To
keep chapter members and the public informed about the
activities and initiatives of STC/SM, the chapter provides
periodic announcements and press releases, for publication
online and in other media outlets. The following announcements
highlight recent activities from all areas of STC/SM
Chapter operations, providing quick links to more information
online, as well as serving as a dashboard of current
member services. (Note: STC/SM
also sends announcements though the Chapter Listserv.
Please go to < www.stc-sm.org/listserv.htm
> for more information about the Listserv.)
For
more information about STC/SM in the press, please contact
the STC/SM Chapter Publicity Manager, at < publicity@stc-sm.org
>.
STC/SM Chapter—Professional
Association for Technical Communicators...
...Members, Volunteers, Programs, Newsletters, Places,
& People
STC/SM Winter 2010 Undergraduate Scholarship
STC/SM is pleased to offer a scholarship opportunity for students
studying technical communication! This is the first time we have offered
this opportunity, and we are excited to see some excellent applications.
Download the details, application, and instructions from the STC/SM
2010 Undergraduate Scholarship section of the Chapter Services
page, available at < www.stc-sm.org/services.htm#STCSM2010UGS >.
Plan
now to attend the first STC/SM program meeting of 2010 on Wednesday,
January 20, 2010: "Microsoft SharePoint for Technical Communicators" The
Southeastern Michigan Chapter of the Society for Technical Communication
(STC/SM) will offer our January 2010 STC/SM Program Meeting, “Microsoft
SharePoint for Technical Communicators”, on Wednesday, January
20, 2010, hosted at Thomson Reuters, in Dexter, MI. The program will
cover how to use Microsoft SharePoint to collaborate as a Project
Management Office and will include a case study of a health insurance
company department SharePoint site, from a technical communicator's
perspective. This is an excellent opportunity to learn about an important
communications tool, network with your colleagues, and find out about
new member services your STC/SM council has been developing. In addition,
we will hold the Chapter Membership Renewal drawing at this meeting.
We will also hold a surprise door prize giveaway at the event for
attendees. We look forward to the possibility of seeing you in a relaxed,
professional setting. For more information or if you have any other
questions, visit the STC/SM Chapter Programs
webpage, or send an email to the STC/SM
Programs Manager at < programs@stc-sm.org >. To register,
send an email
to the STC/SM Registration Coordinator
at < register@stc-sm.org >.
STC/SM
2010 Membership Drive Raffle
As announced through the STC/SM Chapter Listserv, STC/SM Members renewing
their memberships by the December 31, 2009 deadline received an automatic
entry in the STC/SM 2010 Membership Drive Raffle. These chapter members
were notified by email of their entry into the raffle. STC/SM held
the official raffle and drawing names for all 12 prizes at the January
STC/SM Chapter Program Meeting. Congratulations to all the winners.
Each member eligible for the drawing was entered and able to win 1
prize from the following items: 10 STC/SM T-Shirts, and 2 Western
Digital 1 TB External USB 2.0 Hard Drives. Please view the STC/SM
2010 Membership Drive Raffle section of the the Services page
for more information, available at < www.stc-sm.org/services.htm#STCSM2010MDR
>.
STC/SM
Announces the Kick-Off Event of the 2009-2010 STC/SM Chapter Program
Season, set for Thursday, October 29, 2009: "Project Management.
Have you considered coming over to the ‘dark side’….?" The
Southeastern Michigan Chapter of the Society for Technical Communication
(STC/SM) will offer our October 2009 STC/SM Program Meeting, “Project
Management. Have you considered coming over to the 'dark side'....:?”,
on Thursday, October 29, 2009, hosted at the company RelWare, in
Farmington Hills, MI. Ms. Joyce Zerkich, Scrum Master and Project
Manager at RelWare, a software company specialized in developing
Web applications for healthcare, will cover what the PMP exam requires
should you consider becoming one, what project managers might expect
of technical communicators in the workplace, should you be on a
project with one, and what project management skills technical communicators
might learn to improve project management of their own projects,
including developing tools, writing documentation, and scheduling
work. In
addition, as this is the first program to kick-off the 2009-2010
STC/SM Chapter Program Season, our chapter president will begin
the evening by welcoming STC/SM Members back to the 2009-2010 Chapter
Term. (Notice: Also,
as an extra incentive to attend, we will hold a raffle for attendees
to receive a surprise giveaway!) Please consider attending
this excellent opportunity for learning and networking, meeting
in a relaxed, professional environment. For more information or
if you have any other questions, visit the STC/SM
Chapter Programs webpage, or send an email to the STC/SM
Programs Manager at < programs@stc-sm.org >. To register,
send an email
to the STC/SM Registration
Coordinator at < register@stc-sm.org >.
