By Linda Oestreich | Chair, Associate Fellows Committee
[Editor’s Note: The original deadline of 4 October was changed after Intercom went to press. The new deadline is 10 October.]
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, and this year, senior members can 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 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 in 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 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 Steve Skojec, director of community relations, at steve.skojec@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 and level of work and influence the nominee has had on technical communication and the Society. 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.
Completed nomination packages must be received by the committee by 4 October. Send them to the STC office in care of Lloyd Tucker, lloyd.tucker@stc.org, with a copy to the committee chair, Linda Oestreich at lloriter@cox.net. In January 2012, the STC Board of Directors will consider nominees forwarded by the Associate Fellows Committee. In May, at the 2012 STC Technical Communication Summit in Chicago-Rosemont, Illinois, the Society will recognize the new Associate Fellows at an honors banquet.
For more information, refer to the Associate Fellows Committee web page at www.stc.org/membership/recognition/honors or contact Linda Oestreich, chair of the committee, at lloriter@cox.net. Keep in mind that some changes have taken place this year and the website is not yet updated, but it will be complete and correct by August to reflect these changes in the nomination process:
- Qualifying Senior Members can self-recommend—however, the application must be endorsed by two Senior Members, one of whom should 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.
- The committee recommends that at least some (the more the better) of the materials showing the nominee’s experience be online to reduce the amount of paper and the length of the applications. An online portfolio would be an ideal resource.
- No more than 5% of the total STC membership can hold the rank of Associate Fellow. If current Associate Fellows allow their membership to lapse, they will be removed from the list of honorees. If they return to STC membership, they regain the Associate Fellowship as long as it does not cause the percentage to exceed the 5% level.
Please note that there is a one-time, $25 administrative fee.
