Chapters Manual: Ieee Communications Society

CHAPTERS MANUAL
IEEE COMMUNICATIONS SOCIETY

Copyright 2004. IEEE. All rights reserved. Information valid as of January 2004. Please check the ComSoc Web page at www.comsoc.org for new and updated information.
Chapters Manual 2002
Table of Contents
1. General Orientation Overview and Scope of Society History of Society Vision and Mission of Society Operations and Procedures Purpose Targeting New Chapters Starting New Chapters Organizing a Chapter Elections Officer Responsibilities Chapter Checklist Meetings & Conferences Planning Program Planning Membership Growth ComSoc Regional Directors IEEE Funding and Reporting Getting Help from IEEE and ComSoc ComSoc Programs & Benefits Membership Benefits Chapter Programs Chapter Questionnaire & Funding Chapter Achievement Award Chapter Home Pages Distinguished Lecturers Program Distinguished Lecturers Tour Organization Volunteer Travel Direct Billing Procedures Free ComSoc Publications Travel Grant Program Chapter Case Studies Alabama Canadian Atlantic Dallas Houston Orange County Toronto Washington/Northern Virginia Supplements Chapters Questionnaire (Form) Distinguished & Expert Lecturer Surveys 3 5 6 11
2.
12 12 16 19 20 21 23 24 26 26 27 28 32
3.
34 36 37 38 41 42 43 43 44 44
4.
47 49 53 55 61 62 65
5.
69 72
IEEE Communications Society
IEEE Petition (to form new chapter) IEEE Product Order Form 6. Index
75 78
General Orientation
Overview and Scope of Society -- History of Society -- Vision and Mission of Society
Overview and Scope of Society

ComSoc is a community--a community consisting of diverse industry, government, and educational professionals with a common interest in advancing all communications technologies. To that end, the Society sponsors publications, conferences, educational programs, local activities, and technical committees that: Foster original work in all aspects of communications science, engineering, and technology;and encourage the development of applications that use signals to transfer voice, data, image, and/or video information between locations. Promote the theory and use of systems involving all types of terminals, computers, and information processors; all pertinent systems and operations that facilitate transfer; all transmission media; switched and non-switched networks; and network layouts, protocols, architectures, and implementations. The Society strongly advances developments toward meeting new market demands in systems, products, and technologies such as personal communications services, multimedia communications systems, enterprise networks, and optical communications systems.
Although consisting of individual members, ComSoc is a nonprofit organization that works closely with public/private organizations and educational institutions where members work and/or study. Through this three-way partnership, ComSoc: 1. Works together to make enterprises more competitive in the information age: As a key player in the worlds evolving communications industry, members are invited to take advantage of the invaluable services and information that the IEEE Communications Society can provide for you, your staff, and your organization. 2. Sets communications industry trends: Since its founding in 1952, the IEEE Communications Society has taken the lead in the dissemination of innovative technological advances, as it has evolved into the communications industrys primary information resource.
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3.
Adds value as a corporate partner: Over the years, the IEEE Communications Society has worked with thousands of manufacturers, service providers, regulatory agencies, and learning institutions to the mutual benefit of both organizations.
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Makes employees more productive and competitive: IEEE Communications Society membership gives employees access to key industry leaders through its periodicals, conferences and meetings covering technologies in all areas of the communications industry. Members and their organizations can also take advantage of many other types of career development and professional learning opportunities. Local Chapters can participate in community outreach efforts in conjunction with Society initiatives to advance industry technologies and improve their image and secure their future.
In the past fifty years, ComSoc has become the premier international forum for the exchange of ideas on communications technologies and information networking. SCOPE (FIELD OF INTEREST) The scope of the Society shall embrace all aspects of the advancement of the science, engineering, technology and applications for transferring information between locations by the use of signals. This includes: sources and destinations involving all types of terminals, computers and information processors; all pertinent systems and operations to bring about this transfer; guided and unguided transmission media; switched and unswitched networks, and network layouts, protocols, architectures and implementations.
History of Society
The "roots" of the IEEE Communications Society extend back to the American Institute of Electrical Engineers (AIEE) which was founded in 1884, and the Institute of Radio Engineers (IRE) which was formed in 1912. These formed the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) on January 1, 1963. AIEE (American Institute of Electrical Engineers) The original fields of interest of AIEE were electrical communications and power engineering. Electronics engineering evolved from the radio field and expanded greatly during World War II, overlapping into the communications and (to a lesser extent) the power fields. Methods were developed to foster cooperation and interchange of information among members of each of the original Institutes with their narrow common interests. The AIEE formed "Divisions" with "Communications" as one major entity. No special organization was chartered,
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although separate Technical Committees (TCs) reviewed papers for, and conducted sessions at broad-based AIEE Conferences. Most of these papers were later published in the AIEE Transactions. IRE (Institute of Radio Engineers) During the same era, IRE began organizing specialized Professional Groups (PGs) each with a common interest. The Professional Group on Communications Systems (PGCS) was formed in 1952, producing its own Transactions the following year. PGCS sponsored sessions at major IRE conferences and conventions, and developed its own special conferences. The first such conference was the Aeronautical Communications Symposium, AEROCOM, held for four years in the Rome-Utica, New York area. Renamed the National Communications Symposium, NATCOM, it continued for another five years ending in 1963. Meanwhile, cooperation with the AIEE Communications Division had developed, and a series of joint National Symposiums on Global Communications, GLOBECOMs, were held at various U.S. sites. IEEE COMTECH GROUP On July 1, 1964, 18 months after IEEE was formed, the AIEE Communications Division and the IRE PGCS merged to form the IEEE Group on Communication Technology (ComTech) with 4400 members. Seven former AIEE Technical Committees continued operations under the new Group, with former IRE members joining the TCs that focused on their particular interests. A new TC on Communication System DisciplinesCommunication Systems Engineeringwas formed by ComTech members with special systems interests. The TCs reviewed papers for a new IEEE Transactions On Communication Technology (distributed free to all members), and they organized and moderated papers sessions at various conferences. COMTECH CONFERENCES The ComTech Group sponsored the Seventh GLOBECOM in 1965, calling it the First Annual IEEE Communications Convention. The following year it was renamed the 1966 IEEE International Conference on Communications (ICC) and it has continued annually ever since. ICC is held in late spring or early summer, and in 1984 went overseas for the first time (to Amsterdam). The ComTech Group also took a major role in technical sessions at the general IEEE International Conventions and the National Electronics Conference (NEC) held annually in Chicago. When the latter was canceled suddenly in 1971, ComTech joined the IEEE Chicago Section in cosponsoring a one-time Fall Electronics Conference (FEC) that proved to be successful.
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IEEE COMMUNICATIONS SOCIETY FOUNDED During that Fall Electronics Conference meeting, the Administrative Committee of ComTech approved a petition to IEEE seeking elevation to Society status. The request was granted, and the IEEE Communications Society began operations on January 1, 1972, with just over 8000 regular and 800 student members. The key officers of the directing body--a Board of Governors-- are elected by the Societys general membership, replacing the previously self-perpetuating Administrative Committee. A list of current officers is published in our magazines. REVIVED GLOBECOM Earlier, ComTech had been sponsoring the annual IEEE National Telemetering Conference (NTC). Interest in this area was declining, however, while the need for a second annual communications conference was becoming evident. Thus, the Telemetering Conference became the IEEE National Telecommunications Conference (still called NTC) in 1972. In 1982, the conference was expanded to international scope, becoming the IEEE Global Communications Conference, with the earlier GLOBECOM acronym revived. This conference continued to thrive and, in 1987, was held overseas for the first time, in Tokyo. Since then, GLOBECOM has been held in Singapore, London, Sydney and in Rio de Janeiro in 1999. TECHNICAL COMMITTEES The Telemetering Technical Committee was discontinued in 1974--our first great loss--but two new Technical Committees were added at the same time. A number of other TCs started operations in the ensuing years, each with a specific field of interest. Several Technical Committees have changed their titles and scopes during the years--some more than once--due to expanding and changing interests. The list of Technical Committees and their Chairs are printed in Society publications. TRANSACTIONS AND JOURNALS Since 1972, the new IEEE Transactions on Communications, with vigorous leadership, quickly developed a premier position among technical journals, with its own independent editorial board. Within a few years its frequency of publication went from quarterly to bimonthly to monthly, with special issues being featured from the start. An additional publication, the IEEE Journal on Selected Areas in Communications, was "spun-off" in 1982. It soon went from quarterly to a nineissues-per-year distribution and became a monthly publication in 1999 with the addition of the Wireless Communications Series. In 2002 the WCS became the IEEE Transactions on Wireless Communications, published quarterly.
In 1982, Transactions and the Journal were "unbundled" from the dues structure and made available to the membership at moderate subscription rates, thereby keeping the basic dues to a minimum. Both periodicals are, of course, offered to the technical public at a higher, non-member rate, the proceeds providing a substantial portion of the financial base of the Society. In 1993, the IEEE/ACM Transactions on Networking, was introduced, and in 1996, another new publication appeared - IEEE Communications Letters. The latest addition to this impressive list of technical journals is IEEE Communications Surveys & Tutorials, the Societys first electronically published journal started in 1996.
IEEE COMMUNICATIONS MAGAZINE

