We kicked-off 2012 with the first meeting of the Executive Committee (EXCOM) on 30 January. This is an important activity in the governance of our Society and an opportunity for me to focus the efforts of our Society’s leadership for the next two months. I was pleased to announce several new chairs for our standing committees, assignments for newly created committees and reliefs for those volunteers who had served the Society diligently for many years. Please see the press release posted on the website entitled “Congratulations to the Newest Appointed Committee Chairs and RVPs for 2012” and join me in expressing my gratitude for those who have and those who will give so generously of their time and talents. As the new and existing committee chairs form up their committee membership and press forward with their activities, I want to urge you all to get involved with the Society in a manner that suites your particular interests. Membership in a professional society is most rewarding when you are personally engaged; active involvement in a group of like minded associates is an essential part of being a professional. A professional looks beyond their self interest and seeks to improve the condition of others in the profession. SNAME has a proud history and rich tradition of being the premier Society for maritime professionals, and while I appreciate this concept may be a little abstract, I urge you to think of your participation in SNAME as a “contact sport” not a “spectator sport.” If you do get involved, I guarantee that the personal rewards will far exceed your expectations and that your involvement will pay dividends that you as an active professional could not have anticipated.
Returning to the EXCOM, as we discussed the reports of the Society’s committees I was gratified to see the progress we have made in so many areas. I am particularly pleased with the direction we have taken with our premier publication, the SNAME Transactions. The contents will now provide a compilation of archival papers of exceptional quality primarily drawn from the Society's Annual Meeting papers, SNAME major award and prize winning papers, graduate and undergraduate student award winning papers, and significant papers of such high quality and intrinsic value, drawn from all of our meetings, as to warrant capturing them in the Transactions. The Transactions will once again be a “must have” reference for our current and future generations of maritime professionals. Another highlight was the report on the 2011 SNAME Annual Meeting & Expo and Ship Production Symposium which verified that this was a resounding success with over 1000 participants including more than 200 students. I am most grateful to the Annual Meeting committees and the many SNAME volunteers and Headquarters staff who organized the technical content, student program and social events. This good news was reflected in the report of the Finance Committee which verified the strong financial position the Society enjoys. Such good news sets the stage for the launch of a major scholarship fund raising activity which I will discuss in more detail in a future communiqué.
And while the news at the EXCOM was mostly good, there was a disappointing report on a decline in our membership. While such declines tend to be cyclical, and may reflect the past general malaise in the economy, I for one am not satisfied with that as an answer. I believe we have only tapped into a small yet loyal portion of our maritime profession and it is past time to engage with the breadth and depth of our industry. Accordingly, I have challenged each and every Regional and Functional Vice President to make membership a priority for their activities this year. We have previously established aggressive objectives in the SNAME Strategic Plan. Each of these objectives is focused upon increasing the value of membership to our existing and prospective members. We are at a tipping point where we need to execute smartly against the plans we have laid in. And while it is easy for me to say it is harder for a largely volunteer organization to do. So I would ask that each of you review the sections of the SNAME Strategic Plan of greatest interest to you, and identify what you will do this year to further our Society’s mission, vision, and goals. You can find the plan at the bottom of the “About SNAME” webpage (2011 Strategic Plan). Please have a look and then contact the cognizant Vice President, Committee Chair, Headquarters staff, or me and offer to help by getting personally involved, getting us going, and getting new members!