Contents

• Branch Administration
• Student Branch Officers
• Student Branch Operating Committees
• Student Branch Constitution
• Branch Operations
• Time Management
• Project Management
• Student Branch Activities and Programs
• Student Professional Awareness Activities

The key to running a successful Student Branch lies in the effective administration. Enthusiasm and energy alone are not enough. What is required is a team effort where everyone contributes equally. There are several key positions in your branch administration. They consist of the Branch Officers (Chair, Vice-Chair, Treasurer, Secretary), the Branch Counselor (or Faculty Advisor), an Industrial Mentor, and the sub-committee Chairs. While each has somewhat different duties, it is important that you work together as a team.

The responsibility for administering Branch operations lies with your Student Branch Executive Committee. The Executive Committee should consist of all the Branch Officers, sub-committee Chairs, your Branch Counselor, and your Industrial Mentor. You may also want to include class representatives or other positions should the opportunity arise. The key to an efficient and fun Executive Committee lies in regular meetings and good communications among the members. Each member of the Executive Committee should be aware of the overall objectives for the year as well as their specific duties for upcoming events. Duplication (or omission) of duties arising from a lack of communications is demoralizing and leads to headaches and frustrations.

The Annual Plan of Activities is a report due at IEEE Student Services by November 1 or two months after the academic year begins. The completion of this plan assists the Branch in setting its goals and objectives. Developed in a series of meetings involving the Executive Committee, Committee Chairs, and the Counselor, it considers the needs and interests of the Branch members and sets down specific programs and goals. By working toward defined goals, your Branch is able to measure and evaluate its effectiveness during the course of the year, and again at the end of the academic year when writing the Annual Report of Activities.

To encourage you to complete the Annual Plan, IEEE Headquarters provides an incentive rebate of $50.00 ($25.00 if your Branch has less than 50 members). Copies of the completed report should be sent to the IEEE Student Services Coordinator, your Section SAC Chair, your Regional SAC Chair, and your Regional Student Representative.

The annual report, if developed before current Officers leave and new Officers assume their duties, provides an excellent means for establishing officer continuity. If you sit down with the incoming Executives to fill out the report, you will help them out greatly in their planning for next year. The Annual Report is due at IEEE Student Services May 1.

Once again, to encourage you to fill this out, the IEEE provides an incentive rebate of $1.10 per student member at your Branch (based on your membership on Dec. 31 of the previous year). Copies of the report should be sent to the IEEE Student Services Coordinator, your Section SAC Chair, your Regional SAC Chair, and your Regional Student Representative.

Your responsibilities to IEEE Headquarters such as the Annual Plan, Annual Report and Financial Statement, and reporting of new Officers, etc., are noted in the sample Branch Calendar on pages 17-18. Copies of these forms are included in Section 5 - Forms and Applications.

Specific responsibilities of Branch Officers and the Counselor are described on the following pages. It is important to note, however, that an Officer's responsibility is not limited to points outlined below. If your Branch is to succeed, it requires that you be willing to reach beyond the customary roles defined here.

The Officers of your Student Branch are the Chair, Vice-Chair, Treasurer, and Secretary. Each Officer has specific duties, but it is, once again, very important that you work together as a team. While the Student Branch Chair is the Executive Officer of the Branch, he/she is not the "boss" with the others being his/her "underlings."

Student Branch Chair
The Student Branch Chair is responsible for the overall management of all Branch affairs. In order to be effective, the Chair must learn to delegate responsibilities to other Branch Officers and members of the Executive Committee. Some of the specific duties include:

1. Presiding at all meetings of the Branch. The Chair must be familiar with the parliamentary rules of order and the proper procedures required to conduct a business like session. If the meetings you chair are organized, short, and to the point, you will find that your meetings are more productive and better attended. To other students, and especially to your Branch Counselor, there is nothing worse than a long, unorganized meeting, where nothing gets done. Unless you are organized and in control of the meeting, you may find it hard to keep things on track. If you are unfamiliar with how to run a meeting, you may find it helpful to refer to Robert's Rules of Order (which can be found in any library), talk to your predecessor, or to ask your Branch Counselor for help.
2. Holding regular meetings. It is vital that your Executive Committee meets at least bi-weekly (weekly if possible). You will find that frequent, short meetings are more effective than long, infrequent meetings. You should schedule the meetings for the same time each week so the members of your Executive Committee can set aside that time slot. When chairing the meeting, you should be enthusiastic, open to new ideas, and quick to recognize people's contributions. Your job is not to "lord over the meeting" but to ensure that it runs smoothly.
3. Appoint sub-committee chairs promptly, and fill other positions on an "as needed" basis. It is important that you at least have Membership and Publicity sub-committees. You may find that you need more sub-committees depending on the size of your Branch. You will also find that the number of sub-committees may vary from year to year.
4. Preparing the necessary reports for IEEE Headquarters. Reports such as the Annual Plan of Activities, and the Annual Report of Activities, are vital to maintaining good records and keeping IEEE Headquarters informed about your activities. Without prompt and accurate submission of these reports, allotments, rebate checks, and Branch mailings may be delayed (or even withheld in extreme cases). It doesn't matter whether you personally prepare these reports or delegate the responsibility to the Secretary. It is still your responsibility to ensure that these reports are filed on time.
5. Arrange for election of the new Officers on a calendar year basis. A one year term is more preferable that a one semester term for obvious reasons. Short terms tend to cause officers to shun their responsibilities and just get through the semester. This leaves the following officers with little or nothing to build on.
6. Ensure smooth transition of information and materials to newly elected officers and arrange orderly transfer of Branch records. New officers are often thrown into their positions with no idea of what to do much less of what they are responsible for providing to the IEEE. It is crucial for the outgoing officers to meet with the incoming officers to ensure continuity. Prepare a training or shadowing program for them. It is crucial that you pass your acquired knowledge onto your successor so that he or she can build upon your efforts. If the incoming Student Branch Chair always has to "start from scratch," it will be very hard for your Student Branch to have a successful program of activities. Traditional programs and activities should be discussed with the new officers. The outgoing officers should also provide the new officers with contact information so that questions that arise later may be properly addressed.
7. Work with and coordinate some activities with Section and Region officers. Sometimes Student Branches never go outside of their campus for activities. Networking with Section and Region officers will help to establish professional contacts as well as to develop visibility for your Branch. You may never know the resources available to you until you make contact with your Section and Region officers.
8. Communicate frequently with the other Officers, particularly during the summer months, when you are not in school. Planning your goals and a basic program of activities before the Fall semester begins can help Branch operations run smoother and aid in your Fall membership drive.

1. Chairing the Program or Membership Sub-committee. The effort you put into these committees is always of tremendous benefit to the Branch.
2. Organizing field trips or special events beyond regular program efforts.
3. Ensuring that Branch programs run smoothly. You should be at all Branch events, if possible, and help to advise the Student Branch Chair of the success of each event. If possible, arrange for refreshments at Branch meetings.
4. Assisting the Chair in following up on assigned committee responsibilities.
5. Performing all functions of the chair in the latter's absence or upon request. This includes chairing meetings as needed and overseeing committees as assigned.