The original IRE PGCS (Professional Group Communications Systems) Newsletter evolved into the IEEE ComTech Newsletter (offered free to members) which then became the IEEE Communications Society Newsletter. In 1975 the Newsletter was expanded into IEEE Communications Magazine with the addition of general technical interest features, the cost being partially subsidized by advertising. Two years later, the magazine was offered to the general public (non-members) by subscription. It became a monthly publication in 1983. In 1994, the Global Communications Newsletter was initiated as a regular feature of Communications Magazine. In 1997, the magazine went online with IEEE Communications Interactive. OTHER PUBLICATIONS
IEEE Network--The Magazine of Global Information Exchange was first published

by the Communications Society in 1987 and soon became self-sustaining. It is issued on a bimonthly basis, as is IEEE Personal Communications (now IEEE Wireless Communications), which first appeared in 1994. The Communications Society also technically co-sponsors, with other IEEE Societies, additional publications offered to members at special rates. These include IEEE Internet
Computing, IEEE Multimedia Magazine, IEEE Transactions on Applied Superconductivity, IEEE/OSA Journal of Lightwave Technology, IEEE Transactions on Multimedia, IEEE Pervasive Computing, IEEE Sensors Journal, IEEE Transactions on Mobile Computing, and others.
ONLINE AVAILABILITY
All ComSoc publications (magazines and journals) have been available online since 1998. An Electronic Periodicals Package (EPP) of ComSoc publications now provides an all-electronic access alternative to print subscriptions at a moderate
rate. ComSoc e-News, an electronic newsletter, was initiated in 1998 and is distributed to all ComSoc members who have listed e-mail addresses. IEEE COMMUNICATIONS SOCIETY WEB SITE In 1996, ComSoc developed an independent web site permitting global access to ComSoc information. Society news, publications, conferences, information on standards, and electronic initiatives can be found easily. The site is updated frequently and includes e-mail contacts for ComSoc officers and staff. CONFERENCE RECORDS Each major conference sponsored by the Society publishes a Conference Record printed in advance and distributed to conference attendees. These proceedings contain copies of every paper presented at the meeting, and are in demand by Technical Libraries and people unable to attend the conference. Proceeds from the sale of the extra copies help with meeting expenses, and surplus funds are divided among the conference sponsors. Several conference proceedings are now available in CD-ROM format. TECHNICAL BOOKS The Communications Society began sponsoring the publication of books by IEEE Press in 1975, when four books were released. This has continued, with contributions each year and with noted Communications Society members serving as authors and editors. CONFERENCES In addition to ICC and GLOBECOM, the Communications Society sponsors MILCOM--Military Communications Conference--which began in 1982; and NOMS--Network Operations Management Symposium--initiated in 1987. Through the years the Communications Society has also picked up cosponsorship of other major conferences: INFOCOMConference on Computer Communications; IM--International Symposium on Integrated Network Management (formerly ISINM); WCNC--Wireless Communications & Networking Conference (formerly ICUPC); International Phoenix Conference on Computers and Communications (IPCCC), Optical Fiber Communications Conference (OFC), etc. Additionally, between 1990 and 1998 ICC collocated with Supercomm in alternating years. Participation in other international, regional and local conferences on a lesser scale is also widespread. WORKSHOPS/SYMPOSIUMS Through the years the Communications Society Technical Committees have developed their own specialized small-group meetings called "workshops." These
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workshops provide interaction among engineers working at the "cutting edge" of new developments, while respecting proprietary interests. (Most do not issue symposium records.) Many are listed in the IEEE Communications Magazine Conference Calendar and the IEEE Spectrum Calendar of Coming Events. Another service to Communications Society members is the presentation of Tutorial Sessions at conferences whereby new information on "hot topics" is disseminated to attendees, supplementing the standard paper sessions at the meetings. STAFF Prior to 1979, the entire support for Society operations was handled by IEEE Staff, working under the direction of Society Officers and Members who were volunteers. When IEEE Communications Magazine became available to nonmembers, a Managing Editor was hired to provide closer Society control. This was the beginning of the IEEE Communications Society staff, which now numbers around 21 full-time IEEE employees. The staff is under the direction of an Executive Director, a position established in 1990. GROWTH With over 55,000 members, the IEEE Communications Society has shown remarkable growth. In 1992, the Society was assigned its own Division within the IEEE and is no longer grouped with smaller Societies within the Institute.
Vision and Mission of Society

VISION: The Vision of the IEEE Communications Society is to be the organization of choice for communications and related professionals throughout the world. MISSION: The IEEE Communications Society promotes the advancement of
science, technology and applications in communications and related disciplines. It fosters presentation and exchange of information among its members and the technical community throughout the world. The Society maintains the highest standard of professionalism and technical competency.
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Operations and Procedures

Purpose -- Targeting New Chapters -- Starting New Chapters -- Organizing a Chapter -- Elections -- Officer Responsibilities Chapter Checklist -- Meetings & Conferences Planning -- Program Planning -- Membership Growth ComSoc Regional Directors -- IEEE Funding and Reporting -- Getting Help
Purpose - WHY LOCAL CHAPTERS?

