August 12, 2000

Executive Director J.D. Froula reported on the status of the 2000 Alumni Giving Program and presented financial results for 1999-2000 and his annual report.

The Council enthusiastically voted a TBP Superior Service Award to a  retiring advisor of a collegiate chapter and accepted a proposal from the headquarters staff to underwrite the local PBS five-part TV mini-series 'Building Big.' The Council received the report of the 2000 Laureate Selection Committee and reviewed the status of a project to send letters to high-achieving students in the PSAT math examinations to raise their interests in engineering as a career choice and to create name recognition for Tau Beta Pi. The project will be jointly conducted with the ASEE and will involve a website to track interest generated by the letter.

The Council reappointed EF Facilitators A.C. Hwang and D.L. Himes to terms ending in June 2001. 

Dr. Eugene M. DeLoatch, DC A '59, was appointed for a three-year term to the dean's selection committee for the National Outstanding Advisor Award; Dr. Gerald S. Jakubowski, OH Z '74, was named chair for the 2001 program.

The Council approved a proposal from the Central Illinois Alumnus Chapter to establish a TBP AlumNet program for a three-year trial period. The purpose of the program is to pair student members with alumnus members to share educational and career information and to foster a sense of connection to the Society on the part of participants. The Council reviewed guidelines for Greater Interest in Government chapter project grants and decided to revise the proposal deadline and to encourage joint-chapter projects.

The Council reviewed the Membership Study Report for 1999-2000 indicating that a significant number of eligible engineering students continues to seem uninterested in TBP membership. Invitation materials are being revised to address this concern, and President D.M. Green will write to chapter advisors.

Plans were made for officers' meetings at the 2000 Convention, and the Council completed its response on the status of issues in the report of the 1993-98 Financial Review Committee.

June 9 was chosen as the date of the 2001 National Officials Meeting. The Council approved a charter for the TBP Engineering Futures Planning Committee and took no action on the committee's proposal to restrict the appointments of individuals as both District Director and Facilitator. The expense budget for the Engineering Futures Program was increased to $98,000. Mr. Froula reviewed the status of the Headquarters information-technology project and reported that the analysis of giving potential for the Scholarship Development Campaign is underway. 

The Council received both the results and recommendations from the Spring survey of readers of THE BENT and discussed key points. Recommendations will be sent to the ad hoc 2000 Convention Committee on Image Review for consideration. The Council received a communications audit and program recommendations for 2000-01 from a marketing consultant and will send that report to the same committee for review.

Councillor J.A. Atkins discussed the plans for Tau Beta Pi to host a national convocation for students and recent graduates on the topic of engineering education in Spring of 2002. An update to the report of the ad hoc Office Space Study Committee was received.