1. Notifying IEEE Headquarters of the names of newly elected Officers immediately upon election. Since all of the supplies and mailings from Headquarters go to the Counselor or Student Branch Chair, it is imperative that the correct names and addresses are available. Otherwise, the mailings can be delayed (or even worse, returned to the sender). A form for reporting new Officer and new Counselor selections can be obtained from IEEE Headquarters, but a new form is automatically sent to your Branch each August. When filling out the forms, be sure to complete all the required information, ensuring that all addresses are complete and your school code is correct.
2. Keeping detailed records of all Branch meetings and activities in order to complete the Annual Report of Activities each year. Although it is not necessary to send individual meeting reports to IEEE Headquarters, these records will make your preparation of the Annual Report much easier. It is important that you complete an Annual Report; it helps keep IEEE Headquarters appraised of your activities and makes planning a much easier job for your successors.
3. Maintaining stationery and other IEEE forms and supplies as required. A standard order form with materials available free of charge to all Student Branches is mailed to you each August. Additional copies of the form can also be obtained from IEEE Headquarters. When ordering your supplies, please keep in mind that there are over 800 Student Branches worldwide; please do not order more than you really need.
4. Maintaining Branch membership roster and committee assignments list. Recording the full names and addresses of all speakers and their respective companies, as well as title and sources of films. Don't forget to send a short note of appreciation to all your speakers and special guests.
5. Carrying out all necessary communications and correspondence of the Branch, filing all records of the Branch in an easily accessible location, and keeping the Branch Membership roster up-to-date. Each month, IEEE Headquarters will send a listing of all new members joining your Branch in the previous month.
6. Posting a calendar of events on either the student bulletin board or the door of your Branch office (if you have one). The calendar is an excellent way to keep members aware of meetings and Branch activities.
7. Ascertaining that all Branch activities are conducted under the provisions of the current Branch Constitution and Bylaws. For example, you cannot encourage or co-operate with the commercial activities of a profit-making organization. You must also be careful when using the IEEE trademark in all Branch advertising. Should you need to use the IEEE trademark, you can contact IEEE Headquarters for either camera-ready art or an electronic version (standard file types only).
8. At the end of your term, arrange for the orderly transfer of all records to the incoming Secretary.

1. Maintaining the appropriate Branch accounts. Depositing all moneys received in the name of the Branch with the local bank on campus. The account should be an interest bearing one, with the Treasurer and Student Branch Chair as the only two signatories on the account. You should also ensure that no checks can be written unless both signatures are on the check. If your Branch has substantial reserves, you may consider investing some of it into term deposits and using the interest for a scholarship or other worthwhile project.
2. Preparing a budget at the start of the year and an end-of-year Financial Statement for the Branch Executive Committee and Counselor. The budget can be included as part of the Annual Plan of Activities submitted by November 1 each year. Remember that once your budget is set, only disbursements authorized by the Executive Committee should be made. The end-of-year Financial Statement is submitted with the Annual Report of Activities, due at IEEE Headquarters by May 1 each year or six months after the academic year ends. Don't forget to send a copy to the Region 5 RSAC.
3. Receiving and depositing the annual rebate check from IEEE Headquarters. Each Branch receives $1.10 per student member plus $0.70 for any chapter members, based upon the membership statistics of December 31 that academic year. The check is mailed in August after your Annual Report and Financial Statement are received.
4. Overseeing all fundraising efforts of the Branch. This includes arranging for industrial sponsors for special projects or Student Professional Awareness Activities.
5. Arranging for an orderly transfer of all financial records of the Branch to the incoming Treasurer. You should also sit down with the incoming Treasurer and explain, in detail, the end-of-year Financial Statements that you prepared.

As indicated in Bylaw 407.3, the IEEE Student Branch members initiate the appointment of a Counselor for their Branch. To begin the procedure, the Branch Chair should hold a meeting at which candidates for the Branch Counselor position are identified and discussed. When the Branch members have agreed upon a faculty member they would like to serve as their Branch Counselor, they should obtain permission from the individual to proceed with the nomination. If the candidate agrees to serve as Counselor, Branch officers complete the Counselor Appointment Nomination Form, obtaining, if desired, signatures from the department head and/or the Dean. The Branch Chair should then if possible, meet with the Chair of the Branch's Section. If the Section Chair approves the Branch's choice for Branch Counselor, they will sign the Counselor Appointment Nomination Form, thus appointing the nominee to the Branch Counselor position. The original form should then be sent to IEEE Student Services and copies sent to (1) the Regional Student Activities Committee Chair (RSAC), (2) the Regional Student Representative (RSR), (3) the Section SAC Chair, and (4) the Regional Director.

After two years, the procedure outlined above should be repeated, resulting in either a selection of a new Branch Counselor or the reappointment of the current Counselor.

Please note that the endorsement of a Branch counselor by either a department head or Dean is not required by the IEEE bylaws. However, such an endorsement is desirable and fosters good relations between the Branch and its corresponding academic department. The Branch should recommend whomever its members feel would be the best Counselor. The Branch should bear in mind, however, that recommendation of a Counselor without endorsement by either the department head or Dean may result in a rejection of the recommendation by the Section Chair.

In addition to a vibrant and good working rapport with the Student Officers, the Counselor should be in frequent contact with the Section Student Activities Chair (Section SAC). He or she should act as a liaison with the Section, the Region, and IEEE Headquarters, and should be familiar with all aspects of Branch operations. Specifically, the Counselor's position includes:

1. Ensuring that information from IEEE Headquarters is communicated to the student officers. Helping the students to establish a special mailbox to allow the Branch Officers easy access to IEEE mail. Additionally, if the school has e-mail capability, the Counselor should help the students to set up a permanent account for e-mail access.
2. Attending Executive Committee meetings and assisting Branch Committees.
3. Participating in annual or semiannual meetings of the Regional Activities Committee, as appropriate, including any Branch Counselor Workshops at Regional Conferences.
4. Consulting with the Section SAC, Regional SAC, and/or Regional Director about Branch problems or activities as necessary, and participating in Section Executive Committee meetings as appropriate.
5. Endorsing all qualified new IEEE Student Member applications.
6. Fostering good relations with the local Section and encouraging students to establish a regular liaison with the Section SAC and Branch Mentor. Additionally, the Counselor should encourage students to attend Section meetings and seek appointment of a student (e.g., the Branch Chair) as a voting member of the Section Executive Committee.
7. Promoting student awareness of awards, contests, and benefits of membership. The Counselor should also ask working professionals from the local Section to assist in membership promotion.
8. Establishing industrial contacts for Branch programs and activities, including speakers, tours, and Student Professional Awareness Conferences and Ventures.
9. Informing other faculty members of the activities of the Branch, and seeking their assistance in promoting meetings, discussing benefits of membership, and supporting IEEE programs. The Branch Mentor and Section SAC may also be called upon for assistance in such matters.
10. Organizing a Branch Student Paper Contest to pre-qualify entrants for the Regional Student Paper Contest. The Counselor should also contact the Section SAC to inquire about the possibility of a Section Student Paper Contest. In all cases, the Counselor must ensure that the guidelines for the contests are adhered to (especially checking to make sure that all entrants are IEEE Student Members, or have submitted a completed application form along with full payment at the time of entry).
11. Promoting the IEEE on campus. Acting as a role model for students, thus encouraging students to join the IEEE and to remain members of the IEEE after graduation.
12. Providing continuity in the activities of the Branch by conducting Student leadership training. Organizing an outbriefing with the outgoing officers including the transfer of Branch documentation and previously completed forms to help the new student officers.

