From IASCYS to the Academy of Systems Thinking

In early 2025, IASCYS held an election for its leadership. After the election, the new leadership found the organization in disarray. Its legal registration in France had been cancelled, and its records were not handed over. IASCYS had no funds, no assets, and no working systems, and few of its honorees were still active.

Over the following year, the leadership carried out a thorough analysis of the organization's governance, membership, and name. It sent regular progress reports to all honorees throughout. The analysis found that transparency was a recurring problem. Decisions were often made through informal channels, votes were irregular and often not anonymous, and new honorees could join only if existing members sponsored them. In practice, honorees chose new honorees, and recognition followed reputation within a small circle.

The analysis called for changes that would:

• Separate scientific oversight from operational governance.
• Make selection more objective, by scoring every candidate against the same rubric.
• Open nominations to anyone, including self-nomination, in place of insider sponsorship.
• Include more new honorees, from more career stages, countries, and backgrounds. At the time, 64% of honorees were over 70 and about 90% were men.
• Recognize contributions at three levels instead of one.
• Make the organization’s work transparent.
• Revisit earlier IASCYS partnerships with the Journal of Systems Thinking (JoST) and with the Cornell University conference, now the International State of Systems Thinking® Conference.
• Incorporate as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, which no individual can own.
• Adopt a name that reflects the full breadth of the field.

• Feb 12, 2026The IASCYS Executive Committee, the organization's elected governing body, voted on two motions. The first separated scientific oversight from operational governance. The second renamed the organization the Academy of Systems Thinking. One of the five members was absent. The other four voted, and all four approved both motions.
• Feb 14, 2026The AST Board of Directors accepted the succession in a Statement of Continuity, Succession, and Stewardship.
• Mar 20, 2026The state Attorney General consented to the plan of dissolution, and the Secretary of State issued the certificate of dissolution.

IASCYS was dissolved, and its work was transferred to AST, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. No money or assets changed hands, because there were none to transfer.

AST is the authorized successor to IASCYS including its internet domains iascys.org and iascys.com. The transition was voted upon by the IASCYS Executive Committee, acting under its own authority, and it is recorded in public filings. Subsequently, former IASCYS honorees were invited to join AST's Science Advisory Committee or Board of Directors and to help shape its recognition criteria and future.

The transition changed what counts as a reason to recognize someone. Under the old model, the question was who would vouch for a person. Under the new one, it is what their work has shown.

The AST Registry recognizes Academy Members, Contributors, and Commendations. The figures below will be updated for the conference. Inclusion is honorary and implies no participation in or endorsement of AST.