2012Q1 Reports:NAACL - Revision history

ChrisCallisonBurch: /* NAACL Treasurer's Report */

2012-01-16T21:27:01Z

NAACL Treasurer's Report

← Older revision		Revision as of 21:27, 16 January 2012
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	The Chapterʼs bank account held $104,173 at the end of December 2011. The NAACL account has not yet been debited for the huge loss on NAACL HLT 2010.		The Chapterʼs bank account held $104,173 at the end of December 2011. The NAACL account has not yet been debited for the huge loss on NAACL HLT 2010.

	The NAACL HLT 2010 conference in Los Angeles made a loss of at least $59K (this could actually still even grow a bit if some promised but as yet unpaid sponsorship fails to materialize). This wipes out half of the surplus that NAACL has accumulated in its 10+ years of existence, and which NAACL uses to fund other activities (such as its support for the JHU summer school, NACLO, the LSA Linguistic Institute, NAACL student travel support and regional workshops). This is the first NAACL conference to yield a deficit. There were a combination of that lead to the large loss: (i) bad, unrealistically rosy budget projections of attendance and costs, (ii) unexpectedly high catering costs and extra charges from the hotel, (iii) unexpectedly low attendance, and (iv) poor tracking of data as it came in, which should have been able to alert us much earlier that things were not working out as expected. We need to fix at least (i) and (iv). (ii) and (iii) are harder to control, but also to be worked on. We will work to find cheaper venues and are likely to increase NAACL conference registration fees.		The NAACL HLT 2010 conference in Los Angeles made a loss of at least $59K (this could actually still even grow a bit if some promised but as yet unpaid sponsorship fails to materialize). This wipes out half of the surplus that NAACL has accumulated in its 10+ years of existence, and which NAACL uses to fund other activities (such as its support for the JHU summer school, NACLO, the LSA Linguistic Institute, NAACL student travel support and regional workshops). This is the first NAACL conference to yield a deficit. There were a combination of factors that lead to the large loss: (i) bad, unrealistically rosy budget projections of attendance and costs, (ii) unexpectedly high catering costs and extra charges from the hotel, (iii) unexpectedly low attendance, and (iv) poor tracking of data as it came in, which should have been able to alert us much earlier that things were not working out as expected. We need to fix at least (i) and (iv). (ii) and (iii) are harder to control, but also to be worked on. We will work to find cheaper venues and are likely to increase NAACL conference registration fees.

	[[Image:Naacl-surplus-and-loss.jpg]]		[[Image:Naacl-surplus-and-loss.jpg]]

ChrisCallisonBurch: /* NAACL Treasurer's Report */

2012-01-16T21:20:20Z

NAACL Treasurer's Report

← Older revision		Revision as of 21:20, 16 January 2012
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	The Chapterʼs bank account held $104,173 at the end of December 2011. The NAACL account has not yet been debited for the huge loss on NAACL HLT 2010.		The Chapterʼs bank account held $104,173 at the end of December 2011. The NAACL account has not yet been debited for the huge loss on NAACL HLT 2010.

	The NAACL HLT 2010 conference in Los Angeles made a loss of at least $59K (this could actually still even grow a bit if some promised but as yet unpaid sponsorship fails to materialize). This wipes out half of the surplus that NAACL has accumulated in its 10+ years of existence, and which NAACL uses to fund other activities (such as its support for the JHU summer school, NACLO, the LSA Linguistic Institute, NAACL student travel support and regional workshops). This is the first NAACL conference to yield a deficit. There were a combination of that lead to the large loss: (i) bad, unrealistically rosy budget projections of attendance and costs, (ii) unexpectedly high catering costs and extra charges from the hotel, (iii) unexpectedly low attendance, and (iv) poor tracking of data as it came in, which should have been able to alert us much earlier that things were not working out as expected. We need to fix at least (i) and (iv). (ii) and (iii) are harder to control, but also to be worked on. We ~~either need~~ cheaper venues ~~or else~~ NAACL conference fees ~~just need to increase~~.		The NAACL HLT 2010 conference in Los Angeles made a loss of at least $59K (this could actually still even grow a bit if some promised but as yet unpaid sponsorship fails to materialize). This wipes out half of the surplus that NAACL has accumulated in its 10+ years of existence, and which NAACL uses to fund other activities (such as its support for the JHU summer school, NACLO, the LSA Linguistic Institute, NAACL student travel support and regional workshops). This is the first NAACL conference to yield a deficit. There were a combination of that lead to the large loss: (i) bad, unrealistically rosy budget projections of attendance and costs, (ii) unexpectedly high catering costs and extra charges from the hotel, (iii) unexpectedly low attendance, and (iv) poor tracking of data as it came in, which should have been able to alert us much earlier that things were not working out as expected. We need to fix at least (i) and (iv). (ii) and (iii) are harder to control, but also to be worked on. We will work to find cheaper venues and are likely to increase NAACL conference registration fees.

