Report of the Committee on Strategic Planning
for the Year ending June 30, 2002

At its meeting on 7 November 2001 in Raleigh, North Carolina, the Society's Board of Directors considered two motions from Dr. Arthur Geller, Southeast Regional Director, and remanded both items to the Committee on Strategic Planning. The Board asked that the Committee discuss and review these two items and that the Committee report its recommendations concerning these items back to the Board of Directors, hopefully by the spring 2002 meeting of the Board.

The first item remanded to the Committee on Strategic Planning by the Board was a draft proposal for the composition of future search committees for the Executive Director position in the Society. The second item remanded to the Committee was a request to review the Society's committee structure in its entirety and make appropriate recommendations to the Board as to the future committee structure within the Society and how committees would be coordinated with the Board of Directors.

Concerning the first item, this proposal was an attempt to formalize the composition of future search committees, particularly in regard to membership of the committee, since Sigma Xi did not have an established mechanism for creating a search committee for the Executive Director position and had created such committees, when needed, on an ad hoc basis. Initially, an attempt was made to convene the Committee on Strategic Planning for an in-person meeting to address this issue but the varying schedules of the members of the Committee would have delayed a meeting of the committee into late spring of 2002. Instead, and in an effort to control costs for the Society, an attempt was made to convene the Committee via a listserve to discuss the issue and hopefully to reach a consensus on a recommendation to the Board of Directors.

Thus, throughout January and February 2002, the Committee participated in a listserve discussion concerning the proposed membership of future search committees for the Executive Director position. During this discussion, a variety of views and opinions were offered about the need to formalize future search committees for the Society and possible membership on such committees in the future. In early March, a draft Committee recommendation to the Board was circulated among the Committee via listserve and discussed extensively by the Committee. By mid-April a revised Committee recommendation was approved by the Committee and forwarded to the 27-28 April 2002 meeting of the Board of Directors.

In its recommendation to the April 2002 meeting of the Board, the Committee emphasized that future search committees for the Executive Director position should have enough flexibility so that the Society's search committees in the future can adapt to any perceived needs of Sigma Xi at that time. The Committee's recommendation to the April 2002 meeting of the Board was:

Recommendation: In establishing a search committee for a new Executive Director in Sigma Xi, the Committee on Strategic Planning hopes that the Board will not pour the process into stone, but will leave some flexibility, so that the Board and President at the time of recruitment can adjust the process to the perceived need at the time.

The Committee, however, offers the following possible establishment of a search committee for approval by the Board, subject to the provision indicated above:

Future Search Committee's for the position of Executive Director in Sigma Xi be established to include:

1. The Society's Officers (President, President-elect, Immediate Past President, and Treasurer);
2. The chair of the Committee on Regions or a regional director selected by the regional directors;
3. A constituency director selected by the constituency directors;
4. A chair of a standing committee selected by the committee chairs; and
5. An additional member selected by the President of the Society.

This would form a committee of eight members, one of who, but not an officer, would be appointed by the President to serve as chair of the committee.

If at all possible, Sigma Xi should engage the services of a professional search firm when undertaking a search for a new Executive Director of the Society.

At its meeting on 27 April 2002, the Society's Board of Directors approved this recommendation from the Committee on Strategic Planning.

Following its discussion in regard to the membership of future search committees for the Executive Director position, the Committee was poised to undertake a complete review and analysis of Sigma Xi's entire committee structure as requested by the Board of Directors. However, the Executive Director Designate, Dr. Patrick Sculley, indicated that, shortly after his arrival at Sigma Xi, he planned to undertake a strategic planning exercise within the Society that would outline the goals, objectives, and priorities for the Society. In view of this planned strategic planning exercise, the Committee decided to delay its review of Sigma Xi's committee structure until the strategic plan had been adopted. This would enable the Committee to make recommendations in regard to Sigma Xi's committee structure that would align with the adopted strategic plan. In addition, the involvement of the Committee in the strategic planning exercise would detract it from any consideration of the Society's committee structure.

Thus, for the year beginning 1 July 2002, the Committee on Strategic Planning is scheduled to participate in the development of a strategic plan for Sigma Xi, and then undertake a complete review and analysis of the Society's committee structure once the strategic plan is adopted.

For the year ending 30 June 2002, Dr. John Gibbons completes his term as a member of the Committee with enormous thanks from the Chair, the Committee, and from Sigma Xi. For the year beginning 1 July 2002, Dr. Raymond Fornes was re-appointed to a three-year term on the Committee by Dr. Fox, and Dr. John Prados, the Society's former Treasurer, was elected by the Board to serve a three-year term on the Committee.

Membership of the Committee for the year ending 30 June 2002 was:

Robert Frosch, Chair
Peter D. Blair
Raymond Fornes
Marye Anne Fox
John H. Gibbons
W. Franklin Gilmore
Emir Macari
Alan H. McGowan
Willie Pearson
John W. Prados
Ann H. Williams

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