In order to better plan the future of the Society, council approved the creation of a Strategic Plan Committee in 2022.
The aim of the committee is:
- to take an environmental scan of similarly sized sister organizations in Canada, to better understand SOGS’ operational and governance strengths and weaknesses;
- to gather feedback from members regarding their user experience of SOGS services and supports to better plan for the future;
- to aid SOGS in becoming compliant with the Ontario Corporations Act for Not-for-Profits (ONCA) by 2024; and,
- to set the strategic direction of the Society based on the values and priorities of our members.
The SOGS Strategic Plan Committee is comprised of:
- SOGS Speaker (chair)
- SOGS Deputy Speaker
- SOGS President
- Vice-President Finance
- Vice-President Academic (executive-at-large)
- SOGS Governance & Policy Manager (committee liaison)
- SOGS Communications& Promotions Manager (staff member-at-large)
- 3 councillors
Meetings:
The Strategic Plan Committee meets once per month. Committee minutes will be made available once they are ratified at council.
Data & Research
ATTENTION WESTERNU GRADS: WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!
Recently we sent out a STRATEGIC PLAN SURVEY to all members via email. The 10-minute survey asked a series of questions about your knowledge of, participation in, and critical feedback of the Society of Graduate Students and the Grad Club.
We need more feedback from dues paying members like yourself at the upcoming TOWN HALL (January 31st; watch the recording above). In order to complete our strategic plan, we need to gather even more feedback about your experience using our services and supports. The feedback collected will help direct how the Society will operate over the coming years, impacting our services, funding models, community outreach, and more.
Complete our FEEDBACK FORM.
Started in 1964, the Society of Graduate Students (SOGS) represents the interests of 6,500+ master’s and doctoral students from 60+ programs at WesternU. SOGS is a democratic student union, advocacy organization, and student government that advocates for the interests of the majority of graduate students on campus, offering essential services (bus pass, health plan), financial aid (bursaries, subsidies, scholarships, funds), social programming (Orientation Week, Wellness Week), community support (commissioners, peer support, food bank), and more!
If you’re unfamiliar with grad life at WesternU, SOGS also owns the Grad Club, an eatery and bar in Middlesex College! The Grad Club functions as a student service, events space, and community hang-out for grad student and faculty members.