In October 2017, the Senate voted to changed the bylaws and dissolve geographical region boundaries of SWE members in the United States.  The Senate and SWE are looking forward to the collaboration this change will enable across not only regions but our international members.  

The Region Governance Team listened to the concerns of members and is hosting a webinar to address questions related to roles and responsibilities within the Society after these changes take place. 

A roles and responsibilities matrix has been developed to support SWE members in recognizing who to contact and how to locate information once the Region Governance structure dissolves on July 1, 2018.

Please review the document and bring your questions to the webinar on Monday, June 25 at 7:00 p.m. CT with the FY18 Director of Regions, Lisa Rimpf, and FY18 Deputy Director of Regions, Libby Taylor.

For any questions, please contact hq@swe.org.

By Dhanu Thiyagarajan, FY18 Region E Collegiate Senator

Background:
With the passing of the motion to dissolve regions, a lot of concern arose about support for collegiate sections. Collegiate sections range from being heavily involved with societal activities to not knowing that SWE as a society exists. There are a multitude of reasons for this big variation in collegiate section participation, but previously, one consistent factor existed to try and bridge this gap: the region collegiate team (RCT). With the RCT dissolution starting July 2018, a lot of thought and discussion is happening to determine a variety of ways to keep collegiate sections engaged. One of the methods is to further utilize and engage counselors.
 
Again, there are a wide variety of section and counselor relationships. The most common ways that sections utilize counselors are as a connection between collegiate and professional SWE sections; a network between their collegiate section and the Society; and, a mentor to guide their section. The way each section utilizes their counselor is determined by the section’s leadership and their needs for the fiscal year. Some sections are well established and don’t need guidance on how to run a section or gather information about societal SWE, so these sections are looking for someone who can be a bridge to a professional SWE section. Other sections are new or re-emerging and need guidance on how to run a SWE collegiate section and learn about what resources are available to them from SWE at the society level. Therefore, the responsibility of what a collegiate section hopes to utilize their counselor for is placed on the section’s leadership.
 
The proposed motion:
The goal of Senate motion S-1809 is to provide sections with a bigger pool of possible counselors, so that each section can find a counselor that best fits their needs and goals for the fiscal year. Graduate students are able to provide a wide array of unique experiences that may be beneficial to certain collegiate sections for them to prosper. By providing an increased number of counselor candidates, the intent of this motion is to help ensure that every collegiate section has an active counselor. It is critical to the mission of the society to ensure that collegiates stay engaged even without the RCT looking forward. Senate motion S-1809 would be one step forward in the right direction, because collegiate sections would have increased opportunities to elect a counselor that best fits their goals allowing them to develop into stronger sections.
 
Note from the motion makers:
Each of us supports this motion, because we have been in situations where we would have benefited from this change. Some of us have been involved with collegiate sections that did not have a counselor presence. We had a difficult journey to lead our sections without guidance and learn that societal SWE exists; nonetheless get involved at the society level. Some of us are graduate students who help other collegiate sections, unofficially in a graduate advisor/counselor role. We understand the importance of a strong mentor for each collegiate section and understanding societal SWE; by supporting this motion, we hope that more collegiate members will understand their pathway forward within SWE like we did.

The Society of Women Engineers Bylaws Committee has reviewed proposed changes to the Society’s bylaws and are presenting them to the membership. The Senate will conduct and electronic vote on these proposed changes in June.

The exact wording of the changes is linked below:

Motion S-1809: Collegiate Section Counselors

Please contact your senators if you have any comments or concerns on these changes. Feel free to contact Alexis McKittrick at secretary@swe.org with questions on the process.

Source: http://alltogether.swe.org/2018/04/proposed-society-bylaws-admendment/
Published: 4/30/18

On April 3, 2018, Penny Wirsing, FY18 President Elect initiated the call for new committee members to join in FY19.  

In an email to members, Penny wrote,  "The power of our committees and our volunteers is what moves SWE forward. Society committees are also a major aspect of our talent development pipeline process. I encourage both collegiates and professionals to join the SWE volunteer team for FY19."

To learn more about the committees, you can listen to podcasts or read descriptions to find a committee that matches your interests and availability.  There are a wide range of opportunities and levels of commitment.

If you would like to join a committee, please complete the simple committee member volunteer application by May 1, 2018 at 11:59 p.m. CDT.

 If you have questions about a particular committee? Find contact information for current committee chairs on the committee contact information page. 