Although IEEE is the international leader in the publication of technical electrical information, many of the benefits that members obtain from IEEE are found at the grass-roots level. At the local level, members meet others with similar interests in a familiar setting. Speakers from the community and elsewhere share valuable information with their audiences who then have opportunities for questions and comments. Excellent discussions often result--due in part to these diverse gatherings of personalities and backgrounds. Needless to say, Chapter meetings can result in the formation of business contacts and friendships that frequently extend for many years. For those with leadership ability and skills, local Chapters provide opportunities to practice, build, demonstrate, and develop their skills. Chairs and other executives are always in demand in both the local Chapter and the Section. Thereafter, opportunities may expand and move on through Regional Activities to higher levels of management, or via the international route to the Technical Committees. Skills learned and used at the Chapter level are the same as those used in business. Also, the environment within the local Chapter is friendlier than that of most businesses--since IEEE is seeking to serve the particular needs of local members. Overall, membership in the local Chapter is a winning situation for everyone, whether ones interests are technical, business, social, managerial, or -- as more often the case -- some combination of these.
Targeting New Chapters - GUIDELINES

Where to Look - Select target locations Obtain membership statistics by Section and Society from the Society Membership, by Region, by Section, By Society Table (Section C, Table 3) of the latest Report of the IEEE Secretary. This table, which is broken down by Region, also indicates (with asterisks) which Societies have Chapters in a given Section. As an alternate method of researching what Chapters exist and as a way to obtain Council, Section, and Chapter contact information, check the IEEE
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Geographical Organizational Roster (see web site below ). The Roster is broken down by Region, Area, Council, and Section. Chapters are then listed alphabetically by Society within each Section. A copy of the prior years Report of the IEEE Secretary may be obtained from: IEEE Corporate Activities 445 Hoes Lane Piscataway, NJ 08855-1331 USA Tel: +1 732 562 3933 Fax: +1 732 981 9515 E-mail: c.poko@ieee.org The IEEE Geographical Organization Roster is available online to Region Directors and Section Chairs at: www.webstage.ieee.org/organizations/rab/roster. For assistance contact: IEEE Regional Activities Section/Chapter Support 445 Hoes Lane Piscataway, NJ 08855-1331 USA Tel: +1 732 562 5513 Fax: +1 732 463 3657 E-mail: p.kovacs@ieee.org What to Look For - Target locations for new Chapters should be in Sections where: A Society has no Chapters, but the Society has at least 12 members, other than Students and Affiliates, in the Section. A Society Chapter already exists, but membership counts are fairly significant; as a result, there is a potential to expand the current Chapter to include additional Societies or to form multiple Chapters within the Sections; (e.g., the Tokyo Section, Japan has that potential since there are many members of some Societies in Japan, and the Chapter encompasses many cities.).
It is recommended that technically-related Societies join together to form a Chapter. A larger member base and a larger Society support structure enhances the likelihood that the Chapter will grow and flourish. In addition, it takes no more work to add the multiple Society application, if handled at the same time. Do the Research - After selecting locations which appear to be good target areas for Chapter formation, proceed as follows: 1. Obtain lists of Society members in these locations holding the grades of Associate, Member, Senior Member, and Fellow. These lists can be obtained from:
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The IEEE Section under consideration -- use the Section Access to Membership Information Program (SAMIEEE). The Section Chair can assist you. (Note: Some Societies also receive SAMIEEE.) IEEE Regional Activities -- will generate a list using the IEEE List Management System. The contact information is as follows: IEEE Regional Activities Section/Chapter Support 445 Hoes Lane Piscataway, NJ 08855-1331 USA Tel: +1 732 562 5518 Fax: +1 732 463 3657 E-mail: d.schreiber@ieee.org IEEE Technical Activities -- can also generate a list (as above). The contact information is as follows: IEEE Technical Activities 445 Hoes Lane Piscataway, NJ 08855-1331 USA Tel: +1 732 562 3900 Fax: +1 732 981 1769 E-mail: m.ward-callan@ieee.org 2. Contact the Section Chair to see if there is interest in forming a Chapter for the Societies within that Section. It may be helpful if the correspondence to the Section is sent out over the name of the IEEE Division Director or Society President. If there is interest in starting a Chapter, ask the Section Chair to identify an organizer (holding the grade of Member, Senior Member, or Fellow) and provide the Section with the petition to form a Chapter of an IEEE Society. (A petition form is contained in this manual as well.) 3. Contact the Chair of a technically-related Chapter already in existence to see if there is interest in forming a joint Chapter. It is recommended that this activity be done on a multiple-Society basis, as the work needed is essentially the same. 4. If there is interest, advise the Chair that, when forming a new joint Chapter, a member of the Section Executive Committee must write a letter to IEEE Regional Activities approving the joint chapter. In the case of Chapter expansion, the current Chapter Chair must indicate whether the current Chair will remain in office; it is not necessary to complete a petition to expand the sponsorship of an existing Chapter. 5. Make personal contacts in the given location to initiate/assist with the Chapter formation.
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6. Resolve potential problems/issues. 7. Work with the appropriate Section, Society members, and IEEE staff contacts to resolve any issues hindering Chapter development. Making it Happen - What is required to start a new Chapter? IEEE Section/Chapter Support has a kit for new Chapter organizers containing several helpful documents including the "Petition for the Establishment of an IEEE Society Chapter". The request for the kit can be sent to the address above for Section/Chapter Support. (See Petition Form under Supplements, Section 5) Minimum Requirements for Formation of a new Chapter The basic requirement is that there be at least 12 IEEE members in the Section of Associate Member, Full Member, Senior Member, or Fellow grade who are members of the Society in question. The organizer must be a Member, Senior Member, or Fellow. The petition is then submitted to the Section Executive Committee, via the Section Secretary, for approval. The petition should specify the name of the Section, the name of the Society, and the name and address of the Chapter Organizer. When approved by the Section Executive Committee, the petition should be mailed to IEEE Regional Activities - Section/Chapter Support at the address above. The Chapter will be considered established after IEEE Regional Activities has ascertained that neither the Regional Director nor the Society President has any objections to the Chapter formation. Following approval, the Section Chair, Chapter Organizer, Regional Director and sponsoring Society President(s) will be notified. Joint Chapter Formation There may be Sections where there are not sufficient members of one Society to form a new Chapter; or, the geographical expanse of the Section may be so great that the density of Society membership in any key location would not support a viable Chapter. One solution is to form a joint Chapter with another technically related Society/Societies. The process (stated in this document) is still applicable. Joint Chapters can be split later into separate viable Chapters when there is a reasonable number of members from each of the sponsoring Societies. Joint Chapter formation requires signatures from 12 members, each of whom belong to at least one of the forming Societies; at least 3 members of each forming Society must be included in the signatures.
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Starting New Chapters

