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WSSA Strategic Goal Definition
and SWOT Analysis
July 13, 2006
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Strategic Goal #1 Advance WS Research
DESCRIPTION
• Goal: Create a WSSA web page which addresses funding sources for scientists that is continuously updated
and highly utilized. (Who has funds? How much? How do the results play out today?)
• The Web Based solution will have a comprehensive list of funding sources (govts and NGOs), the
opportunity for WSSA within that, the funding cycle for those sources, as well as mentors with previous
success. This will help us identify current levels of funding and opportunities for new funding.
Strategic Objectives • Goal: Identify the opportunities in science where Weed Science can make the greatest contribution to the
country, growers, agriculturalists, food chain and non-food vegetation management issue and to highlight
that in research opportunities (a top 10 issues?)
Advance Weed Science Research
• Strengths
• A society of scientists and professional researchers, with highly successful members housed in research
institutions.
• WSSA membership is already oriented to submitting proposals for funding.
• Younger scientists and students more bio-chemically and information technology competent than ever
before.
• Membership has great skill in practical weed control that is valuable in joint research programs
• Weaknesses
• Lack of clearly defined funding sources and how to take advantage of these.
• Inadequate information exchange technology (website)
SWOT Analysis • A history of applied research based on industry finding that has become flat.
• We don’t communicate the advances in our science and its findings to other groups and funding agencies.
• We still do much of the same science we did 30-years ago.
• Opportunities
• A growing degree of public awareness around invasive species
• Endangered species have totally unknown weed control needs and interactions with invasive species.
• Web resource is absent and there’s an obvious need to fill it
• The potential to do joint research in agroecosystems
• Growing importance of organic agriculture and limited practical weed control options
• Threats
• Other societies and programs take priority and absorb funding for short to medium term.
• Inclusion of competitive disciplines in the NRI program and diminishing overall funding
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Strategic Goal #2 Support WS Education & Extension Outreach
DESCRIPTION
• Goal: To Create Web Based Solutions including a WS Glossary, Bibliography and authoritative
reference on timely issues, e.g, Invasive Weeds and rates of gain, Life History of Weeds,
Losses due to weeds in crops, critical timing for efficacious control.
• Goal: To create an ambassadors program which identifies resources for WS Scientists,
Strategic Objectives Researchers and Educators at all levels, Primary School, Secondary School, Higher Ed.
This includes the creation of plug and play education modules appropriate for each level.
• Goal: To create an Extension (national web based system) project. To provide a platform for
WS Education & Extension Outreach
ensuring the sharing of best practices and techniques, forum for state extension agents
to share and improve their practices …
• Goal: To include in the two WS journals a sections/articles dedicated to the issue of extension
and education; could include profiles of successful individuals in extension and in
education.
• Strengths
• Significant amount of information already exists
• We are professional educators at many levels
• Extension is highly regarded and seen as the independent expert opinion
• Weaknesses
• It is difficult to find and collate this information
SWOT Analysis
• Inadequate information exchange technology (website)
• Lack communication forum with regional and state organizations for collaborative work
• Lack of appropriate targeting toward non-college age audiences
• Declining number of graduate students interested in Weed Science
• Opportunities
• The area of extension and education outreach is a major opportunity to partner with the
state and regional societies
• The industry is not longer staffed to provide extension services
• Upcoming employment opportunities in industry and academia
• Threats
• If we are too slow, the opportunities for leadership in invasive species may shift to a
different society
• We may lose the opportunity to partner with regional and state organizations if we allow
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them to evolve on a separate trajectory.
Strategic Goal #3 Produce & Disseminate High
Quality WS Publications and Information
DESCRIPTION
• Goal: Increase the impact factor and / or the number of citations to current
journals in comparison to baseline indicators and the indicators for
competing publications.
• Goal: To become the WSS of the Americas
High Quality WS Publications and Information
Strategic Objectives • Goal: Consider name change to WSS of the Americas
• Goal: Publish abstracts in Spanish
• Goal: Invite Spanish/English articles on a monthly basis
• Goal: Start a new journal on Invasive Species, or adapt an existing journal to
cover this area
• Strengths
• Two professional and well accepted journals
• Liaisons to Weed Science Societies in other countries
• Infrastructure in place to generate publications
• Weaknesses
• Lack of appropriate targeting toward non-college age audiences
• Weak marketing to a limited audience
SWOT Analysis • Don’t generate non-journal publications that provide income and visibility
• Opportunities
• Use the liaisons to achieve goal of greater international impact
• Could be single source of technical information for invasive and Latin
America weed control information needs
• Partnerships with Regional Weed Science societies
• Threats
• Other organizations and publishers that get there first
• Competition with Regional Societies
• Fewer academic Weed Science faculty
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Strategic Goal #4 Raise Public Awareness
of Weeds & Their Impact
DESCRIPTION
• Goal: Raise the public awareness of weeds, their impact and management.
• Goal: Raise critical issues in the national consciousness:
• The Nation’s loss of public lands due to invasive weeds becomes a national issue in the common
press.
• Track the number of public press articles, editorials, and other public media.
Public Awareness of Weeds & Their Impact
• Goal: WSSA is a leader in providing education materials and lesson plans for K-12 via the website.
