Financial: Pres. Dillard on the budget: Pulling no punches, IEEE President Dillard addresses the Institute´s financial problems and their implications on the member´s pocketbook

IEEE is currently experiencing some of its most serious financial challenges since the merger in 1963. Despite a 1976 dues increase, the Institute´s Executive Committee determined that only an 8-percent reduction in the professional staff payroll could produce a surplus budget while, at the same time, maintaining the generally high level of member services. Further, the only alternatives to another dues increase in 1977 would seem to be either a severe cut in member services or deficit spending. In light of the potentially serious consequences to the member of this financial quandary, Spectrum interviewed IEEE´s current President, Joseph K. Dillard. His forthright responses to our questions are presented herewith in the hope that a better-informed membership can help guide our Institute through the difficult economic times that lie ahead.