The 2017–18 SPS Guiding Priorities

FEB 01, 2018

Samuel Borer, AZC Rep, University of Maine

Samuel Borer. Photos courtesy of the author.

This past September, SPS faculty and student leaders from around the country converged at the American Center for Physics for the 2017–18 National Council Meeting. At the beginning of the academic year, the National Council meets in person to strategize and plan for the success of SPS throughout the next year. For most associate zone counselors, who serve one-year terms, it was our first time on the National Council and the meeting offered us the chance to get acquainted and form close friendships with the people we would be working alongside for the next year. For others, it was a reunion of old friends, a time to exchange cherished memories and reminisce about their histories within the organization.

The major focus of the National Council meeting was to discuss the Society of Physics Students’ guiding principles for the upcoming year. We came up with three goals for the upcoming academic year: 1. improving communication among chapters, zones, and the National Office, 2. promoting professional development, and 3. integrating diversity and inclusivity into our chapter operations.

Here’s what those goals mean.

1. Improving communication among chapters, zones, and the National Office

No SPS chapter lives in a vacuum. One of our greatest strengths as an organization is that we connect physics majors from across the globe to each other and to the professional physics community. Through the zone system, SPS chapters have access to regional assets and a local community of physics enthusiasts. Each chapter has a connection to the National Office through its zone, where they can take advantage of national resources, scholarships, professional development opportunities, and more.

Throughout the next year, we will make an active and directed effort to reach all corners of the SPS network to establish or improve upon existing routes of communication. Establishing lines of communication that will outlive the flux of SPS chapter leadership will help us ensure we maintain contact with every chapter as they evolve and grow. This will also give every local SPS chapter unfettered access to amazing resources to enhance their chapters and improve their members’ experiences. To contact your zone councilor or associate zone councilor, visit the National Council directory at

The entire SPS National Council poses outside of the American Center for Physics. Photos courtesy of Hyun Joo Kim, AIP.