December 5 & 12, 1998

The Council renamed the Best Scholarship as the Raymond A. and Ina C. Best Fellowship and extended the educational loan of one borrower under the usual conditions.

Secretary-Treasurer J.D. Froula reported on the status of the 1998 Alumni Giving Program; his first-quarter financial report of the fiscal year had been sent to the Council and was accepted.

The Secretary reported on his presentation of the 1998 Standard of Excellence Award in Knoxville, TN, on December 3, and he reviewed the situation of a chapter which held an unreported initiation in 1997 and whose Chief Advisor is solely operating the chapter without any student officers.

The 1998 Convention held in October in Manhattan, KS, was reviewed and judged to have been successful. In compliance with the 1981 Convention procedure for future site choices, the invitation of Ohio Gamma to host the 2001 meeting in Columbus was accepted, contingent upon the recommended hotel having a sufficient number of sleeping rooms. The Council reviewed recommendations presented during the annual meeting and adjusted plans for the 1999 Convention to be held in Madison, WI, on October 7-9. A Council proposal that each chapter must report its action or vote on amendments to the Constitution and Bylaws by the end of February will be assigned to the Committee on Constitution and Bylaws. A task force was appointed to analyze the issues involved in the establishment of international chapters. The Council approved the reimbursement of the full Convention expenses of one alternate delegate of each chapter presenting a Convention bid, effective August 1, 1999.

The Council carefully considered a recommendation to investigate the construction of a new Tau Beta Pi national headquarters’ building and postponed it indefinitely. A task force was appointed to evaluate the physical space requirements of the Headquarters. The Council reviewed a recommendation to establish fully electronic reporting and approved preliminary plans to begin the project.

The schedule of spring conferences was reviewed, and assignments were made for national-officer representation at all 17 of them. The Council enthusiastically voted a Tau Beta Pi Distinguished Service Award to retiring District 8 Director Bonnie H. Jaffe, SC B ’89. Charles S. Hanskat, FL A ’76, and Henie Sondakh, CA Th ’98, were appointed as District 15 Directors for terms ending in June 2001. Funds were approved for a one-time District 15 Director training session to be held in February. The Council approved the establishment of a new District 16 comprised of 15 chapters in the southern half of California and of Nevada, effective August 1, 1999. Plans were made for the June 1999 meetings of national officers in San Diego, CA.

The Council reviewed two written proposals to begin implementing a design plan for Tau Beta Pi marketing materials and selected BMWW for the project.

The Council decided upon issues to be presented to the 1998-99 Financial Review Committee, reviewed various aspects of the Engineering Futures Program, and considered the status of national officer appointments that will expire in 1999.