A Branch Mentor is a key Section member from industry who is appointed by the local Section, in consultation with the Student Branch members, to be a mentor to a specific IEEE Student Branch. Each Branch Mentor will be a member of both the Section Executive Committee and the Student Branch Executive Committee. He or she will provide guidance, serve as a liaison between the student members and the Section Executive Committee, and encourage new graduates from their school to stay active in the IEEE. A member who has some firsthand experience in Student Branch operations and Section activities is an ideal candidate for a Branch Mentor!

Some suggested duties for the Branch mentor include:

• Meeting with Student Branch members regularly
• Participating in all Section Executive Committee meetings
• Assisting Student Branches in developing effective programs
• Providing a dependable bridge between the Student Branch and local Section
• Working closely with the Student Branch Counselor and the Section SAC Chair
  

Although this program is a new initiative by the IEEE, some expected benefits are:

• Increased interaction between Student Branches and local Sections
• Improved continuity of Student Branch Operations
• Complement the efforts of Student Branch Counselors and Section SAC Chairs
• Retention of recent graduate members
• Improved student/faculty/industry cooperation
• Increased young member participation in Section activities

If your Branch would like to participate in this program, and would like some help in finding a Branch Mentor, you should contact your local Section Chair and the IEEE Student Services Manager. Once you have found a Branch Mentor, you should register your selection by filling out the Branch Mentor Appointment Form and returning it to IEEE Student Services.

It is quite seldom that any event you plan will attract all the members from your Branch. Instead, you must plan a varied program, based on a cross-section of interest. Having different operating committees can help you achieve this goal of a balanced, broad-reaching program of activities. By having several subcommittees, you can also involve more of your members in the planning and leadership of many activities. A Branch with many active members is one that will have a successful program of activities; a Branch where only a few are involved will soon find itself tired and unenthusiastic.

Before you decide to form a new committee, you must determine precisely what function the committee is to serve and what steps must be taken to achieve the prescribed goals. Since a committee is only as productive as its leadership, it is essential that your committee chair either have the necessary organizational and leadership abilities, or be given the time to develop those abilities. There are many successful engineers in industry now that will attest to the fact that their IEEE Student Branch was the first place they were given a chance to develop their leadership skills. Don't worry if your volunteers are unsure of what to do at first. Guide them along, give them some time, and they will develop the skills they need.

You should keep in mind that not all committees may exist every year. Some years, you may have an abundance of volunteers and more activities than historically normal. Other years, you may find students unwilling to volunteer their time. If you have lots of committees and a large program, that's great! You should then try to focus your efforts on trying to maintain this new level of participation. If, however, you find a lack of volunteers and a very small program, don't be too discouraged. Do the best to run a scaled-down program. While it may seem to you that your effort is in vain, don't forget that at the same time, you are developing your own organizational and leadership skills.

Once again, depending on the size of your Branch, the number of committees will vary. In a small Branch, many of the duties may be assumed by the Executive Committee, or you may find that every member is an active member. Some key committees are:

Program Committee responsible for planning and running your Branch's program of activities for the year. A program of meaningful activities (both technical and social) can help increase your membership and participation.

Publicity Committee responsible for advertising all Branch activities. This may also involve public relations with non-engineering faculties and the general public.

Membership Committee responsible for planning, organizing, and carrying out Branch recruitment. Each member of this committee should have a thorough knowledge of membership benefits, Branch programs, and be able to answer questions such as "Why should I join the IEEE?"

Finance Committee responsible for helping the Treasurer plan fundraising activities.

Nominating Committee responsible for setting the election guidelines and dates prior to the annual election of Officers. This committee must ensure that all candidates are Student members in good standing at the time of their declaration, and should pay careful attention to why an individual is running.

Student Branch Chapters
A Student Branch Chapter is a technical subunit of a Student Branch. It consists of a minimum of twelve Student members of a particular IEEE Society, and is established by a petition to the parent Student Branch and Society concerned. The Branch Chapter extends the capability of the Branch to provide unique programs and services to a particular cross-section of students.

The two most popular Branch Chapters are part of the Computer Society and the Communications Society. If there is enough interest at your Branch (and enough volunteers), you may even establish several Branch Chapters. Many Branches have one Chapter, some have two or three, and a few have four or more.

If your Chapter is large and has a vibrant program, you may find it necessary to have a full complement of Officers. On the other hand, if your Chapter is small, all that may be required is a Chapter Chair that is part of the Executive Committee. The ultimate responsibility for the Chapter management still rests with the Executive Committee.

Like the Student Branch Chair, the Branch Chapter Chair has some specific duties. These include:

• Attend all meetings of the Branch.
• Hold regular meetings of the Chapter if you have a complement of Officers.
• Work with the Program, Publicity and Membership Committee Chairs to promote your Chapter and its activities.
• Prepare the necessary reports for IEEE Student Services: Annual Plan - November 1, Annual Report - May 1.
• Ensure a smooth transition of information and materials to newly elected Officer(s) and arrange an orderly transfer of Chapter records.

Like the Student Branch, your Chapter must file an Annual Plan of Activities and Annual Report of Activities each year. The Chapter report may form a section of the Branch report, or be a completely separate one. To encourage your Chapter to file an annual report, IEEE Headquarters has made available a rebate of $0.70 per member of your Chapter (based on your membership on Dec. 31).

If you would like more information on how to form a Student Branch Chapter, contact the IEEE Student Services Coordinator. Petition forms, along with complete instructions are available from IEEE Student Services.

Each IEEE Student Branch should have a Branch Constitution on file. If you do not have one, you should sit down with your Executive Committee and draft one. If you do have one, you might want to sit down and see if it needs any updating.

To help you write (or revise) your Branch Constitution, a sample constitution for the IEEE Student Branch at the fictitious University of Great Things is shown in the following pages. A sample Constitution for Student Branches can also be obtained from the IEEE Student Services Coordinator.

