communication department

Volume XX Number 6

Administration

New Associate Fellows Nominations Encouraged

By the Associate Fellows Nominating Committee

Each fall, the Associate Fellows Nominating Committee invites STC communities and members to recommend senior members for the rank of STC associate fellow. This honor recognizes members’ achievements in the field of technical communication, contributions to STC, or both.

Any voting member of STC may submit a candidate’s nomination to the Society office. The office, in turn, sends the nominations to the Associate Fellows Nominating Committee. The committee reviews each candidate’s package carefully, contacts the identified references, and—based on the information collected—forwards the names of selected candidates to the STC Board of Directors for consideration.

To be considered for selection as an associate fellow, the candidate must have been active in the field of technical communication for at least fifteen years and a member of the Society for at least ten years. The ten years do not necessarily have to be consecutive, as long as the candidate has “bridged” the years of membership and met the qualifications for being a senior member (refer to the sidebar for guidelines on nominating associate fellows).

The candidate must also have accomplished at least one of the following: (1) performed important work and attained distinction in the field of technical communication, (2) done notable original work that has contributed to the advancement of that field, (3) made a significant contribution to the Society.

In August, each community will receive an e-mail message describing the nomination process, including the information required for a candidate’s consideration by the Associate Fellows Nominating Committee. This information is also available on the STC Web site. Upon request, the Society office will e-mail community presidents/managers a list of all eligible candidates in their communities. Please e-mail your request to Lloyd Tucker, Director of Education and Membership.

Communities and individuals should use the associate fellow nomination form and refer to the completed sample forms on the STC Web site. The instructions on the form will help submitters assemble a nomination package that is complete and effective.

Please note that there has been a slight change in policy from years past. The Associate Fellows Nominating Committee encourages submitters to work with candidates to ensure that the nomination packages submitted are complete and accurate. The committee also recommends involving associate fellows, fellows, or members who are experienced in submitting associate fellow applications. And most important, the committee strongly recommends that the submitter be fully convinced that the candidate meets all the criteria for nomination as an associate fellow.

One other note to communities: Nominating a community member for associate fellow is no longer a criterion for consideration as a Community of Distinction. Instead, the requirement is that a community review its membership to consider whether any members might be good associate fellow candidates. Thus, if a community reviews its membership and concludes that there are no current candidates for associate fellow, it can still earn credit toward becoming a Community of Distinction.

Completed nomination packages are due to the Society office no later than October 7, 2007. The STC Board of Directors will consider candidates for selection as associate fellows in January 2008. The Society will recognize those selected at an honors banquet in June 2008 at STC’s 55th Annual Conference in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

For more information, refer to the Associate Fellows Nominating Committee Web page or contact any member of the committee: