Knowledge of SWE

SWE Collegiate Leadership ForumMinneapolis, MNJuly 31 – August 3, 2008

Tracy Van Houten, CIC Chair

SWE founding at Green Engineering Camp - 1950

History of SWE

• Founded in 1950• Incorporated in 1952• Headquartered in Chicago • Approximately 10,000 Professional

Members in 112 sections• Approximately 10,500 Collegiate Members

in 323 collegiate sections• There are now ~150 international

members of SWE (Region X)

SWE’S Mission

The society’s mission statement was adopted in 1986, and it is to:– Stimulate women to achieve full potential in

careers as engineers and leaders,– Expand the image of the engineering

profession as a positive force in improving the quality of life, and

– Demonstrate the value of diversity

SWE’s Objectives

Adopted in 1950, SWE’s objectives are to:– Inform young women, their parents, counselors and

the general public of the qualifications and achievements of women engineers and the opportunities open to them

– Assist women in readying themselves for a return to active work after temporary retirement

– Serve as a center of information on women in engineering

– Encourage women engineers to attain high levels of education and professional achievement

SWE’s Strategic PrioritiesThe Society’s 3 – 5 Year Planning Horizon Strategies

• Leadership/Professional Development: SWE will provide opportunities for women to attain, enhance, and demonstrate leadership, professional, and technical excellence that results in career aspiration, advancement, achievement, and satisfaction.

• Inclusiveness/Diversity: SWE will embrace and promote the value and power of diversity in specialties, age, race, ethnicity, language, gender identity, sexual orientation, and interests.

• Knowledge Source: SWE will share its acquired knowledge and promote programs that bridge the gaps in recruitment, professional development, and retention of women in engineering.

• Education/Outreach: SWE will inspire girls and women from diverse backgrounds and life stages to aspire to engineering for meaningful and rewarding careers.    

SWE’s Values

ProfessionalismWe conduct our activities in a businesslike manner, demonstrating and demanding the highest standards of quality

IntegrityWE aspire to the highest level of ethical behavior as evidenced by honesty and dignity in our personal and professional relationships and responsibilities

RespectWE acknowledge gender, ethnic, cultural and other difference, and strive to respect the added values they bring

Mutual SupportWE provide an organization that fosters the development of a professional network and the growth of personal friendships

Diversity Principles

We commit to:• Developing women in engineering across socio-economic strata and occupational

focus. • Encouraging the interest and active participation of women and girls of

underrepresented ethnic groups, including African-Americans, Asian-Americans, Hispanics, Pacific Islanders, and Native Americans.

• Providing support to women which acknowledges and respects differences in family status, sexual orientation, age, and physical abilities.

• We will ensure that all by-laws, policies, and charters support SWE's commitment to diversity.

• We will align with and participate in those activities and organizations that encourage all dimensions of diversity.

The Society of Women Engineers acknowledges and respects the value of a diverse community. SWE recognizes that the scope of diversity includes race/ethnicity, family

status, age, physical abilities, sexual orientation, socio-economic status and occupational focus. SWE will maintain an environment that is supportive of these elements. We will

promote inclusion within our organization and the engineering community.

Sources of Income

• Corporate Contributions (Corporate Partnership Council, CPC)

• Membership Dues

• National Conference Proceeds

• SWE Magazine Advertisements

• Grants

• Individual Contributions (Life Membership)

SWE Organization

SWE Organization

• Board of Directors• Board of Trustees• Headquarters Staff• 10 Regions• Council of Representatives• Professional and Collegiate Sections• Members-At-Large• Collegiate Interests Groups (CIGs)• Committees and Task Forces

Board of Directors

President Elect

President

Treasurer Secretary Director Education

10 Region Governors

Director Member. Initiatives

Director of Regions

COR Speaker

Director Profess.

Dev.