Article I:	NAME AND PURPOSE
Sec. 1.	This organization shall be known as the University of Great Things Student Branch of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE).
Sec. 2.	The purpose shall be the dissemination of knowledge of the theory and practice of all aspects of electrical engineering, computers, electronics, radio, allied branches of engineering or the elated arts and sciences, as well as the furtherance of the professional development of members.
Sec. 3.	The organization and operation of the Branch shall be in accordance with the Constitution and Bylaws of the IEEE.
Article II:	MEMBERSHIP
Sec. 1.	Full Membership shall be limited to undergraduate and graduate students of The University of Great Things, who are taking at least 50% of a full-time academic program. Faculty and staff who are members of the IEEE shall be granted Associate Membership in the Branch.
Sec. 2.	Membership and participation in Branch activities shall be free from discrimination based on gender, race, religion, handicap, or sexual orientation.
Article III:	DUES
Sec. 1.	The Executive Committee of the Branch shall have the power to levy special assessments upon endorsement by a two-thirds vote of the membership of the Branch. Associate members will be exempted from any special assessments levied by the Branch.
Sec. 2.	Nonpayment of annual IEEE membership fees will automatically result in suspension of membership in the IEEE and in the local Branch. Nonpayment of local dues will result in the loss of voting rights and the right to hold office, but will not result in suspension of membership in the IEEE.
Sec. 3.	The local dues per semester for members are payable at the beginning of the semester.
Article IV:	OFFICERS
Sec. 1.	The Officers of the Branch shall be a Chair, a Vice-Chair, a Treasurer, and a Secretary.
Sec. 2.	Only Full Members in good standing shall be eligible to hold office. Associate members shall not be entitled to vote or to hold office.
Sec. 3.	The term of office shall ordinarily be one year and shall begin on May 1 of each year.
Sec. 4.	Election of Officers for the following year shall be held not later than the second last meeting of each year. Candidates for the office of Chair must have previously served as an elected Officer of the Branch. In the event that no candidates meet this requirement, each candidate who receives the endorsement of both the Department Head and the Branch Counselor will be allowed to run.
Article V:	EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
Sec. 1.	The management of the affairs of the Branch shall be in the hands of the Executive Committee, consisting of the duly elected officers of the Branch and the Counselor appointed by the IEEE. The Branch Chair shall also chair the Executive Committee. Other committee chairs and appointed Officers shall be ex-officio members of the Executive Committee.
Sec. 2.	The Executive Committee shall be the governing body of the Branch and shall transact all business it deems advisable, including the filling of vacancies in offices, authorization of expenditures, etc.
Article VI:	DUTIES OF OFFICERS
Sec. 1.	The Branch Chair shall preside at all meetings of the Branch, shall appoint all committees, subject to the approval of the Executive Committee, and shall assume all other executive duties not otherwise delegated.
Sec. 2.	The Vice-Chair shall perform all functions of the Branch Chair in the latter is absence or upon the request of the Chair.
Sec. 3.	The Branch Secretary shall keep a record of activities of the Branch and shall record the number of members at each meeting or activity. The Secretary is responsible for filing the Annual Plan of Activities and the Annual Report of Activities with IEEE Student Services, in a timely manner. The Secretary shall carry on all other communications necessary to the activity of the Branch and ensure that all activities of the Branch are in accordance with this Constitution and the Bylaws of the IEEE.
Sec. 4.	The Treasurer shall receive all money and pay all debts of the Branch authorized by the Executive Committee, and shall keep an exact account of all receipts and expenditures. The Treasurer shall also complete the year-end Financial Statements for inclusion in the Annual Report of Activities.
Article VII:	STANDING COMMITTEES
Sec. 1.	The following Standing Committees or their equivalent shall be appointed by the Chair: Program Committee, Publicity Committee, and Membership Committee.
Sec. 2.	The Program Committee shall prepare the programs for all meetings and shall be responsible for all arrangements for these meetings. The Program Committee shall normally be chaired by the Student Branch Vice-Chair.
Sec. 3.	The Publicity Committee shall be responsible for proper advertisement of each meeting.
Sec. 4.	The Membership Committee shall bring the advantages of membership in the Branch, and in the IEEE, to the attention of all potential Student members.
Sec. 5.	In addition to the above standing committees, the Student Branch Chair may appoint other committees deemed necessary.
Article VIII:	MEETINGS
Sec. 1.	The Branch shall hold regular and special meetings at such places and time as designated by the Executive Committee, with a minimum of three meetings a year. At least one of these meetings shall be held jointly with the local Section.
Article IX:	AMENDMENTS
Sec. 1.	The Branch is empowered to adopt Bylaws which are consistent with this Constitution.
Sec. 2.	The Constitution may be amended by a two-thirds vote of members of the Branch present and voting, provided the amendment have been proposed at least one duly publicized meeting previous to the time of voting and provided that quorum is met. Such amendments become effective only upon the approval of the Executive Committee, but such approval shall not be unduly withheld.

Adopted: January 11, 1995
I.M. Aware, Branch Chair
Y.Z. Professor, Branch Counselor

Effective Student Branch Operations comes from knowing how to develop a varied and interesting program of activities for your Student members, how to utilize the vast resources at your disposal, and informing students of the many awards and scholarships that the IEEE sponsors. The intent of this section is to provide you with some ideas on how to revitalize your Branch if it has been inactive, or how to provide new services to your members if your Branch is alive and well. If it is active, this will give additional momentum.

Branch Programs
In planning your activities (or Branch programs) for the year, it is important to keep in mind that you must design a varied and interesting schedule of events. It doesn't matter whether your Branch has ten members or 200 members, students will not give up their precious free time to attend boring meetings or work on disorganized projects.

Experience throughout the years has shown that it is impossible to satisfy the interest of all Student members with just one type of activity. Some students join solely for the technical benefits, others for the social benefits, and still others for a combination of both. One way to come up with an interesting list of activities is to have a brainstorming session with your Executive Committee. Have each person take a different point of view and compile a list of events. You can then discuss this list in greater detail and decide which projects would be worthwhile to undertake. However, don't throw away the list generated during the brainstorming session. This might come in handy later during the year.

When choosing an event, you should ask yourself several questions to evaluate the potential of that event. Among the things you should consider are:

• Will this event attract new members?
• Is the event actually feasible? Do you have the resources to carry it through?
• How will it satisfy the needs of existing members?
• Does it meet a specific need of your Branch?
• Will you need to undertake a fundraising effort to hold this event?

Once you have decided on a program of activities for the year, you need to find the people to help you organize these activities. By having a varied program, you can involve members that are not on your Executive Committee. These team efforts give each member the chance for some leadership experience. By delegating the responsibility and authority, you not only reduce the workload for yourself, you are giving the other members a chance to actively participate. The more people you get involved in the planning and organization of events, the more people you will have attending those events. If your Branch is viewed as being "elitist", you will quickly find that members don't have the time to help, and your Branch will gradually become inactive. You should take every opportunity to involve as many members (and even non-members) as possible.

Depending on the size of your Branch, you may have a Program Committee that takes care of all the events, or a collection of sub-committees for each event. Either way, if your approach the tasks with the following attitude, you may help to chances of your program being a success:

• always approach the program as a professional, everyone's time is precious;
• establish a reasonable timeline and stick to it;
• keep everyone involved up-to-date with written or oral reports. If someone feels left out, they are less likely to contribute;
• whenever possible, utilize the special talents of all your student members in the committee;
• remember to have fun while you are doing things.