Several stimuli may trigger the investigation to start a new Communications Society Local Chapter in a Section, such as: An active Communications Society member A Communications Society Regional Director Corporate inquiry High Communications Society membership in Section What is required to start a new Communications Society Chapter? IEEE Regional Activities will send a kit to prospective new Chapter organizers containing several helpful documents including a "Petition for the Establishment of an IEEE Society Chapter". (A copy of the petition is included in this manual; you can also contact the ComSoc office in New York at c.swaim@comsoc.org for Starter Kits.) Kits may be obtained from: IEEE Regional Activities 445 Hoes Lane Piscataway, NJ 08855-1331 USA Phone: Fax: +1 732 562 5513 +1 732 463 3657
Minimum Requirements for Formation of a Society Chapter The basic requirement is a petition of at least twelve Section members who are above Student Grade and are members of the Communications Society. The petition is then submitted to the Section Executive Committee, via the Section Secretary, for approval. The petition should also specify the name of the Section, that it is a Communications Society Chapter, and the name and address of the Chapter Organizer. When approved by the Section Executive Committee, the petition should be mailed to: IEEE Regional Activities Department 445 Hoes Lane Piscataway, New Jersey, 08855-1331 USA The Chapter will be considered established after the Regional Activities Department has determined that neither the IEEE Regional Director nor the Society President has any objection to formation of the Chapter. Following approval, the Section Chair, Chapter Organizer, IEEE Regional Director and Society President will be notified.
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Developing the New Chapter A successful Chapter depends on the strength of its members and therefore, there is a need to expand the Chapter beyond the initial petition signatures. The petition merely sets the process in motion. In a "parallel processing mode," a campaign should be undertaken to attract membership in the new Chapter. Several sources exist which can identify existing Communications Society members in the Section in order to notify them of the proposed Chapter. The Section Newsletter provides a relatively inexpensive way to announce the formation of a new Communications Society Chapter. The cycle for the Section Newsletter publication is often within the time necessary to process the petition for the new Chapter. Another alternative for Chapter announcements is to solicit corporations and universities that relate to Communications Society activity. Section leadership or the Society itself may have key contacts in these corporations who would support the formation of the new Chapter. The IEEE Regional Activities Department has developed a mechanized process to identify corporations that have members in the Communications Society. By using these corporate linkages, it may be possible to attract new Communications Society members as well as obtain potential use of corporate facilities during the formative period. Another alternative is to have the Section request that IEEE Regional Activities develop a list of existing ComSoc members living or working in the area served by the Section. Depending on the number of Society members in the Section, individual notices could be sent to everyone on the list. However, if the list were lengthy, the cost of such a campaign should be considered.. The success of a Chapter often depends on the ability to attract members with a commitment to making the Chapter active and robust. Many functions need to be addressed by the Chapter and its committees. In addition to the offices of Chair, Vice Chair, Secretary, Treasurer, etc., there are other key areas that need active members. Some of these include: Student Activities, Program, Publications, Publicity, Professional Activities, and Planning. Recommendations for filling these positions are often available from Section leaders or the Communications Society. Corporations and Universities may be willing to recommend individuals and provide the individual with support for functions. The selection of personnel for the key functions and sound program meetings is paramount to getting a Chapter off the ground. Another important attribute is membership involvement in the activities. Although it is easier to let ten percent of the people do ninety percent of the work, this does not foster strong organizations. When soliciting Chapter membership, provide ways for these members to indicate their willingness to be on key committees or serve as officers. By motivating/activating these volunteers, a built-in core of workers is
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developed to ensure a healthy Chapter. Soliciting new members and encouraging them to run for office is an ongoing (but worthwhile) endeavor. Forming a Joint Chapter with Another Society There may be Sections where there are either not enough ComSoc members to meet the minimum requirements to form of a new Chapter; or, the geographical expanse of the Section is so great that the density of Communications Society membership in any key location will not support a viable Chapter. One natural evolution of a Communications Society Chapter is to form a Joint Chapter with another related Society (or Societies). The process stated above is still applicable. Several successful Joint Chapters have been formed and later split into separate viable Chapters. Examples of Societies where such successful joint ventures have taken place with the Communications Society include: Signal Processing (SP-01), Antennas & Propagation (AP-03), Vehicular Technology (VT06), Aerospace & Electronic Systems (AE-10), Information Theory (IT-12), Computer (C-16), and Microwave Theory & Techniques (MTT-17). Forming a Joint Chapter with Other Sections There may be a situation where two or more Sections are in relatively close proximity but without sufficient Communications Society members in any one Section to create a viable Chapter. There have been several cases where the combined resources of these Sections have resulted in a Joint Communications Society Chapter. The long-term goal of such ventures should be to develop the membership and leadership to a level where the Chapter can be viable within the bounds of the Section. During transition, some joint meetings can be held to retain the interest level on a particular subject matter. Resources for the New Chapters Emerging Chapters have resource needs that may include technical program support, advice and counsel, financial aid, etc. The Communications Society, Technical Activities Board, and Regional Activities Board have all pledged their support for emerging Chapters. How does this support reach the local Chapters? The Communications Society provides four Regional Directors to provide direct support for the Chapters -- representing Asia/Pacific, Europe/Africa/Middle-East, Latin America, and North America. Appointments are made by the Vice President- Membership Development based on the recommendation of outgoing Regional Directors in consultation with the Chapter Chairs of the region. Contact information for the current Regional Directors can be found in the ComSoc Volunteer Directory (updated yearly) and on our web page (www.comsoc.org click on about comsoc).
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One of the critical needs of Chapters is lecturers for their Technical Programs. ComSoc Technical Committees are often able to provide speakers on topics requested by Chapters. It is important that the request indicate the technical level required (e.g., theoretical, applications of new technology, tutorial presentation, etc.) Suggestions for topics and potential speakers are easily identified in the Society's publications, and in tutorials or workshops presented at Communications Society Conferences. A list of distinguished lecturers, who may be available to speak at the Chapter level on subjects of interest to Society members is listed on our web site and in the ComSoc Directory. Questions regarding these services can be answered at Communications Society Headquarters or by the Director - Membership Programs Development.
Organizing a Chapter
The organizational structure for a Society Chapter depends upon its size and the extent of its activities. The minimum Chapter requirements are: maintain a membership of at least ten, other than students hold at least two technical meetings per year maintain a level of activity acceptable to the IEEE Regional Director and Society President.
IEEE Regional Activities evaluates each inactive Chapter carefully and provides support to make inactive Chapter viable. A Chapter is considered active if it holds at least two technical meetings per year. A Chapter is placed on probation if it holds less than four technical meetings per year. IEEE will recommend that a Chapter be dissolved if it remains on probation for three consecutive years. Petitions are often received seeking to establish Joint Chapters with other IEEE Societies or to change existing Chapters to joint Chapters. Joint Chapters are permitted and are treated like other Chapters. The Chapter Chair must be a member of one of the Societies that comprise the Chapter. Joint Chapters should maintain close communications with Area Committees and Chapters Committee (just like dedicated Chapters). The number and types of officers that lead a Chapter depend on the needs and resources of the Chapter. A Chapter is administered by an Executive Committee, which may consist of only one officer -- the Chair. Other possible positions for the Executive Committee include: Senior Past Chair Publicity Chair Junior Past Chair Membership Chair Vice-Chair
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Arrangements Chair Secretary-Treasurer Student Relations Chair Program Chair Members of the Board of Governors living in the area The Chapter Chair calls Executive Committee meetings as needed--preferably on a regular basis. (These meetings are sometimes held prior to Chapter meetings.)
Elections
The IEEE Constitution and Bylaws do not specify which positions must be elected and which may be appointed. However, it is recommended that the Chair, Vice Chair, and Secretary-Treasurer be elected, and the others appointed by the Chair. Note that most Chapters operate on a calendar (January-to-December) or a fiscal (July-to-June) year basis. The dates given below reflect a calendar (January-toDecember) timetable and may be adjusted to the local situation. For the election of officers, the Chair appoints a Nominating Committee in September so a slate of nominees may be announced at the October or November meeting. (It is recommended that the Nominating Committee Chair be the Junior Past Chair.) Nominations from the floor at this meeting close the nominations process. The Chair then names the Tellers Committee, holds the election in November or December by mail or at a meeting by ballot, and announces the election results at the December meeting. Only members of the Society residing in the Section may vote. (Contact IEEE Headquarters for eligibility information.) Fellows, Senior Members, Members, and Associates may vote. Associates may be appointed, but not elected, to office. The terms of the new Officers begin on January 1. It is important that the Junior and Senior Past Chairs participate in Chapter Executive Committee meetings and to assist/advise Chapter Officers. Board of Governors members living in the area can provide an important additional link to the IEEE Communications Society. The Chapter should have an Advisory Committee--consisting of past Chapter Chairs living in the nearby area (and still belonging to the Chapter), as well as former Chairs of other Chapters who have moved into the area (and are now members of that Chapter). Junior and Senior Past Chairs shall preside over this Advisory Committee. It is their responsibility to call committee meetings twice a year, or more frequently if they or the current Chair consider it necessary. The Junior and Senior Past Chairs shall also provide liaison and coordination between
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the Advisory Committee and the Chapter Executive Committee (of which they are members).
Officer Responsibilities
Listed below is the "ideal" staffing for a large Chapter. Common sense dictates the level of staffing needed for a particular Chapter.
Chapter Chair
Conduct meetings; review and approve all annual reports. Attend IEEE Section Executive Committee meetings. Assist the Program Planning Committee. Select Nominating Committee for next year's officers. Fill positions vacated by moves, outside obligations, etc. Review and revise the description of duties of the group's officers. (To be done within first month of term as needed.) Preside in Chair's absence. Participate in program planning. Assist education chair with long-range plans and goals. Manage some major area of Chapter activities such as budget, publicity, program, membership, arrangements, or student activities. (Dual appointment as Program Chair is suggested.) Send meeting reports. Assist Membership Chair in distribution and collection of meeting attendance cards. Manage Chapter correspondence. Participate in program planning. Prepare the annual group financial report for Chair's review and submit to Section Treasurer and Communications Society area chair. Confirm that Chapter received budgeted funds from Section Treasurer and submit request for additional funds as necessary. Collect payment for dinners, pay or reimburse guest speaker's dinner fee, and pay all approved invoices. Participate in program planning. Coordinate Communications Society Chapter programs.
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Vice Chair

