Going International for the 2008 Counseling Psychology Conference
The Society of Counseling Psychology (SCP) is proud to announce its first International Counseling Psychology Conference (ICPC), March 6-9, 2008 at the Chicago Hilton and Towers. The counseling psychology profession has hosted five of its own conferences since 1951, but 2008 will be the first time that the conference embraces an international focus.
The time is ripe for a more global and inclusive vision of counseling psychology, and in keeping with this collaborative spirit the conference will be jointly sponsored by the Society of Counseling Psychology (Division 17), the Council of Counseling Psychology Training Programs, and the Association of Counseling Center Training Agencies.
One sign of the trend towards a global approach to psychology has been the formation of the Society’s 12th and newest section, the International Section, which has focused on creating a home for international scholars within counseling psychology. The International Section has been instrumental in organizing this monumental event and in promoting an international presence at the conference, including creating publicity materials in 16 different languages.
We are happy to report that our international colleagues clearly agree with our step towards a global mission: we have had over 600 proposal submissions, almost 100 of which come from first authors residing outside the U.S. Already this is a huge accomplishment, and we look forward to welcoming scholars from Korea, Iceland, Puerto Rico, Hong Kong, and Italy, just to name a few. In addition to conference programs, there will be several pre-conference events focusing on international topics, as well as special events for students and early career professionals. We are eagerly anticipating what we hope is the first of many international conferences in psychology, and we invite you to join us in this groundbreaking experience.
The Nightmare on Publishing Street (A Tale of Caution)
T’was the night before Halloween and all through the office, papers were piled and folders not filed. With books and memories, boxes were packed, lying pretty much everywhere, not even stacked. Contracts and agreements from decades before sat in dust piles, each day gathering more. The deadline approached, and yet no one knew; the publishing contract would once more renew. The terms and conditions, well, they were not new: the Division losing revenue, and Publisher not even saying BOO!
Since the timing is right for scary stories with Halloween around the corner, this is a cautionary tale of the very serious and sometimes confusing legal terms we find in publishing contracts and contracts in general: termination/auto-renewal, assignment and copyright ownership. Without careful review and negotiation these seemingly innocuous terms may result in unforeseen problems for a Division 5 or 10 years down the road. As Division leadership turns over from year to year, it is difficult to remember all the information that must be passed along, much less seemingly benign terms in an agreement signed 5, 10, 15 years ago. Nevertheless, the other party to the agreement will expect you to be aware of the terms of your agreement and will hold you to them.
Let’s review some of these terms:
Termination/Auto-Renewal: Contracts have a shelf life or a term whereby the contract will expire on a certain date and the relationship will end. However, many contracts may contain a provision that states that a contract will automatically renew for a period of “__” years if one party does not give notice that they desire to terminate. Failure to provide this notice results in the automatic renewal. In other words, doing nothing means that you are stuck with the contract for many years.
In some cases, the notice to terminate must be given before a specified date or within a certain time frame. Language like this adds confusion and creates problems for people who do not understand the language or simply miss the deadline. Automatic renewal typically results in a renewal of the contract with the terms as before (which may or may not be beneficial to the Division), starts the calendar on a new term (1 year, 2 years, 5 years, etc.), and continues a relationship that you may or may not desire.
This is particularly problematic with publishing contracts, because a failure to give timely notice to end the contract may result in a loss of potential revenue for the Division, or more importantly, in a lost opportunity for the Division to negotiate better terms with this or another publisher. Agreements signed 10 years ago and even 5 years ago should be revisited as technology changes and as business models change. For instance, no one thought about electronic revenue in the 1980’s and for most of the 1990’s, but now it is a major source of revenue for publishers. Yet this electronic dissemination revenue may not trickle down to the Division because it was never addressed in the original Agreement.
Assignment: The assignment clause almost always comes at the end of a contract, buried in some language or grouped into a listing of other legal terms that almost appear as if someone forgot to add it to the main body of the contract. But don’t be deceived-- it should not be overlooked.
