[Infovis] Election for the next Chair of the IEEE VGTC

[Paul Rosen]

Dear IEEE VGTC Community,

Jim Ahrens will soon be completing his tenure as the Chair of the IEEE VGTC. As per our charter, his replacement is voted upon by the VGTC community (*see details below) in an election that will begin on Nov 15th. The candidates running to replace him are Victoria Interrante <https://bit.ly/2Z9Jbe6> and Bongshin Lee <https://bit.ly/3aTLgh2>. In addition to the candidate statements, we will be recording a town hall, which will be posted on the VGTC website. You may supply questions for the candidates at <https://app.sli.do/event/z3hvpxdf>.

Below, you will find information about the VGTC and the election, including checking your eligibility, becoming eligible, and how to vote. This information can also be found on the VGTC website at <https://tc.computer.org/vgtc/election/>.

If you have questions about the election, please feel free to reach out to Jim or me.

Paul, VGTC Secretary (on behalf of the VGTC)


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VGTC Chair Election 2021

The Visualization and Computer Graphics Technical Committee (VGTC) is electing a new chair and you are invited to cast your vote. The election period will begin on November 15, 2021 and will remain open for 30 days until December 15, 2021. As outlined in the VGTC Charter, the new Chair’s term is for two (2) years, nominally beginning July 1.

This webpage contains information about the candidates, instructions for becoming eligible to vote (and checking eligibility), and the role of the VGTC and the VGTC Chair.



CANDIDATES

As per the VGTC charter, the Directors and current VGTC Chair nominated two candidates. The Directors solicited names and encouraged people to apply, sometimes by directly approaching potential candidates at workshops. The Directors then went through the list of candidates, prioritized it, and had one-on-one conversations with the top candidates to answer questions and encourage them to run for the election. 

The candidates nominated by the VGTC Directors are:

	• Victoria Interrante: bio and statement at https://bit.ly/2Z9Jbe6
	• Bongshin Lee: bio and statement at https://bit.ly/3aTLgh2
To help answer community questions, we will record a town hall with both candidates in early November that will be posted on the VGTC website (https://tc.computer.org/vgtc/election/).

To post a question for the town hall, visit: https://app.sli.do/event/z3hvpxdf



WHAT IS THE VGTC?

The VGTC is the Visualization and Graphics Technical Committee, the governance body that oversees and sponsors all IEEE visualization and virtual reality conferences including VIS, VR, ISMAR, Pacific Vis, LDAV, BioVis, and EuroVis (as a co-sponsor). The VGTC is the main interface for these research communities with the IEEE Computer Society, and also maintains close ties with the publications TVCG (Transactions on Visualization and Computer Graphics) and CG&A (Computer Graphics and Applications). 

The VGTC fulfills many important roles including: approval and oversight of conferences, symposia, and workshops; oversight of publications through interactions with the IEEE CS Publications Board; getting involved in policy and budget decisions at the IEEE CS-level that affect the research community; and awarding the IEEE VGTC Awards.

WHAT IS THE ROLE OF THE VGTC CHAIR?

The VGTC Chair directs the VGTC and oversees the VGTC budget while also advocating to the upper levels of IEEE on policy decisions. 

The VGTC Chair is the only elected position within VGTC that is determined directly by the membership. The Chair has the authority to directly appoint many positions including most of the voting members of the VGTC Executive Committee, VIS Executive Committee, and the VIS, VR, and ISMAR steering committees. After the Chair term ends, the Chair joins other previous Chairs on the VGTC Executive Committee as a VGTC Director. 

A more detailed description of the role and function of technical committees can be found at the IEEE CS website (https://bit.ly/2pflrAk).



HOW TO VOTE

To vote you must be a member of both the IEEE Computer Society and the VGTC. To receive a voting ballot you must be opted-in to receiving communications from IEEE. The details below cover the steps to ensure that you meet both these criteria. Specifically:

	• how to check your voter eligibility;
	• how to become eligible to vote (if not already);
	• how to opt into IEEE communications to receive your ballot; and
	• how to cast your vote.

CHECK YOUR VOTER ELIGIBILITY

To check if you are eligible to vote log into your IEEE account. On your “My Account” page click the link in the left settings-navigation bar that says “Membership and Subscription History”. To be eligible to vote you must have an active IEEE Computer Society membership and an active VGTC membership listed here.

BECOME ELIGIBLE TO VOTE (IF NOT ALREADY)

Go to IEEE and create a new account, or log into an existing account (this account does not need to be a paid membership): 

	• https://www.ieee.org

While you are logged in, join IEEE Computer Society and the VGTC:

	• IEEE Computer Society Membership: https://bit.ly/2qlT4yc
	• VGTC Membership: https://bit.ly/2xq9xXY

Membership in the IEEE Computer Society requires a membership fee, while VGTC membership is free. The IEEE has provided us discounts for your IEEE Computer Society membership.

Professionals: Save US$20 on your IEEE Computer Society membership with promo code CSTCVG21 *. 

Students: Save 50% * on your student membership by visiting <https://bit.ly/3B7sldo>

* These membership offers (professional and student) cannot be combined with any other IEEE Computer Society membership offer or discount. To be eligible to vote you must join the IEEE Computer Society by Sunday, 14 November 2021 at 11:59 pm ET.

OPT INTO IEEE COMMUNICATIONS TO RECEIVE BALLOT

To receive a voting ballot you must be opted into receiving communications from IEEE. Log into your IEEE account. On your “My Account” page click the link in the left settings-navigation bar that says “Communication Preferences”. Click Yes for both “IEEE Survey requests” and “Local IEEE communications” (the top two radio buttons). 

CAST YOUR VOTE

In November instructions for casting your ballot will be sent to all eligible voters with opt-in communication preferences. To cast your vote, you will need your IEEE CS member number. To obtain a misplaced number, please visit: https://bit.ly/2pchkET.



FAQ

Q: Why must I pay to vote?

A: The VGTC Chair serves an important financial oversight role. As such, the IEEE requires their position to be voted upon by paying members. All other positions on the executive committee are solicited from the community and have no such requirement.

Q: Why does the VGTC Chair even matter to me?

A: The VGTC Chair serves an important role as a liaison between the IEEE and VGTC conferences. Much of this is thankless administrative work, which, if done well, remains largely invisible to the community. More importantly, the VGTC Chair is able to advocate for our needs with the IEEE and implement policies that cut across multiple conferences.

Q: I didn’t receive my ballot. What do I do?

A: Before, Nov 15th, please wait for the election to begin. After Nov 15th, please contact the VGTC secretary.




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Paul Rosen, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Computer Science and Engineering
University of South Florida
prosen at usf.edu
http://www.cspaul.com