ABOUT SGA
Operating Principles

    • sga bylaws
    • officers, committees, members
    • SGA partners
    • Sea Grant organizations
    • Sea Grant institutions, delegates

Principles

In discussing draft principles to guide the organization, the Board identified two major categories of principles: principles to guide decision-making and principles to guide operation of SGA. It was agreed the draft principles would be presented at the November 2001 SGA meeting and brought forward for adoption at the March 2002 meeting. Once adopted, these would become the core principles defining and guiding the organization.

Principles to Guide Decision-making

The Board proposed the following statements be used by the SGA Board, staff and association members to guide decision-making. No priority is implied in the order in which they are listed.

1. Integration and coordination of the work of all Sea Grant partners--the National Sea Grant Office, including NOAA and its advisors, the Sea Grant Programs, including their universities and consortia, and all stakeholders, including matching funds partners--are necessary to maximize the effectiveness of the program.

2. Integration of research, outreach and education components enables Sea Grant to make a unique contribution to addressing coastal, marine and Great Lakes issues.

3. Multi-disciplinary teams with broad stakeholder participation should be used to set priorities for Sea Grant Program activities.

4. The roles and responsibilities of the National Sea Grant College Program should be elevated within NOAA to allow both Sea Grant and NOAA to be more effective.

5. The true strength of the Sea Grant Program lies in core activities as reflected in the size of base budgets and operations.

6. All Sea Grant Program funding increases should be based on merit.

7. The Sea Grant Program is a science-based purveyor of information, not an advocate for specific positions or organizations.

8. A major key to the success of the Sea Grant Program is the integration of top down and grassroots efforts at the national, state, regional and local levels.

Principles to Guide SGA Operations

1. SGA elects officers and a governing Board to provide leadership for the organization as outlined in the SGA bylaws.

2. The officers and Board of SGA are empowered to carry out the business of the organization according to the SGA by-laws.

3. The Board may be empowered by members to represent SGA in a variety of settings and negotiations not specifically identified in the by-laws.

4. The elected leadership will consult with members on decisions regarding major issues, unless time constraints make this impossible. (Examples of different types of decisions will be provided for clarification at the time these principles are presented for adoption.)

5. The Board will keep members informed on Board activities and actions.

6. SGA will encourage diversity in personnel at all levels of Sea Grant network organizations.

7. All new Sea Grant funding opportunities pursued by SGA or individual Association members should have the potential to be beneficial to the entire network.

8. Each SGA member will carefully and consistently support the success and well-being of the entire network and adhere to the adopted principles of the organization.

Staffing

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