Report of the Strategic Planning Committee
for the Year ending June 30, 2004

The Committee on Strategic Planning did not meet formally during the year ending 30 June 2004. This was because the Committee met twice during the year ending 30 June 2003 and one of those meetings took place in June 2003. At the June 2003 meeting, the Committee made a number of recommendations to the Society's Board of Directors that involved editorial changes to the mission, culture, and vision statements, and the Society's strategic plan. In addition, during the June 2003 meeting, the committee made a large number of recommendations to Sigma Xi's Board of Directors involving a substantial number of the Society's committees, including how the committees might communicate their with one another and with the Board of Directors. Thus, the Committee waited during the year beginning 1 July 2003 for the Board of Directors to act upon their recommendations at the November 2003 and April 2004 meetings of the Board. The Committee, however, will be convened in August 2004 to continue its updates on progress involving the strategic plan and to deliberate other long-range issues involving the Society.

Therefore, in this report, I would like to provide an update in regard to the recommendations of the Committee on Strategic Planning that were acted upon by the Board of Directors during the year ending 30 June 2004.

Strategic Plan

From its June 2003 meeting, the Committee made several editorial recommendations to the Board in regard to the mission, culture, and vision statements that the Board tentatively approved in November 2002. In addition, the Committee likewise recommended several editorial changes in the Society's strategic plan that also was tentatively adopted by the Board in November 2002. These recommendations arose from suggestions that were received from members, chapters, and the Society's leadership between November 2002 and June 2003. The Board of Directors adopted all of the Committee's recommended editorial changes in November 2003.

Sigma Xi Committees

Committee on Finances. The Committee recommended that the Society's Bylaws be amended so that, instead of serving without term, members of the Committee on Finances are elected for up to two successive three-year terms and that the end date of member terms be staggered to insure an experienced committee. This recommendation was unanimously approved by the Board in November 2003 and subsequently approved by the chapters on 10 February 2004.

Committee on Audit Review. The Committee recommended that the Society's Bylaws be amended so that members of the Committee on Audit Review do not necessarily have to be members of the Board of Directors and will serve three-year staggered terms. The Board also unanimously approved this recommendation in November 2003 and subsequently approved by the chapters on 10 February 2004.

Committee on Meetings. The Board of Directors unanimously approved a recommendation from the Committee that the duties of the Committee on Meetings be expanded to include uses and applications of the Sigma Xi Center facility.

New Committees of Sigma Xi. The Board of Directors unanimously approved a recommendation from the Committee that the following new committees be established within the Society: Committee on Committees (a "virtual" committee that would provide for communication among the committee chairs); Committee on Ethics; Committee on Education; and a Committee on the Public Understanding of Science.

Subcommittees in Sigma Xi. The Board approved a recommendation from the Committee that subcommittees may be established in Sigma Xi upon petition by the appropriate committee and with approval of the Board of Directors. The Board also approved a recommendation that an Engineering Education Subcommittee be established within the Committee on Education to provide advice, guidance and oversight for use of the Leroy Record Bequest to support engineering education.

Committee on Strategic Planning. The Board of Directors also approved a recommendation from the Committee that the Executive Director be added as an ex officio member of the Committee on Strategic Planning and that the Committee's responsibilities be expanded to include periodic monitoring of progress towards attaining the vision and goals of the strategic plan of Sigma Xi.

Committee on Awards. The Committee recommended that oversight for the Society's annual participation in the International Science and Engineering Fair, Sigma Xi's education grants program, and the Society's Chapter Science Teacher Recognition Program be transferred from the Committee on Awards to the newly-created Committee on Education. The Board of Directors unanimously approved this recommendation.

Distribution of Approved Committee Minutes. The Board unanimously approved a Committee recommendation that approved committee minutes be distributed to all of the Society's committee chairs and Board members.

Role of Staff Liaison. The Committee recommended a revision in the language involving the role of a staff liaison in working with committees that appeared in the Society's Informal Guide to General Policies and Procedures. The Board, however, unanimously approved a motion that the section involving the role of the staff liaison with committees simply be deleted from the Informal Guide.

Fundraising Responsibility of Program Committees. The Board deleted part of the Committee on Strategic Planning's recommendation but approved the Committee's recommendation that any fundraising activities of committees are to be coordinated via the staff liaison with the Executive Director and Director of the Sigma Xi Center.

Roles of the Committees on Qualifications and Membership and Regions in Chapter Revitalization. At its April 2004 meeting, the Board subsequently approved a motion from the Chair of the Committee on Qualifications and Membership and the Chair of the Committee on Regions that responsibility of chapter revitalization efforts will remain with the Committee on Qualifications and Membership with assistance from the Regional and Constituency Directors. A Regional Director, as well as a Constituency Director, will subsequently serve on the Committee on Qualifications and Membership. The Committee on Qualifications and Membership and the Committee on Regions will work together on a plan to engage Directors in revitalization activities as they travel. This action replaced a three-part recommendation from the Committee concerning the roles of these committees in chapter revitalization.

As can be seen from the above, the Board ultimately adopted most of the Committee on Strategic Planning's extensive recommendations to the Society's Board of Directors during the year ending 30 June 2004. This is indeed a tribute to the insightful discussions and deliberations that took place within the Committee the previous year. Since some of these recommendations were not acted upon until April 2004, the Committee on Strategic Planning did not meet during the past year, pending the outcome of the board's decisions. The Committee's next meeting will take place in August 2004.

The year ending 30 June 2004 concludes my term as Chair of the Committee on Strategic Planning. I would like to thank the members of the Committee, and Dr. Sculley and the Sigma Xi staff, all of who made my job so easy to serve as Chair of the Committee; it was indeed my pleasure to serve in this capacity for four years. Under the leadership of the Committee's new Chair, Dr. Frank Gilmore, I am totally confident that the Committee will continue its critical role in addressing the Society's exciting future.

Members of the Committee on Strategic Planning for the year ending 30 June 2003 were:

Robert Frosch, Chair
Francisco Ayala
Peter D. Blair
Hilary S. Davidson
Raymond Fornes
W. Franklin Gilmore
Emir Macari
Richard L. Meyer
Willie Pearson
John W. Prados
Peter H. Raven
C. Susan Weiler
Ann H. Williams

Back to top | Privacy Policy | Copyright ©2013. All Rights Reserved.