SSP President’s e-Letter – July 2019

Greetings SSP members and friends.

The number one question I get from members since starting my term as President of SSP is “What do you hope to get done in the next year?” It’s a loaded question and one every member has the right to ask. So, let’s talk about that.

SSP has a very strong long-term strategic plan that has been moving forward over the last several years. You have seen these initiatives play out with more regional events, more educational opportunities that are both in person and virtual, continued and expanded collaborations with other societies, and an emphasis on diversity and inclusion.

The strategic plan is working and it’s time to do a refresh—what still needs to be done, what do the priorities look like now, are there new opportunities or challenges that need to be addressed?

I haven’t really answered the question yet about what I hope to accomplish in the next year, but it’s all tied to the strategy.

• SSP is the place where professionals interested in scholarly publishing can meet, debate, and solve problems collaboratively. SSP should continue to explore ways to invite scholarly publishing stakeholders that are under-represented in the membership—funders, scholars, science communicators, and open access publishers. Work is already happening with a task force lead by Past-president Adrian Stanley to engage funders. I would like to explore the other areas as well and provide value for bringing the other stakeholders to the table.
• Like most other member societies, the SSP board has been exploring ways to diversify the income sources. The Annual Meeting continues to generate revenue in support of the other activities being hosted. SSP is also very close to launching a philanthropic effort to raise funds to support activities such as fellowships, mentoring, global training, and D&I activities. In addition, the board will be reviewing other revenue generating ideas to ensure that SSP stays on strong financial footing well into the future.
• Continue to take a leadership position within the industry to encourage practices that promote diversity, equity, and inclusion. This past June, the board voted to install a permanent DEI committee. As a task committee previously and now as a standing committee, the members have made numerous recommendations and offered educational opportunities to members. In the coming year, they will need the full support of the board and committee chairs to ensure that these recommendations permeate throughout SSP offerings.

These are my three top priorities in a nutshell—largely building on the work already being done by the stellar committees of SSP, under a framework of previous board leadership.

I am open to you, the members of SSP, for your comments, suggestions, and criticisms. If at any time you want to discuss opportunities for SSP, needs of the membership, things we could be doing better, please reach out to me.

Angela Cochran
2019-2020 SSP President