Tau Beta Pi

The Engineering Honor Society

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Tau Beta Pi September 2026 Officer and Advisor eNotes

These eNotes contain important and up-to-date information and links to help you and your chapter as the academic year is underway. A summary is at the top of the page with links to more detailed information and references. If you have questions about the information provided, contact Headquarters toll free at 1-800-TAU-BETA (1-800-828-2382) or 865-546-4578 or by .

CHAPTER OPERATIONS:

ASSOCIATION NEWS & DEADLINES:

Annual Convention and Voting Delegate Credentials

Tau Beta Pi's 120th Convention will be held in Tucson, AZ, October 8-10, at the Westin La Paloma Resort & Spa (3800 East Sunrise Drive, Tucson, AZ, 85718), and is hosted by Arizona Alpha at the University of Arizona and the Tucson Alumni Chapter. The Association expects each collegiate and alumni chapter to send a voting delegate to this year's Convention. Please review the Convention Guide on the Convention website. Voting delegates should plan to arrive by the evening of Wednesday, October 7, in order to attend the Thursday morning Business Meeting, and plan to depart on the morning of Sunday, October 11. ALL hotel reservations will be made through the Convention registration system. Do not book through the hotel directly.

Each chapter received an email regarding Convention Credentials – if you haven't already, please review the instructions. The deadline to submit credentials was June 1. The credentials are to be submitted in the Chapter Reporting System. This is a graded report towards a Chapter Excellence Award. After submitting credentials, TBP will email your chapter president that the report has been approved. TBP pays the full travel and on-site expenses of one collegiate voting delegate and 20 percent of airfare expenses (up to $200) for one non-voting collegiate delegate from your chapter. If you have any questions, please contact the .

Convention Registration is now open. Everyone must register no later than September 1. It is essential that your chapter identify a delegate and alternate as soon as possible.

Please note that you now must be REAL ID compliant to travel domestically by air. If you're planning to attend the Convention, please make sure you have a REAL ID or other acceptable identification (like a U.S. passport) well in advance.

Recruiting Fairs

There will be an in-person Recruiting Fair this year on Thursday, October 8 at Convention in Tucson. A Virtual Fair will also be held on Thursday, September 24 from 10am – 7pm ET, for ALL members. All the information for both fairs can be accessed here. There is no charge for members to attend the recruiting fairs, and you can register for the virtual fair here starting on September 10. We are looking for engineering companies and graduate programs to participate! Please contact Erin Andrews at with any leads, suggestions, or questions.

Membership Process and Virtual Resources (Tips for New Officers!)

NOTE: Tau Beta Pi has updated the Officer Resources button in the Electronic Reporting to include a number of initiation related resources (links) including script replacement ordering, kit parts ordering form and instructions, initiation fee tracker and payment links, and the hybrid initiation electee form.

A checklist of your required reports and deadlines is available on the home page of the Electronic Reporting System. Review each of these items ahead of time to keep your chapter on track throughout the year. This included membership, Convention, and chapter operations reports.

Chapters must use the Electronic Reporting System for all undergraduate membership reports. Your chapter has only one user name and password; if you do not have or remember your login or password, please contact HQ at to have your credentials reset. Details on how to submit the membership and chapter reports are available online. You are strongly encouraged to review the model Membership Process Schedule when planning your chapter's activities.

  • Send professional membership invitation or email; sample electee invitations are here and sample electee materials are here.
  • Work with the dean's office to send a letter to candidates and their parents; sample student letter here and sample parent's letter here.
  • Discuss TBP member benefits during meetings with eligible candidates; a list of benefits is here.

Your Report of Eligibility is due at HQ within the first five weeks after the start of your school term. Bylaw III requires that a fine be levied if the report is not received. Your chapter may submit its Report of Eligibility using an Excel spreadsheet. Instructions are available here.

Host an Engineering Future Leaders Session on Your Campus

Engineering Future Leaders (EFL) is TBP's award-winning professional development program. The EF web page allows members to learn more about the program, submit their interest in becoming a facilitator, and request an in-person session.

Request a Campus EFL Session: TBP chapters may submit requests to host an in-person EFL session for your members and/or as a service or outreach activity for your campus or community. Go here to learn more and to request a session.

Important: Sessions are open to the public, so they are not limited to TBP members only. You also must have at least 15 people pre-registered two weeks prior to the requested session. Contact Kimberly Smolter at if you have questions about scheduling an EFL session.

Order Chapter Image Materials for the Semester!

Headquarters provides chapter supplies including: two poster options, information and decision brochures and a brochure holder, invitation to orientation sessions, and invitation to membership cards, envelope, and reply cards. Many supplies are available for order from the TBP Store.

