Report of the Strategic Planning Committee
for the Year ending June 30, 2006

The Committee on Strategic Planning, under the leadership of Dr. W. Franklin Gilmore, met at the Sigma Xi Center in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina on August 18-19, 2005.

The committee received comprehensive reports on the strategic plan, membership, and development. It was noted that:

• The most pressing membership issue is retention.
• The Society's membership and financial challenges are interrelated.
• Membership's game plan includes a leadership role for chapters in spurring initiation and retention of members.
• The Society's five pillar program areas (education, ethics, health of the research enterprise, public understanding of science, and international programs) are active and having positive impact.

The reports presented to the committee provided action plans to overcome the Society's challenges related to membership and funding. The action plans were lauded by the committee.

The committee also received presentations by the Branding and Organization Assessment Team (BOAT). The sum of these reports informed the deliberations and decisions of the committee. The BOAT proposed, and the committee accepted, the following brand promise:

Promise: "Sigma Xi is a professional organization of, and for, research scientists and engineers. We exist to promote the understanding and the responsible practice of science in society and to serve our members in their vocations-by honoring their accomplishments as investigators, and advising and training them for successful careers, and by encouraging a lifetime of collegiality that fosters the exchange of ideas across disciplines."

The promise is designed to succinctly state the Society's identify and guiding principles. The committee lauded the efforts of the branding (BOAT) team but also remarked that there was still much to do in conveying Sigma Xi's brand promise. The promise was endorsed by the Board at its November 2005 meeting.

Acting upon the BOAT's recommendation, the committee unanimously approved, in concept, categories of membership and affiliation. The proposal was forwarded to the Committee on Qualifications and Membership (CQM) for consideration. The concept was reviewed by both the Committee on Development and CQM, resulting in CQM's recommendation to the Board to create non-member categories. This culminated in the Board's approval in November 2005 of three new non-member categories of affiliation (Friend, Professional and Student) which were launched in July 2006.

The committee discussed many important ideas coming from the committee members. Following discussion a number of initiatives were forwarded to appropriate committees or staff for further action or review. Attachment A summarizes the status of those initiatives.

The strategic plan was reviewed by the committee. No recommendations for change were made to the Culture, Mission or Vision statements. The goals and subordinate objectives were reviewed in detail. The committee recommended modifying Goal 3 to add "International activities" to the Society's list of sustaining programs. The Board unanimously approved that recommendation at its November 2005 meeting.

Appreciation is expressed to all committee members for their service. A special thanks is extended to Executive Director Patrick Sculley for implementation of the Strategic Plan, as well as to committee members James F. Baur and Thomas E. Wade for the proposals they presented to the committee for consideration. Francisco J. Ayala, Hilary S. Davidson, and C. Susan Weiler, who concluded their terms on June 30, 2006, are recognized for generously sharing their time and talents with the Society as members of the committee.

Members of the Committee on Strategic Planning for the year ending June 30, 2006 were:
W. Franklin Gilmore (Chair)
Francisco J. Ayala
James F. Baur
Hilary S. Davidson
Marlene de la Cruz
Charles E. Kriley
Bertis B. Little
Lynn Margulis
Richard L. Meyer
Patrick D. Sculley
Thomas E. Wade
C. Susan Weiler

Attachment: Attachment A - Status of Initiatives

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