Have you listened to SWE's Diverse Podcast?  The Diverse Podcast is available on Soundcloud, Apple, and Android devices free to listeners who want to learn more about SWE or women in engineering and technology. 

Recent episodes of the podcast have been dedicated to topics around the changes taking place in the Society governance structure including collegiate voting rights.

Society election voting begins on April 1st, and this year, collegiates will be voting in the election of Society level leaders including Senators and the Board of Directors.  The Senate encourages all members to learn about the candidates and vote in this election. 

Links to the governance specific podcasts are posted on the governance website and available here:

Governance Update March 2018, Diverse Episode 39 Penny Wirsing, SWE’s FY19 President, talks with Mary Beth Biddle, FY18 SWE Faculty Advisor/Counselor-Elect, about collegiate voting rights under SWE’s Governance Update.

Governance Update March 2018, Diverse Episode 38 with FY19 SWE President Penny Wirsing Penny Wirsing who talks with Mary Beth Biddle, FY18 SWE Faculty Advisor/Counselor-Elect, about how Collegiate Faculty Advisors and Counselors will be helping with SWE’s Governance Update.

Governance Update Januray 2018, Diverse Episode 29 with FY19 SWE President Penny Wirsing talks with FY18 Collegiate Director Ingrid Arambula about SWE's Governance Update for Collegiate Members.

Governance Update May 2017, Diverse Episode 18 with Karen Roth on Section Support
Governance Update October 2016, Diverse Episode 7 with Natalie Vanderspiegel on Senate perspectives

Please download and listen to learn more about the changes taking place this year. 

By Kelsey Harper, FY18 Region H Collegiate Senator

SWE members from around the Midwest converged in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in early March for a WE Local conference. The weekend was a great experience for all to learn more about SWE, share best practices, and attend professional development seminars. Two Senators, Lynn Davenport and Kelsey Harper attended WE Local Milwaukee. We had the opportunity to present about Society Committee opportunities to attendees, including many Region H leaders; with a specific focus on encouraging collegiate leaders to consider committee positions as we transition away from regions. We discussed the different committees and who to contact if interested. Particular encouragement to join committees was given to collegiate members who might be on co-op, graduating in the near future, or looking for additional leadership positions.

WE Local conferences are a more intimate setting than Society Conference and allow leaders to talk in smaller groups with constituents. Talking with members at meals and networking hours about their ideas and concerns is a great way to learn more about what strategic issues the Senate will need to consider going forward. As the last few WE Locals of the year wind down we look forward to meeting more SWE members.

Pictured: Senators, Lynn Davenport and Kelsey Harper, with the Region H Leadership Team

By Pamela Buzzetta, FY18 Region I Professional Senator

The Annual Strategic Planning Sub-Team led by Deputy Speaker, Natalie Vanderspiegel, convened again last week to conduct the Annual Strategic Plan Review (ASPR). The team is responsible for reviewing and revising the Society’s strategic objectives as needed to align with the vision and strategic goals. This year, the meeting also included special guests from the 5-Year Strategic Plan Task Force led by Special Senator, Dianne Beever. 

The 5-Year Strategic Plan Task Force investigated the changing landscape of engineering and technology professions and the needs of our membership with a longer outlook. Using the Strategic Planning Assessment (SPA), environmental scans, competitive analysis, reports from the NSF on engineering and diversity, and input from senior leadership, this team discussed and reviewed the Society’s mission, vision, and strategic goals. The team presented proposed updates for FY19 and beyond to the Board of Directors and the Annual Strategic Planning Sub-Team at ASPR.

Together, the teams reaffirmed the mission and vision of SWE while providing recommendations to update the strategic goals within Professional Excellence, Globalization, and Advocacy. The group also spent a portion of the meeting discussing Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) within SWE and in the engineering profession. Special Director Cheri Chappelle used her extensive corporate experience in leading D&I objectives to set the basis for the discussion during the ASPR.

Both, the sub-team and task force are now busy at work making the final changes and putting together the recommendations for the new strategic plan to present to the board next month. Look for the new approved strategic plan in the coming months!

Photo of ASPR attendees in Minneapolis, MN on February 9, 2018. Photo credit: Natalie Vanderspiegel

On Saturday, February 10, 2018, the Senate and Board of Directors met in Minneapolis, MN, the site of the WE18.  This is the Annual 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. 

To find out more about the work being done by the Senate this spring, please reach out to your Senators, which can be found at Senate.swe.org, or contact Senate Secretary, Olivia LeBlanc. 