The Annual Report of Activities is an important tool you can use to evaluate the success of your Program. It also serves as a valuable historical document to aid future Executives in their planning. The submission of this report also requires detailed financial statements, so it is important that the Student Branch Treasurer is involved in the preparation of the report. Once again, it is encouraged that you fill this out, The IEEE provides an incentive rebate of $1.10 per student member at your Branch (statistics as of December 31 the previous year). Copies of this report should be sent to the IEEE Student Services Coordinator, your local Section SAC Chair, your Regional SAC Chair, and your Regional Student Representative. The due date for filing this report is May 1st.

Admittedly, the incentive rebates are not a lot of money. However, the point of filling out this reports is not to receive the rebates. You should be filling out these reports to evaluate the success of your Program and to provide some continuity for future years.

Reporting forms are also available electronically. Please contact Laura Durrett at l.durrett@ieee.org.

Membership
Attracting new members is a problem that plagues most Student Branches. The statistics over the last couple of years indicate that student membership is dropping off throughout North America. Each year you will lose members due to graduation and to memberships lapsing (arrears). It is the responsibility of the Membership Committee to disseminate accurate information about the benefits associated with IEEE membership. Take a moment to reflect on why you joined the IEEE and why you have remained a member. Not surprisingly, the more active you are in the IEEE as a Student member, the more likely you are to remain an IEEE member throughout your career.

Every prospective member should be informed about the basics associated with membership. All Student members receive:

• IEEE Spectrum, an award winning publication. With a monthly circulation of over 300,000, Spectrum is the world's most widely read electrical and electronics magazine. It contains timely articles on the status of the profession, careers and education, applications of state-of-the-art technology, and various historical and tutorial issues.
• IEEE POTENTIALS, a publication geared towards student members. This quarterly magazine covers career issues, technical topics, Branch activities, and subjects of general interest to Student members.
• The Institute, a monthly supplement to Spectrum. This newsletter informs the IEEE membership about IEEE activities affecting its members and the profession.
• A substantial discount on IEEE Society publications. Students can join the Computer Society, Communications Society, Oceanic Engineering Society, or any of the other technical societies at approximately 50% off the normal member rate. The principal advances in the various fields are reported in the technical periodicals of the IEEE Societies. You should take note that some societies, like the Power Engineering Society, offer students the chance to join their society at no cost for the first year.

In addition, you should receive all local Section publications, a membership pin, and a membership card.

You should also try to find ways to add value to their membership at the Student Branch level. For every event you hold, there should be a member price and a non-member price. This way, by participating in more events, students get more value for their money. One Student Branch in Western Canada usually holds an annual field trip. This Branch has visited Silicon Valley, Houston, Boston, Japan, and France. Although this trip is open to all students, everyone that participates is a member. Why? The reason is simple. One of the duties of the Field Trip Coordinator is to apply for various grants and subsidies to fund the field trip. This money is then returned to the participants in the form of a rebate. If you are a member, you get a rebate; if you are not a member, you don't get one. Usually, this rebate is more than $100. How much is membership? About $35. You can figure out the rest.

Some of the other benefits are less tangible, but worth mentioning. Student members are eligible for a vast number of awards and scholarships. Through activities that your Branch hosts, students may have the chance to learn about professional development skills, make personal contacts with Section members in industry, and personally grow by actively participating. When someone asks you that obvious question, "Why should I join?", you should be able to look at your own experience and give him some reasons why you joined. When people ask you why they should join, what they really want to know is why you joined and what you have gained.

When you are recruiting new members, it is important to consider other faculties and departments other than electrical or computer engineering. Students in physics, engineering science, biomedical engineering, computer science, and mathematics can all benefit from joining the IEEE. The professional, technical, and social activities that you can offer than transcend the boundaries of faculties or departments.

Finally, Student Branches can request special membership certificates from Region 5 for new student members. To do so, contact the Region 5 Student Representative.

Fundraising
One of the more important aspects of running an IEEE Student Branch is fundraising. As discussed in Section 2.4, fundraising falls under the responsibility of the Finance Subcommittee. The unfortunate truth is that the rebate money issued by IEEE Headquarters in return for submission of your Branch Plan and Annual Report will not go too far. Without money to hold activities, you will just be a collection of people who subscribe to the same technical magazines. One of the largest Student Branches in the United States is just that. They have over 500 members, but no active Branch program. They join the IEEE solely for the technical journals and miss out on the other opportunities an active Branch program provides. Successful fundraising efforts will generate money for your Branch, allowing your Branch to host more events. Believe it or not, an active program of events (both technical and social) will lead to more members and more money. More importantly, however, the events that fundraising will allow you to hold, will help your Branch develop a meaningful identity.

In the October 1989 edition of the IEEE POTENTIALS Magazine, Dr. Gerald Karam gives some tips in his article, "Running a Successful Student Branch". In that article, Dr. Karam states there are different demands for the timing of money:

1. Operating money for items that require payment on a continual basis;
2. Seed money or money up front for activities that will at least break even;
3. Subsidy money for projects in which the charges to members are below cost;
4. Capital money for things to buy.

When planning your fundraisers, you should take these four demands into consideration. Quite often, a particularly successful fundraiser will allow you to hold an immediate event and allocate the remaining funds towards future endeavors.

There are many different ways to raise funds. It is important to realize something that works for one student branch may not work for another branch. Some suggestions for fundraising are sponsoring a vending machine in your engineering building, selling lab manuals and class notes, and selling engineering paraphernalia. The Student Branch Operations Guide contains a list of 19 fundraising ideas. While you may not find all those ideas useful at your particular Branch, they can help you think of other ideas that will work.

Not all fundraisers have to be targeted at engineering and computer science students. For example, if your Engineering or Computer Science department has good computer equipment, you might be able to raise money by helping students in other faculties spruce up their term papers and reports (e.g., adding color to the cover page, scanning in pictures, etc.) Providing tutorial services on computer lab software is also a good idea. Students are often unfamiliar with the word processor used by the school's computing facilities and would benefit greatly from a short tutorial.

When planning your fundraising project, it is important to ensure that your actions do not tarnish the image of engineering. While the stereotypic image of engineering has been bad in the past (and may still be at some schools), it has improved significantly in the past years and we do not want to jeopardize any progress made. For example, if you decide to sell silk-screened T-shirts, the image on the shirt should not be offensive in any way. You must also be very careful that the media you use to advertise the event is not offensive in any way. Of course, gender and racial bias will not be tolerated.

Time management is a skill that we all wish we could master. I'm sure that you know several people that always complain about a lack of time yet never seem to accomplish anything. I'm sure we also know others who always seem to have lots of free time yet seem to accomplish everything. Most of us are somewhere in the middle. If we didn't complain about a lack of time, especially during midterms and finals, we wouldn't be students and engineering students at that. Learning how to manage your time effectively will not only help you in your studies, it will make your involvement in the IEEE more productive and more fun.