The assignment clause usually says:
This Agreement will bind and inure to the benefit of the parties hereto and their successors and assigns.
This means that if another company buys your publisher, or if your publisher chooses to give (assign) your contract to someone else, you will end up contractually obligated to a company that you may never have heard of and certainly did not have a chance to review and approve.
Instead, you want a contract that says:
Neither party to this Agreement shall assign, transfer, subcontract or convey any interest in this Agreement, in whole or in part, without the other party’s prior written consent.
This obligates BOTH parties to provide written consent to have the contract assigned to another party. If you choose to not give consent, then you may have the option to renegotiate the terms of your contract with this publisher or another publisher. It also gives you a lot more say in what happens to your business.
Copyright: There is not enough space in this article to cover everything about the copyright issues in publishing contracts, but let’s go over a few basic ideas. Establishing a clear ownership of copyright through registration is important because copyright registration is the key to who holds the right to make the journal available now and in the future. Remember, this includes print, electronic, and other forms not now known. Without the ownership of the copyright, the Division could lose present and future revenue as well as the chance to publish the materials in the journal or the journal itself at a later date. The last thing we want is for an outside publisher to own what should belong to the Division.
- The publisher should register the copyright in the name of the Division and administer the registration throughout the life of the contract. The publisher should also forward to the Division copies of the registrations in a timely manner. This way, the Division knows that the publisher is fulfilling one of its obligations under the contract.
- The publisher should always register the copyright of the journal in the name of the Division like so: “Division 99, Division of Contract Psychology, a Division of the American Psychological Association”. This ensures that the copyright remains with the Division and APA even after the termination of the contract.
- All ownership rights and rights to publish should immediately go to the Division when the contract ends. This ensures that the Division will own the journal and the back files, and have the right to use these as they see fit in the future.
These are only three issues we come across in journal contracts with outside publishers. However, there are many more issues that the Office of General Counsel reviews and negotiates daily. Unfortunately, as publishing becomes more sophisticated and potential revenue to the Divisions increases, the contracts become more complicated. What passed for a good contract in the 1980’s or 1990’s really does not begin to cover the issues we are seeing now.
As you know, the APA Office of General Counsel is your Office of General Counsel. Our office sees these issues every day and we know how to translate them to plain English, negotiate the best terms for the Division and generally be on the watch for any hurdles you may encounter along the way.
Don’t let your journal become the nightmare on publishing street; feel free to contact Jesse Raben, JD at (+1/202) 414-8074 or via Email.
Division 52 Forms the Early Career Professional Committee
By
Kate Richmond, Ph.D
Mathilde Salmberg, Psy.D.
As promised, Committee on Early Career Psychologists continues to feature a division who has been committed and successful at engaging early career psychologists. We hope that division leaders can look to these divisions for ideas of how to integrate some of these initiatives in their own divisions. Please continue to submit “best practices” and “success stories” pertaining to early career involvement. If you feel that your division has been successful at engaging the early careers members of your division, please contact us via Emailto be featured in an upcoming issue of the Division Dialogue.
We are excited to announce that The Student and Early Career Committee (SECC) of the American Psychological Division of International Psychology (52) have been separated into The Student Committee (SC) and The Early Career Professional Committee (ECPC). The ECPC is co-chaired by Kate Richmond, Ph.D. and Mathilde Salmberg, Psy.D.
The Division of International Psychology (Division 52) represents the interest of all psychologists who foster international connections among psychologists, engage in cross cultural research or practice, apply psychological principles to the development of public policy, or are otherwise concerned with individual and group consequences of global events. Thus, Division 52’s Early Career Professional Committee aims to assist early career psychologists (those who are <7 years post-graduate) become involved with the international psychology community. The committee seeks to promote opportunities for networking, professional advancement, and the development of new leaders in the field of international psychology. Additionally, the ECPC provides support and encouragement in finding and creating opportunities that further the professional development and careers of its members.
