The most important thing your chapter does

Membership selection is the most important thing a chapter does. Mortar Board exists to recognize and honor upcoming scholar-leaders. Having the chance to honor others is a glorious experience — one that comes seldom in a lifetime. And you have that chance. You get to honor those who come after you for their gifts of leadership, scholarship and service. Revel in the experience. Allow enough time for it, and seek out ALL possible leaders from ALL corners of campus. A word to chapter leaders: don’t sell selection short. Repeat: Membership selection is the most important thing your chapter does. Failure is not an option because to fail means, quite bluntly you’ve denied your chapter members the opportunity to honor others, and your chapter will cease to exist.

I offer you ten steps for selection success.

1. Start now to encourage your chapter members to think about the juniors on campus who have earned the honor of being in Mortar Board. Create a “buzz” at each chapter meeting about selection.
2. Take a look at your process and make sure you are not just targeting the largest or most visible student organizations on campus, but ALL student organizations and student groups. Remember, athletic teams and musical organizations as well as community organizations are led by worthy scholar-leaders.
3. Invite faculty and staff to give you names of students from all corners of campus who are worthy of consideration as members.
4. Set a goal to receive 10 percent more applications/nominations than the chapter received last year. Discuss this in a chapter meeting. Get ideas for outreach from all chapter members. Again, create “buzz.”
5. If you will be selecting an honorary member, start thinking about who that person should be. Determine her/his stature regionally or nationally. Acquire information about her/him so that it is ready for your selection meeting.
6. Declare a time now for your chapter’s one-and-only selection meeting. That’s right. Mortar Board is unique. You may have only one selection and it must be face-to-face, not virtual. And, because membership in Mortar Board is a prized and valuable commodity, selection takes time. Allow plenty of time to do a good, thorough, and fair job of selecting the scholar-leaders who are deserving of recognition. Get this meeting on everyone’s calendar, making sure your advisors can be present for the entire time
7. Review the timeline for selection and make sure you have plenty of time to secure adequate nominations and applications.
8. Set the time for tapping, orientation and initiation.
9. Understand the reporting that MUST be completed after selection and BEFORE tapping for collegiate members and the honorary member.
10. Review your plan with your section coordinator and keep her/him informed of your progress.

There you have it. Ten steps to success for the most important thing your chapter does.

Jane A. Hamblin, J.D., CAE
Executive Director

Mortar Board offers postgraduate fellowships

Planning to go to graduate school? Each year, the Mortar Board National Foundation awards fellowships to members pursuing further study in graduate or professional school.  Thousands of dollars will be available for Mortar Board fellowships for the 2011-2012 academic year, with applications due on or before January 31, 2011. 

The Mortar Board Fellowship Selection Committee has designed applications to provide for a streamlined, yet thought-provoking application process that allows each applicant to showcase her/his accomplishments and plans. This committee reviews all completed applications.

A completed application for a Mortar Board National Foundation fellowship consists of three parts, outlined below. The deadline for receipt of the completed application (all three parts*) is January 31, 2011.

1. A Microsoft Word application form (available for download here), completed in full, and sent as an e-mail attachment to fellowships@mortarboard.org;
2. A current, official transcript from every institution of higher education that you have attended, postmarked by January 31, 2011, and mailed to:

   Mortar Board National Office
   1200 Chambers Road, Suite 201
   Columbus, OH 43212

3. Two recommendations as described here.

National fees are announced

Membership fees make it possible for Mortar Board to provide valuable support and services as well as the honor of lifetime membership in one of the most prestigious national senior honor societies. All chapters are required to monitor payment of individual members and also submit the conference fee to the Mortar Board National Office.

What do fees cover?

The $75 individual membership fee includes:

• A subscription to the Mortar Board Forum magazine
• National membership certificate
• Official pin
• Benefits and discounts from Mortar Board partners
• Access to the Mortar Board Career and Graduate School Network
• Access to a scholarship search engine
• Exclusive graduate fellowship opportunities available only to Mortar Board members
• The honor and prestige of Mortar Board membership

*Based on financial need, each chapter is permitted to waive one new member fee annually. The Coral V. Stevens Gift Membership is selected confidentially, and may be awarded to one new member or divided among a few, up to $75.

The chapter $225 conference fee:

• Helps defray a portion of the annual Mortar Board National Conference expenses
• Provides for chapter operations information shared at the conference
• Allows for one official chapter delegate from each chapter to travel to the annual national conference, to participate in governance of the organization, enjoy meals, hotel stay and all materials at no additional cost - valued at more than $500

How does my chapter pay fees?