Executive Director

Director External Affairs

Collegiate Rep

Council of Represent-

atives (COR)

Special Director – Strategic Initiatives

Head-quarters

Staff

Committees and Task Forces

Sections and MALs

Headquarters

• SWE Headquarters, in Chicago, is the administrative body of the Society

• Executive Director – Betty Shanahan

• Address: 230 East Ohio St., Suite 400 Chicago, IL 60611

• Phone Number: 312.596.5223

• Email: hq@swe.org

Council of Representatives

• Speaker and Deputy Speaker preside over meetings of COR

• COR is the legislative body of the Society– Responsible for charting the strategic direction of

SWE– Approve changes to the Society’s trademarks or

emblems– Approve changes to the number or regions and/or

boundaries• Representatives from each professional section and

from the collegiate members of each region– Representation determined by section size

Regions

• The country is divided into 10 regions• Each Region is presided over by the

Region Governor• Each Region has a council, which makes

decisions• Region Council has COR Reps from each

section within the Region, including the Region Collegiate Rep

SWE Regions# Sections

Reg Prof Coll

A 8 14

B 13 30

C 10 35

D 17 38

E 13 56

F 10 30

G 8 29

H 14 48

I 9 26

J 10 17

SWE Professional Sections

• Local organizations of Professional Members

• Officers include president, vice president, secretary, treasurer

• Each professional section is represented on the Council of Representatives

• Activities focus on professional development, outreach, networking, etc.

SWE Collegiate Sections

• Local organizations of collegiate members at the same school

• Officers include (ONE!) president, vice president, secretary, treasurer

• SWE Counselor & Faculty Advisor• Activities include: professional

development, outreach, networking, career resources, etc.

SWE Committees

• Audit• Awards and Recognitions• Bylaws• Collegiate Interest• Collegiate Leadership

Coaching• Finance • Government Relations &

Public Policy• Leadership Coaching

• Membership• Multicultural• Nominating • Outreach• Procedures • Professional Development• Program Development

Grants• Scholarship • Strategic Planning

Collegiates encouraged and welcomed on ALL SWE national committees

Collegiate Interest CommitteeDirector of Education

CIC Chair

Faculty Advisor

Coordinator

SWE Counselor

Coordinator

CLF Coordinator

Region Collegiate

Interest Reps (CIR)

CIC Chair Elect

All Faculty Advisors

All SWE Counselors

Collegiate Board

Member

Other Committee Members

Graduate Student

Coordinator

RCR/RCNE Coordinator

RCRs and RCNEs

RCR/RCNE Coordinator

Elect

Region Collegiate Rep (RCR)

• 1-2 RCRs are elected by the collegiate sections in their region– Number of RCRs dependant on total collegiate membership in

each region (1 RCR per 1000 collegiate members)

• The collegiate voice on the Council of Representatives (COR)

• Distributes information about regional and national issues to the collegiate sections

• Runs the collegiate regional business meetings at the regional and national conferences

Region Collegiate Newsletter Editor (RCNE)

• Elected by the collegiate sections in their region

• Responsible for regional communications via the region blog

• Fulfills the duties of the RCR when necessary

Region Collegiate Structure

Region Governor

Region Lt. Governor

Collegiate InterestRep (CIR)

Region Collegiate Membership Chair

(RCMC)

Collegiate Leadership Coaches (CLCs)

Region CollegiateNewsletter Editor

(RCNE)

Region Collegiate Rep(s)

(RCRs)

RCRs: Recommend you make a picture org chart like this for your

Region Collegiate Team to distribute to RCT

members and to collegiates in your

region.

Section Counselor

• Every Collegiate Section must have a SWE Counselor.

• The Collegiate Section ELECTS their SWE Counselor each year.

• In addition to being a SWE member in good standing, the Counselor shall be considered a non-voting member of the Collegiate Section.

Faculty Advisor

• Although SWE does not require a Faculty Advisor, it is good policy to have one; many colleges and universities require a Faculty Advisor for each recognized campus group.

• It is strongly recommended that each Collegiate Section have a Faculty Advisor, who is a member of the faculty, but not necessarily a member of SWE.

• Assignment of a Faculty Advisor varies with location, so each Collegiate Section must handle this on a local level.

Other Collegiate Support

• Awards Committee• Bylaws Committee • Collegiate Leadership Coaching Committee• Headquarters• Membership Committee• New Collegiate Section Coordinator• Scholarship committee• RCR and RCNE Coordinator

National SWE Programming

National SWE Awards for Individuals

• Achievement Award• Upward Mobility Award• Resnik Challenger Medal• Rodney D. Chipp Memorial Award• Distinguished Engineering Educator Award• Distinguished New Engineer Award• Fellow Grade Award• Distinguished Service Award• Entrepreneur Award• Work Life Balance Award• Emerging Leader Award• Collegiate Member Award: Freshman/Sophomore, Junior/Senior,

Graduate• Outstanding Faculty Advisor Award• Outstanding Counselor Award

These awards are all presented at the Friday

night achievement awards banquet held each year at

National Conference.