In order for the ECP Committee to be approved by the board, several requirements had to be met. Of primary importance was the creation of a mission statement. Additionally, a detailed proposal for the formation and maintenance of the committee was created, which was presented and approved at the Executive Board meeting in August, 2007. This proposal included bylaws and strategic planning. Some of the ECP Committee proposed goals for this year include:
Proposed Goals for 2007-2008:
1. To clarify and publicize the mission and role of Division 52 to Early Career Professional psychologists.
2. To identify current ECP members within the Division.
3. To select sub-committee chairs (General Initiatives, Membership, Mentoring, Publishing, and Webmaster).
4. To identify and define the specific needs of Early Career Professional psychologists
5. To create a webpage for the Early Career Professionals Committee.
6. To represent Division 52 in the ECP Division Network, sponsored by APA.
7. To provide conference programming that is applicable to Division 52 ECP members
8. To recruit new members and retain existing members
9. To sustain and further develop the relationships with the Student Committee and the SC subcommittees.
10. To explore and advocate for international experiences and employment opportunities for ECP members.
Recently, the ECP Committee created a needs assessment, and we are in the process of collecting data among current division ECP members to evaluate interests and needs. In order to ensure a high return for the survey, the survey was available on the Division webpage through surveymonkey. We also discussed the survey in an article, which was published in the division newsletter. We also plan to personally email current ECP members to advertise the survey and to recruit members who have interest in helping promote the proposed goals and/or who would like to initiate additional goals for the Committee.
The ECPC encourages early careerists to become active participants in the committee. Membership in the ECPC is an effective way to increase visibility and build relationships in the International Psychology community. Since the committee is in the beginning stages of development, there are many opportunities to take on leadership roles, spearhead programs, create sub-committees, and collaborate on projects and research. If you are interested in learning more about the Committee, please contact Kate Richmond via Email or Mathilde Salmberg via Email.
2008 Division Leadership Conference
The Committee on Division / APA Relations (CODAPAR), announces its 2008 Division Leadership Conference, being held January 25-27, at the Fairmont Washington DC Hotel and Resort.
During this weekend, division presidents-elect will (a) learn the nuts and bolts of leading their division, (b) be encouraged to engage in long-range and strategic planning for their presidential year, and (c) be provided with opportunities to foster interdivisional collaborative ventures.
The conference begins with a Welcome Reception and Dinner on Friday, January 25. APA President, Alan E. Kazdin, PhD, has been invited to officially open the DLC with a Welcome Address, followed by a presentation on the uniqueness of divisions that will offer an opportunity for division leaders to share best practices for leading their divisions; setting the tone for this leadership training weekend.
Saturday’s morning sessions will focus on “getting to know APA” and the afternoon sessions will shift to “getting to know divisions”. The morning will include remarks and presentations from APA CEO, Norman B. Anderson, PhD and APA’s newly elected President-Elect, the nuts and bolts of being a division president; and opportunities to learn about APA’s governance, its directorates, and its initiatives targeting students, early career psychologists, international members, and diversity. The afternoon sessions will explore best practices for division leadership, interdivisional grant opportunities, APA’s web innovations, and membership issues.
Hot topics for division officers will be presented Sunday morning. The first plenary will take an in-depth look at your legal responsibilities as a division president and tell you about the support services offered by APA. You’ll also learn how to work effectively with the media. The final session entitled, “Let’s Talk About Convention” will solicit your input as major change to the APA convention are being considered. The DLC will conclude at approximately 11:00 A.M. on Sunday.
Fully 93% of recent attendees strongly recommended that incoming division presidents-elect should attend the DLC. It promises to be a weekend of information sharing and knowledge gathering that will jump-start your presidential initiatives, make you aware of resources in APA Central Office and activities that carry liability, and give you opportunities to build relationships with other division leaders. Don’t leave your division unrepresented. If you are unable to participate in the DLC, we ask that you choose another representative from your executive board to attend.