Secretary

Treasurer
Program Chair
Provide program information to Chapter Publicity and/or Section Newsletter Editor. Notify the Arrangements Chair of any equipment needed by speakers, i.e. projector, blackboard, etc. Provide for guest speaker on meeting night, introduce to the group, etc. (Make sure Treasurer has reimbursed guest's dinner ticket.) Act as speaker's host for the evening. Make the logistical arrangements for each meeting. Coordinate with the restaurant as to the number of people attending, etc., plus work with Treasurer to budget to break even for each meal function. Coordinate with Program Chair and Publicity Chair to insure that arrangements and details have been announced in each meeting notice. Coordinate with Program Chair to provide equipment (projector, etc.) that guest speaker may require. Provide Chapter Meeting information to Section Newsletter Editor. Publish and mail Chapter Newsletter (if your Chapter has one). Ensure that local universities receive meeting notice for student bulletin boards. Provide publicity information to Communications Society staff on noteworthy Chapter activities. Ensure that attendance cards have been distributed at each meeting. See that these cards are collected and listed by name, number of regular members, guests and visitors. Coordinate with Chapter Secretary to ensure that he/she has attendance list. Review the list of guests for each meeting and contact appropriate guests for potential membership in the Communications Society and IEEE. Additional staff for a very active Chapter could be: education, student activities, awards, professional activities and any other functions deemed necessary.
Arrangements Chair
Publicity Chair

Membership Chair

Additional Staffing
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Chapter Checklist
Among the characteristic qualities of a successful Chapter Officer, the following suggestions are recommended: Develop a working knowledge of Chapter operations from manuals, guidelines, questions and the experiences of others. Involve yourself in all facets of Chapter operations to prepare for leadership positions. Develop a rapport with the members and the other officers and utilize this IEEE organization as a resource. Endeavor to present your leadership in a professional, business-like manner at all times. Develop teamwork; don't operate as a one-person show. Develop a resource network for counsel and advice outside the Chapter to assist you in your leadership role. Keep the Section and Society leadership advised of Chapter accomplishments; give credit where credit is due. Be fair and equitable in handling problems. Find ways of publicizing Chapter accomplishments, giving credit where it is due. Become a part of the Section and Society operations to enhance the Chapter reputation as well as provide direct linkage with the organizations to which the Chapter reports. Pay close attention to the fiscal aspects of Chapter operation; employ thorough planning and budget adherence. Find examples of excellence on the part of Chapter members and provide a means for recognizing these. Develop a leadership succession and offer your successor assistance, experience, and insight.
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Meetings & Conferences Planning

ComSoc can offer assistance in planning conferences/meetings your Chapter would like to sponsor. Whether you would like to have a small meeting, a workshop, or a conference, there are staff members available to help in any/all of the following areas: Site Selection and Negotiations Publicity Call for Papers Advance and Final Programs Conference Record Registration Exhibits
If you would like to become involved in one of our major conferences, there are a number of host Section/Chapter responsibilities, as outlined below: An objective of GICC (the GLOBECOM/ICC Conference Committee) in selecting a conference location is to select geographically diverse sites so that the membership will be able to participate in either an ICC or a GLOBECOM conference within their general region. Normally, the ICC conference is scheduled in May or June, while the GLOBECOM conference is held in November or December. One in every three GICC conferences is planned internationally. The IEEE Bylaws and the GICC Charter require that any scheduled IEEE sponsored conference be agreed to by the local IEEE Section in that area. Therefore GICC requires a formal invitation be obtained from the local IEEE Section before a conference may be considered within that territory. GICC may suggest that a local Section consider whether its location might be a potential conference site, or conversely, the local Section may propose a conference for its area. The selection of invitational bids to host a conference should take place 36 to 60 months before the date of the conference. A minimum of 36 months is required for proper planning of such a conference. Conferences are usually scheduled five years in advance. A preliminary conference proposal prepared by the IEEE Section Chair and presented to the Chair of GICC should include the following: An analysis of the amount of corporate/organizational support available in the local area and the degree of support from the local IEEE Section and Chapter. A statement that the local Section has an appreciation of the efforts involved in the conference management and the facility requirements. A statement of intent concerning financial participation of the local IEEE Section in the conference.
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Once the conference site has been approved by the GICC, the Host Section should immediately do the following: Submit a candidate for General Chair to GICC, accompanied by a brief rsum indicating past IEEE activities and the candidate's corporate/managerial credentials. Note that early selection of the General Chair allows him/her to be active in all of the subsequent tasks. Execute a Memorandum of Understanding signed by the local IEEE Section Chair which indicates the extent of financial participation to be undertaken by the Host Section, within GICC guidelines. This memorandum must include a statement that the agreement is binding on future officers of the local Section until the conference final financial report is accepted by GICC and the conference is officially closed. A copy of the cosigned agreement should be forwarded to IEEE Headquarters so that notification can be placed in the IEEE Technical Activities Guide (TAG). Additional Host Section responsibilities, after selection of the General Chair, consist of: A recommendation of a specific hotel/conference facility accompanied by brochures showing the layout of the conference rooms (including their capacities) and the approximate rates to be charged. Contract negotiations with the proposed conference hotel, including the number of guest rooms, meeting rooms and banquet rooms which will be reserved for conference use. It is wise to tentatively have exclusive rights to all facilities of the hotel until Society requirements have been established, and releasing these facilities when it is determined they are not needed. Note: The hotel contract must be sent to Society headquarters in New York before final approval by the local committee, and signature by the Society Executive Director. Negotiations should be handled by the General Chair and coordinated with Society staff. Submit the names proposed for the Vice Chair and Technical Program Chair to GICC for approval, including a short rsum (one or two pages) showing their local Section IEEE activities, corporate/managerial qualifications and academic credentials. In addition to our two major conferences, Globecom and ICC, the Society sponsors numerous events throughout the year. These range from conferences of 500 or more registrants (including INFOCOM, NOMS, IM, and WCNC) to workshops of 100-250 registrants. Most Society events result in a surplus that is shared between the Chapter, Section, and the Society. The conference
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information portion of the Societys web page lists these events (www.comsoc.org/confs/index.html)
Program Planning
Program planning is one of the most important areas of Chapter operations. A Chapter's primary purpose is to present meetings or programs that will enhance the knowledge and background of ComSoc members and that will broaden the use of technical papers at the Chapter level. Also, Chapters should present their interests to the Section Program Committee to ensure that the overall Section program includes subjects of value and interest to Chapter members. Chapters are encouraged to utilize local speakers whenever possible. A little research will uncover a surprising number of local experts. Use of local speakers improves their abilities and reputation, and can be beneficial in building interest in Chapter programs and membership. Look for the top technical people in universities, utilities, industrial companies, R&D laboratories, and local representatives of governmental agencies. A list of distinguished lecturers, who may be available to speak at the Chapter level on subjects of interest to Society members, has been compiled by the Communications Society staff, and is available on our web site (www.comsoc.org click on about comsoc).
Membership Growth
As Communications Society Chair, the continued growth of your Chapter is important. An active Chair with several energetic people scattered among key industries represented by the Society is very beneficial to the Chapter and to the Society. Have Communications Society membership forms and information available at all meetings. Building membership does not stop with trying to solicit new members. It means arranging good programs, providing timely meeting notices, following through with phone calls to members who are not attending,--in other words, a little "gogo" spirit on the part of the Society Chapter officers. Take an opportunity in one of the early meetings held each year to devote a few minutes to membership activities. Review the "non-member" cards returned and try to contact these people. They may only be waiting for an invitation.
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ComSoc Regional Directors

