FY18 Senate
July 1, 2017 marked the beginning of FY18 and the start of a great year with the Senate!
Throughout the month of June, the FY18 Senators worked alongside the FY17 Senators to complete transitions, training, and several Governance discussions in preparation for the first face-to-face meeting of the Senate in August. The Senate travelled to Hartford, CT to meet and participate in the Governance Summit on August 12, 2017. After the summit, the Senate continued working with SWE leaders and constituents to understand future needs and concerns in preparation for the Senate meetings at WE17 in Austin, TX.
The Senate met face-to-face at the WE17 Conference in Austin, TX where the SWE Membership, Town Hall, and Senate meetings were held on Saturday, October 28, 2017. As a result of the Governance Summit, bylaw amendment proposals were drafted, and the Senate reviewed and voted to pass all five proposed bylaws changes. The motions are published to the Amendments and Motions portion of the Senate website. The bylaws have now been amended, and after review from the Parliamentarian and Bylaws Committee, updated Society Bylaws will be published to the SWE Resources webpage, which can be found by visiting swe.org. More information regarding the rational and details of the governance changes can be viewed at governance.swe.org.
The Annual Senate Meeting was held on October 28, 2017 from 11:30 AM CT - 4 PM CT in the Austin Convention Center, Room 12. Those present for the meeting included all Regional Professional and Collegiate Senators, two International Senators, both Special Senators, the Senate Leadership, and the Board of Directors. The meeting was open to all members, and the meeting agenda is available for review of the topics discussed in addition to the bylaws amendments.
On Saturday, February 10, 2018, the Senate and Board of Directors met in Minneapolis, MN, the site of the WE18. This was the Winter Senate Meeting, the second of two face-to-face meetings in FY18.
The first order of business was motion S-1808, an amendment to the Society Reserve Fund Document. The motion was prepared by a team made up of members of the Senate, Board of Directors, Board of Trustees, and the Finance Committee at the end of 2017, following a thorough review of the financial state of the Society. The motion and supporting documents were reviewed by the Senate throughout the month of January. After all risks were evaluated and concerns addressed, the Senate passed the motion without opposition on Feb. 10, 2018, and the document has been amended.
Throughout the rest of the meeting, updates from all of the Senate Sub-teams were given, and several discussion groups were formed to review and plan for the future of the Society as we move closer to the start of FY19. The 5-year Strategic Plan Task Force update included the strategic goals that have been drafted and provided to the Annual Strategic Planning Sub-team. The current strategic plan will end as of June 30, 2018, so the work of these teams is critical to success. The teams will continue to work on the plan and operational goals for FY19 in preparation for review and approval by the Board of Directors later this year.
Throughout the month of June, the FY18 Senators worked alongside the FY17 Senators to complete transitions, training, and several Governance discussions in preparation for the first face-to-face meeting of the Senate in August. The Senate travelled to Hartford, CT to meet and participate in the Governance Summit on August 12, 2017. After the summit, the Senate continued working with SWE leaders and constituents to understand future needs and concerns in preparation for the Senate meetings at WE17 in Austin, TX.
The Senate met face-to-face at the WE17 Conference in Austin, TX where the SWE Membership, Town Hall, and Senate meetings were held on Saturday, October 28, 2017. As a result of the Governance Summit, bylaw amendment proposals were drafted, and the Senate reviewed and voted to pass all five proposed bylaws changes. The motions are published to the Amendments and Motions portion of the Senate website. The bylaws have now been amended, and after review from the Parliamentarian and Bylaws Committee, updated Society Bylaws will be published to the SWE Resources webpage, which can be found by visiting swe.org. More information regarding the rational and details of the governance changes can be viewed at governance.swe.org.
The Annual Senate Meeting was held on October 28, 2017 from 11:30 AM CT - 4 PM CT in the Austin Convention Center, Room 12. Those present for the meeting included all Regional Professional and Collegiate Senators, two International Senators, both Special Senators, the Senate Leadership, and the Board of Directors. The meeting was open to all members, and the meeting agenda is available for review of the topics discussed in addition to the bylaws amendments.
On Saturday, February 10, 2018, the Senate and Board of Directors met in Minneapolis, MN, the site of the WE18. This was the Winter Senate Meeting, the second of two face-to-face meetings in FY18.
The first order of business was motion S-1808, an amendment to the Society Reserve Fund Document. The motion was prepared by a team made up of members of the Senate, Board of Directors, Board of Trustees, and the Finance Committee at the end of 2017, following a thorough review of the financial state of the Society. The motion and supporting documents were reviewed by the Senate throughout the month of January. After all risks were evaluated and concerns addressed, the Senate passed the motion without opposition on Feb. 10, 2018, and the document has been amended.
Throughout the rest of the meeting, updates from all of the Senate Sub-teams were given, and several discussion groups were formed to review and plan for the future of the Society as we move closer to the start of FY19. The 5-year Strategic Plan Task Force update included the strategic goals that have been drafted and provided to the Annual Strategic Planning Sub-team. The current strategic plan will end as of June 30, 2018, so the work of these teams is critical to success. The teams will continue to work on the plan and operational goals for FY19 in preparation for review and approval by the Board of Directors later this year.
FY18 Senate Goals
- Transition the roles and responsibilities of the former Strategic Planning Committee (SPC) and Strategic Initiatives Committee (SIC), which were sunset at the end of FY17 into the Senate
- Identify required skills and competencies for future Senators, who will be vetted by the Nominating Committee and voted on by the membership following the governance changes
- Develop New 5-Year Strategic Plan for use starting in FY19
- Evaluate Sub-Teams and Task Forces after implementation and modify Senate Procedures for future improvement
- Increase Senator involvement and participation year over year
- Develop a plan to communicate strategic issues with membership and facilitate discussions from feedback when Regions are no longer an available line of communication with members
Contact Us
Please reach out to any of the Senate Leadership Team members with any questions or comments.
Speaker of the Senate: Kate Hull
Deputy Speaker: Natalie Vanderspiegel
Senate Secretary: Olivia LeBlanc
Speaker of the Senate: Kate Hull
Deputy Speaker: Natalie Vanderspiegel
Senate Secretary: Olivia LeBlanc
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