Each member will pay his or her $75 membership fee directly to the chapter prior to initiation. It is the responsibility of the chapter treasurer and membership chair to work with the National Office to ensure that all candidates have paid their fees prior to initiation. The conference fee of $225 should be paid by check or credit card along with membership dues within one week following initiation.

Fundraising ideas to help your cover fees:

• Sell graduation flowers with Blossom Express and your chapter can earn up to $2,000 in just one day of work! The first five new chapters to sign up to sell flowers will receive a special introductory grant of $250. For more information, please call Lori Taylor at Blossom Express at 800-332-7421.
• Host a karaoke night on campus.
• Sell products at efundraising.com - simply share the link with friends and family and watch your proceeds grow.
• Earn between $.50 and $1 for each accepted book collected during a Better World Books book drive. For more information, please e-mail Campus@BetterWorldBooks.com or see the article later in this e-newsletter.
• Partner with a local restaurant to have a "Mortar Board night" where the restaurant pays Mortar Board a portion of proceeds for guests directed to the restaurant by Mortar Board - normally, all you have to do is hand out fliers or create a Facebook event to drive traffic to the restaurant
• See more ideas on the Mortar Board fundraising help page.

Attend a free MRSP online workshop with Mortar Board experts

The deadline for submitting your chapter’s Membership Recruitment and Selection Plan (MRSP) is approaching on December 15. If you have questions about completing the MRSP, or need advice about how to identify and recruit eligible students for Mortar Board, please participate in one of our MRSP web conferences! You can choose from two web conferences, which will be led by members of Mortar Board’s national leadership team:

Tuesday, December 7, 8 p.m. Eastern
To join, click here.

Wednesday, December 8, 10 p.m. Eastern
To join, click here.

Please send an e-mail to Megan Stevens at mstevens@mortarboard.org to RSVP for the workshops.  Please specify the date you choose in your RSVP.  You may also join a conference by clicking one of the links above without submitting a RSVP.  A phone number for the voice component of the conference will be visible once you join the web meeting.

How to get in touch with eligible candidates

Candidates must be in the top 35 percent of their class and have at least junior standing (they must have at least one semester/term to serve as an active member prior to graduation).  By December 15, ask your school’s registrar to provide you with names of eligible students. If the registrar can not provide you with these names, ask him or her to send out an e-mail message to these students on your behalf.

Fliers, chalking, banners and information sessions are all important parts of publicizing Mortar Board to the general student body.  Information about eligibility must be made available to each student in the top 35 percent of the junior class.  The easiest and most cost-effective way to contact prospective members is via e-mail.

Mortar Board chapters raised nearly $32,000 by participating in the Virtual Book Drive

The third annual Virtual Book Drive Challenge came to a victorious end on November 12 with dozens of chapters working together to provide books to children in need in their communities as a part of the national “Reading is Leading” initiative.

Altogether, 52 chapters raised an average of $600 each for a total of nearly $32,000, with three chapters rising to the top as the highest donors for the drive. These top chapters received bonus Marketplace bookstore credits from First Book for their recipient groups. These chapters are:

• First place - Hope College ($500 bonus) - $10,899.61
• Second place - Kansas State University ($350 bonus) - $5,179.11
• Third place - University of California, Los Angeles ($250 bonus) - $1,310.00
• Honorable mention - San Diego State University ($100 bonus) - $1,140.00

Bonus prizes were also given to chapters who raised more than $500, as well as chapters drawn in a random prize drawing each month of the drive, contributing to a total of $2,860 in bonus credits awarded by First Book.

Read the full story and see a list of chapters presented with bonus credits here.

Welcome new staff member

Jennifer Bergman joins the Mortar Board National Office staff as development and operations specialist. Jenny is a 2005 graduate of The Ohio State University and has honed her skills working at Ohio Wesleyan University and the American Cancer Society, bringing expertise in areas of development, event planning, marketing, communications and fundraising to Mortar Board. She replaces Mary Cay Kuder, who retired November 30.

Fund your publicity efforts with a Mortar Board Week Visibility Grant

Mortar Board is offering a special grant to chapters to enhance their visibility during Mortar Board Week (February 13 - 19, 2011).  This grant may be used to cover any visibility costs, from printing t-shirts to buying advertising. 

The deadline is quickly approaching - December 15 - so be sure to complete the grant application online now!  Recipients will be notified on or before Friday, January 14.

