2025-11-04 - ACCESS EC Meeting Agenda & Summary

Decisions made during the meeting:

Agenda

Additional Agenda Items

2. NSF Update - (0 minutes) Sharon and Ed - NSF in shutdown mode

3. Approval for response to EAB questions - 5 mins (tops) - Chuck

   1. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1WAr43P00MuvLkyC7WZsY_ElzBe7tBEl_rbQPu087d5o/edit?usp=sharing

4. Review/approval of RP terminology and application docs - 5 mins - Tim

   1. The Infrastructure Expansion Standing Committee is proposing new terminology regarding various levels of ACCESS resource providers be adopted: 2025-10 Terms and DefinitionsPreview

   2. Operations plans to post a new application form for non-ACSS resources who would like to apply to be an ACCESS RP: Application for Full Integration into ACCESS as an Allocated Resource ProviderPreview

5. NSF Takeaways - 20 mins - Shelley

   1. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1XM99UYF0hW6y-_hFWoyALjlhhmWlIhhJYrfWgnn0M9E/edit?tab=t.0

6. Dec Virtual Quarterly - 2 mins - Misha

   1. Follow up on email I sent yesterday to EC - ACTION: Need names of all attendees

LINKS

Program Milestones

EC Meeting Task Tracking + Quarterly and Annual Meetings To Do Follow Ups

Misc Topics:

AI Generated Meeting Summary - some of this may be inaccurate

Meeting summary

Quick recap

The team reviewed updates from an RP workshop and discussed various access and documentation issues, including solutions for non-institution email addresses and local account access for workshops. They approved two documents after voting and discussed transitioning to a unified "Access" identity across all communications and materials. The group addressed program-wide goals alignment with NSF objectives and planned strategies for achieving Year 5 goals, with action items assigned for quarterly meeting preparation and program coordination.

Next steps

• Chuck: Reach out to EC to gather agenda topics for the EAB meeting request

• Eric: Follow up with Shannon when she returns to get access to shared documents and drives

• Stephen: Send a message to Eric to work through workarounds for non-institution email access for grad students between institutions

• Leslie: Bring the RP terminology and application documents to Sharone when she's back to ensure NSF is on board

• Stephen: Take the messaging as a program recommendation to the communications team

• Web and branding group: Work on removing track-specific branding and implementing single Access branding across all materials

• Chuck: Draft a process document for bi-directional communications between standing committees/working groups and the EC, including reporting expectations and cadence

• Shelley: Formulate response text for NSF takeaway items based on discussion and Steven's comments

• Misha: Send out pre-worksheet and goals document by Friday for December quarterly meeting to attendees

• All team leads: Reply to Misha's email with list of attendees from their teams for December quarterly meeting

• Misha and Shannon: Prepare presentation on ACO tools for February meeting and plan follow-up survey

• Misha and Shannon: Write a blurb for NSF response regarding program-wide coordination tools

• All teams: Prepare to present Year 5 plans with supporting data at December quarterly meeting

Summary

RP Workshop Updates and Access

The team discussed updates from the RP workshop and reviewed an executive summary and dashboard link. They addressed issues with accessing certain documents, with Leslie mentioning she was updating the terminology document. Eric raised a question about handling non-institution email addresses for grad students between institutions, which Stephen clarified could be managed if they still have access to a previous email address. Chuck reminded the team to prepare agenda topics for an upcoming EAB meeting.

Workshops Access and Shutdown Impact

The meeting covered several topics, including access issues for workshops involving Oak Ridge National Labs and Purdue, where local account solutions were discussed. Stephen mentioned he would work on workarounds and emphasized that private sector users might not have immediate solutions. The group also discussed the government shutdown's impact on NSF funding, with Tim suggesting a betting system for predicting the government's reopening. Stephen provided an update on his upcoming wedding, noting his leave from December 10th to January 5th and the inclusion of a carving station, despite his fiancée being pescatarian. The conversation ended with a brief mention of EAB response questions, which Chuck needed clarification on.

Wedding Planning and Document Review

Chuck presented a condensed version of comments for review, which everyone agreed to quickly skim. The group discussed Steven's upcoming wedding, including details about the ceremony, photographer, and content creator. After reviewing the document, Tim raised a technical point about document tabs, which led to some lighthearted banter. The conversation ended with Shelley declaring consensus on the document, allowing Chuck to proceed with the next item.

Document Approval and Messaging Strategy

The team approved two documents after reviewing comments, with Tim noting that a formal vote was required. Shelley led the voting process, with all present members voting in favor of approval. Leslie mentioned the need to bring the approved documents to Sharone and ensure NSF's support. The group also discussed NSF takeaways, focusing on messaging as a program, which Steven suggested might be related to branding. The team agreed to review the remaining recommendations asynchronously.

Unified Access Branding Initiative

The group discussed removing team-specific branding markers and transitioning to a unified "Access" identity across all communications and materials. Stephen suggested engaging the web and branding team, while Tim and John emphasized the importance of updating the website presence to reinforce this change. The team agreed to communicate this initiative to relevant groups, including the communications team, to implement consistent branding across all platforms.

Enhancing EC Communication and Updates

Chuck discussed the need for EC members to provide updates on their standing committees' activities, emphasizing that these updates should be seen as a two-way communication rather than just a reporting mechanism. Shelley noted that the upcoming virtual EC+ meeting would be different from previous meetings, with not all standing groups attending. John highlighted that EC sponsors have not been providing updates in the consent agenda, and he encouraged all members to contribute these updates regularly. Stephen suggested that the EC should clarify expectations for working groups and ensure that their plans reflect the interests of all members.

Committee Reporting Mechanism Proposal

Chuck proposed a new mechanism for standing committees and working groups to report to the EC, suggesting asynchronous updates through a consent agenda with the option for further discussion if needed. Shelley and Virginia supported the idea, emphasizing the need for clear communication channels and the importance of identifying responsible individuals, such as chairs or co-chairs, for each group. Joseph agreed to try this approach since the current method was not working effectively. The group also discussed aligning program-wide goals with access goals, referencing recent meetings where this alignment was discussed.

NSF Program Goals Alignment Discussion

The team discussed aligning program-wide goals with NSF goals, confirming that this alignment had already been completed in discussions with NSF. They agreed that strategies and KPIs related to these program-wide goals would be developed in the December quarterly meeting, with individual team plans expected to map into the larger goals. The team also noted that formal comments to NSF should continue, and Shelley added that they were committed to working together to formulate program-wide goals for year 5.

Year 5 Goals Planning Meeting

The team discussed strategies for achieving Year 5 goals and agreed to formulate plans in December. Misha will send out pre-work materials and goals for the quarterly meeting, which will focus on data-driven decisions and program-wide coordination tools. The group decided to use existing data rather than creating a new data lake, and Stephen suggested having clear criteria for program-wide milestones. Action items include Misha and Shannon developing a response to NSF, Stephen consulting with the web and branding team, and Chuck creating a process for standing working groups. The team also discussed breaking out KPIs and metrics by stakeholder types, though John questioned the purpose of this requirement.

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