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Become a certified advisor through Leadership Excellence and Advisor Development (LEAD)
As a participant in the Leadership Excellence and Advisor Development (LEAD) program piloted by Mortar Board’s Advisor Task Force, you will learn
LEAD will be held Friday, July 23 from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. before the Mortar Board National Conference officially kicks off at 3 p.m. The LEAD registration fee is complimentary this year. For those flying in from out of town, we recommend an extra night's stay in Chicago on Thursday at Mortar Board's special rate. Registration includes double-occupancy accommodations, meals and meeting materials. Details follow:
Advisors are important to the life and livelihood of collegiate chapters. Join your students at the National Conference and learn alongside them. As their “guide on the side,” you can be right there in Chicago to help them process the information that they are taking in. The opportunity to visit with other advisors and enjoy the fellowship of other advisors, alums and national leaders—not to mention students—is a treat that will pay off for you personally and also for your chapter! Don't miss out on this opportunity! Register now. Chapter gift membership: an alternative for those who can't pay dues In some cases, candidates your chapter has selected to join Mortar Board may be unable to pay national membership dues. That is why Mortar Board, Inc. has offered one Coral Vanstrum Stevens Gift Membership to each chapter since 1949. Each chapter is permitted to use one gift membership of $75 each year to offset national membership dues for one or more members. This can be used simply by checking the appropriate box in "Form III" of the OMR when submitting payment for your chapter. No additional paperwork is necessary, and it is not necessary to indicate which member or members are receiving the gift. Wrap up the Mortar Board year successfully As the academic year comes to a close, chapter members are increasingly busy. An effective transition of incoming and outgoing members can ensure that all necessary reports and tasks are properly executed.
Transition and train new officers - A proper transition should include a group and one-on-one meeting, often a retreat, at which officer binders and records are passed from one officer to the next. Show new officers where files are located on your chapter's Google Docs page. Complete reports - It is the responsibility of the outgoing chapter to complete all chapter reports before graduation. Here is a list of due dates and the officers responsible for completing the reports:
*Optional, strongly encouraged
Elect new officers - Before leaving campus for the summer, elect officers and report to the National Office. Register for the conference - Each chapter must send one official delegate to the annual Mortar Board National Conference at no cost to the individual*. This delegate is typically the new chapter president, but in his or her absence, may be another officer or chapter member. The 2010 conference will be held July 23 - 25 in Chicago and registration is available online. Other chapter members may attend at the chapter's or their personal expense. Get acquainted - The new chapter should set up at least one meeting before the end of the academic year to get to know each other and start planning for next year. Each edition of the Mortar Board INK features an icebreaker idea that you can use to help engage the members. Plan to keep in touch - Members may be scattered during the summer, so please encourage them to stay in touch via e-mail or phone. *The chapter conference fee and funding from Mortar Board, Inc. cover transportation, lodging, meals and registration materials for one delegate per chapter. A chapter delegate choosing additional options, such as single rooms or optional entertainment activities, must pay for those fees personally, or through his or her chapter.
Officers may come to you for help in completing their year-end reports and award nominations. The National Office encourages you to support your chapter, but it is not your responsibility to finish the chapter officers' work for them. Feel free to lend a hand where necessary. If the transition process is correctly executed, the outgoing and incoming officers should coordinate and divide the work that needs to be done, instead of letting it fall to you. You can help them best by guiding them as they plan how to accomplish this. Advisor Annual Report due on or before May 15 The Advisor Annual Report, due on or before May 15, provides the National Office with important information about your chapter’s operations and solicits feedback to better serve you and your chapter. For example:
Through the report, you may also request a letter acknowledging your role as chapter advisor be sent by the National Office to your supervisor at work. Please complete this required report by May 15 and share your recommendations for improving advisor relations.
Candice Hironaka In more than a decade of advising Mortar Board (three years at Oregon State University, 13 at Kansas State), Candice Hironaka cites her favorite part of being an advisor as the opportunity to interact with outstanding, committed and truly exceptional members on a weekly basis. A Mortar Board member initiated in 1971 at Oregon State, Candi has maintained a strong bond with the Society over the years, both with fellow initiates and advisees. Fondly, she explains “I have forged many friendships over the years with M.B. members and have kept in close contact with many, following their exemplary professional and personal journeys.” With the dedication and enthusiasm Candi puts forth in advising Mortar Board, attending chapter events and fostering relationships with members, it is no surprise that she was recognized in 2002 with the national Excellence in Advising Award from Mortar Board. In fact, she is so devoted to Mortar Board that she no longer chooses to advise additional student organizations to concentrate her efforts on Mortar Board. While she enjoys many aspects of advising, Candi specifically looks forward to both the K-State Mortar Board fall retreat and winter’s new member selection. The retreat is a perfect opportunity to build community among the members while they enjoy themselves away from campus, and the selection process is always energizing and rewarding. On one particular occasion, while attending a Mortar Board National Conference in Tampa, Candi was faced with a gratifying surprise. There, she ran into an old acquaintance – a student she had worked with when he was just in 6th grade, who had become Mortar Board chapter president at the University of Iowa. At that conference, her favorite aspect was connecting with other members and advisors from across the country. When asked if her 16 years of experience advising Mortar Board could yield any helpful tips for other advisors, she replied with a few pieces of thoughtful advice. “Listen well to the students, help them see the value of the service and leadership they are providing. Encourage them to seek opportunities to make a positive difference and impact on people in their communities. Have fun and savor the time you have together because it all goes by very quickly.” Candice Hironaka is the Senior Associate Director for Student, Alumni and Community Relations in the School of Leadership Studies at Kansas State University. |
Mortar Board Lingo Conference fee Each collegiate chapter is required annually to pay a $200 National Conference Fee, which is collected by the Mortar Board National Office. Payment of the National Conference Fee entitles each chapter to send its official delegate (the incoming president) to the conference and while there, he/she will have full voting and participation privileges. Included in this fee are the delegate's travel expenses, lodging, meals and conference registration, which amounts to at least $500 per delegate. Mortar Board, Inc. covers the difference. A chapter may send other members and advisors to the National Conference along with the chapter president (official delegate) at the chapter's expense. This is strongly encouraged. The national conference fee of $200 must be paid on or before May 15. Late fees may be assessed. If your chapter needs fundraising assistance to cover the payment of this fee, please review this helpful list of fundraising ideas. Join the national Advisor Task Force Are you interested in serving on the national Advisor Task Force? Mortar Board needs your experience and suggestions to help improve advisor relations. Please e-mail Megan Stevens at mstevens@mortarboard.org if you would like to get involved. Membership Retention Survey underway If any of your chapter's candidates choose not to join Mortar Board, a National Office representative will follow up to set up a phone conversation or ask you to complete a survey to help us better understand your campus climate and any refusals. Your assistance will help us learn more about your membership procedures and assess the reasoning behind your membership refusal rates. The invaluable feedback you provide will help your chapter and others. Important downloads for advisors Officer & Advisor Handbook
Membership Selection Handbook
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Having problems viewing this e-mail? View it as a Web site or download a printer-friendly PDF. You are being sent this e-newsletter because you have been reported as an officer or advisor for your chapter of Mortar Board. If you are no longer a chapter officer or advisor and have already reported this to your local chapter, you may unsubscribe from this newsletter. Mortar Board National Office | 1200 Chambers Road, Suite 201 | Columbus, OH 43212 | 800-989-6266 |
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Responsibilities of the outgoing class 
Advisor spotlight
