Tactical Plan 2000–01

During their year as President they, often have to combine continuing their predecessor’s unfinished business, leading the development and completion of some new tasks, and leaving—inevitably—some unfinished tasks in the best possible shape for their successors to bring to completion.

To achieve their goals, they often develop a plan. Here is my Executive Committee–approved IFT Annual Tactical Plan 2000–01, which I developed from IFT’s new Global Strategic Plan, “Vision 2020.” If you have not yet read Vision 2020, you can find it on p. 10 of the September 2000 issue of Food Technology or on the IFT Web site (www.ift.org).

The Tactical Plan involves the integration and planning of all essential elements into a working program, and it realistically prioritizes the activities and tasks covered by Vision 2020. At the September 2000 Executive Committee meeting, approval was given for the Tactical Plan, described below. The Tactical Plan will remain only a dream unless we do something about it, and your participation is encouraged to help make these dreams come true. Please contact me at [email protected] with your comments.

In addition to approval of the Tactical Plan, the September Executive Committee meeting carried out an innovative measure, which I’ll tell you about in my next President’s Page in the December issue.

IFT’s Annual Tactical Plan for 2000–01
To continue the ongoing work of Committees and Task Forces, work will be initiated in the following focus areas:

1. Membership
A. Establish an ad hoc Committee on Membership for increasing the number and quality of IFT members. See charge below.

B. Establish an ad hoc Committee on Industrial Relations which will ensure and acknowledge awareness of the needs of food scientists employed in industry. See charge below.

2. Global
Charge the Committee for Global Interests (COGI) with the task to inform, educate, and support member involvement in the International Union of Food Science and Technology (IUFoST) through its Service Delivery Centers (SDCs), regional groupings, attendance at World Congresses, and subscriptions and contributions to The World of Food Science.

3. Partnerships
A. Identify key individuals within the Institute who will work with the President and the Executive Committee to champion development of effective strategic alliances with the following organizations: American Association of Cereal Chemists, The World Food Prize Organization, American Chemical Society, American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists, American Institute of Chemical Engineers, American Society for Nutrition Science, Society for Toxicology, Association of Food and Drug Officials, and others.

B. Encourage the Student Association to establish alliances within the United States with other scientific societies and outside the U.S. to encourage student participation.

4. Research
Establish a Task Force to consider and develop new and creative strategies for increasing funding to enhance food-related research and development efforts. Composition of the task force may include representatives from the Council of Food Science Administrators (CFSA), IFT Foundation, Committee on Science, Communications, and Government Relations (CSCGR), Chief Research Officers (CROs) Task Force, IFT staff, and others. See charge below.

Charges to Committees and Task Forces
Establish an ad hoc Committee on Membership for increasing the number and quality of IFT members.
1. Study and make reports and recommendations to the Executive Committee on matters relating to the quantity and quality of the IFT membership.

2. Coordinate, support, improve, and approve all activities relating to effective membership retention and recruiting programs for current and potential membership.

3. Consider programs to increase the number of Professional Members of IFT. Implement programs and monitor the programs through assessment techniques.

4. Consider establishment of mentoring programs for new and current members.

5. Consider establishment of programs to encourage potential members to join IFT. Consider marketing surveys to understand the needs of members or potential members and how IFT can meet those needs which will encourage member retention or membership.

6. Increase IFT membership, including non-U.S. members while having high regard for country IFT-like organizations and promoting additional IFT membership there as “added value.”

7. Work with the Student Association and non-U.S. students to ensure that their membership is well supported and endorsed by the Institute and that a streamline transition is made from Student membership to Member status and Professional Member status.

8. Consider if the ad hoc committee should become a standing committee of the Institute. If yes, develop recommendations for composition and purpose, which may be similar to or different from the current recommendations for the ad hoc committee.

Establish an ad hoc Committee on Industrial Relations which will ensure awareness and acknowledge the needs of food scientists employed in industry.
1. Study and make reports and recommendations to the Executive Committee on matters relating to the needs of the food scientists and food technologists employed in industry.

2. Consider expansion of Annual Meeting activities to include information of special interest to the industrial scientist, e.g., patents, job transfer information limitations, initial public offerings (IPOs), business information, etc.

3. Investigate and ensure that industrial scientists are “recognized” by the Institute for their contributions to support improvement of the food supply. Consider small but effective recognition programs specific to industrial scientists, e.g., “Eagles of Food Science,” a program which annually honors industrial food scientists, their companies, and their leaders for outstanding achievement with commercially successful products. Announcements and ongoing descriptions (success stories) could be located on the IFT Web site.

4. Consider representation of industrial members on various committees of the Institute and positions within the Institute, e.g., as Food Science Communicators or on FDA contracts. Consider what is the role of industry members vs academics vs consultants within these committees.

5. Identify ways to increase the “value” of the society to industrial leaders (CROs) and the industrial employee.

6. Consider if the ad hoc committee should become a standing committee of the Institute. If yes, develop recommendations for composition and purpose, which may be similar to or different from the current recommendations for the ad hoc committee.

Establish a Task Force to consider and develop new and creative strategies for increasing funding to enhancefood-related research and development efforts.
1. Study and make reports and recommendations to the Executive Committee on matters relating to new possible strategies for increasing funding to enhance food-related research and development. Current efforts with government agencies should continue, but other sources of revenue and possible new efforts should be considered.

2. Consider working with or making recommendations to the IFT Foundation to establish a “category” or an “IFT-Endowed Research Fund” within the IFT Foundation. A good example is to create more competitive grant programs like the Loncin Research Prize, which is IFT’s only competitive grant program. Review the American Chemical Society’s Petroleum Research Fund and consider if IFT should have something similar.

3. Consider and make recommendations on the amount of time and effort IFT should spend in this area related to the IFT office in Washington, D.C., and innovative means in which IFT can be more effective, e.g., grass-roots activities, coalitions, working with CFSA, etc. Are our efforts adequate? If not, how can we improve them?

4. Consider if the Task Force should recommend the establishment of a small but effective subcommittee of CSCGR or other committee related to this purpose. If yes, develop recommendations for composition and purpose.

by MARY K. SCHMIDL
IFT President, 2000–01