The Directors of the four ComSoc Regional Boards (Asia/Pacific; Europe, Africa & Middle-East; Latin America; and North America) are the focal points for communication between the Society and the Chapters. Regional Directors act as major resources strengthening the Chapters within their Regions and are responsible for coordinating Distinguished Lecture Tours and evaluating Student Travel Grants. (It is helpful if they have had past experience as Chapter Chairs.) Regional Directors report to the Vice President Membership Development and work closely with the Director Membership Programs Development. Director Responsibilities The Director is a major resource to Communications Society Chapters within his/her Region. The experience gained as an active Society volunteer provides guidance for existing as well as emerging Chapters. Regional Directors will: 1. Explore opportunities to establish new ComSoc Chapters in the Region. Appoint an organizer to pursue the process of establishing a new Chapter if there are reasonable candidates for new Chapters. Provide support to the organizer in structuring the new Chapter and processing the proper forms necessary to establish the Chapter. 2. Provide information, assistance and consultation for new officers of a existing or emerging Chapters. 3. Provide a forum for the exchange of ideas for Chapter programs for meetings, tutorials, workshops and special activities for Student Branches or Branch Chapters to stimulate new membership in the Society. 4. Provide a focal point for interaction with the Communications Society Technical Committees for resources for special programs, tutorials, etc. 5. Encourage Chapters to provide input to the IEEE Communications Magazine regarding the Region's Chapter activities and accomplishments, especially in the Global Communications Newsletter portion of the magazine.. 6. Ensure that Communications Society Headquarters is informed on all changes in Chapter leadership. Regional Directors and their Boards link Society and Chapters, working to facilitate the synergy of their combined resources in a Region. Sharing ideas and proper training of Chapter officers strengthen the Chapters at grass-roots levels. They provide Chapters with established leaders from their midst to advise and to provide assistance when needed.
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Several IEEE Societies have a Regional Board structure in place; this overall coordination of the Chapters in the Region provides oversight to the IEEE rebate/reimbursement process to assure proper funding through the RAB process. If there are needs for special funding for establishing new Chapters, special events, etc., the Regional Board can provide an excellent interface between Society and Chapter.
IEEE Funding and Reporting

2002 IEEE SECTION REBATE SCHEDULE (Form L-50) www.ieee.org/ra/scs
A. SECTION REBATE 1. Allowance All Sections in existence on 31 December 2001 and meeting minimum requirements shall receive a $1800 annual allowance. For Sections formed during 2001, these funds will be pro-rated from the date of establishment until 31 December. Membership Rebate $3.00 for each Member (all grades including Student and Affiliate) based on 31 December 2001 statistics. Chapter and Affinity Group Rebate $180 for each Chapter and/or Affinity Group meeting minimum requirements. Bonus for Timeliness All Sections whose reporting (financial, meeting and officer) is postmarked by 22 February 2002 will receive a 10% bonus of the total rebate.
2.
3.
4.
B.
ACTIVITY AND REPORTING REQUIREMENTS Forms, materials and guidance are available from Section/Chapter Support in the Regional Activities Department and from the Web site: http://www.ieee.org/ra/scs. For additional information, refer to the RAB Operations Manual. To be eligible for a rebate, Sections must provide current officer, financial and meeting/activity reports based on the following requirements. 1. Current Officer Report Reports of current Section, Subsection, Chapter, and Affinity Group officers must be submitted on a timely basis following the election and/or appointment of such officers. These reports must be updated during the
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year, whenever officers change. If officers have been re-elected or reappointed to another term, this should be verified through reporting. 2. Financial Report A financial report summarizing the previous year's financial activities must be submitted annually. If the Section is unable to obtain financial records from a Chapter or Affinity Group, it may opt to submit a statement that the Chapter/Affinity Group has failed to submit a timely financial report and waive its right to a rebate for that particular Chapter/Affinity Group. Under those circumstances, staff will notify the appropriate Regional Director and Society President that the Chapter/Affinity Group has been designated as non-reporting and, that if this is not resolved within two months, the Chapter/Affinity Group will be designated as delinquent and the process for dissolution will begin. Bank Signature Card The bank signature card(s) must be returned to the IEEE Operations Center for the signature of the IEEE Staff Director, Financial Services before the Section rebate will be released. This is required for all bank accounts for Sections and their subunits within the U.S., and those units outside of the U.S. where banking and legal restrictions will allow. The Section rebate will not be released until ALL signature cards for the Section and, if applicable, its Subsection(s), Chapter(s), and Affinity Group(s) have been received in the IEEE Operations Center. An exemption from the signature card requirement may be requested from the Region Director. Exemptions may only be granted due to local, state or federal banking laws and regulations prohibiting the signature of the IEEE Staff Director, or where the requirements would be prohibitive (such as the cost of government registration, or a requirement that the Staff Director appear in person for the purpose of signing). Where possible, documentation from the bank or local government agency should be provided to support the request for the exemption. If a Section or subunit has not changed officers and the Staff Directors signature is already on the signature card, a new signature card is not required. However, a letter attesting to this fact, including bank name(s), account name(s) and number(s) shall be submitted to the IEEE Operations Center before the Section rebate will be released. If a bank account is closed during the course of the year, the letter will confirm this as well. The unit Chair and Treasurer shall sign the letter. 4. Meeting Activity Report(s) Meeting activity reports are key to entity maintenance and viability. IEEE Bylaws require the following activities:
3.
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Section Eligibility Sections are required to hold and report at least five technical, educational, professional or administrative meetings each year and also maintain a minimum membership of twenty-five members other than Students. Meetings held by a Chapter or Affinity Group, or Joint Chapter or Affinity Group, of a Section may be counted in fulfilling the RAB Operations Manual requirement Subsection Eligibility Subsections are required to hold and report (to the parent Sections) at least five technical, educational, professional or administrative meetings each year and also maintain a minimum membership of fifteen members other than Students. Chapter Eligibility A Chapter is required to maintain a membership of not fewer than ten members, other than Students, and to hold not less than two technical meetings per year. Joint Chapter meetings (where the Chapter is joint with two or more Sections) will be credited to the administrative (parent) Section. Affinity Group Eligibility An Affinity Group is required to maintain a membership of not fewer than six members, other than Students, and to submit an annual roster of members, including names and member numbers. They should hold not less than two group technical, professional, educational, or administrative meetings per year, or maintain a level of activity acceptable to the Regional Director. Joint Affinity Group meetings (where the Group is joint with two or more Sections) will be credited to the administrative (parent) Section. To facilitate accurate reporting, a meeting report (L-31) should be submitted for each meeting and contain the following information in the order listed: a. Sponsor(s) of meeting/activity a. Meeting date for each activity b. Admission fee, if any d. Meeting category (technical, educational, professional, administrative or social) e. Attendance (number of members and guests) f. If student members attended. If the meeting was joint with a Student Branch g. Meeting topic, speaker, and affiliation, if applicable
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Note: A meeting jointly sponsored by more than one IEEE organization unit (Chapter, Subsection, Section, etc.) may qualify as a meeting for each. Please submit rationale with report. Information to meet requirements may also be filed by FAX, e-mailed in the L-31 format or submitted directly from the interactive forms on the Web site. Non-technical (e.g. professional and administrative) meetings are an important part of an effective Section program, and are encouraged. C. PROCEDURES Rebates are paid based on the Section's eligibility, as determined in part by reporting. The Section Secretary or Secretary/Treasurer should submit all required reports for 2001 activity by 22 February 2002. In cases of unavoidable delay in Section reporting, unless these reports, including all Subsection, Chapter and Affinity Group meeting activity reports, are received by 30 November of the current year, the Section may not receive the current annual rebate payment. The Section Rebate shall be paid by 30 April 2002 to all Sections whose officer, financial and meeting activity reporting is received complete by 22 February 2002. The rebate will not be released until the bank signature card is received in IEEE Operations Center for all US-based Sections and their subunits with bank accounts, and those units outside the U.S. where laws and regulations allow for the submission of a bank signature card. Those Sections submitting their reports at a later time will receive their Rebates as soon thereafter that eligibility is established. Regional Activities can not make additional Subsection, Chapter or Affinity Group subsidy payments for meeting activity reported at a later time; as such, the Section Secretary should certify when submitting Section, Subsection, Chapter and Affinity Group meeting activity that all activity has been reported. Rebates for Council Chapters will be sent directly to the Council Treasurer unless the Council Chair otherwise instructs staff. D. UPGRADING SUBSECTION TO SECTION For Sections formed from Subsections after 31 December 2000, the current year's rebate for the new Section shall be based upon the terms of a written agreement between the officers of the parent Section and the new Section. The agreement shall be developed in consultation with the Regional Director and IEEE Headquarters. Such agreement shall be concluded prior to establishment of the new Section.
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E.
CHAPTER SUPPORT FROM SOCIETIES The Regional Activities Board encourages Societies to study the issue of providing financial support to their Chapters.
Getting Help from IEEE and ComSoc

