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An S-PAC Model for a Small School
Written by Dr. Dennis W. Herr and edited by Jim Watson

Student Professional Awareness Conferences (S-PACs) had been proposed for Ohio Northern University (ONU) since the early eighties. Each time, the effort involved was overwhelming for a small program. In 2001, an outstanding S-PAC was implemented by expanding the concept into a full day conference, positioning it as a college event, and requiring student attendance. This was well attended, accomplished all the goals of an S-PAC, and produced many benefits.

The process began a year before the S-PAC with a suggestion to the Joint Engineering Council (JEC) that E-Week be moved from the eighth week of spring quarter to the first week and that an S-PAC be held as the cornerstone of the week's activities. Students from all engineering societies elect JEC representatives and E-Week is their major event.

A proposal was written and presented to the Dean of Engineering asking for his support. With his approval, the idea was presented to JEC's E-Week committee. This initiated the planning process. When the schedule and speakers were established, a memo was sent to the college faculty asking them to make the S-PAC a part of their syllabus and redirect their classes that day to the S-PAC. The JEC president made a presentation at a college faculty meeting and the idea was accepted.

Student support was more difficult. A pamphlet sent to the students asking them to pre-register was largely ignored. E-mail from the dean indicating their attendance was expected, was not effective. Finally, a frequently asked question list was prepared and e-mailed by the dean to students. This, combined with a team of students visiting targeted classes, got most of the students registered. The faculty promoted the S-PAC and the students attended the conference in great numbers. (350 students, representing most of the engineering student body, attended the conference)

Planning followed the process recommended by IEEE. The E-Week committee formed subcommittees and the work started. Rooms in the student center were reserved and key note and session speakers were contacted. Prominent engineers from the area were included in a panel discussion. A promotional plan was implemented, the budget prepared and proposals submitted for outside funding. Credit for the success of this event goes to the students involved. The importance of good student leadership cannot be over emphasized.

Since this was the first student conference of this size to be held at the university, there was no history for guidance. When low pre-registration numbers surfaced during finals week, a plan was devised to visit all the students on the first day of the next quarter. A team was quickly assembled for the task. Required courses for each department at every level were targeted and team members distributed registration forms.

An S-PAC Model for a Small School

Audio/Visual planning was effective. When a problem occurred twenty minutes before the first sessions when speakers' laptops failed to work with the projection equipment, back-up equipment was quickly provided. When three microphones were needed in a room with only two inputs, an adapter was quickly found.

Several key strategies made this event successful. The most important was expanding the conference to include the entire college. There were only five or six IR+EEE students available to work on the S-PAC. The planning group was greatly expanded under JEC with four to six leaders from each of their seven organizations.

Placing the conference in the middle of the first week of the term resulted in faculty support. In education, there is no end to the list of things that would be good to do. Students, who are encouraged to lead full lives, are usually involved in several extra-curricular activities. Many of them are pursuing diverse minors and special programs. Trying to schedule a meeting in the evening or on a weekend is difficult. If this activity is part of their education, then it should be offered during regular hours. In the first week of the term, few tests or special activities are scheduled.

The new ABET 2000 criteria, which places a greater emphasis on student professional development, was used as justification for the S-PAC Attendance sheets and program videotapes provided evidence to include this program in ABET's suggested criteria.

In addition to addressing professional issues and increasing college visibility on campus, several conference items proved to be beneficial. Session speakers discussed what it takes to be a good engineer and how to make the most of their careers. This sent a powerful and reinforced message to the students.

The panel discussion was lively and engaging. The topic was professionalism and the questions came from every direction. Interest and attention were extremely high, even though it was the end of a long day. Two of the panel members were members of the college advisory board. It turns out that this was the first opportunity they had to interact with our students. They were very impressed and came away with a good feeling about our program. This will go a long way in improving relations with them.

Several faculty members were present at each session. E-Week and the S-PAC brought about an increase in collegiality and a renewed sense of purpose. Evidence of this was seen at the faculty bake off which was held the night after the S-PAC. Last year the bake off was poorly attended. This year, the attendance was great and the faculty participation indicating that something had changed for the better.

Editors Note: This was the most outstanding S-PAC of the 20 conferences completed in Region 2 during 2001. It is an excellent example of the value of support by the Student Branch Advisor (Dr. Herr) and the Dean of Engineering (Dr. Berry Farbrother). Dr. Farbrother has requested a continuation of this conference on a three-year schedule.