SWE Counselor & Faculty Advisor Training

SWE Counselor & Faculty Advisor Training Director of Education & Special Director, Women of Academia Mary Verstraete, Ph.D., Faculty Advisor Coordinator Kelly Griswold Schable, Counselor Coordinator

Agenda • Welcome & Introductions • Counselor / Advisor Training • Advisor & Counselor Group Discussions • Joint Discussion

Counselor Level-Setting Director of Education Lana Fountain Flakes Outreach Committee Scholarship Committee Counselor Coordinator Kelly Schable Graduate Programming Coordinator Counselors of Collegiate Sections

SWE Counselor Role • MUST be a paid SWE member • MUST be an elected member of the SWE collegiate section • Liaison between collegiate section, industry, faculty advisor and all levels of SWE; it is your job to know the SWE rules & bylaws and help others become knowledgeable • Coach the collegiate section by providing advice and resources on SWE, speakers, industry, etc • Remember to advise, don’t DO • Work with faculty advisor to ensure section in in good standing with university • Ensure the section is in good standing with SWE HQ (see next slide) • Encourage award and scholarship applications and collegiate member participation at regional and national levels • Encourage graduating students to transition to professional SWE membership and stay involved

Collegiate Section in Good Standing at SWE HQ • Ensure Collegiate Section has at least 10 paid members • At least 50% of the members must be women majoring in engineering or engineering technology • Ensure Submission of Updated SWE Bylaws • National Bylaws were extensively revised a few years ago, and ALL collegiate sections need to update their bylaws to be in compliance. Updates were due on June 30th; any SWE collegiate section who have not updated their bylaws will have their dues rebates withheld starting in January until the bylaws have been updated. • Latest collegiate section bylaws status found at : My SWE Communities - SWE Counselors / Faculty Advisors Community - Resources - Sept SWE Bylaws Status • Ensure Submission of Quarterly Section Reports to RCR • My SWE Communities – SWE Region and Section Resources Community – Resources – Collegiate Section Reports to RCR • Two reports due by Collegiate Sections in FY10 • Report #1 due to RCR on 1/25/10 • Report #2 due to RCR on 4/25/10. • Report contains Section Updates, Best Practices, List of Current Officers • Ensure Submission of Annual Report to SWE HQ • Report due by June 30th (or before school dismisses for the summer) • Submission format varies every year; more details closer to date • Ensure that collegiate sections have elected new officers (and counselors!) prior to submission • Ensure Submission of Financial Report to SWE HQ • Report due by June 30th (or before school dismisses for the summer) • Submission format varies every year; more details closer to date

Some Common Compliance Issues for Counselors • No co-officers are allowed. A section may have multiple Vice Presidents if called out in their bylaws. • There is no distinction between “local” and “national” SWE members. All SWE members are national members. Collegiate sections should take care to provide membership benefits that aren’t available to non-members. • Sections are not allowed to charge local dues. Charging for individual events is permissible. • Section officers need to be SWE members (dues paid). This includes the SWE Counselor. • The SWE Counselor is ELECTED by the collegiate section and is a non-voting member of the section • The position should be on the ballot every year, even if unopposed • Not only does this ensure that the collegiate section maintains control, it helps to remind the new officers that the Counselor exists and can aid in transition • If a new Counselor is needed, an alumna or a graduating collegiate member that is remaining in the area is a good person to recruit

Faculty Advisor Level-Setting Special Director, Women in Academia Mary Anderson - Rowland WIA Strategies Faculty Advisor Coordinator Mary Verstraete WIA Committee Mary Verstraete & Trisha Berry, Co- Chairs Faculty Advisors of Collegiate Sections

SWE Faculty Advisor Role • Does not have to be a SWE member, but it helps tremendously! • Liaison between collegiate section, the College of Engineering and the University • Interface between Collegiate members and University rules and policy • Promote the section to the College of Engineering and its faculty • Not all Universities require a student organization to have a “Faculty Advisor”, must follow University policy for registered student organizations • Coach the collegiate section • Keep in touch and continue to offer support - Advise, don’t DO • Know about available university/college resources • Encourage award and scholarship applications and collegiate member participation at regional and national levels • Attend and encourage attendance at conferences (free with 4 members attending), assist with University paperwork for travel authorization and funding requirement • Encourage graduating students to transition to professional SWE membership and stay involved

Collegiate Section in Good Standing at University • Ensure Collegiate Section has the minimum number of members • Each University typically has a minimum number to be considered a registered student organization. • Ensure Submission of Required Paperwork • Many Universities require a constitution, annual registration for, etc. • Ensure Officers are in Good Standing • Universities typically require that the organization’s officers are “in good standing”. Such as 2.0 GPA, declared a major, etc. • Ensure Financial Account and Spending are within University Guidelines • University accounts vs. bank checking accounts, etc. • University Budget requirements, statements, signatures, etc.

