Stand Tall and Speak Up (December 2005)

Abstract

As SPE members we have a lot to be happy about. Our Society is thriving. Our membership is approaching 65,000, which includes some 14,000 students, thanks in large part to Halliburton’s generous sponsorship of student dues. Also, 2005 SPE President Giovanni Paccaloni’s passion for young professionals has created many new programs to entice new graduates to take advantage of the low membership fees for those under the age of 30. Moreover, we are an increasingly global Society, with over half of our members outside the U.S., 156 sections in 62 countries, members in more than 100 countries, and 131 student sections in 42 countries. Our eLibrary contains more than 40,000 papers. Together we have accomplished a lot, but that doesn’t mean we should rest on our laurels. To better serve our membership, the SPE Board of Directors, past SPE Presidents, and other leaders of our Society have worked together to draft a new 10-year plan for the period 2005–15. In the past, four Long Range Plans have been created, covering proposed strategies, tac-tics, and activities to guide the Society forward. The plans have covered the periods 1975–85, 1982–92, 1991–2000 (adopted in 1994), and 2000–10. These plans have played a major role in making SPE the financially sound, technically robust, and internationally respected and valued organization it is today. A long-range plan guides and focuses individual decisions by placing them in the framework of long-term goals. A plan also channels the energy and resources of the Society’s members and staff into addressing the highest priority goals. Our industry is faced with many challenges, including the “big crew change,” the constant pressures of a commodity business to accomplish more with fewer people, rapidly changing technology, and a public that both worries that the world is running out of oil and fears that continued use of fossil fuels will create an environmental disaster. SPE’s Long Range Plan must simultaneously address all of these issues. Let me share with you some of the things in the plan that I think are most important. Programs to attract young people to the industry and to train and retain young members. Programs about reserves definitions and classifications for industry experts, nonexperts in the industry, and the public, including investors, to build support for new reserves and resources standards and to improve public understanding of the future of our industry.