Collegiate Board Representative Description
Overview
The board will continue with the second year of the two-year pilot of having a Collegiate representative attend the SWE Board of Directors meetings. In FY07, a student will be an invited guest of the President following the same practice as in FY06. The student must meet all requirements described below and complete the review/ selection process. The student accepts full responsibility for their own travel expenses. An initial fund raising option is included as well. At the end of the two-year pilot, the program will be evaluated and if the consensus is to fully implement; a proposal including bylaws and procedure changes will be developed.
Eligibility & Requirements
The Collegiate Representative should demonstrate strong leadership, initiative, a working knowledge of SWE, and good communication skills. In order to ensure a qualified student will be appointed to the SWE BOD, the following set of requirements must be fulfilled.
- Paid SWE Student Member for at least two years
- Be in good standing with their university and minimum GPA >/= 2.50
- Must be a student member or a first year graduate member when term starts.
- Served in at least two of the following positions:
- SWE National Committee Member/Chair for a minimum of 1 year
- Region Student Representative
- Region Newsletter Editor
- SWE Student Section President OR A student may also meet this requirement by serving on two different national committees or FIG for a minimum of 1 year per committee/FIG.
- Attended at least 1 national and 1 regional conference Submitted an application form & three letters of recommendation (1 each) from the following:
- Student section leader
- SWE professional member
- Faculty member or work supervisor
Responsibilities
Responsibilities may include but are not limited to:
- Assist RSRs in their duties
- Liaison to the Collegiate Interest Committee (CIC)
- Oversee selection process for outstanding student committee member recognition
- Assist committee chairs with student on committee selection process- “due diligence” & review quarterly reports to ensure student recruiting on committees
- Any other duties that are assigned by the President
Application Process
An application (.doc) will need to be submitted by each applicant to SWE Headquarters. The deadline to submit an application will be April 3, 2006. In addition to the application, an unofficial transcript proving good standing with your university and three letters of recommendation should also be included. The application can also be found under Leadership Support in the SWE Resources area of the national web site. SWE Headquarters will be responsible for collecting the applications & verifying that the requirements have been met. Headquarters will provide all applications meeting the minimum requirements to the President Elect by April 17, 2006. The President Elect will form a BOD subcommittee to review and select the candidate. The President Elect will make the final appointment for the Collegiate Representative upon verification of applicant’s acceptance. The FY07 Collegiate Representative will be selected by early May, and all applicants will be notified via mail.
FAQ
The collegiate representative requires a lot of SWE leadership experience, is any student even qualified to apply?
YES, there are students that are qualified to apply for the collegiate representative position, but not many. In the coming years, it is STT's vision that more students will become involved on national committees and other student leadership positions therefore creating a larger applicant pool for the collegiate representative. In the future, it will become a student's goal to serve on a national committee or in a regional position in order to be the collegiate representative.
What will the collegiate rep do on the BOD?
The collegiate rep will serve as the direct student voice in BOD discussions and be a non-voting member of BOD. Responsibilities may include but are not limited to:
- Assist RSRs in their duties
- Liasion to the Collegiate Interest Committee (CIC)
- Oversee selection process for outstanding student committee member recognition
- Assist committee chairs with student on committee selection process- “due diligence” & review quarterly reports to ensure student recruiting on committees
Why create a collegiate rep position?
The collegiate rep provides a direct student voice on the board of directors. Yes, currently students are represented through board members, but there is currently no mechanism in place for students to ensure that at least one BOD member has their interests as a primary focus (i.e., students don’t have the right to vote for Directors). This position guarantees that at least one person in the BOD discussion is focused on the students and their needs.
Why do we need to pledge money?
The collegiate representative is a newly created position with no funding. The collegiate rep will be required to attend 5 BOD meetings in Chicago and travel is expensive for a student to cover! Also, the RSRs will receive money to fund their travel.
Why $32/section?
If $10,000 funding goal is distributed equally among the 300+ student sections, it equals $32/section.
Can other people contribute to the collegiate rep funding?
YES, donations can be accepted from anyone. STT is presenting to student sections, but professional sections, individuals and regions are encouraged to donate!
What will you do with all the money you raised? What if there is money left-over?
The first $5000 will fund travel for the collegiate rep and of any additional money, up to $5000 will help fund RSR travel. If more than $10,000 is raised, the money will be saved for the following year’s student travel funds. In the future, SWE is hoping to start an endowment fund for the collegiate rep.
How will the collegiate rep spend the $5000?
The collegiate rep will spend the money to fund travel for the five BOD face-to-face meetings. The money will pay for airfare, hotel and food. The collegiate rep is to follow BOD procedures for travel & reimbursement. They won’t just be given a $5000 check, the money will be handled through SWE Headquarters.
When will the applications be available?
Applications are available NOW! Go to SWE webpage & sign on as a member, then click on SWE Resources and the application is under Leadership Support.
Who is eligible to apply?
Eligibility Requirements include that the applicant:
- Is/Was a paid SWE Student Member for at least two years
- Is in good standing with their university and has/had a minimum GPA >/= 2.50
- Must be a current student member or a professional member in their first year out of school when term starts on July 1.
- Has served in at least two of the following positions:
- SWE National Committee Member/Chair for a minimum of 1 year
- Region Student Representative (RSR)
- Region Newsletter Editor (RNE)
- SWE Student Section President OR
- A student may also meet this requirement by serving on two different national committees or FIG for a minimum of 1 year per committee/FIG.
- Attended at least 1 national and 1 regional conference
- Submitted an application form & three letters of recommendation (1 each) from the following:
- Student section leader
- SWE professional member
- Faculty member or work supervisor
- June 10 (Fri) FY05 BOD#4 Chicago, IL Recommended
- June 11 (Sat) FY06 BOD Orientation Chicago, IL Required
- August 19 (Fri) FY06 BOD#1 Wilmington, DE Required
- August 20 (Sat) FY06 BOD#1 Wilmington, DE Required
- October 30 (Mon) FY06 BOD#2 Anaheim, CA Required
- October 31 (Tues) FY06 BOD#2 Anaheim, CA Required
- Jan ??(Sat) FY07 Planning Meeting Chicago, IL Recommended
- March 10 (Fri) FY06 BOD#3 Chicago, IL Required
- March 11 (Sat) FY06 BOD#3 Chicago, IL Required
- June 23 (Fri) FY06 BOD#4 Chicago, IL Required
Can someone donate Frequent Flyer miles?
If an individual would like to donate Frequent Flyer miles this person would need to work directly with the Collegiate Rep or RSR that the miles are being donated to. A transfer of Frequent Flyer miles must come directly from the “owner” of the miles.
Are Board meetings only on weekends or during the week as well?
For FY06 the BOD schedule is as follows:
