C U G   R E P O R T S

New CUG president -- so what's the plan?

Creating an environment for information exchange, collaborative solutions, and industry progress . . .

Sally Haerer, president

by Sally Haerer CUG -- our Cray User Group -- has an interesting history and a solid, strong reputation. Here are some facts about this group. CUG: Is one of the most stable, long-term user groups in the industry Maintains a viable focus on high-end computing issues Has been managed by dedicated leaders and has a consistent membership Has enjoyed reliable support from Cray Research and now has the promise of the same level of interest from SGI Has a highly developed organizational structure to sustain it through unsettling times CUG's organizational structure is also worth outlining. CUG is a corporation comprised of: A board of directors An advisory council A program committee Formal SGI liaisons A well-organized CUG Office Voting installation delegates CUG has generated a set of corporation bylaws, a handbook of policies and guidelines, and an array of email reflectors to support the organization. Creating the future So what can I do as president of CUG? This: Think about where we have to go, help make a team out of our membership and organizational components, and start moving us toward the future. Simplistic? You bet it is -- but it can be done. Here's what I've been thinking we need to do: Redefine our mission and vision in light of our industry's future Strengthen our partnership with SGI so that the benefits of CUG are two-way -- both to members and to SGI Involve more of our Mountain View colleagues Develop a unified voice so we can generate solid, constructive feedback Use improved and updated email reflectors to promote better and easier communications between CUG meetings Expand our membership to include more SGI high-end computing and visualization sites Involve new faces and new members in the leadership structure Getting there OK, so that's all really cool, but how? We have already incorporated several new faces from our membership into the new Special Interest Groups and Focus Groups. As time moves on, there will be other opportunities for participation. We have also redefined and reorganized our email relectors to help the flow of communications. We will be in touch with key folks in SGI to help expand membership, keeping it representative of our high-end focus. In our next Board of Directors meeting, it won't be business as usual. On tap will be some out-of-the-box brainstorming as we discuss new initiatives, top-down planning, and redirected focus with timely goals. SGI will be involved with some parts of this meeting to make sure both parties understand the issues. A unified vision I would like for our unified vision to be something like this: that CUG, in partnership with SGI, create the best environment for information exchange, collaborative solutions, and industry progress for our high-performance computing and visualization community. I would like to see members strive to be speakers, write for CUG.log, participate in email groups, initiate birds-of-a feather meetings (BOFs), seek postions on the Advisory Council and the Board of Directors, and be anxious to attend CUG meetings and interact with SGI representatives. Lofty? Perhaps ... but if the goal is not in the right place, how can we begin to reach for it? So that's my plan. I didn't come in empty-handed -- but right now CUG is a bit of a moving target. It will take effort, ideas, and vision to keep sight of our future and our potential. It will take all of us. If this user group is not valuable to you, tell me so and tell me why. This invitation is open to CUG members, potential members, and SGI executives and staff. Write, call, or visit -- I mean it! Sally Haerer NCAR/SCD 1850 Table Mesa Drive Boulder, Colorado 80303 USA Email: haerer@ucar.edu Phone: 303-497-1283 Fax: 303-497-1804

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