Managing a Successful Student Chapter: Corporate Sponsors, Networking, and

Outreach

Lessons Learned

By Dr. Craig Baehr (Craig.Baehr@ttu.edu) and Timothy J. Elliott (Timothy.Elliott@ttu.edu)

Chapter Success Stories Takeaway: A core group of dedicated members helped our chapter flourish.

Our initiatives fostered a strong core of 7-10 members who attended every meeting. Several of our

consistent attendees, including a few undergrads, are now in leadership positions in our chapter. As a

result, attendance increased from an average of 9 attendees per meeting (2012-13) to an average of 17

attendees (2014-15). Our total membership increased from 36 members in 2013-14 to 54 for the 2014-

15 school year. Our chapter won the STC Community of Distinction award for 2013 and 2014.

Corporate Sponsorships and Networking

Takeaway: Corporate sponsors made our meetings ‘can’t miss’ events.

Corporate sponsors include National Instruments (NI) from Austin, Texas; Usertesting.com from

SanFrancisco, California; and TimeForge from Lubbock, Texas

Corporate sponsors have consistently offered jobs and internships to Texas Tech’s Bachelors and Masters

of Technical Communication program students and graduates. They presented on topics related to the

kinds of work they do, their products, and on professional development topics. Graduates working at

many of these companies have helped to build relationships with the Student Chapter by returning to

present topics at our Chapter meetings and sponsoring events, serving a mentoring role as well.

Takeaway: Networking provides content knowledge and builds connections for student

members.

Corporate sponsors provide insights into the ways in which technical communication works in various

working settings. As a result, meeting topics reflected the range of work they do including SEO,

corporate social media use, remote user testing, and so forth. Networking also gives students an

advantage and helps them make connections that help them transition to working professionals.

Student Outreach

Takeaway: Membership initiatives produce a more vibrant, consistent membership base

Initiatives included an increasing number of social events, offering rewards for consistent attendance,

varying meeting formats, and reaching out to new and potential members regularly.

Social events, such as mixers, helped create connections between the Chapter officers and the graduate

and undergraduate students. We offered specific rewards like free t-shirts for members who attend three

or more meetings per semester. In planning events, our goal was to vary topics and meeting formats,

including field trips, speakers, socials, student presentations, and chapter round tables. For outreach, our

Chapter President sent regular meeting announcement emails to the entire department and student list

serv. Our officers maintained a list of consistently attending members to send short, more casual

reminder emails. We also contacted new TC majors and minors with a welcome email and event

schedule, encouraging them to attend an STC meeting.