On Fri, 26 Nov 1999, Roger Smith wrote:
+++++ [CLIP ONLY] +++++
> d) the same criticism could be directed to the inequitable funding received
> from Paris for Chairmen and officer bearers in International or national
> Committees. I know from first hand experience ( C & D above ) that if you
> were from a smaller museum organisation, no supplementary funding was ever
> available from Paris to carry out the the necessary tasks of travelling to
> International meetings -as Chairman of that Committee. This resulted in one
> having to spend considerable sums of personal finance to carry out ICOM
> duties on behalf of the profession worldwide. It has to be said that the
> same rules did not seem to apply to Council members?
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Roger & Colleagues:
Can I refer you back to ICTOP's "SWOT" (Strengths, Weaknesses,
Opportunities and Threats) management exercise on current perceptions of
ICOM at our London Meeting in July 1999, and circulated on ICOM-L? (See
the ICOM-L on-line archive, or I can re-circulate this).
It was felt that one of the most serious - and distorting - aspects of the
current situation is that only members with either personal wealth or
financial support from their own government or institution can run for
office within ICOM at ANY level. ICTOP considered that this has profound
implications in relation to democracy within the organisation.
Those without such private funds or external support are for all
practical purposes excluded from running for office within ICOM.
Also, those with outside funding have - certainly in the past - from time
to time been subject to external political or other pressures from the
governments or other organisations funding their ICOM activities.
One of the key questions posed by Bernice Murphy is setting out her agenda
for the ICOM Reform Task Force, and circulated a few weeks ago on ICOM-L,
though not yet mailed out to the national and international committees,
focused explicitly on this: is it in any way democratic that only those
able to put up probably several thousand dollars a year or their own (or
somebody else's) money can become Chairperson of and International
Committee (with a place on the Advisory Committee), and even more to serve
on the Executive Council.
(You are wrong about the Executive Council. Officers and members of the
EC also have pay all their own travelling etc. and administrative
expenses. The only "perk" is the tradition (not right) that the host
country (but not ICOM) pays their expenses in attending the Triennial
General Conference.)
During my six years 1983-89 as Chair of ICTOP, my six years chairing the
ICOM Ethics Committee, 1984-90, and the first of my nine years on the
Executive Council, my museum service's governing body did authorise and
budget for my ICOM expenses - and i am very grateful for that. However,
this was not the policy after I moved (with a big drop in salary at the
same time) into the university sector in 1990. Consequently, over the
remaining 8 years on the Executive, and now as Chair of ICTOP again, all
the cost - something far in excess of US. $30K. so far since Autumn 1990 -
has been paid out of what - at my age! - should have been going into
savings for my retirement.)
Patrick Boylan
Chairperson
ICOM International Committee for the training of Personnel - ICTOP
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