The
STC/SM Job Board Staying Active into Fall 2009 In
spite of the overall economic climate, multiple permanent and contract
job openings are being advertised with the STC/SM Job Board service
through Summer and into Fall 2009. made available with STC/SM in May
and June 2009 for positions in Kalamazoo, Ann Arbor, MI, and across
Metro-Detroit. Be sure to keep up with the
STC/SM Chapter Listerserv to keep up with the latest announcements
and job postings, as STC/SM members receive the Listserv messages
before jobs are made available to the public through the Job Board
online. Visit the STC/SM Job Board for
more information about current employment opportunities, available
at < www.stc-sm.org/jobBoard.htm
>.
STC/SM
Summer '09 Networking Lunches: Meet the New President & Vice President! STC/SM
Members: please join us for lunch as we close out the summer and get
ready for fall '09—we'll pick up the tip! STC/SM is organizing
two networking lunches for summer '09: we are offering you the opportunity
to meet the incoming STC/SM President and STC/SM Vice President, as
well as STC/SM members in a fun, relaxed setting. In addition to mingling
with peers and discussing STC/SM, this will be an informal occasion
to enjoy conversation with people who share professional interests.
The new STC/SM vice president, Maryann Bowen, is hosting the first
lunch in Ann Arbor—our "West Side" lunch. Mark Lockwood,
STC/SM President, is hosting the second lunch in Royal Oak—our
"East Side" lunch. Both the president and VP will be at
both lunches. Please
register in advance by email; go to the Chapter
Services page for registration information and more details, available
at < www.stc-sm.org/services.htm >. Otherwise, if you have any
feedback, comments, or questions, send us an email.
Multiple
Job Opportunities Posted with STC/SM through June 2009 Several
job openings were made available with STC/SM in May and June 2009
for positions in Kalamazoo, Sterling Heights, and Ann Arbor, MI, as
well as a permanent position inC Charlotte, NC. Be sure
to keep up with the STC/SM Chapter Listerserv to keep up with the
latest announcements and job postings. Visit the STC/SM
Job Board for more information about employment opportunities.
STC/SM
2009-2010 Election Results Announced
STC/SM is pleased to announce our STC/SM Chapter Executive
Council for the 2009-2010 chapter term. Congratulations to our
new council! The new positions take effect on June 1, 2009, but
the chapter transitions all positions through the summer, preparing
for the bulk of duties starting in the Fall and running through
Summer 2010.
Our
new council includes:
—Mark
Lockwood, President
—Maryann Bowen, Vice President
—Julie Wingett, Secretary
—Sharon McDonnell, Treasurer
—Kathleen Belanger, Nominations
The chapter sends its sincere thanks to all of you who voted and
participated in the survey!
In
addition to these elected positions, we are also grateful for
the other volunteer staff that helps promote the continued success
of the STC/SM Chapter. Special thanks also goes out to Erin Moulton,
2008-2009 Nominations Committee Manager, and the rest of the Nominations
Committee for recruiting the STC/SM staff for the upcoming year.
Although we are in the process of transitioning from the 2008-2009
term through the summer into our 2009-2010 term, we always have
a need for new volunteers and the donation of specialized skills,
ranging from regular STC/SM staff positions to shorter projects
and support with our regular chapter activities.
Time to Vote: STC/SM 2009-2010 Elections
Held by Mail through May 15th, 2009
The STC/SM council is happy to announce that election time is
here, and we have mailed the chapter ballots (along with a short
chapter survey) to all current chapter members. If you do not
receive your ballot/survey by May 10th, 2009, please contact
< nominations@stc-sm.org
>—or contact the Nominations team with any questions.
We have an experienced, qualified group of volunteers lined
up for the upcoming 2009-2010 chapter term, and we are expecting
to have a fun time next year while working to understand and
serve the needs of our members. Our candidates for 2009-2010
include:
Mark
Lockwood for President
Maryann Bowen for Vice President
Julie Wingett for Secretary
Sharon McDonnell for Treasurer
Kathleen Belanger for Nominations
We also have an open (write-in) Nominations position available.
Though
our ballot is uncontested this year, our bylaws require that
we hold annual elections, and your participation and survey
feedback is very important to us. We will announce the results
by June 1st. Please return your ballots promptly (in the enclosed
SASE), so that all votes can be counted. We will not accept
ballots postmarked after May 15th. Thank you for your participation
in this election!
Dedicated
to the advancement of technical communication within
Southeastern Michigan...