• Measure is adoption rate.
Strategic Objectives
• Goal: Regulators and policy makers seek guidance from WSSA on issues of National Policy, including (for
example) horticultural crops, regional initiatives, managed and wildlands, as well as registration and
re-registration. Measurement is how often we are used.
• Goal: Include the category of Weed Scientist as a federal and state job title.
• Strengths
• Director of Science Policy and potential legislative impact
• Do have a increasing degree of trust and respect at EPA as well as an APMS
representative on EPA staff.
• Weaknesses
• No close ties or ready conduits to the media or general public, no dedicated advertising or
marketing staff and limited skills within the general membership.
SWOT Analysis • No academic terrestrial weed scientist at EPA and only weak links to other agencies
• Opportunities
• EPA and other agencies are anxious to interact more deeply with WSSA
• Weeds are a problem of biblical proportions and do attract attention
• We can work with other organizations to gain impact
• No weed science impact on the Endangered and Threatened Species Act (yet)
• Threats
• Herbicides get a bad rap
• Weeds are not necessarily recognized as an issue/problem in the same way as plant
diseases, insects, or human pathogens.
• Other pest disciplines compete for center-stage more effectively than weeds
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Strategic Goal #5 Promote Sound WS Policy
DESCRIPTION
• Goal: WSSA is sought after as the leading authority and source of information for EPA, F&WL and other Federal Agencies.
• Measurement: are WSSA members being consulted?
• Goal: WSSA advice is sought in the EPA re-registration of herbicides and herbicide families.
• We have created “chemical family based resource groups” that are sought by EPA to provide information on actual use
patterns and risk for use in regulatory decision making.
• We have a terrestrial Weed Scientist in a formal relationship with EPA Registration Division
• Goal: WSSA directly and indirectly initiates legislative impact and is a resource sought by commodity groups, NGOs, congress
and the executive branch for information on weed-related legislation and research.
Strategic Objectives • WSSA successfully promotes research and legislation for the implementation of a national strategy for invasive species
mapping.
• Use the liaison position with other organizations.
• Strengths
Promote Sound WS Policy
• Presence of weed scientists in USDA and ARS
• Director of Science Policy
• Weed Scientists on the National Invasive Species Advisory Board
• Have individual members that are politically aware and have individually impact
• Weaknesses
• No close ties or ready conduits to media
• No academic terrestrial weed scientist at EPA
• Only one person in director of Science Policy’s suite
• No congressional science fellow program
• Pest-based societies compete instead of collaborating for political resources
SWOT Analysis
• Mixed-messages confound the development of sound policy;
• Cannot deal with emotional arguments on science-based subjects
• Opportunities
• Liaison positions with non-weed science organizations to impact politically based federal policies (Spray drift)
• EPA is anxious to interact more deeply with WSSA and would accept an academic weed scientist position
Because of invasive weed issues, more agencies need help and information to manage weed issues
• Work more closely with the politically oriented commodity groups (Farm Bureau, Beef and Cattle, Cotton
Council etc) to extend our impact.
• Threats
• Weeds are not necessarily recognized as an issue/problem in the same way as a plant diseases, insects or
human pathogens.
• Many science policies are politically motivated instead of science based
• There are organizations in opposition to agriculture that do not care about the outcome of their impact
• Weed Science policy can become confused with pesticide policy
• Policy is often made in an information vacuum 5
Strategic Goal #6 Provide Service to Our Members & Reg. Soc.
DESCRIPTION
• Goal: By 2010, WSSA has significant legislative impact on topics of concern (invasive species, urban interface,
spray drift, endangered species)
• Goal: WSSA is valued as providing services to assist in the functions and logistics of regional society operations.
• Goal: WSSA provides educational opportunities that increase attendance at the Annual Meeting, and increases
the value of the Regional Societies by coordinating Weed Science traveling symposia and training
programs on related disciplines (fungicides, insecticide, and genetics) in cooperation with other societies
Service to Our Members & Reg. Soc.
via the liaisons.
• Goal: WSSA increases its readership and the impact of its journals by reaching out and attracting new
Strategic Objectives members and a broader audience interested in its objectives and ability to impact critical national issues.
• Goal: WSSA has international impact by expanding our experience and expertise to the developing regions of
the Americas
• Goal: WSSA develops individuals as leaders in the National community that can champion the cause of Weed
Science, this can include workshops associated with National and Regional meetings.
• Strengths
• Annual meetings are appreciated by members who attend.
• WSSA provides a community
• Director of Science Policy is coordinated with regional societies
• WSSA publications support both the members and regional societies
• Weaknesses
• We don’t know why people in the discipline don’t belong to WSSA
• We don’t know what the regionals would like from us.
SWOT Analysis
• We don’t know what the membership values about WSSA
• WSSA is a volunteer organization
• Opportunities
• Communications on director of Science Policy are improved with the Regional Societies
• Potential to share administration and meetings with regionals.
. Provide
• The National society targets different audiences (more basic research and international
audiences) than the regionals (more applied research).
• Threats
• Many other societies and organizations compete for membership and attendance
• Shrinking membership and industry threatens viability
• Regional societies are facing similar membership and revenue issues.
• Unwillingness of members to change in order to capture new opportunities
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