All About Bylaws

Ever taken a look at the Society’s Bylaws? Do you know SWE’s vision? SWE’s tagline? How would describe SWE to someone who has never heard of the organization?

Knowing the Society’s vision and goals can help you formulate goals for your section as well as help you understand how you fit into the bigger picture. If you’ve never looked at the Society’s bylaws, I encourage you to take a glance at them. Below I’ve listed some information about the Society and encourage you to read it over.

SWE’s TagLine: Aspire, Advance, Achieve

SWE’s Mission (Adopted in 1986)

• 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)

• 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 Priorities (The Society’s 3 –5 Year Planning Horizon Strategies)

• Growing the Profession (Outreach): There is an increase in women choosing to enter the engineering and technology profession.
• Professional Excellence: Women in engineering and technology excel professionally, and their achievements are showcased and valued.
• Industry Catalyst: SWE is a catalyst for changing the professional climate to enable women in engineering and technology to excel.
• Inclusive Global Community: Women in Engineering and Technology and SWE stakeholdersfind value in SWE as a diverse, inclusive, global community.

SWE’s Values

• Integrity: We aspire to the highest level of ethical behavior as evidenced by honesty and dignity in our personal and professional relationships and responsibilities.
• Inclusive Environment: We embrace diversityin its broadest interpretation and commit to creating an inclusive environment for all our members and stakeholders. We value the contributions of a diverse membership, which enables SWE to achieve its full potential.
• Mutual Support: We provide an organization that fosters mentoring, and the development of professional and personal networks.
• Professional Excellence: We conduct our activities in a professional manner, demonstrating and demanding the highest standards of business practices.
• Trust: We share a common definition of success, with open, transparent access to common information, building mutual respect and confidence in the competence of those with whom we lead, serve and partner with.

Section Bylaws

Following the revision of the Society’s bylaws a number of years ago, new templates for section (professional and collegiate) bylaws were developed. ALL sections are expected to adopt new bylaws based on the respective template.

Sections are expected to prepare a revision of their bylaws, by using the template and adjusting as appropriate for their section-specific issues within the guidelines of the template and submitting them for review. (A bylaws revision is a complete replacement of the existing bylaws with a new set, rather than processing amendments. The existing bylaws procedure for amendments must be followed in approving the revision.) Although this process appears cumbersome, it offers an opportunity for sections to review their bylaws and ensure that the bylaws really reflect how the section operates. See the powerpoint “Collegiate Section Bylaws Approval Status” for the latest status on approval of collegiate section bylaws.

You can also download a copy of the Collegiate Section Bylaws Template here: Collegiate Section Bylaws Template.

National Resources [HT]

You may be wondering what SWE does as a National organization? Why should you pay $20 a year to be a SWE member when you’re just involved in your section? Well, SWE has a lot of power, respect, and resources as a National Organization, more than you can imagine. Did you know SWE was founded nearly 60 years ago, in 1950? It’s a huge network of women engineers focused on making engineering a desirable career for women through outreach, awards and recognition, scholarships, training, Conferences, webinars on everything you could imagine, and an online career center.

I’m writing this post from the SWE National Conference in Baltimore. The SWE National Conference is every year around November, and more than 5000 SWE members attend. It’s amazing to see so many female engineers and have an opportunity to get to know them and their stories. There is also a huge career fair of companies who are excited to interview and hire you for summer internships or jobs after graduation. You can attend sessions on leadership, technology, and outreach, take tours of nearby companies, and attend meetings where you can learn about this amazing organization. You can also get to know your RCR’s, RCNE’s, and hear the SWE President speak. You get a much better feel for how SWE works as a national organization.

Be sure to explore SWE Communities, SWE Outreach, SWE Outreach, and our Region’s website.

Thanks, and have a great semester!
-Katie