4th General Meeting of the International Palaeoentomological Society at the Culture Centre, Byblos
15:30 17th April, 2013
Attendance: 41 member
1. The minutes of the previous meeting were agreed and signed by the president.
2. Honorary Life Membership was awarded to Dany Azar.
3. President’s address (Andrew Ross). This included the challenges of registering the society in Brussels and France was being actively investigated as an alternative.
4. Membership. The Treasurer (Jacek Szwedo) presented the account: it was healthy (>9,000 Euros uncommitted) and would be consolidated upon registration; 2013-2016 subscriptions were now due (30 Euros/39 USD) and absent members would receive a reminder.
5. Journal. Dany Azar proposed the possibility of publishing in Lebanon; details such as a change of title will need to be considered.
6. Conservation. The secretary (Ed Jarzembowski) reported on behalf of the conservation representative (Bruce Archibald) who could not attend the GM: the McAbee site in Canada about which the society had been concerned is to receive heritage status.
7. Management Committee elections. The following officers were elected, the first by secret ballot: Dany Azar (President), Ed Jarzembowski (Secretary), Dong Ren (Vice-President) and Jacek Szwedo (Treasurer); other committee members were Vladimir Blagoderov (Webmaster) and Bruce Archibald (Conservation Rep.); on the scientific committee, Xavier Delclos, Jacek Szwedo, Bruce Archibald, Julian Petrulevicius and Dany Azar would continue and new members were Olivier Bethoux, Ewa Krzeminska, Andy Ross, Alex Rasnitsyn and Michael Engel (editor). The new post of membership secretary to assist the treasurer was created and Iwona Kania duly elected.
8. Next congress (2016) host and venue. Andrew Ross and Jacek Szwedo made presentations on Edinburgh and Gdansk respectively: the first was agreed by secret ballot.
9. A vote of thanks was made to the hosts of the Byblos Congress and retiring IPS officers and committee members.
10. The meeting ended at 18:30; 41 members attended.