A renewed thought on professional societies [President's Message]

The author would like to share some thoughts on the role and value of our very Society, the CSS. He poses a question: "What is the value of a professional society, and why do we wish to belong to it?" Being a member of a professional society like the CSS has many advantages. You can get a member discount; have a subscription to journals, which is handy; submit a paper; attend a conference; meet people, etc., etc. But as argued here, these may not be entirely decisive factors by themselves. His simple answer is that belonging to a society means that you can belong to a community that suits you, and this expands the horizon of your life. Is this answer simple? Yes. Is this answer too simplistic? Maybe. But I think this is an important aspect.