Perhaps Seneca (4 BC - 65 AD), a Roman statesman, author, and Stoic philosopher said it best when he said:

"We all of us complain of the shortness of time and yet have much more than we know what to do with. We are always complaining that the days are few, and acting as though there would be no end to them."

FOUR STEPS TO TIME MANAGEMENT

Step 1 Taking Stock
All the time management books and articles I have read start with the same thing. Before you can decide how you are going to spend your time, you have to discover how you are already spending it. You need to sit down and take stock of what your daily routine is. Some books advocate keeping a journal for one week and jotting down what you did in one-half hour intervals. Others suggest that you sit down at the end of a day and write down everything you did, including how long you spent doing each thing. There is no right or wrong answer. However you decide to do it, you need to find out where your time goes. You may be surprised to learn where your time goes. The one hour break between classes in the morning, or the two hour lunch that you scheduled where does all that time go?

After you have discovered where your time goes, you need to spend some time analyzing why is goes where it does. If you find yourself spending all your breaks in the coffee shop or arcade, you need to ask yourself why. Do you hang out there to chat with all your friends? Do you find that time of "relaxing" helps you cope with the stress of school? Whatever the case may be, you need to decide if you are satisfied with how you spend your time. Ask yourself the tough questions and be honest with yourself. If you find you don't have the time to accomplish everything you want, yet you are satisfied with how you spend your time, something is wrong. Either your goals are too lofty or you aren't being honest with yourself.

Step 2 Deciding Your Goals
Now that you have discovered where all your time goes, you have to decide what you really want to do with your time. Perhaps you don't need to spend all that time in the coffee shop. Maybe you find that time would be better spent in the library. When you set goals for what you want to accomplish, you need to keep four rules in mind:

• Be specific if you are having trouble with your Electromagnetics course, it is not good enough to say that you will spend more time reading the text and solving practice problems. You need to say, "I will spend an extra 5 hours each week reading the textbook and doing practice problems." You can even be more specific and decide when you are going to spend those extra 5 hours.
• Be realistic don't set goals for yourself that are unattainable. Clearly, deciding that you are going to spend an extra 5 hours each night on electromagnetics is not a realistic goal. You should decide what you want to do, when you are going to do it, and how you are going to do it. You might say, "I will spend my one hour break, starting at 10:30 AM each weekday, on reading the electromagnetics text and solving practice problems." Suddenly, the time you used to spend in the coffee shop is now being spent on achieving one of your goals.
• Be positive instead of looking at your new goals as trying to "kick bad habits" or to "stop wasting time", try to put a positive tone to your goals. Don't say to yourself, "If I don't spend the extra time on electromagnetics, I will fail the course." Rephrase it in a more positive way or attach some sort of reward to the goal. Let's say you have some money saved up and having been thinking about buying a Personal Digital Assistant. Think of the extra time you spend on electromagnetics as "working" for your PDA. If you get an 'A', then you will buy an Apple Newton. If you get a 'B', then you will buy the AT&T product, et cetera. If you turn your goals into positive goals, you will be more likely to succeed.
• Be flexible don't make your goals so rigid that you set yourself up to fail. Build in some allowances for unforeseen events. Let's say that one day at 10:25 AM you are on your way to the library to spend your one hour on electromagnetics. You run into a friend who would like to know something about the IEEE and asks you to join her for coffee. Do you turn her down because you have set this time aside for electromagnetics? Of course not! OK, perhaps not. You need to have a contingency plan in case something comes up and you can't spend the time you set aside. You might want to add to your goal of spending one hour each weekday the contingency that "If by Friday night I haven't spent the 5 extra hours on electromagnetics, then I will get up at 9:00 AM on Saturday morning and finish it.

Step 3 Organizing Your Day
Now that you have selected your goals, you need to organize how you spend your time each day. The first thing you need to do is buy (or make) a day timer. You may think that only business people are important enough to use a day timer. That's the biggest lie I have ever heard. If it wasn't for a day timer (which I got for free from the Student Society at my school), I never would have made it through my undergraduate program. I used that day timer to list all my lectures, tutorials, labs, and seminars, and to prioritize my assignments. Although it may seem a little pompous to say "I'll have to check my day timer" when someone asks you about your schedule, I guarantee that they will respect you for that. An organized person is one who get things accomplished. They know that and you know that too.

The second tool you can use is a daily "To Do" list. This lists the things that you need to accomplish during that day, in the order of importance. Believe me, there is almost nothing sweeter than crossing off the last thing on a long "To Do" list. Sometimes, you may find that you can't finish everything on your list. That's fine, just transfer it to the list for the next day. However, you shouldn't get into the habit of simply moving things from one list to another. I believe it was Mark Twain who said, "Why put off 'till tomorrow that which can be put off 'till the day after tomorrow?". Getting into the habit of putting things off will almost guarantee that you don't meet your goals. Mark Twain might have been a good writer, but he sure had no sense of time management skills.

If you find that you are having trouble getting started on your "To Do" list, then re-arrange the order of your list. Try to complete the easy tasks first. You will find that accomplishing something small will give you the motivation to tackle a larger task. For instance, when I find I have a large software program to write, I try to break it down into many small modules. Then I tackle the easiest modules first, leaving the complicated parts for the end. I find this not only helps me to finish the program; it helps me to finish the program on time. When I try to tackle the tough parts first, I quite often get discouraged and eventually give up. But, when I start with the easy parts first, I am reluctant to give up because by the time I get to the hard parts, the program is 90% complete. Then, I am willing to spend the extra effort to ensure the program is finished, otherwise the time I spent on the first 90% of the program will be a total waste.

Step 4 Learning to Delegate
You will find throughout the course of the year that if you don't learn to delegate, you won't have enough time for all the projects you undertake. The first thing you need to realize is that IEEE activities are a team effort. Not only does doing things in a team take less time it's also more fun. Nobody likes to do things by themselves. In a well-run Student Branch, everyone works together as a team. Although each person may have a different task, different level of authority, or different level responsibility, everyone is working towards the same goal. Everyone wants to see a successful conclusion to each project.

Delegating isn't giving all the menial and boring tasks to others. If fact, you may find that as the Student Branch Chair, you are left with all the menial tasks. If that happens, don't get too upset. Try to think of yourself as a member of the team; the other students will appreciate that. When you are delegating, try to keep these things in mind:

Always ask for help. If you assume that someone is always there to do your bidding, you will quickly find yourself doing everything. The other members of your Executive Committee will appreciate that fact that you asked them to help out and didn't demand that they help out.

Give the person all the information and support he needs to complete the task. You should make yourself available to answer questions and find more help if needed. If you get asked a question you can't answer, don't just dismiss it. Spend some time with him and try to find the answer together.

Be sure to clearly define the purpose of the delegated work and the results you expect to see. You should also set a reasonable timeline for completing the task, keeping in mind that people have other things to do.