	[[Image:Naacl-surplus-and-loss.jpg]]		[[Image:Naacl-surplus-and-loss.jpg]]

ChrisCallisonBurch: /* NAACL Treasurer's Report */

2012-01-16T21:06:08Z

NAACL Treasurer's Report

← Older revision		Revision as of 21:06, 16 January 2012
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	The Chapterʼs bank account held $104,173 at the end of December 2011. The NAACL account has not yet been debited for the huge loss on NAACL HLT 2010.		The Chapterʼs bank account held $104,173 at the end of December 2011. The NAACL account has not yet been debited for the huge loss on NAACL HLT 2010.

	The NAACL HLT 2010 conference in Los Angeles made a loss of at least $59K (this could actually still even grow a bit if some promised but as yet unpaid sponsorship fails to materialize). This wipes out half of the surplus that NAACL has accumulated in its 10+ years of existence, and which it uses to fund other activities (such as ~~NAACL's~~ support for the JHU summer ~~workshop~~, NACLO, the LSA Linguistic Institute, NAACL student travel support and regional workshops). This is the first NAACL conference to yield a deficit. There were a combination of that lead to the large loss: (i) bad, unrealistically rosy budget projections of attendance and costs, (ii) unexpectedly high catering costs and extra charges from the hotel, (iii) unexpectedly low attendance, and (iv) poor tracking of data as it came in, which should have been able to alert us much earlier that things were not working out as expected. We need to fix at least (i) and (iv). (ii) and (iii) are harder to control, but also to be worked on. We either need cheaper venues or else NAACL conference fees just need to increase.		The NAACL HLT 2010 conference in Los Angeles made a loss of at least $59K (this could actually still even grow a bit if some promised but as yet unpaid sponsorship fails to materialize). This wipes out half of the surplus that NAACL has accumulated in its 10+ years of existence, and which NAACL uses to fund other activities (such as its support for the JHU summer school, NACLO, the LSA Linguistic Institute, NAACL student travel support and regional workshops). This is the first NAACL conference to yield a deficit. There were a combination of that lead to the large loss: (i) bad, unrealistically rosy budget projections of attendance and costs, (ii) unexpectedly high catering costs and extra charges from the hotel, (iii) unexpectedly low attendance, and (iv) poor tracking of data as it came in, which should have been able to alert us much earlier that things were not working out as expected. We need to fix at least (i) and (iv). (ii) and (iii) are harder to control, but also to be worked on. We either need cheaper venues or else NAACL conference fees just need to increase.

	[[Image:Naacl-surplus-and-loss.jpg]]		[[Image:Naacl-surplus-and-loss.jpg]]



	==North American conference in 2012==		==North American conference in 2012==

ChrisCallisonBurch: /* Decoupling NAACL-HLT from local arrangements */

2012-01-16T21:01:17Z

Decoupling NAACL-HLT from local arrangements

← Older revision		Revision as of 21:01, 16 January 2012
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	NAACL 2013 will be held at the Westin in Atlanta in the second week of June (June 9-14). Priscilla Rasmussen will handle local arrangements.		NAACL 2013 will be held at the Westin in Atlanta in the second week of June (June 9-14). Priscilla Rasmussen will handle local arrangements.

	==Decoupling NAACL-HLT from local arrangements==		==Decoupling NAACL HLT from local arrangements==

	As NAACL-HLT conferences continue to grow, the increased size does add complexity for local arrangements. Although they do have the option to delegate to a professional conference organizer, many smaller institutions are hesitant about taking on the responsibility. No bid was received for hosting NAACL HLT 2012 despite active encouragements from the Board. Thus the Board has begun to experiment with alternative models of local arrangements to further reduce the burden on any particular institution. For 2012 and 2013, the conference sites were chosen by the Board based on the usual location selection criteria (e.g., geographical balance, active CL communities in the area). Then, researchers from the area are invited to serve on an advisory committee to offer suggestions about local arrangement matters. The tradition of calling for bids to host NAACL HLT conferences will continue in the future, but our experiences in organizing NAACL HLT 2012 and 2013 may act as a guideline for those years when no institution comes forth.		As NAACL HLT conferences continue to grow, the increased size does add complexity for local arrangements. Although they do have the option to delegate to a professional conference organizer, many smaller institutions are hesitant about taking on the responsibility. No bid was received for hosting NAACL HLT 2012 despite active encouragements from the Board. Thus the Board has begun to experiment with alternative models of local arrangements to further reduce the burden on any particular institution. For 2012 and 2013, the conference sites were chosen by the Board based on the usual location selection criteria (e.g., geographical balance, active CL communities in the area). Then, researchers from the area are invited to serve on an advisory committee to offer suggestions about local arrangement matters. The tradition of calling for bids to host NAACL HLT conferences will continue in the future, but our experiences in organizing NAACL HLT 2012 and 2013 may act as a guideline for those years when no institution comes forth.

