1978 - 1987

Early in January 1968, members were in favor of establishing a new PPA Canadian Region. The new region became a reality in 1969 and the Executive Council authorized a loan of $1,000 to assist in its establishment. The Executive Council also requested the Canadian Region's officers to provide in their bylaws for the election of a Canadian representative to the PPA Executive Council.

The three-year period of 1969-1972 was a time of significant internal restructuring for both PPA and SPA. In 1969, a committee of PPA and SPA members was organized for the purpose of exploring the possibility of a merger between the two Associations. While the committee investigated merger possibilities for two years, both organizations continued to expand membership services and further improve personnel administration.

In 1970, recommendations by PPA's Organizational Review Committee resulted in five bylaws amendments which: (1) added one member-at-large to the Executive Council, increasing the total to five members-at-large; (2) added the immediate past president to the Executive Council; (3) authorized the Executive Council to set the dues for individual members; (4) enabled retirees to maintain individual membership status; and (5) permitted individual membership status for persons engaged in personnel work in private enterprise. The PPA Executive Council also approved a one-year loan of $10,000 to the Canadian Region for the purpose of financing a part-time staff to be directed by an executive body of the new region.

In 1978, the Association's Planning Committee recommended to the Executive Council a complete restructuring of the organization. The committee drafted a set of proposed new bylaws which would allow for the formation of a confederation of national personnel organizations and the establishment of separate national associations for the United States (International Personnel Management Association-United States) and Canada (Canadian Public Personnel Management Association). The Executive Council accepted the recommendations of the Planning Committee and, at the annual business meeting that year in New Orleans, Louisiana, the membership voted to approve the new bylaws and place them before the entire membership in a mail ballot referendum. In the mail ballot referendum, the membership approved the new bylaws by more than 73%.

A new periodical, to meet the needs of the IPMA Assessment Council, Assessment News, was developed. Also in 1978, the Association adopted an Affirmative Action Plan and a Code of Ethics for the Association.

In 1979, the Association embarked upon a program to implement the new bylaws including the establishment of two recognized sections, the International Personnel Management Association Assessment Council (IPMAAC) and the Federal Section. In addition, the Association expanded its professional development program to include a successful seminar series on the Uniform Guidelines for Employee Selection Procedures. Changes in the Association's bylaws that year provided full voting privileges on the IPMA Executive Council for the representative from the Canadian Public Personnel Management Association Executive Council.

In 1980, the agency membership dues formula was restructured in an effort to offset the negative effects of inflation by automatically adjusting the agency dues amount each year in relation to one-half of the Consumer Price Index. The Federal Section held its first national conference in Washington, D.C.

A significant project during 1980 was the development of a membership services survey which was sent to all Association individual and agency members and to a selected group of local chapter members who were not IPMA members. As an immediate result of this survey, the Association began to develop an expanded labor relations program in conjunction with the National Public Employer Labor Relations Association and IPMA's professional journal, Public Personnel Management, was expanded, redesigned and put on a quarterly basis.

During 1981, the Association greatly expanded its professional development program by offering eight seminars on "Job Analysis: Analyzing Performance Requirements for Guidelines' Compliance"; a series of specially tailored seminars to public jurisdictions and agency members; and a 30-minute videotape cassette on "Uniform Guidelines: Adverse Impact." In addition, on behalf of the IPMA membership, President Barbara L. Sundquist met with the director of the Office of Personnel Management to urge that the Federal Standards for a Merit System of Personnel Administration be retained and later testified before the Intergovernmental Relations Subcommittee of the Senate Committee on Government Affairs urging the retention of the Federal Standards and opposing legislation which would abolish the programs sponsored under the Intergovernmental Personnel Act of 1970. Internally, the Association contracted with a marketing consultant firm and began a series of effective promotional campaigns to increase IPMA membership.