Chapter Spotlight: 
University of Nebraska, Kearney

The award-winning Xi Phi chapter at the University of Nebraska - Kearney has made it a tradition to excel on and off campus since its 1988 founding. Honored in 2010 with the Golden Torch Award and two Project Excellence Awards, the chapter was named a finalist for Mortar Board’s top chapter award, the Ruth Weimer Mount Chapter Excellence Award. Annually, the chapter participates in numerous activities on campus and organizes prestigious campus events including the Faculty Recognition Dinner, Honors Convocation and the highly popular Last Lecture Series, which will commemorate Mortar Board’s founding during Mortar Board Week (February 13-19, 2011).

One key to the chapter’s success year after year is its dedication to selecting a strong class of new members to carry the Xi Phi legacy on for another year. As Xi Phi Chapter President Jordan Gonzales explains, “Recruitment is the lifeblood of all Mortar Board chapters. Exceptional recruitment will yield successful transitions and an overall, stronger chapter.”

The chapter’s preparation process for recruiting and selecting new members begins in early November each year with the formation of a membership committee, which meets weekly. The committee launches a publicity campaign at the end of the fall semester to encourage eligible students to apply (applications are available at select campus locations and online). Their visibility efforts include placing announcements in the weekly student bulletin, posting fliers on campus and advertising in the student newspaper. Furthermore, membership committee members meet with deans, department chairs and student organizations to promote the application process.

When asked what one piece of advice he would give to other chapters, Jordan encouraged chapter presidents and executive board members to “communicate with their fellow Mortar Board [members], the advisors, and the university’s administration and faculty as often as possible.”

He continued, “Utilize your membership and delegate power and tasks to everyone. This will foster a sense of community and camaraderie that allows every member in Mortar Board to develop as sense of ownership in the organization. This will ultimately produce an effective and fun organization that everyone on campus will want to be a part of.”

Deadlines and reminders

Check your chapter files or contact the National Office to ensure that all reports from last year have been submitted to reports@mortarboard.org!

Due December 15

• Membership Recruitment and Selection Plan (MRSP)
• Mortar Board Week Visibility Grant application

Due January 31

• Applications for national Mortar Board postgraduate fellowships

• Mortar Board Week

FEATURED DOWNLOADS

Icebreaker of the month:
Chain of similarities

This icebreaker involves everyone in your group and open space is needed, as the goal is to form one large circle of all members with arms linked.

1. One member will start by standing in the middle of the room. This member states a fact about herself or himself (example: "I drink coffee every day." or "I have been to Japan.")
2. Whoever has this same fact in common rushes to join the first member and links arms.
3. If no one has this fact in common, the first member will continue stating facts until someone is able to link.
4. The second member continues by sharing something about herself or himself. This continues until all members are linked.
5. The last member to be linked must state facts until she or he can be connected with the first member, making a full circle.

Recruitment tip of the month

Winter break is approaching, and many students may be home with some free time. Make your applications readily available so potential members can work on their application forms over break.

If your application isn’t ready, use this time to get organized. Make sure your membership chair has formed a membership committee, an application (and deadline) has been created and dates have been scheduled for recruitment events.

"Buzz" tip of the month

During Mortar Board Week (February 13 - 19, 2011), your chapter should try to spread awareness of the Society on and around campus. This can include making underclassmen aware of the Society, enhancing a relationship with faculty and staff, and helping the local community (not just campus) gain familiarity with Mortar Board.

Get started by reading the help guide and checking out the templates for posters, press releases and e-postcards at www.mortarboard.org/mbweek.

Order free Mortar Board brochures for your chapter today

Mortar Board brochures are available to each chapter at no charge. These are great for displaying at informational tables or passing out at recruitment events.

To request your brochures, simply e-mail mortarboard@mortarboard.org with the following information:

• School name
• Mailing address
• Quantity requested
• Name of chapter representative requesting brochures

Don’t have time to request the shipment?  Print a high-resolution version yourself or take a peek at what you’re ordering online today. 

Need an all-in-one tool to manage your chapter? Try Wiggio.

Wiggio is an impressive (yet simple) online application for managing calendars, documents, schedules, conference calls, to-do lists and more - a perfect (and free!) program that Mortar Board chapters and the endlessly busy students and advisors who lead them can benefit from.

Learn more by checking out this video or signing up to attend a free informational webinar offered exclusively to Mortar Board members with Wiggio Founder and CEO Dana Lampert on Monday, December 20 (1:30 p.m. Eastern).

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