The Establishment of Student Chapters and The Benefits to...
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The Establishment of Student Chapters and The Benefits to Engineering Students and The Engineering World
Transcript of The Establishment of Student Chapters and The Benefits to...
The Establishment of Student Chaptersand The Benefits to Engineering Students and
The Engineering World
PresentersModerator: Carrie Streahle, Promatech, Inc.
• ASHE SNJ Past President• ASHE National Student Chapter Committee – member• ASHE SNJ Education Committee – Scholarship Chair
Matheu J. Carter, University of Delaware• ASHE First State Past President• ASHE First State Secretary• ASHE National Student Chapter Committee – Chair• ASHE University of Delaware –staff advisor and FirstState Advisor
Richard Grubb, RGA, Inc. • ASHE SNJ Education Committee – Chair• ASHE NCNJ Education Committee - Chair
ASHE Student Chapters Arizona State UniversityDrexel UniversityGeorge Mason UniversityGeorgia Institute of TechnologyJohnson CollegeKings CollegeMercer County Community CollegeMorgan State UniversityNJITNorth Carolina State UniversityPenn State U Wilkes BarrePenn State University HazeltonPenn State University ScrantonRowan UniversityRutgers UniversitySyracuse UniversityTemple UniversityUniversity of Central FloridaUniversity of CincinnatiUniversity of DaytonUniversity of DelawareUniversity of KentuckyUniversity of LouisvilleUniversity of MarylandUniversity of North FloridaUniversity of PittsburghUniversity of Pittsburgh-JohnstownWidener UniversityWilkes University
Established Student Chapters
Unofficial Student Chapter, Limited Section Support, Potential Interest
Student Chapter Best Practices
• Best Practices for Developing and Sustaining Student Chapters - http://ashe.pro/downloads.html
• Developed by members of the Student Chapter Committee who have been through the “trial by fire”
• Specific examples of barriers and challenges…and the solutions one or more of us came up with
Student Chapter Best Practices
• Know your goals - don’t start a student chapter just to do it• Get started right
• Gauge student energy with a general interest meeting• Be patient but persistent with the university
• “But we already have an ASCE student chapter…”• Students can walk and chew gum – we’ve seen ‘em
do it• Learn the rules of the registered student organization
office • or whatever they call it there
• Bylaws – need to comply with the university and be consistent with ASHE
Serve pizza…and they will come
Student Chapter Best Practices
• Funding – from Section, University, alumni, etc.• Voluntary professional dinner subsidy fund• Targeted alumni donations to the student chapter• University (RSO) funds
• Transportation – to dinner meetings, site trips, etc.• University may have vehicles available – be creative, ask
around• Careful – watch the rules, insurance, etc.
• Section Member Involvement • Make students feel welcome and involved
Keep energy high – if you’re not excited, why should they be?
Student Chapter Best Practices
• Activities• On-campus meetings – including invited speakers• Construction site visits• Operational facility visits• Training center and simulator sites• Section professional meetings, lunches, dinners• Student leadership attend Section Board of Director
meetings• Joint activities between Section and Student Chapter• Resume book• Newsletter articles
Be engaged with the students and let them see why you love highway engineering
Student Chapter Best Practices
• Meeting spaces – usually free to students• Logo/branding – follow the rules of both the university and ASHE
when using logos, marks, and brands• Sustainability
• Stay diverse in membership – freshmen, sophomore, juniors, seniors
• Stay diverse in leadership, too• Always be recruiting
Allow all the officers to be seniors and that’s probably the end of the student chapter
How to Establish an ASHE Student Chapter – The ASHE SNJ Example
Groundwork for Chapter• Establish an Education Committee within your Section• Prepare a PowerPoint explaining the benefits of ASHE and an ASHE student
chapter• Identify colleges with civil engineering programs in your Section• Contact the college and find a faculty member in the civil engineering
department who is enthusiastic about a student chapter and who will act as the startup liaison
• Present the PowerPoint to a class(es) identified by the faculty member each year early in the Fall
• Identify students who would make good leaders and who would be responsible for establishing and managing a student chapter
Finding the Right Faculty Members and Student Leaders
Unlikely Candidates
Finding the Right Faculty Members and Student Leaders
The Best Candidates
How to Maintain a Successful ASHE Student ChapterEducation Committee – assign a liaison from your ASHE Section to support each student chapter in your regionEncourage the student chapter to:• Meet bi-monthly• Undertake campus projects• Perform fundraisers to encourage self-sufficiency• Have speakers at the bi-monthly meetings (help from your ASHE Section)• Organize fieldtrips (help from your ASHE Section)• Attend the ASHE Section meetings (networking)
Lastly, and in many ways most importantly, make sure the student chapter leaders find and mentor their successors.
Benefits to Students and EngineeringCompanies• Networking• Summer internships• Full time employment after graduation• Field trips • Scholarships
Contact Information
Matheu J. Carter, P.E. Carrie Streahle(302)831-7236 (856)[email protected] [email protected]
Richard Grubb(609)[email protected]
