Report of the President
for the Year ending June 30, 2003

As I approached the start of my year as President of Sigma Xi on 1 July 2002, I must admit that I did so with great enthusiasm and anticipation for the Society in the year ahead. Just 27 days before I became President of Sigma Xi, Dr. Patrick Sculley had joined the Society as its new Executive Director. Having served on the Search Committee that selected Dr. Sculley, I was aware of his enthusiasm, intelligence, and leadership qualities that I thought would serve Sigma Xi extraordinarily well. The year ending 30 June 2003 has only substantiated many times over my views of Dr. Sculley and his efforts in leading the Society during the past year have resulted in many profound changes that have positioned the Society for future growth and activity.

The year ending 30 June 2003 has seen a number of important changes in Sigma Xi and I cannot enumerate them all in this brief report. Many of these changes are highlighted in other reports, particularly those of the Executive Director and the Committee on Strategic Planning, but I would like to highlight several changes in Sigma Xi during the past year that I feel bode well for the Society's future.

Almost upon his arrival, Dr. Sculley began to engage the staff, Board, and the Committee on Strategic Planning in preparation for the Committee to prepare a draft Strategic Plan for the Society. Throughout the summer months and into the early fall, Dr. Sculley, the staff, and others prepared extensive background information about the Society, including a membership survey, in preparation for a meeting of the Committee on Strategic Planning that would take place on 4-6 October 2002. Since the Chair of the Committee was unable to attend the meeting, I had the pleasure of chairing the meeting of the Committee on Strategic Planning in October 2002. After an exhaustive two and one-half days, under Dr. Sculley's leadership, the Committee finished a draft strategic plan for Sigma Xi that included 9 clear and obtainable goals for Sigma Xi, and draft mission, vision, and cultural statements for the Society. A more complete description of the Committee's efforts may be found in the Report of the Committee on Strategic Planning for the year ending 30 June 2003.

Following development of the draft strategic plan, the Board of Directors adopted the draft plan, with minor modifications, at its meeting on 13 November 2003 and chapters, delegates, and members provided their comments and suggestions on the plan for review by the Committee in June 2003. Thus, the development of this plan for the Society incorporated almost every element of Sigma Xi and took almost one year to develop. The plan does provide Sigma Xi, for the first time in its history, with a clear roadmap of goals and objectives that will move the Society forward and continue Sigma Xi as the pre-eminent honor Society of research scientists and engineers. I am extremely proud to have been a part of this most important development within the Society.

In addition to the development of a strategic plan for Sigma Xi, the past year has also seen another major development for Sigma Xi. During fall 2002, Dr. Sculley prepared extensive background information for the Board to consider a variety of options to finally build a Sigma Xi Center in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina. At its meeting on 13 November 2002, the Board of Directors made a courageous decision to move ahead rapidly with purchasing land and building a new building for the Society that would replace the outdated and cramped rental space that Sigma Xi has occupied since its move to Research Triangle Park in 1990. In April 2003 the Board of Directors participated in a groundbreaking ceremony for the new building and by 1 December 2003 the Society will occupy its new facilities. Thus, in the short span of 12 ½ months, Sigma Xi will have designed, obtained financing, built and furnished a new 52,000 s.f. building for itself. This achievement is certainly due to the vision of the Board and the leadership and determination of Dr. Sculley to complete this monumental task in such a short time.

When completed, the Sigma Xi Center will be a building for which each and every member and chapter of Sigma Xi may be proud. In addition to housing the administrative offices of the Society, the new Center will have a large meeting area where chapters, committees, the Board, and others can meet. The Sigma Xi Center will indeed be a convening Center for all of the Society, and for all scientists and engineers for that matter. As part of the new Center Programs area of the administrative offices, Sigma Xi will host a variety of meetings, both large and small, in the five program areas of the Society: education, ethics, health of the research enterprise, the public understanding of science, and international activities. After thirteen years, the Society will finally have its own building in Research Triangle Park and one that it can be justifiably proud. It was indeed my pleasure as President of Sigma Xi to have played a part in this significant development in Sigma Xi's history.

Another significant change for Sigma Xi in the past year was the decision by the Board to change the structure of the Society's forum and annual meeting by separating the forum from the annual meeting. Since 1991, Sigma Xi has run a major forum in conjunction with its traditional annual meeting. The original purpose for the forum was to have a large meeting of Sigma Xi members, and others, that would address topics at the intersection of science and society. Unfortunately, except for a few forums on education, the large attendances at the forums never materialized. In addition, the building of the new Sigma Xi Center meant that Sigma Xi could hold meetings up to 200 individuals in its new building at any time and forums could be scheduled as they fit the opportunities that arose instead of waiting a few years until that particular forum topic arose in the rotational schedule that was established for forum topics. Also, holding a forum in conjunction with the annual meeting meant that the annual meeting schedule was constrained because of the time delegates might have to spend away from their institutions to attend both a forum and annual meeting. Finally, removing the forum from the annual meeting would allow Sigma Xi more opportunities in an expanded annual meeting schedule to offer additional workshops, and other activities, for delegates including allowing the annual meeting to be more fully integrated with the student research conference, which would give delegates more opportunities to interact with the students and to discuss their research activities with them. Separating the forum from the Society's annual meeting therefore seems like a win-win situation where the Society can benefit from more frequent topical meetings in its new building while making the annual meeting more relevant to delegates. I think this change will reap enormous benefits for Sigma Xi in the years to come.

Another positive change for Sigma Xi in the past year has been the growth of the annual student research conference that is held in conjunction with the Society's annual meeting. For many years the Society held somewhat small student poster sessions at the annual meeting that were dependent on the interest of local chapters in providing students for this event. Some of these sessions involved maybe 75-100 posters, while others were 20 or less. At the 2001 meeting in Raleigh, Sigma Xi made a concerted effort to expand the student research poster session with great success. Last year in Galveston, 212 students exhibited their research during a day of activities for the students that culminated in a reception and awards ceremony for students and delegates. The overwhelming success of the event in Galveston has lead Sigma Xi to integrate more fully the annual meeting and student conference for the 2003 November meeting Los Angeles where the annual meeting and student conference will occupy two days of the meeting. This change will provide delegates with more science in the annual meeting as they review, and hopefully judge, the student research posters and will allow for more interactions between delegates and students at the meeting. Again, this change in the annual meeting format should be a real positive step for Sigma Xi and for the students who will participate in the meeting.

During this brief report, I have only been able to outline just a few of the number of changes that have occurred within Sigma Xi in the past year. Many more are reviewed in the Report of the Executive Director, Dr. Sculley. None of these changes would have been possible without the interest and support of the entire Sigma Xi community, including the Board of Directors, the Society's committees, the staff, and the chapters and members of the Society. It indeed has been a pleasure to work with all of you during the past year and I thank all of you for your support during the past year. I look forward to another very productive year for Sigma Xi under the leadership of Peter Raven and Francisco Ayala.

W. Franklin Gilmore
President

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