Board-of-Directors

Board of Directors Report

by Ellen Fenwick

The Fall STC Board of Directors meeting was held in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, on Sept. 14-17, 2000. It's notably flat land there, which might explain why we covered so much ground! What I have reported below are only the specific items voted upon. Board meetings also include status reports on the chapters in all eight regions and the ongoing programs in the areas of research, academic affairs, Special Interest Groups, professional development, competitions, conferences, communications and external affairs. If you have questions about or would like more information on these or any other aspects of STC operations, please feel free to contact me at fenwick@cyberhighway.net.

Of Particular Interest to Region 7

Denver, Colo., was approved as the location for the 52nd STC Annual Conference in 2006. (Note that the Annual Conference will be in Seattle in 2005). Way to go Rocky Mountain Chapter!

A multichapter loan of $6,000 USD was given to the Mid-Valley and Willamette Valley Chapters to host the Region 7 conference in Portland, Ore., in October 2001.

A merit grant of $3,000 USD was awarded to the Alberta Chapter to construct a portable display to be used at the all-Canada Smart 2000 Conference and Exposition in November 2000 and at regional professional, educational and community events.

A merit grant of $2,070 USD was awarded to the Alaska Chapter to construct a portable display for use at regional professional, educational and community events across Alaska.

Committee and Program Updates

The board gave the STC office go-ahead to conduct a membership drive in the United States using the services of a professional marketing company. The drive is expected to significantly increase awareness of STC.
STC will become an affiliate member of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), which determines standards for Web-based communication. The annual membership fee is $5,000 USD.
The board acknowledged three new chapters approved by the Executive Council over the summer: San Luis Obispo Chapter (Region 8), Texas A&M Student Chapter (Region 5), and the Netherlands Chapter (Region 4).
A new Instructional Design & Learning Special Interest Group (SIG) was approved with an initial budget of $1,900.
Minneapolis, Minn., will be the location of the 53rd STC Annual Conference in 2007.
Appointments: Freya Winsberg (Phoenix Chapter) - program manager, 50^th STC Annual Conference (Dallas, 2003); Edward Carbrey (Boston Chapter) - manager, Jay R. Gould Award Committee; Dale Erickson (Lone Star Chapter) - manager, New Media Delivery Systems Committee; Jon Baker (Boston Chapter) - manager, New Media Publications Committee; Jack Molisani (Los Angeles Chapter) - manager, Chapter and Regional Conferences Committee; Amy Burdan (Hoosier Chapter) - manager, Scientific Communication SIG; Roy Hartshorn (Toronto Chapter) - manager, Canadian Curricula in Professional Development Committee.
The Conference registration fee for members for the 48th STC Annual Conference in Chicago in 2001 will be $420 USD. The discounted rate for speakers will remain $350 USD.

Other Merit Grants and Loans to Chapters

A merit grant of $3,000 USD was awarded to the Central New York Chapter to implement a comprehensive revitalization/growth plan.
A merit grant of $3,000 USD was awarded to the Mid-South Chapter to build its scholarship fund.
A merit grant of $3,000 USD was awarded to the Atlanta Chapter to build its scholarship fund.
A merit grant of $1,200 USD was awarded to the Hoosier Chapter to develop the Insight Award to recognize Indiana corporations and organizations that innovatively use the skills and capabilities of their technical communicators.
A chapter loan of $3,000 USD was given to the Los Angeles Chapter to seed a multichapter, self-sustaining technical publications, online communication and art competition in Southern California.
A merit grant of $1,500 USD was awarded to the East Bay Chapter to further develop its Technical Literacy Program.

Budget

STC follows a system of zero-based budgeting, which means that it cannot operate at a deficit. The board approved a budget for FY 2001 of income = $4,725,250, expenses = $4,711,849, and net surplus = $13,401.

Policy Regarding Chapters and Membership Outside of the United States

The following policy statement was adopted by the board:

At the Society level, STC does not actively initiate the formation of chapters. STC provides information from the Society office to any individual who inquires about formation of a chapter. The Director-Sponsor of record is copied as a point of contact for the requestor.
STC is a member of INTECOM, an international consortium of technical communication societies. As a courtesy to that membership, in response to a chapter formation inquiry from outside the United States, STC will, in the Society officeís response, advise the requestor of existing organizations in the requestorís country. The contact person of record of the member INTECOM organization and the STC INTECOM representative will be copied, as applicable.
Chapters shall be admitted when 15 members of a given geographic area petition for chapter status in accordance with STC bylaws.
Once a chapter is formed, STC will provide an equal level of support with the following exception: In terms of professional/government relations, STC shall focus on the United States, since the Society is incorporated in the United States.
In terms of membership, if there are extraneous costs associated solely with the residence of a member outside the United States, these costs may, as deemed necessary by the board of directors, be passed on to the affected member.

STC Brand

A "brand" is the voice and appearance of an organization that reflect its values. A meaningful brand creates a strong common culture and a shared focus and direction. STC is nearing the end of a yearlong branding process. Last May at the STC Annual Conference in Orlando, Fla., then-President Mary Wise announced the new STC mission statement, Designing the Future of Technical Communication. This month, the board approved a logo and stationery program for the Society. The participating design firm and the STC office will now prepare the logo and design elements for chapters to use in their electronic and hardcopy materials. These will be introduced to chapters before the end of the year along with guidelines for their use. Another tool for manifesting a brand is an organizationís "story," which is a brief explanation of what the organization stands for, who its members are, and how it views its future. Also this month, the STC board approved the STC story. The story does not replace the more extensive literature we provide to prospective members and others, but serves as the "one-minute elevator message" we can use to briefly explain who and what we are.

STC Story

Through information sharing and industry leadership, STC helps professionals design effective communication for a technical world. Because technology touches everyone, STC promotes public welfare by encouraging the development of better-educated professionals whose jobs are to make complicated information usable by many.
The organizationís growth has mirrored our growing dependence on technology. Initially, STC was primarily made up of engineers who, among other activities, wrote instructions and descriptions of how electrical and mechanical products worked. A profound change took place as the pervasiveness of technology and the need to understand it became an integral part of our everyday lives. With the emergence of the Internet and online communication, our members now focus on supporting all aspects of the rapidly evolving world of technology.

The organization began because those working in the field recognized themselves as professionals with unique training and career issues. Today, STC is nearly 50 years old, with 150 chapters and 25,000 members worldwide. It is the largest organization for technical communicators. STC offers industry leadership and the education, networking and information required in a world where change is "the way it is."

Ellen Fenwick serves as Director-Sponsor for STCís Region 7. She can be reached at fenwick@cyberhighway.net.