When you delegate the work, also delegate the authority and responsibility. For example, if someone volunteers to design some posters for an S-PAC you are planning, give her all the creative freedom. Give her the authority and responsibility for selecting (or designing) something that is suitable. Let her know what you expect and trust her from that point on.

If you feel a job is being done poorly or incorrectly, don't criticize. Provide some training, if necessary. Do your best to help out and encourage. A discouraged volunteer is one that may get the job done but will never volunteer to help out again. Try to find out what the problems or barriers are and see if you can't break down these barriers together.

Always give praise for a job well done. You should never forget to credit the people who helped out. If you listen to someone like a recording artist who has won a Grammy, he or she will usually have a long list of people to thank. You should develop the same attitude. Every project is a team effort and all team members deserves to be recognized for their efforts.

You may find project management skills useful for major Branch undertakings. If you are planning an S-PAC or an S-PAVe, organizing a major fundraising drive, or any other large project, it may run more smoothly if you appoint a project manager. In industry today, every firm has a project management department. There are software programs available that can help you keep tasks on track and on schedule. The concept of a timeline or Gantt chart can also be useful for planning purposes and for charting your progress. While I don't have the expertise to talk about project management, you may find some good books in your library. As an alternative, you could have someone from industry come to your Student Branch and give a talk on project management. Remember, skills that you develop at the Student Branch can only help you when you are looking for a job.

Further Reading
If you would like to do some more reading on time management, there are many good books in the library that you can reference. Three books that I have read and have found helpful are:

Bittel, Lester R., Right on Time! The Complete Guide for Time-Pressured Managers, McGraw-Hill, New York, 1991.

Mayer, Jeffrey J., If you haven't got the time to do it right, when will you find the time to do it over?, Fireside, New York, 1990.

McRae, Bradley C., Practical Time Management, Self-Counsel Press, Vancouver, B.C. 1992.

Region 5 student branches organize a variety of activities, ranging from technical to social depending upon the branch/section interests and strengths and the available resources. Active branches have on the average 10-20 activities a year. Here is a list of some of the activities:

• Field Trips, EE Lab tours
• Joint section meeting
• Engineering day events
• T-Shirt sales, Lab kit sales, logic template sales, EIT/GRE manual sales, electronic component store, locker rentals
• Pizza parties, donut sales
• Membership drive picnic, recruiting drive, concession stand fund raiser, car wash
• Seminars
• Industry reception
• SPAC, SPAVe
• Industry speaker
• Chilli cookoff
• Carnival for children of battered women
• Intramural sports team
• Mock interview workshop
• Freshman tour
• Political debate
• Paper contest, design contest, robotic devices contest
• Annual/semiannual award banquets
• Multicampus video conference
• Local school engineering presentation
• Help session for basic lab courses
• Newsletter
• Reference library
• Job serch and resume writing
• Engineering open house
• High school design contest
• Tutoring
• Job information and networking

Through our schooling, we all receive a good grounding in the technical aspects of the field we have chosen. However, to be a good engineer or technologist today requires more than just technical proficiency. We must be able to communicate effectively, be aware of our responsibility to society, and be technical experts. To help students explore the "non-technical" aspects of their chosen career, the IEEE has developed two programs that supplement the technical education gained through school:

Student Professional Awareness Conferences (S-PAC's)
Introduced in 1979, S-PAC's are student organized conferences that focus on the transfer of "non-technical" knowledge from successful professionals to students. An S-PAC is a one-half day or full day conference at which speakers discuss their experiences of professional awareness issues of concern to IEEE student members and young engineers and technologists.

Student Professional Awareness Ventures (S-PAVe's)
Introduced in 1993, the S-PAVe is a complementary program to the S-PAC. It allows for activities of any nature, except those that duplicate an S-PAC. Whereas an S-PAC does not exceed one day, an S-PAVe can span days, weeks, or even months. However, it should not exceed one school quarter or semester.

IMPORTANT NOTE: S-PAC's and S-PAVe's are not administered directly by the Regional Student Activities Committee. The programs are described here for your awareness. Refer to Page 1-6 for the Regional and National contacts.

Professional Awareness Issues
In general, all Professional Awareness issues can be classified into one of six categories. When planning an S-PAC or an S-PAVe, you should try to cover a few of these categories.

A. Career development and maintenance (Career Growth )

• How do I get my Professional License?
• Can a graduate degree help advance my career? Should I get an M.S. or an M.B.A.?
• How do I continue my education while I am working?
• Can engineers make effective managers? If so, when should I start considering a change?
• What if I don't want to go into management? How do I remain a technical specialist?
• Trade secrets, patents, copyrights...who owns the intellectual property rights to inventions I develop at work? What about inventions on my own time while I am working for a company?

• If I don't get a job when companies come to my school and recruit, how do I go about looking for one after I graduate?
• How can I find a summer job that will relate to what I'm studying?
• Where can I go to improve my resume writing skills?
• Where can I go to learn how to improve my interviewing skills?
• When looking for a job, should I consider a large or small company, or a consulting firm?
• What about after I get some experience? How do I start my own company? How do I go about finding clients?
• What about short-term contract work to gain some experience?
• Where can I go to find a more experienced working professional to act as my mentor and/or role model?

• What standard do I apply to my dealings with colleagues, employees, clients, and the public?
• What should I do if my personal or professional integrity is in conflict with my firms policies?
• When is it O.K. to "blow the whistle" on others?
• What happens if I get sued over something I designed?
• What if I get asked to be an "expert witness" in a court case?
• What is the relationship between technology and society?
• What can be done to raise the public's awareness of the engineering profession?

• How can I learn to manage my time for now and for the future?
• Where can I learn about financial planning skills?
• Do I need to carry professional liability insurance? How much do I need to carry?
• When should I start planning for my future? Pensions? Investments?
• I can't seem to keep the meetings that I chair on track. Where do I learn some meeting management skills?

• What is involved in interacting with government and regulatory agencies?
• Where can I learn about legislation that affects me?
• How come "non-technical" people are making the rules that restrict what I can do?
• What can I do to get involved in influencing or changing public policy?
• What about running for office?

• What is the benefit of volunteer activities?
• What do I personally get out of being involved in the IEEE?
• Will active involvement in professional societies provide me with experience that I would not normally get from my job? If so, how can this help me?

Student Professional Awareness Conferences (S-PACs)
S-PACs are planned, organized, and implemented by IEEE Student Branches. Presenting an S-PAC allows students to gain valuable management experience and self-confidence. The initial suggestion for an S-PAC may come from the students themselves or from other IEEE members (e.g., a professor or a Section representative). IEEE volunteers can provide experience counsel and encouragement, but the students bear the full responsibility for all aspects of the S-PAC.

Electrical engineering and technology students are the primary participants in S-PACs, although students in other engineering disciplines may be invited. Students at nearby schools also may be invited to participate, in order to ensure a larger audience. S-PACs permit students to learn from the varied experience of successful professionals. Furthermore, they have the potential to increase student membership and encourage ongoing participation in the IEEE.

