Letter from the Chair-Elect
Increasing AAPG’s Global Presence – A Challenge to our International Members
As Delegates, you are all familiar with AAPG’s strategic plan. The plan outlines six goal areas that we hope to achieve over the next decade that will define our future success. These goal areas, as listed in the plan (not necessarily in priority order), are:
- Advance the Science
- Continuous Professional Development
- Public Awareness and Understanding
- Membership and Member Services
- Financial Strength
- Global Presence
The achievement of these goals will move the organization towards the realization of our envisioned future of being indispensable to all professionals in the energy-related geosciences worldwide.
In this issue, I would like to discuss AAPG’s Global Presence and how we’re going about achieving this goal. It’s important to recognize that achieving all of these goals is a shared responsibility between both the AAPG and its membership, both domestic and especially our international members.
Three strategic objectives are outlined in the plan to help us achieve the goal area of global presence:
- Increase members’ knowledge and understanding of globalization.
- Conduct rigorous analysis of membership dynamics both current and future in order to underpin the future planning and development of AAPG.
- Increase member support for the advantages of a global organization.
- Gather information on associations that have transitioned to globalization.
- Gather information on worldwide economic development, petroleum industry activities and geoscience educational trends.
- Sustain value and participation in all sections and regions.
- Analyze the structural, financial, and organizational changes and impact in becoming a more global organization.
- Develop an adoption scheme for regions and sections.
- Instigate and maintain regular global tours by AAPG leadership.
- Increase participation in existing commercial conferences
- Create regional AAPG offices.
- Increase the financial autonomy of regional groups.
- Expand VGP and DL programs internationally.
- Explore the option of discounted membership fees.
All of these strategic objectives are being reviewed and initiated by AAPG headquarters and various committees, including the graduated dues initiative, which is discussed in this issue of The Delegates’ Voice and will be the subject of further discussion in The Delegates’ Voice and on the AAPG website prior to the House Annual meeting in Long Beach. In addition, a key new AAPG Executive role, Vice-President Regions, has been created to help achieve this goal.
So, how does our membership share in achieving this goal, specifically our international members? Start by getting involved in your Region. Volunteer for a committee or let your name stand for election for your Regional Executive. When involved in committees, you learn about the challenges of your Region and the structure of AAPG. The skills gained while working and leading committees and the networking opportunities you will be exposed to cannot be underestimated. It just might help you do your job better! To meet our goal, we’ll need highly qualified international members to serve in key AAPG leadership roles and as in any organization, you learn the job by serving in the trenches.
Let’s start here in the House. If you’d like to become more involved, feel free to contact me. The job of populating committees for the 2007-2008 term will start shortly after our meeting in Long Beach. But don’t wait. If you see a committee you’re interested in, let me know now. To get more involved in your Region, contact your Regional President. Go to http://www.aapg.org/international/index.cfm for further information on our Regions.
I look forward to working with you to help achieve our strategic goals and working towards our envisioned future.