SWE Region & Section Awards• Region Programming Excellence (IBM)• Region Membership Award• Region Newsletter Award?• Section Communications Awards:

– Newsletter, Website, Public Relations Program• Section Membership Awards:

– Collegiate Upgrade, Membership Retention, Membership Recruitment• Section Multicultural Awards:

– Motorola Foundation Multicultural Award (Professionals & MALs); Boeing Company Multicultural Award (Collegiate)

• Section Outreach Awards:– Event/Series Program, Girl Scout, Corning Incentive Grant

• Section Professional Development Awards:– Program, Event, Series, Media

These awards are presented at Celebrate

SWE! on Saturday night of National

Conference.

SWE Collegiate Awards & Competitions

• Outstanding Collegiate Section Awards (9)• Outstanding New Collegiate Section Award• Technical Poster Competition• Team Tech Competition (Boeing)• SME Bowl (Exxon Mobile Corporation)

These awards are presented at Celebrate

SWE! on Saturday night of National Conference.

OCS/ONCS Competition

• Nine OCS awards given annually• First, Second and Third for large sections

– 100 members or more

• First, Second, and Third for medium sections – 36 - 100 members

• First, Second, and Third for small sections – 35 or fewer members

• One ONCS award given annually

• Certificates of Merit awarded from entries

SWE Scholarship Program

• First Scholarship awarded in 1958 for $500• 130 scholarships awarded in FY 2007

– Total Value of over $400,000!

• Endowed and corporate-sponsored scholarships, and scholarship trust funds

• Application information will be available in December

• Several sections and regions also provide scholarships

National Conference• Technical Poster Competition• Team Tech Competition• SME Bowl• Competition winners, OCS winners, scholarship winners

announced at the Celebrate SWE! Ceremony• Career Fair• Technical, Cultural & Sightseeing Tours• Outstanding Networking Opportunities• Collegiate Regional Meetings• COR Annual Meeting• Collegiate Workshops• See your SWE Friends!• FUN FUN FUN!

This Year’s National Conference:

Baltimore, MD

November 6-8, 2008

Section Information

Maintaining Your Charter

• Bylaws requirements– At least 10 members in good standing– At least 51% of your membership should be women

majoring in engineering or engineering technology– Must have a SWE counselor

• Annual reports– Section President must submit an Annual Report– Section Treasurer must submit a Financial Report– One copy of each due June 30 to HQ

What Should Sections Be Receiving?

• Membership package – August• Rebate check (20% of dues) – September &

February• Scholarship applications and info – December• Membership renewal forms – March• Paid/unpaid membership list – Monthly • Region blog updated ~ monthly• SWE Magazine – Bi-monthlyMany of these resources are now only found via the SWE

website (not sent hard copies)

Deadlines

• December– Distinguished Engineering Educator Award nominations

due Dec 5– Drop date for unpaid members: Dec 1

• January– Team Tech proposals due January 15

• February– Scholarship Applications due Feb 1– Team Tech Progress reports due Feb 15

Check the SWE website

frequently, as these dates may

change.

Deadlines (Cont.)

• March– Collegiate Member awards due March 31

• April– Team Tech Final Report due April 15

• May– Freshman / Re-entry Scholarships due May 15– OCS/ONCS entries due May 31– Technical Posters due May 31

• June – Team Tech entries due June 1– Annual and Financial reports due June 30

Collegiate Bylaws Template

• Collegiate template was released in FY07.• What is the purpose of this template?

– Allow national bylaw changes in 2003 to be reflected on the section level

– Proper parliamentary language – Consistency throughout the Society – Distinguish between procedures and governing rules – Embody new SWE organizational structure

• Contact the bylaws committee with questions

Get Connected

SWE Websites of interest

• SWE National Site:

– http://www.swe.org

• SWE Communities:

– http://cop.swe.org

• Collegiate Site

– http://societyofwomenengineers.swe.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=232