SECTION STEERING COMMITTEE MEETING 2004 ASAE ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL MEETING   Westin Hotel – Ottawa, ON Canada   August 2, 2004 – 12:30 - 2:00 p.m.   Minutes   Present:           Peter Ling, Billy Lawson, Louise Lawson, Qin Zhang, Roger Ruan, Chris Butts, Ernest Tollner, Thomas Tuttle, Victor Duraj, Ken Hellevang, Tami Brown-Brandl, Paul Heinemann, P. Krishnan, Wayne Bogovich, Bill Hunt, Mike Brugger, Tom Glanville, Kelley Green, Kurt Rosentrater, Jason Parris, Calvin Perry, Mike Boyette, Mahbub Alam, Dani Bellmer, Dolores Landeck and Mark Crossley   Presiding:         John Worley   Agenda   1.         Call to Order, Welcome & Introductions   2.         Additions to the Agenda   3.         Approval of the minutes from July 29, 2003   4.         Overview - Purpose and function of the committee and ASAE Sections   5.         Public Relations at the Section Level – A directed discussion led by ASAE staff   6.         Section Feedback Forum – Ideas and issues from the sections, what can ASAE do to help, what can sections learn from each other.   7.         Other Added Agenda Items   8.         Adjourn     ===============================================   The meeting was called to order at 12:35 p.m.   After welcoming the group, Section Steering Committee (SSC) Chair John Worley overviewed the agenda and a request for additions presented. There were none.   After introductions of those in attendance, the minutes of the 2003 meeting were reviewed (Attachment A). With no changes brought forward the following motion was presented:   Motion: To approve the minutes from the SSC meeting at the 2003 Annual International Meeting. Seconded and passed   Overview and Purpose of the SSC John began with a brief overview of the purpose of the SSC. It exists as a link between the sections and headquarters and fosters the exchange of ideas among sections. It further promotes the relationship between sections and the five district representatives (DR).   It was quickly pointed out that many section chairs were unaware of what exactly their DR actually was supposed to do in relation to their position. In order to better define this relationship, the following actions will be put into place after the meeting:   -                     Placing the names of DRs on the Section page of the ASAE Web site; -                     Making sure DRs are fully aware of their position duties as they relate to communication with section chairs within their district; -                     Posting the DR guidelines on the Web; -                     Adding the name of the DR when the new section chair welcome message is sent from headquarters; and -                     Setting up twice yearly conference calls between each DR and their section chairs within their district.   Public Relations at the Section Level ASAE Public Affairs Manager Dolores Landeck then led a discussion on public relations (PR) and how it relates to local section activities. It was pointed out that PR is an effective tool for raising the visibility of agricultural and biological engineering and building an information network for section members.   Discussion then turned to the ‘publics’ which might be reached in a PR effort including section members, other professional societies (i.e. IEEE, ASME) you may want to involve in section activities, the lay community, local media, educators (especially high school), youth organizations (i.e. 4H, FFA) and elected officials. They might be reached by newsletters, news releases, special interest stories or public policy statements written by the section. Sections then shared what PR activities they have undertaken in the past and what has worked or has not.   Finally, it was determined that having a fact sheet on the section and ASAE in general is desirable when seeking PR. The fact sheet that ASAE distributes will be posted on the Web site under the Sections page (Attachment B).   Section Feedback Forum The remainder of the meeting involved an open discussion of section feedback and what benefits and services are currently available from headquarters. An information sheet, which is sent to all new section chairs, was presented to the group for their use (Attachment C).   It was then reported from the SSC meeting last year that the following factors are the top reasons why section meetings are successful.   An attractive location. Cost is not as much an impediment to industry as we might think. Tours of local industries or interesting engineering applications. Credit for professional development where it is needed for professional registration. Joint tours with neighboring sections and other related societies. A good balance of technical information and social interaction.   With no further business before the SSC, a motion to adjourn was presented, seconded and passed. The meeting concluded at 2:00 p.m.