An APS Pledge Fulfilled

It arrived the other day, and blew me away!

The 1991 APS Membership Directory had a visceral impact that APS statistics, much as I love them, never have had. Oh, I’ve known for a long time that we’ve been growing at a phenomenal rate. Alan Kraut has described us as the fastest growing scientific society in the known universe, and he’s right.

I’ve also known for a while that we’re big, and getting bigger. It was the 1991 Membership Directory, laying alongside of the 1990 edition, which made our growth and size — over 12,000 members — tangible. Awesome.

Of course it is not the Directory, per se. It is what the Directory represents — APS in all its facets:

• Psychological Science, and, in 1992, Current Directions in Psychological Science
• The Annual Convention, next year in San Diego, June 20-22
• Positive coverage in the news media
• Science advocacy in Washington
• The APS Observer and the APS Employment Bulletin
• Member discounts on journals and books, travel and lodging
• Strong relations with and representation through other scientific societies and international and national organizations
• Development of a national behavioral science research agenda
• Liability insurance tailored for academics, including those in part-time practice, industrial psychologists, and students
• The APS Student Caucus, the wellspring for research psychologists of the future

OK, so here comes the warm-up: It takes some money to do all this.

You will soon receive your 1992 membership renewal notice, and the basic membership dues will be $95 (the student rate will be $20).

Back in those golden days of 1988 when APS was founded, we promised no dues increase for three years. We met our pledge.

As one of the creators of that original pledge and as Treasurer for the last two years, I have made it my business to see that no dollar was wasted, and that every cent of potential revenue was earned. But I’ve not been able to control inflation. Moreover, the growth of APS has brought new opportunities, and the need for strong leadership in advancing psychological science continues.

These are tough economic times everywhere, no less so for APS. Mindful of the bleak economic outlook but also of our unique mission, the Board voted to set the dues at the levels noted above.

Now here come the pitch: Remember the Membership Directory? Full members who renew their membership for 1992 by December 2, 1991, will receive the 1992 edition free. It’s tangible, one of your many benefits of membership in the American Psychological Society.