Chapter transition is best accomplished by involving both the new and past members of the chapter in transition activities. Officer training and transition directly affects the success of Mortar Board and is crucial as a result of the yearly turnover of members. One year of poor transition could be devastating to your chapter.
A few things that happen at the end of your Mortar Board year
Following initiation, the chapter elects officers for the coming year. Review the positions, titles and duties of officers in the Bylaws, Article VI, Section 1.26 as well as in the Officer & Advisor Handbook. Many chapters may select numerous additional officers not listed in Mortar Board’s Bylaws to assist in balancing the workload of officers.
A new chapter advisor might also be selected or added at this time. Review the requirements for advisors and thank your current advisor(s).
The new chapter should begin to set goals. Review the national Chapter Minimum Standards found in the Officer & Advisor Handbook and Bylaws, as well as national chapter award requirements, when setting goals.
Report contact information for new officers to the National Office to help national Mortar Board leaders keep in touch with your chapter.
As they become alumni, outgoing members should fill out a change of address form available online to continue their lifelong membership in Mortar Board.
Suggested meeting agenda for transition meeting
Hold a group development discussion of the greatest challenges of the past year, both positive and negative.
Share suggestions from outgoing officers and advisors for improvement in the coming year
Host individual meetings of officers and advisors with their predecessors (each outgoing officer and advisor should keep a binder, folder, data CD or flash drive of their work to pass on to the new officer)
Allow time for new officers and advisors to ask questions.
The outgoing officers should verify that all membership fees have been sent to the National Office by May 15.
Have members exchange phone numbers and email addresses to stay in contact over the summer and throughout the upcoming academic year.
Plan for annual national conference. Typically, the chapter president serves as the official delegate and additional chapter members may also attend. If the new chapter president is unable to attend the conference, an alternate must be chosen and reported to the National Office. The official conference registration form will be available online beginning March 15. All delegates must be registered by May 15.
Group development discussions for all chapter members
In a session with new and outgoing members meeting together, divide into small groups. Have new members in a group together and outgoing members in another group to discuss the questions and topics listed below. Following a brief discussion (approximately 15 minutes), ask each group to report back to the full group. Save time for questions and answers.
Outgoing members:
If you had your year of Mortar Board to do over, what would you do differently?
What advice would you give to new members?
What suggestions would you offer as to how new members can best combine Mortar Board activities with their other leadership and service commitments?
What challenges did your chapter encounter during the year? How did you overcome them? How would you avoid them in the future?
New members:
What do you want Mortar Board to mean to you a year from now?
What goals would you like to accomplish as a group?
What problems do you anticipate as a chapter?
How might you work to solve these?
Other topics for discussion:
What commitment of time, interest and energy must members make? What is the commitment of the chapter as a whole?
Mortar Board is unique as an association of leaders. What dynamics operate in a situation such as this?
How does Mortar Board promote an opportunity for personal friendships and interpersonal relationships among the members of this group?
What talents or areas of interest are represented in the chapter? How do we best utilize them?
What goals should we set as a chapter? How should we implement them?
Is Mortar Board a viable and visible organization on campus? If not, discuss how to change this!
What do you hope to realize from your membership in Mortar Board? How did you visualize Mortar Board and your part in it?
Building a team from a group of strangers
Because you have so little time together as a group, the leadership must realize that team-building efforts will need to be focused and continuous. These efforts must be built into each meeting, in all correspondence and with each project. Here are some important parts of becoming a team that you chapter needs to remember:
The chapter must get to know each other. Remember the basics: every member must know each other’s names, know something about each other, and seek out something they have in common. Even if someone else is absent, share some information about that member, so others can get to know them.
A trusting and open environment must be created. Openly discuss talents and skills and give quality feedback. Individual differences must be appreciated or it may not be worth the risk for a member to share an idea or a concern. Each member has something special to offer; find that skill and encourage that contribution. During the year, assign all members a five-minute presentation to tell about themselves, a hobby, their career choice, etc.
As the leader, be sensitive and listen for concerns that may result from differences. For example, some religions or denominations do not find it acceptable to attend meetings on certain days. Know each other and provide an environment that is open so these concerns can be expressed without fear.
Develop ownership in the group’s purpose. Make sure the group has had an orientation about Mortar Board where they learned about the organization’s national and local roots. Bring in speakers that will affirm the members’ honor and responsibilities to the organization. Discuss the mission statement of Mortar Board. What does that mean to this group? Goal-setting and program development must be produced by the group for ownership.
Develop the group’s commitment to working together. A quick simulation game that shows the value of communication is to try to build a house of cards as a group in silence. Everyone in the group must place a card, one or two cannot do this project alone, and everyone must be involved. Then try again after you have discussed a plan with each other. The second house of cards will (should) be much better. Understanding the process will help the group in project planning. A sense of success needs to be obtained with the first group effort.
As the leader, continue to encourage each member to go beyond his or her potential. Encourage the members to develop a new skill or a new area of interest so they can say that they gained personally from this experience.
Have fun! Your year in Mortar Board should be exciting and rewarding. As you grow as a group, remember that you all became a part of Mortar Board for a reason. Enjoy it!
Watch sample officer transitions
I. Condensed sample officer transition - chapter president
II. Condensed sample officer transition - chapter membership chair
III. Condensed sample officer transition - chapter treasurer