Contact Troy Booker in Division Services at (+1/202) 336-6121 or via Email for more information.
Don’t Forget to VOTE
Apportionment Ballot to determine the 2009 Council of Representatives were mailed to all voting members of the Association on November 1. The 45-day election period will close on December 17. Notify your division members via email, newsletters articles and listservs that by casting their 10 apportionment votes, they can significantly impact the APA governance structure.
For questions or more information, contact the Elections Office.
Division Annual Reports
Attention Division Presidents – the 2007 Division Annual Reports are will be due Friday, February 1, 2008. Mailed packages will include instructions, guidelines and the forms for you to fill out. If you have any questions, please contact Troy Booker in Division Services.
What Are Other Divisions Doing?
Ever wonder what other divisions are doing? How are they addressing issues regarding membership recruitment and retention? Diversity? Executive Board/Committee composition? There’s no need to re-invent the wheel. The APA Division Services is launching a information hub for division officers that addresses division activities around pertinent issues division leaders face on a regular basis. These documents are comprised of information gathered from the Division Annual Reports, informal surveys and polls conducted on the Division Officers listserv and resources from the Division Services Office. This information hub was created to share this wealth of knowledge and documented experiences with division leaders. Check here to see what activities have been successful; save time on creating initiatives and projects, pitfalls to avoid, how similar and different divisions are structured!
If you are on a division officer and would like to hear what other divisions are doing or have done around a topic, post your questions on the listserv!
2007 CODAPAR Members
Chana K. Akins, PhD (01/06-12/08)
University of Kentucky
Department of Psychology
219 Kastle Hall
Lexington, KY 40506-0001
Phone: (+1/859) 257-1103
Fax: (+1/859) 323-1979
Divisions: 6, 18, 24, 25, 28, 38, 45, 48 and 50
Wayne J. Camara, PhD (01/05-12/07)
The College Board
45 Columbus Avenue
New York, NY 10023
Phone: (+1/212) 713-8069
Fax: (+1/212) 649-8427
Divisions: 5, 14, 15, 16, 19, 20, 21, 32 and 41
Jaine L. Darwin, PsyD (07/07-12/09)
1619 Massachusetts Avenue, #25
Cambridge, MA 02138
Phone: (+1/617) 354-7480
Divisions: 7, 12, 22, 37, 40, 46, 49, 53 and 55
Kate F. Hays, PhD (01/05-12/07)
The Performing Edge
730 Yonge Street
Suite 226
Toronto, ON M4Y 2B7
CANADA
Phone: (+1/416) 961-0487
Fax: (+1/416) 599-8287
Division: 10, 13, 17, 29, 30, 31, 39, 42 and 47
Richard S. Velayo, PhD (06/05-12/06)
Pace University
Psychology Department
41 Park Row
Room 1324
New York, NY 10038
Phone: (+1/212) 346-1506
Fax: (+1/212) 346-1618
Divisions: 1, 3, 23, 26, 27, 36, 43, 52 and 54
Janice D. Yoder, PhD (01/06-12/08)
University of Akron
Department of Psychology
Akron, OH 44325-4301
Phone: (+1/330) 972-8371
Fax: (+1/330) 972-5174
Divisions: 2, 8, 9, 33, 34, 35, 44, 51 and 56
Division Services Staff
Troy Booker, Division Services Officer
Keith Cooke, Division Services Manager
Sarah Jordan, Director, Divisions Services
Micheline Meyers, Division Services Coordinator
Julian Slaughter, Division Services Associate
Wendy Williams, Division Services Specialist
2007 Deadlines for Articles for the APA/Division Dialogue
Please submit copy on diskette or via email to Troy Booker.
January/February 2008: December 17, 2007
Back to November/December homepage |
