ISSCO Board Meeting
May 12, 2004, 21:30-23:30

Absent:

Minutes written by: Mette Thunø, ISSCO Secretary

Minutes approved: May 13, 2004

Agenda:

1. Approval of agenda

2. Journal of Chinese Overseas

3. Location of ISSCO Office

4. Other business

1. Agenda proposal was accepted.

2. The new Journal of Chinese Overseas (JCO) was presented by the two Chief Editors. JCO is to be completely financed by the Chinese Heritage Centre, Singapore and printed and distributed by Singapore University Press. It will be an academic refereed journal with two issues a year. The two Chief Editors expressed an interest in ISSCO being associated with the JCO and informal contacts between the editors and ISSCO Secretary L. Ling-chi Wang had already been established concerning this matter. The Board discussed the suggestion of the Chief Editors and agreed to draft a proposal of co-operation between ISSCO and the JCO.

3. 3.1. The Board discussed the geographical location of the ISSCO Office pertaining in particular to membership fees presently collected and kept at the Uni. of California, Berkeley. It was decided to investigate the possibilities of moving the ISSCO Office to KAISA, Manila.

3.2. Funding and fees at Berkeley were discussed. It was decided that the membership dues collected at Copenhagen be kept with Mette Thunø, at the secretariat, for miscellaneous expenses like maintaining membership lists, mailing, secretarial expenses and the like. The US$ 25,000 kept at Berkeley should be transferred before Wang Ling-chi retires from Berkeley. Teresita Ang See volunteered to explore the possibility of transferring the amount to Manila, as a Kaisa-ISSCO account, if it would be easier to manage it there. An agreement will be drawn up with Kaisa that the amount is solely for ISSCO use. A scheme also for disbursements will be submitted for Board’s approval, i.e., how much can the President, Secretary-Treasurer, disburse on their own without board approval, how much is the ceiling for expenses with Board Approval. Teresita Ang See also reported that Dr. Ellen Palanca, as head of the Center for Asian Studies at the Ateneo de Manila University, and as her immediate boss, has agreed to help her in the management of the funds, if necessary.

4. Wang Ling-chi reiterated the need to raise at least $2-million endowment fund so that we can use the interests for ISSCO expenses, like subsidizing conference participation from 3^rd world countries. He said that he has not given up the idea and need only a more propitious timing.