Some Common Compliance Issues for FAs There is no distinction between “local” and “national” SWE members. All SWE members are national members. Collegiate sections should take care to provide membership benefits that aren’t available to non-members. Sections are not allowed to charge local dues. Charging for individual events is permissible. Section officers need to be students in good standing with the University. Universities may not require a “Faculty” Advisor – this condition is being discussed by the Women in Academia Committee. Confusion between SWE sections and Women in Science and/or Engineering Programs

SWE Combined Counselor / Faculty Advisor Role • SWE Collegiate Sections MAY have one person who fills both the Counselor and Faculty Advisor role • Combined Counselor / Advisor has to be a paid SWE member • Must be knowledgeable on both SWE policies and University processes • Assume outline responsibilities for both Counselor & Faculty Advisor from previous charts

Tips for a Successful Relationship • It’s all about COMMUNICATION! • Get on their email lists, both for officers and general membership. • Stay in contact! You should be in touch with section leadership on a frequency matching SWE activities on their campus. Some sections are more independent than others, but at least touch base once per month during the school year. • Get to know your counterpart (Counselor or Faculty Advisor)! They can be a tremendous resource. Try to meet jointly with your SWE collegiate section when possible. • Attend meetings whenever possible, especially officer meetings. If you can’t make it in person, see if there’s a way to do a teleconference. • Encourage them to apply for section awards. Nominate them for the individual collegiate awards. • SWE Counselors and Faculty Advisors are often critical for section continuity. Help to ensure that elections happen early enough (April, March, or even February) that there is time and a mechanism for officer transition. Help with succession planning.

Additional Resources • Counselor Coordinator on CIC: Kelly Schable • cic-counselor@swe.org • Faculty Advisor Coordinator on CIC: Mary C Verstraete • cic-faculty@swe.org • Society Website: www.swe.org • SWE Counselors / Faculty Advisor Community • SWE Region and Section Resources Community • SWE Collegiate Membership Community • National Conference (fall) & Region Conference (spring) • Region Governor • governor-x@swe.org (where x is your region) • Free Bridelines (long distance call apply) – Free Teleconference : www.freeteleconference.com

Collegiate Section Awards & Competitions PLEASE NOTE: This lists awards for LAST year, and awards & dates may change! • Boeing Team Tech – Initial Proposal: JANUARY 15 • NEW! Outstanding Collegiate Section/Outstanding New Collegiate Section – MAY 31 For more information, go to www.swe.org under “Awards & Competition” and then under “Collegiate Competitions” • Website – JULY 1 • Multi-Cultural – JULY 1 • Membership – JULY 1 • Membership Upgrade (now includes evaluation of upgrade program in addition to # of upgrades) • Membership Retention Program • Membership Recruitment Program • Career Guidance – JULY 1 • Event/Series • Girl Scout Program • Corning Incentive Grants For more information, go to www.swe.org under “Awards & Competition” THESE ARE ALL WORTH $$$, and most are judged by section size. Several of them rarely see entries from small and sometimes even medium sections!

Collegiate Individual Awards & Competitions • National Scholarships – FEBRUARY 1 • Applications will be available in December under “Scholarships” at www.swe.org • Individual Collegiate Awards—MARCH 31 • Freshman-Sophomore Member • Junior/Senior Member • Graduate Member • Faculty Advisor • Counselor • 2010 nomination packet will be available on the SWE website under “Awards/Individual” in December • Collegiate Poster Competition – abstract due JUNE 15 • Look under “Collegiate Programs/Competitions” on the SWE website for more information.

Faculty Advisors/Counselors Let’s separate for 20 minutes and then we will reconvene for a final discussion

Discussion Questions • For those sections who have both a type of “Women in Engineering” program at the university and a SWE collegiate section, how do the two groups work together without stepping on each others toes? • What are other sections doing to attract members? • How can we help the student officers learn to delegate chores/positions to other SWE members? • How do other sections raise money to send students to national/regional conferences?

Open Discussion • Questions? • Concerns? Thanks for your participation! 

SWE Counselor & Faculty Advisor Training