Dear Colleagues,

1) Please read the text below carefully,

2) show your opinion by voting using link provided at the end of document

Deadline: by Nov. 15, 2022

The result of the voting will be decided by majority of the vote arrived in time.

Sincerely yours,

John Kim & Przemyslaw Charzyński

Working Group? Commission?

Background:

l During world congress of soil sciences held in Glasgow this year, John Kim was asked twice by the executive committee members (former div. 3 chair: Bal Ram Singh; president-elect: Edoardo Costantini why WG SUITMA still stayed as WG after 8 years from its initiation.

l IUSS Statute I. describes a WG to proceed to commission once it fulfills its role as a WG within 8 years (WG SUITMA is 24 years old considering its birth during WCSS held in Montpellier in 1998).

I. The Working Groups (in IUSS Statutes)

I1. Working Groups are part of one or more Division(s)/Commissions. Members with common

interests in topics not specifically addressed by Divisions or Commissions may propose the

establishment of a Working Group. If endorsed by the Division(s), the proposal shall be sent

to the Executive Committee, which will confirm or deny the proposal.

I2. Working Groups will elect a Chairperson and a Vice Chairperson as officers. The IUSS and

the Division(s) to which they belong will give reasonable support for their activities. The

Working Group will normally exist for a short period of time as long as it maintains an active

program of scientific work, but normally will not exist beyond 8 years.

l John Kim introduced this agenda during opening session of SUITMA11 this year. During closing session of SUITMA11, John Kim raised this agenda again for discussion. The participants of the SUITMA11 agreed to the following:

ü John Kim will prepare a short description about this matter within 1-2 weeks with the help of Gerd and Jean-Louis.

ü The ‘revised’ description will be distributed to the members of SUITMA by email. There will be a space for a vote on the preference (WG? or Commission?) of the members of SUITMA at the end of the description.

ü The members of SUITMA will return their preference (WG? or Commission?) using on-line form..

ü John Kim will inform the result of the vote to the members of SUTMA.

ü John Kim will inform the result of the vote to IUSS secretariat for further administrative work.

- Advantages & disadvantages of staying as a WG or evolving to a Commission

Staying as a WG

l Advantages:

ü Clearly defined scope

ü Readability and visibility of topics and activities

ü SUITMA is like a family.

ü Members know each other well.

ü Members have good human-networking under the umbrella of SUITMA. A good human-networking with up to 200 persons in SUITMA is very important asset to the members of SUITMA.

ü Chairperson can be elected by and from the members of SUITMA. Since members know each other well, chances for an appropriate person to be elected as a chairperson are relatively high.

l Disadvantages:

ü Number of the members can be limited.

ü Let others take the lead for soils of anthropized areas

ü Become a marginal group

ü Risk of extinction

ü Limited potential for innovation and new ideas

Evolving to a Commission

l Advantages:

ü Expansion of the territory of SUITMA

ü Become the only group dealing with soils in anthropized areas within the IUSS

ü A wider audience among scientists and other disciplines joining SUITMA

ü Attraction of young scientists

ü More influence within the IUSS

ü More influence with other international institutions

ü Initiate and lead multidisciplinary and ambitious scientific programs

ü Organize conferences (like now)

ü New contacts and influences

ü Higher visibility and performance

ü Increasing relevance

l Disadvantages:

ü Danger of dissolution of community and restriction of activity

ü Breaking the familyness.

ü Chances to break the very important human-networking are high.

ü Once SUITMA becomes a commission, chairperson will be elected by an electrical vote. The number of the electrical votes are decided by the number of the members of the paid national member bodies (Big countries can easily influence the result.). Some people or countries like to use chairperson as ‘title’ not understanding SUITMA. In that case, the national member bodies may vote for the candidate from their countries who does not understand SUITMA well. If so, chances for an inappropriate person to be elected as a chairperson are relatively high.

Please vote here:

https://forms.gle/9TfofTJaJMJiLApYA