Involve Your Advisors

Each chapter should have at least four advisors. If not, you should locate additional advisors, perhaps someone local in industry or an alumnus of the chapter. They must be a member of Tau Beta Pi. If you need help determining if faculty members are Tau Bates, email your list to Kelly Caro at . Invite all advisors to chapter meetings, activities, and initiations. Include them on the membership email distribution list, if they are not already on it. Request they display a TBP Poster outside their office. Ask them to promote TBP in their classes.

Fall Information Update Due

Although your chapter may have completed a Report of Officer and Advisor Election, you must complete the Fall Information Update within two weeks after the start of the term. This informs HQ of any updates from earlier reports (in case an officer moved over the summer). The report also requests information about your dean of engineering, the president of your institution, and start dates of your school terms.

Initiation Scheduling

When planning the date, time, and location for your initiation, make sure to communicate that information to your District Directors as soon as possible. One of their roles is to attend initiation ceremonies as representatives of the Association, but they need to know that information well in advance so they can make the appropriate travel plans and work and family arrangements. You should also communicate this information to your chapter members, advisors, faculty members, and deans early as well. An audience to witness the ceremony and congratulate new members adds meaning and value to the ceremony. Of course, only faculty and deans who are members should be invited.

IRS 990-N & Chapter Balance

Please verify that your chapter has submitted the required IRS 990-N ePostcard. Confirmation of submissions can be forwarded to . Also, verify that your chapter's balance at HQ is below $500. Chapters with balances exceeding $500 will need to appear before the Financial Review Committee at Convention. Questions regarding outstanding balances can be sent to .

Keys, Certificates & Membership Cards

Does your chapter have a backlog of membership certificates, cards, and keys? Tau Beta Pi is encouraging all chapters to review any backlog and develop plans to distribute membership items to alumni members. Officers have the ability in the reporting system to utilize the Member Lookup function to identify alumni members.

Have an extensive list of items that need to be distributed but don't know how to start? Send Kelly Caro an email at with the names of the members and Headquarters will provide you with a listing of email addresses, mailing addresses, etc. If you are able to retrieve new contact information for your alumni members, please provide any new information or encourage them to update their information with Headquarters. Any new member contact information can be sent to .

How to Target Your Resume

Joey (CA U '06) and Rachel Alexander (CA U '15) will present a free Zoom seminar about crafting resumes on Sunday, September 13 at 5pm ET (2pm PT). This gives you plenty of time to perfect and upload your resume and attend the TBP recruiting fairs! Their presentation will break down a sample job description and point out how to take your resume from generic to specific, and there will be time to ask questions. The Alexanders have generously offered this popular session for several years, so try not to miss it! Register now. Contact Erin Andrews at with any questions.

Joey, who has a B.S. in computer engineering from UC Davis, is the Chief Technology Officer for a pre-employment background screening company in Sacramento, CA, managing all of the technology needs for a company that screens hundreds of thousands of applicants worldwide. Rachel, who serves on Tau Beta Pi's Executive Council, has a B.S. degree in civil engineering from Cal State University, Sacramento, and works for Sacramento County Department of Airports as an Assistant Engineer, where she performs design work and project management for a variety of runway, taxiway, and roadway projects.

Pre-Convention Information Sessions

Please join your fellow Convention attendees in one of our pre-Convention virtual information sessions to be held on September 15 at 8:00pm ET and September 16 at 2:00pm ET. Hear about what you can expect and how to prepare while having a chance to ask questions and meet others who also plan to attend.

For the September 15th session, please register here.

For the September 16th session, please register here.

Town Hall

The next Town Hall is scheduled for Wednesday, September 2, at 8:30 pm. It is published on the TBP Calendar with a link to register.

Announcing the 2026 Association Award Winners

One member was selected to receive the Distinguished Alumni Award: Gerald D. Griffin, Indiana Alpha '56.

Joel Ness, Ph.D., Iowa Alpha '92, is this year's Outstanding Advisor.

The McDonald Mentor is Matthew W. Priddy, Ph.D., Mississippi Alpha '08.

Four Laureates were named: Karthik Boregowda, Florida Alpha '23; Tova E. Fink, New York Beta '26; Sadie S. Meyer, New York Beta '26; and Hu "Oliver" Zhao, Alabama Alpha '21.

Tau Bate Talks Series

The Association continues to offer Tau Bate Talks, a series of monthly virtual presentations given by Tau Bates who have used their engineering background to pursue fascinating experiences. The talks are scheduled on one Sunday of each month. The next Talk, "Why Go To Mars?" will take place on September 20 at 7 p.m. ET, and will be presented by George S. Hamilton, MS, PE, F.NSPE, AL G '89. Register here for this event and to view a list of all past presentations and videos, visit our website.