In 1982, the Association received a national education award from the American Society of Association Executives for its seminars and workshops in its professional development program. In addition, IPMA embarked on a five-year test development project in an effort to expand its test rental services. Through use of an independent contractor, the project called for the revision, development and validation of five entry-level and eleven promotional police and fire tests. During this year the Association also developed and implemented a Fellowship program with the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. Under this program, IPMA sent its first recipient, Mr. Francis Donal O'Brien, to Harvard to participate in its one-year, mid-career Master's in Public Administration degree program. In the area of Governmental Affairs, IPMA President Ronald M. Kurtz testified at hearings on the issue of comparable worth which were conducted by the Subcommittee on Civil Service, Compensation and Employee Benefits, and Human Resources of the U.S. House Committee on Post Office and Civil Service. In addition, the IPMA Executive Council approved a five-year Strategy Plan for the Association which included a mission statement, assumptions about the future, principal objectives, organizational goals and programs and projects.

In regard to international activities, the Association established an International Personnel Managers' Exchange Program with the Society of Chief Personnel Officers in the United Kingdom. This program provides an opportunity for IPMA members employed at the local level of government to attend the annual conference of the Association's counterpart organization in the United Kingdom and for representatives of the Society of Chief Personnel Officers to attend the IPMA Annual Conference. During 1983, the Association undertook development of a milestone paper on "Crucial Issues for Public Personnel Professionals"; endorsed legislation to establish a civil service review commission; commented on proposed regulations to establish a performance management system; and actively supported retention of the federal standards for a Merit System of Personnel Administration.

The Association's International Symposium for top level national civil servants had been held for ten years in Salzburg, Austria. In order to provide a different setting for the program in 1983, the Symposium was held in Zurich, Switzerland.

Internally, the Association took steps to expand Agency membership benefits, as well as support and increase participation in the Association's Federal Section and Assessment Council by recommending a bylaws change, later approved by vote of the general membership, to make Section memberships available to employees of IPMA Agency members.

In 1984, the Association purchased its own headquarters in Alexandria, Virginia and work was begun on the construction of the facility, to be occupied in 1985. In addition, following up on the Membership Services Survey which was conducted in 1980, the Association's Executive Council took action to survey the membership again in 1985 regarding training, policies and services of the Association.

The Association's Fellowship Program was revised to localize the pursuit of a graduate degree in Business Administration, Public Administration or a related field from an accredited post-graduate program. This change made the Fellowship Program more geographically available to members of the Association across the country. The Fellowship Program provides a one year grant of up to $2,000 to two IPMA members seeking graduate degrees, with the award renewable for an additional year.

In regard to international activities, the Twelfth International Symposium was held in Milan, Italy. The principal discussion topic was "Retraining for Redeployment of Public Executives." In addition, the Association began to review ways in which IPMA could be more truly international. A proposal to develop an International Center for Human Resource Development was reviewed by the Executive Council, and a series of recommended steps to be developed were approved.

In 1985 the Association was able to move into its own building in Alexandria, Virginia. The location is in easy access to public transportation and provides enough space for growth. By purchasing its own building the Association was able to build equity and also restrict the impact of inflation on the Association's finances.

Other activities undertaken during 1985 included the conducting of the Thirteenth International Symposium in Paris, France and the Association's International Conference on Public Personnel Administration in Kansas City, Missouri. A new award "The IPMA Award for Excellence" was established to recognize agencies for the overall quality of services they provide, or the leadership they exhibit in pubic sector personnel administration.

In 1986, the Executive Council adopted a new role and mission statement for the Association. The statement described the Association; outlined how the Association advanced the profession of human resource management; measured the success in obtaining its goals; and described the means utilized. The Fourteenth International Symposium was held in Barcelona, Spain.

In 1987, the Association evaluated its committee structure and established three subject matter committees to utilize the expertise of the membership to address "state of the art" issues which impact on the profession. In addition, a Leadership Training Workshop was developed to provide the region and section leadership with an Association orientation and an opportunity to discuss matters of mutual interest. The Association also contracted with a marketing firm to evaluate and develop marketing capabilities for IPMA.

The Presidents of IPMA from 1978 through 1987: