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Associate Fellow Recommendations Due 15 October 2016

Each year, STC members and communities have the opportunity to recommend senior members for the rank of STC Associate Fellow to the Associate Fellows Committee. This honor recognizes members’ achievements in the field of technical communication, contributions to STC, or both.

Any voting member of STC may submit a nominee’s application to the Associate Fellows Committee, including those who wish to apply on their own behalf. The committee reviews each nominee’s application and contacts the identified references. Based on evaluation of the information collected, the committee forwards nominees to the STC Board of Directors for consideration. Those nominees receiving a two-thirds favorable vote from the board will receive the honor as long as their membership is in good standing and they meet the requirements as stated in the guidelines.

To be considered for selection as an Associate Fellow, the nominee must have been active in the field of technical communication for at least 15 years and have been a member of the Society for at least 10 years, as of the application submission deadline. They must also be members in good standing at the time of the application and at the time of the honors banquet the following May. But, most importantly, the nominee must have significant accomplishments one or more of the following areas: (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 the field, or (3) made significant contributions to the Society and helped to tell STC’s powerful story.

In August, the STC office and the Associate Fellows Committee will send a message to STC qualifying senior members and Society and community leaders describing the nomination process and the information required for a nominee’s consideration by the Associate Fellows Committee. By August, this information will also available on the STC website at www.stc.org/membership/recognition/honors. Upon request, the Society office will email community leaders a list of all eligible nominees in their communities. Please email your request to stc@stc.org. If you want to submit yourself or a colleague as a nominee for Associate Fellow, please use the Recommendation for Associate Fellow form and refer to the completed sample forms on the STC website.

The Associate Fellows Committee encourages submitters to work with nominees to ensure applications are complete and accurate. Please use e-resources whenever possible so that the committee can check facts, publications, presentations, and the nominee’s presence online. It is not the length of the application that will ensure the acceptance of the nominee, but the consistency, variety, and level of work and influence the nominee has had on technical communication and the Society. An online portfolio would be an ideal resource. Remember that this is an STC honor and emphasis will be placed on STC accomplishments.

The committee recommends involving Associate Fellows, Fellows, or members who are experienced in submitting Associate Fellow applications. Also, the committee strongly recommends that the submitter be fully convinced that the nominee meets all the criteria for recommendation as an Associate Fellow. Keep in mind that those who attain this honor serve as models of our organization. This honor is not easily attained and those who receive the honor have worked for many years to support the profession and the Society in various ways.

Completed nomination packages must be received by the committee by 15 October 2016. Send them to the STC office at stc @stc.org, with a copy to the committee chair, Brian Lindgren, at brianjlindgren@gmail.com. In January 2017, the STC Board of Directors will consider the nominees forwarded to them by the Associate Fellows Committee. In May, at the 2017 STC Technical Communication Summit in Washington DC’s National Harbor, the Society will recognize the new Associate Fellows at an honors reception.

For more information, refer to the Associate Fellows Committee Web page at www.stc.org/membership/recognition/honors or contact Brian Lindgren at brianjlindgren@gmail.com. Keep in mind that some changes have taken place over the past couple of years and the website and guidelines reflect the changes noted below.

Qualifying senior members can self-recommend—however, the application must be endorsed by two senior members, one of whom must be a community leader or hold an honorary STC rank. Endorsers cannot also serve as a reference for the same nominee. No member of the STC staff, the STC Board of Directors, or the Associate Fellows Committee can serve as submitter, reference, or endorser.

Please note that there is a one-time, $25 administrative fee.