysts (in areas such as financial services), and government statisticians

Strategies

(a) Conduct a systematic review of the knowledge and skills needed by these groups; (b) Work with appropriate committees, sections and chapters to develop and implement products and services to meet these needs

Public Awareness

Background

The field of statistics suffers from lack of visibility and identity in spite of ever-increasing demands for statistical analysis in areas of science, government, and business that rely on massive data bases and information technology. A weakness of the ASA is that it is not the "face of statistics". The ASA should become a primary source for the media on events that involve statistical issues, and for management in business and government on the role and value of statisticians.

Objective

Stimulate public awareness of the role of statistics and statisticians in issues that affect daily life

Strategies

(a) Develop and implement a comprehensive public awareness plan, identifying our various audiences, devising messages for each, and using appropriate vehicles to reach those audiences; (b) Strengthen the ASA's ability to advise the media and respond to media requests; (c) Continue to develop collaborative relationships with statistical and other scientific associations

Visibility and Impact in Policy Making

Background

Decision-making discussions in public policy and science policy must be guided by sound data andstatistical analysis. The ASA and the statistical profession should actively participate in these discussions to promote the use of appropriate data and effective methods, and to ensure that the statistical sciences receive an appropriate share of public funding for scientific research and education.

Objective

Promote the need for sound statistical practice to inform decision making in public policy and science policy

Strategies

(a) Standardize the process for identifying emerging issues and for providing timely ASA response in the areas of public policy and science policy in collaboration with the Director of Science Policy; (b) Support efforts of government statisticians to ensure the quality and integrity of government statistics; (c) Continue to develop collaborative relationships with statistical and other scientific associations

Meetings

Background

The ASA's meetings and continuing education programs are well attended and are a major strength of the Association. However, changes in the format and focus of meetings need to be considered in order to serve an increasing diversity of member needs.

Objective

Provide a portfolio of meetings to serve the diverse needs of our members and to attract new members

Strategies

(a) Implement improvements to JSM based on recommendations from the Committee on Meetings; (b) Determine the nature and scope of meetings, including virtual meetings, needed by specific subgroups (such as applied statisticians) and introduce a program of activities to meet those needs

Publications and Information Needs

Background

The ASA's journals have a worldwide reputation for scientific excellence and are a major asset of the Association. However, providing free electronic access to journals is resulting in a revenue decline for the ASA, and the ASA needs to ensure that its range of publications serves thediverse needs of all members.

Objective

Offer a variety of publications, web-based services, and continuing education to address the diverse information needs of the statistical community

Strategies

(a) Develop a journal access policy that balances breadth of access and fiscal reality; (b) Institute a process for timely identification and response to information needs (such as advice on sound statistical practice for applied statisticians)

Education

Background

Through leadership in all levels of statistical education, the ASA can help to build a statistically literate society, raise the standards of the statistics profession, and make statistical careers more attractive. One growing opportunity is the number of high school students taking AP statistics, which reached 100,000 in 2007.

Objective

Advocate appropriate statistics education at K-12, undergraduate, and graduate levels

Strategies

(a) In collaboration with entities internal and external to the ASA, provide guidelines and information on appropriate statistics education to statistics teachers, curriculum developers, and educational policy makers at all levels; (b) Develop and implement a plan to provide resources to K-12 teachers to enhance their ability to teach statistics

Financial Status

Background

Although the ASA is currently a financially stable organization, decline in revenue from traditional sources (especially journals) threatens its future well-being.

Objective

Ensure long-term financial viability and the ability to support the Association's strategic activities

Strategies

(a) Develop a plan for generating stable sources of future revenue; (b) Develop a long-term fiscal policy for size of reserves and use of income sources

Organizational Efficiency

Background

The ASA depends critically on the volunteer efforts of its members through committees, sections, and chapters. Consequently, organizational weaknesses undermine the ASA's ability to meet long-term goals. Specific weaknesses include: Board direction and communication with committees; insufficient continuity of purpose in presidential and Board agendas; over-dependence on a small set of volunteer leaders; and declining health of some chapters.

Objective

Ensure that the ASA's structures and processes support the Association's mission and objectives

Strategies

(a) Develop and implement new communication processes between the Board and the ASA's committees so that the committees operate with clear direction from the Board; (b) Where possible, work within existing structures rather than creating new ones; (c) Minimize the structural complexity required to support the ASA's activities; (d) Develop a plan to assess and strengthen chapter health, which will enable chapters to support the ASA's mission; (e) Consider whether the current term length for officers of the Board is still appropriate