Now that all the responsibilities have been laid on you, where can you get help? Money Each Chapter shall receive primary financial support from its IEEE Section. The Chapter Chair, in meetings with the Section Executive Committee, shall submit the Chapter's proposed budget. The Section receives a rebate from IEEE based on your Chapter's activities. Stationery Use the order form included with this manual. Note that you want Communications Society bond paper. The Communications Society provides this paper to IEEE, but the cost of mailing is billed to the Section. Provide for this and other estimated supply needs in your budget. Membership Information Use the forms included with this manual to order IEEE general information and supplies. General supplies will be billed to the Section, other material is at no charge. Address Labels Use the enclosed form to get a current printout of members. Your Section Secretary receives a monthly printout from IEEE of additions and deletions to your Section. These are coded by group and by Society. Have the Section Secretary keep you informed of changes in your Chapter. Area Chair Your Area IEEE Chair is listed in the Roster. He has been a Chapter Chair and can help you. Get to know him; he should be your pen pal. After all, you are going to send him REPORTS, aren't you? IEEE and Communications Society Offices For further assistance, contact the staff offices of the IEEE and Communications Society.
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ComSoc Headquarters
Carole Swaim IEEE Communications Society 3 Park Avenue 17th Floor New York, New York 10016-5997 USA phone: +1 212 705 8970 fax: +1 212 705 8999 e-mail: c.swaim@comsoc.org
IEEE Headquarters
IEEE Operations Center 445 Hoes Lane Piscataway, NJ 08855-1331 USA phone: +1 732 562 5513 fax: +1 732 463 3657 email: info.chap.services@ieee.org
ComSoc Region 10 Office
Fanny Su Beh Noi, Manager IEEE Communications Society 59E Science Park Drive The Fleming, Singapore Science Park 118244 Singapore phone: +65 778 2873 fax: +65 778 9723 email: f.su@ieee.org
IEEE Region 8 Office
Jacques Kevers, Manager IEEE Regional Office 13 Avenue de lAquilon B-1200 Brussels Belgium phone: +32 2 770 6634 fax: +32 2 770 8505 email: j.kevers@ieee.org
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ComSoc Programs & Benefits

Membership Benefits -- Chapter Programs -- Chapter Questionnaire & Funding Chapter Achievement Award -- Chapter Home Page -- Distinguished & Expert Lecturers Program Distinguished & Expert Lecturers Tour Organization -- Free ComSoc Publications Travel Grant Program
Membership Benefits - Why Join the IEEE Communications Society?