How to Plan and Manage an S-PAC

1. Contact the IEEE-USA office below and request information. A variety of materials that will help in planning an S-PAC are available. You will also be put in touch with the Regional S-PAC Coordinator who will provide guidance and orientation that will get planning off to a good start and keep it on the right track.
2. Appoint a Planning Committee and set a date. The Student Branch should establish a tentative date for its S-PAC (lead time of six months is recommended) and appoint a Planning Committee of six to ten people. The Planning Committee is responsible for organizing the program, obtaining financial support, making meeting arrangements, finding the speakers, and promoting the S-PAC.
3. Outline the Program. Successful S-PAC programs usually include two or three speakers and a discussion panel. The Planning Committee should contact the RSAC who can provide valuable counseling regarding program content and speaker selection.
4. Develop a Budget. The Planning Committee should estimate the costs involved and identify income sources. Financial contributions may come from the Student Branch treasury, the school, local industry, and the local IEEE Section and/or Region. The IEEE normally reimburses the travel and accommodation expenses of the national speakers. Your branch may also apply for additional S-PAC funds through RAB/SAC/SPAA. Your request for this subsidy must be accompanied by the Budget Planning Worksheet at least six weeks before your S-PAC date.
5. Management. As the S-PAC approaches, the Planning Committee should meet frequently to monitor the S-PAC's progress, to resolve any problems that may arise, and to collect all expected information to submit to IEEE for the required final report.
6. Enjoy the S-PAC!

For more information on S-PACs you can contact:

Ms. Ann C. Hartfiel
Manager, Professional Programs
IEEE-USA Office
1828 L Street N.W., Suite 1202
Washington, D.C. 20036-5104
Office: (202) 785-0017
E-mail: a.hartfiel@ieee.org

Student Professional Awareness Ventures (S-PAVes)
The IEEE RAB/SAC Subcommittee on Student Professional Awareness Activities (RAB/SAC/SPAA) and the IEEE United States Activities Board/Student Professional Awareness Committee (USAB/SPAC) administers a program that funds IEEE Student Branches in all ten Regions for S-PAVes. These ventures can be of any nature except those that duplicate the S-PAC program, for which there is separate funding.

Your venture must address the goals of the S-PAVe program, which are:

1. To develop prototype activities or materials that would enhance the awareness of IEEE Student Members to issues concerned with professionalism. You may select topics from the summary of issues in Section 6.1, or propose new topics that deal with non-technical issues.
2. To increase IEEE Student Membership, with a particular focus on non-graduating students (i.e. first, second, or third year undergraduates, new graduate students)
3. To provide new services to the Student Branch Membership
4. To provide IEEE Student Branches in experience in project planning and organization.

Your proposed venture may lead to an activity that spans days, weeks or months, but should not generally exceed one school semester. It may involve one or more IEEE Student Branches (in fact, we encourage IEEE Student Branches to work together).

The S-PAVe Proposal
Your completed venture proposal must have the following items:

1. Venture Summary Form - this provides us with a basic synopsis of your proposal, including contact information and a venture summary.

2a. Venture Description - this should outline what you plan to do and it must address the following points (as specific headings):

• Meeting S-PAVe goals - how you plan to meet the goals
• Venture Risk - what do you think are the risky areas of your proposal (e.g., some equipment you need is no longer available, or is late in being delivered?)
• Management - how do you plan to manage your venture (e.g., how will you organize people to work on the venture? how will you identify problems in completing tasks on time? how will you control spending of the money?)
• Expected Outcome ñ what are the tangible and intangible outputs of your venture?
  

2b. Milestone List ñ this should provide a time line of the major milestones of your venture from the moment you start it until it is completed. Remember that milestones indicate what you expect to have accomplished (e.g., completed outline of video tape) and at what date (e.g., at the end of month 3). The following are required milestones:

• Interim Report ñ a one or two page report submitted to IEEE Student Services midway through you venture, outlining progress to date, any problems encountered, and any necessary revisions to your expected results.
• Final Report ñ submitted to IEEE Student Services indicating what happened in your venture. You should include copies of materials produced during the venture.

THE VENTURE DESCRIPTION AND MILESTONE LIST SHOULD NOT EXCEED SIX TYPEWRITTEN PAGES (single spaced in a 12 pt Times Roman font, or equivalent).

3. Proposed Budget - provide a one or two page budget showing income sources and expenditures and explain all items. Please note that generally, you may not request funds for computer equipment. We provide a base amount of funds for your projects (up to $200.00) and additional funds on a matching basis (up to a maximum total of $500.00). The matching funds will be provided for every dollar that you have secured from other sources (such as your IEEE Section, companies, or even your own Branch funds).

For example, suppose you have secured $175.00 from your IEEE Section. You can request $375.00 from the S-PAVe funds ($200.00 in base funding and $175.00 in matching funds). Thus, the total amount of money you would plan to spend is $550.00. If funded, you may receive all, or only part of your request. Thus, you should try to plan your budget so that your venture can still succeed (perhaps on a reduced scale) if you don't get all the money you requests. Remember, the maximum amount of any S-PAVe award is $500.00.

THE S-PAVe FUNDS WILL BE PROVIDED TO YOUR BRANCH ONCE YOUR VENTURE HAS BEEN APPROVED FOR FUNDING.

4. Letters of Support - these letters should indicate that the individual has read your proposal, believes it to be workable, has a reasonable chance for success, and supports your branch's involvement in this venture. Also, if they are providing funding, then they should indicate the amount of their commitment. You should have letters of support from the following individuals:

• the Student Branch Counselor from each IEEE Student Branch involved in the venture
• your Section Chair
• your Regional Student Activities Chair (RSAC)
• your Regional S-PAC Coordinator (right now, this does not apply to Region 7)

5. Letters of Financial Support - these letters should indicate that the individual has read your proposal, and clearly indicate the amount of the financial commitment. You should have financial support from some of the following individuals:

• the individuals listed above
• your school department
• some local companies
• your branch treasurer

6. S-PAVe Submission/Review - Proposals should be submitted to the IEEE Manager , Professional Programs at the address shown below. Proposals may be submitted at any time.

Proposals will be reviewed and awarded funds on the following criteria:

1. the degree to which the venture achieves S-PAVe goals;
2. the likelihood of success;
3. originality; and
4. available funds.

EACH PROPOSAL IS EVALUATED ON ITS OWN MERITS - THIS IS NOT A CONTEST

The reviewing is performed by a committee of three:

1. RAB/SAC/SPAA Chair;
2. RAB/SAC Chair; and
3. USAB/SPAC Chair

7. For More Information - For some more information or advice, the name and address of IEEE Officials, or additional copies of the S-PAVe Venture Summary Form, you can contact:

Ms. Ann C. Hartfiel
Manager, Professional Programs
IEEE-USA Office
1828 L Street N.W., Suite 1202
Washington, D.C. 20036-5104
Office: (202) 785-0017
Fax: (202) 785-0835
E-mail: a.hartfiel@ieee.org