Home Deans' Memos
June
30, 1999
TO: Deans of Member Schools and
Members of the House of Representatives
FROM: Carl
C. Monk
SUBJECT: Amendment of Executive Committee
Regulation 10.1 Establishing Membership Dues for Calendar Year 2000
In
May 1999, the Executive Committee adopted the Association’s budget for
FY 2000 (July 1, 1999 - June 30, 2000), and amended Executive
Committee Regulation 10.1 to establish the membership dues for the
Calendar Year 2000. The Executive
Committee concluded that dues for Calendar Year 2000 should be increased by two
and one-half percent -- the actual dollar amount ranges from $120 for the
smallest size category of schools to $440 for the largest size category of
schools.
Executive
Committee Regulation 10.1 was revised to read as follows:
Annual Dues. For the calendar year 19992000, the dues shall
be $4,405 4515 for a school whose enrollment does not
exceed 250 students; $6,600 6,765
for a school whose enrollment exceeds 250 students but does not exceed 500
students; $8,805 9,025 for a school whose enrollment
exceeds 500 students but does not exceed 800 students; $11,005 11,280
for a school whose enrollment exceeds 800 students but does not exceed
1100 students; $13,205 13,535
for a school whose enrollment exceeds 1100 students but does not exceed 1400
students; $15,405 15,790
for a school whose enrollment exceeds 1400 students but does not exceed
1700 students; and $17,610 18,050
for a school whose enrollment exceeds 1700 students.
In
accordance with Bylaw Section 5‑4, unless objection is received from at
least ten member schools within 60 days of mailing of a copy of this
regulation, Executive Committee Regulation 10.1, as amended, will continue in
effect.
Income
and Expenditure Summary. Attached
as Appendix A is a summary of income and expenditures for FY1997-98 and FY
1996-97, estimated income and expenditures for FY 1998-99 (based on projections
from actual expenditures through 4/30/99), and the operating budget for
FY1999-2000.
The
budget adopted by the Executive Committee for Fiscal Year 1999-2000
contemplates income of $3,544,500 and
expenditures of $3,838,300. We will
transfer $278,200 from reserves to cover the difference; the Association's
reserves are still expected to be within the targeted 65 – 90% of budgeted
operating expenses.
Financial
Statements. Attached as Appendix B
is the AALS auditor's financial statements for FY 1997-98.
Comment:
As you know the Association of
American Law Schools is the learned society for law faculty and provides a
number of services to its member schools and their faculty. These services include publications such as
the Directory of Law Teachers, newsletters for both the national office
and the 80 sections of the AALS; an annual Faculty Appointments Register and
Faculty Recruitment Conference; and representation of legal education to the
larger world of higher education, the government and the general public.
In the past two years the
Association has dramatically expanded the scope of many of those services
without a dues increase to offset the additional cost. The expanded services include publishing of
the Faculty Appointments Register online in searchable fields; establishing an
Association website as well as numerous listservs and discussion groups,
serving an increasing number of sections; financing a major effort to combat
the pernicious effect of rankings of law schools; and establishing a program of
research and litigation assistance regarding affirmative action.
We have been able to finance these
efforts without a dues increase largely because of the positive performance of
our investment portfolio. While we
project that part of the growth in next year’s budget will be financed through a
transfer from our investment reserves, we do not believe it is prudent to rely
exclusively on this unpredictable, fluctuating source of income. We also believe it is wiser to seek somewhat
regular modest dues increases rather than
risk the possibility of having to seek
larger dues increases if the performance of our investments should
decline.
Enclosures: Appendix A:
Summary
of income and expenditures for FY 1997-98, FY 1996-97
Budgeted
income and expenses 1998-99
Estimated
income and expenditures for FY 1998-99
Operating
budget for FY 1999-2000.
Appendix
B:
AALS
auditor’s financial statements for FY 1997-98
cc: Executive
Committee
Audit
Committee
CCM:vvp
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