	==NAACL Representative to the ACL Sponsorship Committee for 2011-2012==		==NAACL Representative to the ACL Sponsorship Committee for 2011-2012==

ChrisCallisonBurch: /* North American conference in 2012 */

2012-01-16T21:00:53Z

North American conference in 2012

← Older revision		Revision as of 21:00, 16 January 2012
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	(d) NAACL's earlier deadline was too close to Christmas and New Year's.		(d) NAACL's earlier deadline was too close to Christmas and New Year's.

	~~The low number of submissions will make~~ it more difficult for the PCs to assemble program that achieves the high level of quality that NAACL has become known for ~~while recruiting enough participants to make it a~~ financially viable conference. ~~There are several~~ collocated events ~~that~~ will hopefully increase the number of conference registrations. ~~These events include~~ the ~~new *SEM conference and the Workshop on Statistical Machine Translation (WMT) which usually draws 120+~~ participants, and ~~several other workshops~~.		Beyond simply making it more difficult for the PCs to assemble program that achieves the high level of quality that NAACL has become known for, the low number of submissions may jeopardize the financially viable of the conference if we are unable to attract enough registered participants. The collocated events (like the new *SEM conference and WMT) will hopefully increase the number of conference registrations. Given the financial loss of NAACL 2010, we need to be careful when estimating participants and setting registration fees for NAACL 2012.

	==North American conference in 2013==		==North American conference in 2013==

ChrisCallisonBurch: /* North American conference in 2012 */

2012-01-16T20:54:23Z

North American conference in 2012

← Older revision		Revision as of 20:54, 16 January 2012
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	NAACL HLT 2012 will be held in Montreal, Canada from June 3 -- June 8 2012. The general chair is Jennifer Chu-Carroll (IBM) and the PC co-chairs are Srinivas Bangalore (AT&T), Eric Fosler-Lussier (Ohio State University) and Ellen Riloff (University of Utah). Sabine Bergler and Guy Lapalme are advising Priscilla Rasmussen who has taken over the responsibilities of local arrangements chair.		NAACL HLT 2012 will be held in Montreal, Canada from June 3 -- June 8 2012. The general chair is Jennifer Chu-Carroll (IBM) and the PC co-chairs are Srinivas Bangalore (AT&T), Eric Fosler-Lussier (Ohio State University) and Ellen Riloff (University of Utah). Sabine Bergler and Guy Lapalme are advising Priscilla Rasmussen who has taken over the responsibilities of local arrangements chair.

	'''The number of submissions to NAACL ~~was~~ worryingly low.''' There were 199 full paper submissions and 105 short paper submissions. The low turn out could have been due to several factors:		'''The number of submissions to NAACL is worryingly low.''' There were 199 full paper submissions and 105 short paper submissions. The low turn out could have been due to several factors:
	(a) there were many good venues this year,		(a) there were many good venues this year,
	(b) ACL and NAACL disallowed dual submission, and ACL's deadline was scheduled to be 10 days later than NAACL's,		(b) ACL and NAACL disallowed dual submission, and ACL's deadline was scheduled to be 10 days later than NAACL's,

ChrisCallisonBurch: /* North American conference in 2012 */

2012-01-16T20:54:10Z

North American conference in 2012

← Older revision		Revision as of 20:54, 16 January 2012
Line 31:		Line 31:
	NAACL HLT 2012 will be held in Montreal, Canada from June 3 -- June 8 2012. The general chair is Jennifer Chu-Carroll (IBM) and the PC co-chairs are Srinivas Bangalore (AT&T), Eric Fosler-Lussier (Ohio State University) and Ellen Riloff (University of Utah). Sabine Bergler and Guy Lapalme are advising Priscilla Rasmussen who has taken over the responsibilities of local arrangements chair.		NAACL HLT 2012 will be held in Montreal, Canada from June 3 -- June 8 2012. The general chair is Jennifer Chu-Carroll (IBM) and the PC co-chairs are Srinivas Bangalore (AT&T), Eric Fosler-Lussier (Ohio State University) and Ellen Riloff (University of Utah). Sabine Bergler and Guy Lapalme are advising Priscilla Rasmussen who has taken over the responsibilities of local arrangements chair.

