Dear IGS Member, We look forward to seeing many of you at the upcoming 12th International Conference on Geosynthetics in Rome during which we have a General Assembly of the IGS membership. The following is presented to assist you in preparing for this important meeting. At each General Assembly the IGS membership is asked to approve annual membership subscription fees for the next four years. This is advance notice of the vote to be proposed at the General Assembly on 20th September 2023. At the same time, members will be asked to vote on changes to one section of the IGS Bylaws, concerning subscription and income. This message sets out the background, the rules relating to voting procedures, and how you can take part. We also set out the details of the proposals, including the votes that are being endorsed and recommended by the IGS Council. Background The IGS recently launched its new strategy setting out how we plan to deliver more on your behalf over the next four years and beyond. The IGS has grown substantially over the past 40 years. We are now a community of 3,000 Members, 45 Chapters and 176 Corporate Members worldwide. We produce a popular major international event in at least one of our four regions every year, and a global International Conference every four years. We publish two highly respected journals, and a well-resourced digital library. Our Educate the Educators program is bringing geosynthetics into the curriculum in universities worldwide. Our Technical Committees and Sustainability Committee are driving the knowledge and practice we need to effectively promote geosynthetics and help protect our industry from threats such as mis-informed regulation. We also plan to do so much more, such as expanding our young members job shadowing program, developing an industry handbook, and a sustainability calculator to demonstrate the carbon savings from using geosynthetics. These products will support soon-to-be-initiated professional development education based on civil, geotechnical and environmental applications using geosynthetics. This agenda requires us to re-assess our long-term financial sustainability. In recent years, we have been running at a deficit that cannot be sustained. Even without growing the IGS’ activities, we need to increase our revenue in the short term to remain sustainable. |
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Voting procedures including proxy votes The votes will take place in person at the General Assembly on 20 September 2023, in the margins of the 12th International Conference on Geosynthetics in Rome. If you wish to vote, but are unable to attend in person, you may give your proxy vote to another named Member, who must attend in person. Please note that according to IGS Bylaws, any Member attending in person may carry a maximum of one proxy vote. In accordance with the existing Bylaws, the votes relating to membership fees require a simple majority, and amendments to the Bylaws require a 2/3 majority of the votes cast. For all votes we require a quorum of Members present or represented in the room. The quorum for General Assemblies is set at 100 voting Members. We urge you to carefully consider the proposals below, to support them, and to vote to affirm them. If you wish to vote by proxy please, fill out and submit the Proxy Form by no later than 22:00 UTC on 8 September 2023 to avoid any delays.
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- December 18, 2024