Deadline for submitting nominations to SWE is March 1
Are you a strategic thinker? Interested in charting the strategic direction of SWE? Nominate yourself or someone else for International Senator.

The International Senator is a member of SWE’s Senate, and is responsible for:

• Charting the strategic direction of SWE by developing and adopting long-range goals for the Society.
  
• Developing and/or adopting proposed changes to the Society bylaws, policies, and procedures that are in line with the strategic plan.
  
• Conducting essential dialogue with Society membership on long-term trends and issues of common interest.
  

In accordance with the adoption of S-1803 "Senate and Regions" Proposal to Amend Bylaws, the International members must elect an International Senator to serve for a three-year term commencing on July 1, 2018 through June 30, 2021 (FY19 – FY21).



The deadline for submitting nominations is March 1, 2018 to SWE Headquarters and requires the following:

• Candidate statement as .doc, .docx or .txt, maximum of 400 words. Include name as you want it displayed on the slate.
  
• Photo in gif or .jpg format, at least 300 dpi. File size 1MB maximum.
  

Please be aware of the following responsibilities and time commitments before applying for the position:

• Senators must be voting members of the Society (except special Senators) and will serve for a term of three (3) fiscal years
  
• Senators should anticipate participating in a lot of virtual meetings and communications
• The role typically requires the following time commitments:
  • Monthly conference calls – 1 hour each
  • Participation in 1 sub-team
  • Annual Strategic Planning (2 mandatory face-to-face meetings, calls 1-5 hours per month)
  • Strategic initiatives (Variable)
  • Committees' strategic planning (Variable)
  • Communications (Variable)
  • Face-to-face Senate meetings – At least 2 per fiscal year
  • Annual Conference (Fall; 3 days – mandatory)
  • Winter Senate meeting (Winter; 1 day – mandatory)
  • WE Local (Spring; 1 day – currently not required, but highly recommended)
  • Offline discussions on bylaws amendments and motions (Variable)
  • Active communication with Society membership
• Funding for travel is currently available through SWE for the Winter Senate meeting and annual strategic planning sub-team face-to-face meetings. Future funding to be determined
• These roles and responsibilities are subject to change by the Senate leadership team as the governance changes continue to be implemented

Nominees should possess the five SWE leadership competencies:

• Communication
• Self-Management and Development
• Business Acumen
• Coaching, Mentorship and Sponsorship
• Leadership Abilities

Contact Kate Hull, Speaker of the Senate, to learn more about the role.

By Sarah Watzman, FY18 Region G Collegiate Senator

On Wednesday, October 25th, SWE had a SPA!  This isn't the kind of spa that involves cucumber water, fluffy towels, candles, or massages though -- this spa is the Strategic Performance Assessment, a yearly meeting the Wednesday before Annual Conference with the Society's Annual Strategic Planning Team.

SPA may sound like a misnomer considering this refers to an all-day meeting, but for me, I see attending the SWE SPA as a wonderful opportunity to positively move this organization forward.  During the SPA, participants (which includes Senators, members of the Board of Directors, SWE's Executive Director, the Finance Committee Chair and Chair-elect, the 5-Year Strategic Plan Task Force Lead, and attendees from HQ) begin the Society's strategic planning process.  This involves an intense look at our environment, including the economic and political factors that could impact SWE, the state of women in collegiate engineering programs and careers, and society's perceptions of young girls pursuing their interests in STEM.  With these factors in mind, SPA participants analyze data collected through SWE's membership survey to see how our members believe they are being served by this organization.  Finally, keeping all of this in mind, SPA participants go through programming offered by the Society to identify areas of strength and weakness to determine where we should invest time, energy, and finances in the future.

The gaps identified through the SPA will then be used at ASPR -- the Annual Strategic Plan Review, a yearly meeting occurring the Friday before the Winter Senate Meeting.  ASPR reviews SWE's operational plan in relation to the identified gaps, so that we can better serve our members and grow the impact of this organization.

Personally, I really enjoy this big picture, strategic view of the Society.  As a graduate student, I am used to collecting and analyzing data from different sources then letting my findings lead me to a new conclusions (or problems sometimes too).  As a member of the Annual Strategic Planning Team, I love being able to apply these skills to my passion for SWE.  Although spending a day at the spa could be a nice relief from graduate school, I also am grateful for this opportunity to positively contribute to an organization that has given me so much.