	The number of submissions to NAACL was worryingly low. There were 199 full paper submissions and 105 short paper submissions. The low turn out could have been due to several factors:		'''The number of submissions to NAACL was worryingly low.''' There were 199 full paper submissions and 105 short paper submissions. The low turn out could have been due to several factors:
	(a) there were many good venues this year,		(a) there were many good venues this year,
	(b) ACL and NAACL disallowed dual submission, and ACL's deadline was scheduled to be 10 days later than NAACL's,		(b) ACL and NAACL disallowed dual submission, and ACL's deadline was scheduled to be 10 days later than NAACL's,

ChrisCallisonBurch: /* North American conference in 2011 */

2012-01-16T20:53:42Z

North American conference in 2011

← Older revision		Revision as of 20:53, 16 January 2012
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	[[Image:Naacl-surplus-and-loss.jpg]]		[[Image:Naacl-surplus-and-loss.jpg]]

	~~==North American conference in 2011==~~

	~~ACL was held in Portland, OR in June.~~

	==North American conference in 2012==		==North American conference in 2012==

ChrisCallisonBurch: /* NAACL Treasurer's Report */

2012-01-16T20:52:59Z

NAACL Treasurer's Report

← Older revision		Revision as of 20:52, 16 January 2012
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	The NAACL HLT 2010 conference in Los Angeles made a loss of at least $59K (this could actually still even grow a bit if some promised but as yet unpaid sponsorship fails to materialize). This wipes out half of the surplus that NAACL has accumulated in its 10+ years of existence, and which it uses to fund other activities (such as NAACL's support for the JHU summer workshop, NACLO, the LSA Linguistic Institute, NAACL student travel support and regional workshops). This is the first NAACL conference to yield a deficit. There were a combination of that lead to the large loss: (i) bad, unrealistically rosy budget projections of attendance and costs, (ii) unexpectedly high catering costs and extra charges from the hotel, (iii) unexpectedly low attendance, and (iv) poor tracking of data as it came in, which should have been able to alert us much earlier that things were not working out as expected. We need to fix at least (i) and (iv). (ii) and (iii) are harder to control, but also to be worked on. We either need cheaper venues or else NAACL conference fees just need to increase.		The NAACL HLT 2010 conference in Los Angeles made a loss of at least $59K (this could actually still even grow a bit if some promised but as yet unpaid sponsorship fails to materialize). This wipes out half of the surplus that NAACL has accumulated in its 10+ years of existence, and which it uses to fund other activities (such as NAACL's support for the JHU summer workshop, NACLO, the LSA Linguistic Institute, NAACL student travel support and regional workshops). This is the first NAACL conference to yield a deficit. There were a combination of that lead to the large loss: (i) bad, unrealistically rosy budget projections of attendance and costs, (ii) unexpectedly high catering costs and extra charges from the hotel, (iii) unexpectedly low attendance, and (iv) poor tracking of data as it came in, which should have been able to alert us much earlier that things were not working out as expected. We need to fix at least (i) and (iv). (ii) and (iii) are harder to control, but also to be worked on. We either need cheaper venues or else NAACL conference fees just need to increase.

			[[Image:Naacl-surplus-and-loss.jpg]]

	==North American conference in 2011==		==North American conference in 2011==

ChrisCallisonBurch: /* Support for Summer Schools and Other Educational Outreach */

2012-01-16T20:39:58Z

Support for Summer Schools and Other Educational Outreach

← Older revision		Revision as of 20:39, 16 January 2012
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	==Support for Summer Schools and Other Educational Outreach==		==Support for Summer Schools and Other Educational Outreach==

	~~We are continuing~~ our support for NACLO (the North American Computational Linguistics Olympiad) and student participation at the summer school during the Johns Hopkins Natural Language Engineering Summer Workshop~~. We sponsored the LSA Linguistic Institute 2011 at Boulder, Colorado~~.		Despite the large loss from NAACL 2010, we still have sufficient surplus to continue our support for NACLO (the North American Computational Linguistics Olympiad) and student participation at the summer school during the Johns Hopkins Natural Language Engineering Summer Workshop.