Professional advancement requires knowledge Members of the IEEE Communications Society have the opportunity to read and review papers, write articles, organize conferences, and participate in the Society's government. Subscription to the award-winning IEEE Communications Magazine Free with membership in the IEEE Communications Society is a subscription to IEEE Communications Magazine. Every month this award-winning publication presents the latest information in the communications field, written by recognized industry leaders Members enjoy free access to the electronic edition through the ComSoc web site. Participation in technical committees The IEEE Communications Society sponsors technical committees, offering its members a wide range of opportunities to exchange ideas and information in specialized areas of communications technology. Discounted admission at industry conferences Membership in the IEEE Communications Society entitles you to discounted admission to all conferences sponsored by the Society, including GLOBECOM, ICC, INFOCOM, NOMS, IM, WCNC, and MILCOM. Society-sponsored continuing education Your career growth depends on a commitment to continuing development in the field. The Communications Society sponsors a series of conferences, seminars, and workshops offering a variety of opportunities to fulfill this commitment. Participate in the formation of standards IEEE Communications Society members can participate in the development and implementation of standards in the communications field, in areas such as network management and optical communications.
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Membership in the local Chapters of the Society The Communications Society sponsors about 150 Chapters around the world. These local Chapters provide opportunities to participate in the Society as well as meet other members in your area. Low rates on Society publications Membership in the Society entitles you to low member-only rates on all Communications Society publications. These magazines and journals cover special topics and disciplines, and are targeted toward particular interests and needs. Global web access at www.comsoc.org Instantly find IEEE Communications Society information on officers, committees, conferences, awards, periodicals, standards, events, and much more. Electronic publications ComSoc membership provides password access to the electronic version of IEEE Communications Magazine, including current issues and previously published volumes. Optional print subscriptions to Communications Society periodicals include electronic access. An optional Electronic Periodicals Package (EPP) offers electronic access without print copies for selected ComSoc publications. Eligibility for awards and recognition by peers The Communications Society sponsors awards for outstanding achievement in the communications field. There are currently six service awards and six paper awards. Joining the IEEE Communications Society is a smart idea For low annual dues you enjoy the full benefits of membership in ComSoc, including a free subscription to IEEE Communications Magazine, reduced rates on other Society publications, and member rates at conferences. Volunteer Leaders and Staff Directory New members receive the annual ComSoc Community directory of volunteers, officers, and staff. Members may request a copy through the NY office. Electronic News Updates Membership includes an e-mail subscription to ComSoc e-News, a short bimonthly e-mail message bringing the latest news on publications, Society events, and conferences.
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Chapter Programs
IEEE Communications Society provides the following programs to Chapters: 1. Chapter Achievement Award (formerly Chapter-of-the-Year Award) This award now consists of a plaque and an $500 honorarium to be granted to as many as 16 Chapters per year. Applications for this award are contained within the Chapter Questionnaire sent out yearly. 2. Chapter Chair Congresses Regional: Chapter Chair Congresses (RCCC) are held yearly in each ComSoc Region (Asia/Pacific, Europe/Africa/Middle-East, Latin America, and North America) providing an opportunity for chapter chairs within each region to meet together and share ideas and concerns. Global: The first Global Chapter Chairs Congress (GCCC) met November 2001 in conjunction with Globecom. If successful, future GCCCs will be scheduled every 4 or 5 years. 3. Chapter Funding for Activities (must be requested yearly) See Chapter Questionnaire. Limited funds budgeted to assist ComSoc Chapters in some of their activities. Contact the Director - Membership Programs Development. 4. Chapter Home Pages on ComSoc Server 5. Distinguished Lecturers Program and Tour Organization Designated speakers available to speak at Chapter functions. Contact the Director - Membership Programs Development or your ComSoc Regional Director. 6. Free publications for Chapters (must be requested yearly) See Chapter Questionnaire. Chapters receive complimentary subscriptions to IEEE Communications Society publications upon request. 7. Travel Grants to attend Conferences A limited number of professional travel grants are available to professionals who encounter economic difficulties to attend conferences (ICC, GLOBECOM, INFOCOM, WCNC, NOMS/IM). 8. Chapter Visitation Program Board of Governors officers will arrange to meet with chapters upon request, in conjunction with their travel to and from major conferences (ICC and GLOBECOM).
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9. Local Member receptions at major conferences (ICC and Globecom) 10. Chapter articles published in Global Communications Newsletter of IEEE
Communications Magazine
Here is an opportunity for Regional Directors and Chapters to reach out to members via IEEE Communications Magazine. 11. Regional Offices The ComSoc Regional Office for Asia/Pacific (Singapore) and the IEEE Regional Office for Europe (Brussels, Belgium) provide staff support for chapters and members.
Chapter Questionnaire & Funding (also contains a section to apply for Chapter Achievement Award )
ComSoc Chapters can request funding based on specified needs (special events, membership recruitment, publications, publicity activities, remuneration for special lecturers, opening a web page or other electric dissemination, chapterrelated expenses). Although funding is set aside to meet these needs, it is available by request only. In the beginning of each year, a Chapter Questionnaire is e-mailed to Chapters Chairs requesting updated information for the coming year. This includes possible funding requirements anticipated for that year. Requests are evaluated and recommendations made by each Regional Director, based upon a value assigned to each category or type of activity. Included in the questionnaire is a section regarding funding for the previous year. Chapters who received funding the previous year must briefly report (in the questionnaire) on how their funds were utilized. This helps us ascertain major needs among our chapters and ensures that funding is appropriated wisely. Funding for the coming year will not be approved without this report. Final approvals are the responsibility of the Director Membership Programs Development. When funds are approved, the payment will be made directly to the Chapter from the ComSoc New York Office. Funding requests and all related e-mails/correspondence may be sent to the Director Membership Programs Development, your Regional Director, or to Carole Swaim (c.swaim@comsoc.org) of ComSocs Executive & Volunteer Services in New York.
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Chapter Achievement Award (CAA)

Objective To increase the number of chapters recognized for high achievement, ComSoc will present up to 16 Chapter Achievement Awards annually to chapters providing their members with quality programs/activities in areas of technical activities, public relations, education, and membership development, recruitment and student activity. Chapters should expect to provide services to members in most of the areas described below. Chapters achieving excellence will be posted on our web site and highlighted in IEEE Communications Magazine. To be considered for a particular year (for example, 2003), chapters must complete and submit the annual Chapter Questionnaire before May 1 of the following year (i.e., in 2004). Chapters will be evaluated on the basis of their previous years activities. Chapters may not receive the CAA in consecutive years. Award Description and Presentation Chapter Achievement Awards will consist of $500 honorariums and certificates acknowledging outstanding leadership. Recipients may be recognized at ComSoc Awards Luncheons (held during ICC and GLOBECOM), but travel expenses will not be reimbursed. The Evaluating Committee includes the Director - Membership Programs Development, all Regional Directors, and the Vice President - Membership Development. To be selected, chapters must demonstrate high levels of performance in programs and activities held the previous year (such as the categories below).
1. Chapter Questionnaire
The annual CQ is normally e-mailed to Chapter Chairs in January and posted on the web site. The section of the questionnaire regarding the CAA must be completed; it must be well-written, clear, and structured. 2. Technical Activities
Technical Programs: meetings, tours, and full- or half-day conferences.

seminars/tutorials, and chapter-organized home-study programs (offering technical training). 3. Public Relations Activities
Educational Programs: multi-session courses, full-day (or several-day)
Public Activities: meetings open to the public on national/local issues
promoted in the interest of public affairs. It includes Section activities (geared towards the public), activities interfacing with news media or legislators (on
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communications issues), and activities advancing the engineering profession or improving communications with Chapter membership. prospective) students (grades K-12); the object is to encourage careers /enhance the professional-engineering image. 4. Membership Development, Advancement & Awards Membership Development: activities to increase chapter membership; i.e.,
Student Activities: must be directed towards electrical engineering (or
programs encouraging engineers, who have recently joined the field, to become actively involved in ComSoc at local or national levels.
IEEE Member Advancement: programs that encourage member
advancement or promote "recognition" of such members (i.e., new Fellows or Senior Members).
Award Nominations: nominating members for IEEE Fellows, IEEE Technical
Awards, and ComSoc Career & Service Awards; (candidates need not actually win an award).
5. Required IEEE Reports

Timely submission of meeting reports as required by IEEE (see IEEE web site: www.ieee.org/scsreports ). Reports must be sent to IEEE (in compliance with IEEEs timeframe!) with copies to Carole Swaim (c.swaim@comsoc.org).
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CHAPTER ACHIEVEMENT AWARD RECIPIENTS

1994, May 1995, June 1995, December 1996, June 1996, December 1997, June 1997, December 1998, June 1998, December 1999, June 1999, December 2000, June 2000, November 2001, June 2001, November 2002, April 2002, November Oakland East Bay Section Chicago Section Oakland East Bay Section Toronto Section North Jersey Section Dallas Section Oakland East Bay Section Toronto Section India Council Victorian Section Dallas Section Argentina Section Dallas Section India Council UK & Republic of Ireland Vancouver Region 6 Region 4 Region 6 Region 7 Region 1 Region 5 Region 6 Region 7 Region 10 Region 10 Region 5 Region 9 Region 5 Region 10 Region 8 Region 7
Central New England Council (Boston) Region 1
Beginning in 2003 this award consists of a plaque and an $500 honorarium being granted to as many as 16 Chapters per year; recipients will be listed on our website: www.comsoc.org; click on about ComSoc, then go to Member Programs and the Chapter Achievement Award for lists of recipients.
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Chapter Home Pages

Local Chapter Home Page on ComSoc Web Server ComSoc provides this service to Chapters that do not the resources to create their own home pages by hosting their web sites on the ComSoc server. FTP access via user ID and password to the ComSoc server is provided, so each Chapter can create and maintain its own page. Each Chapter is responsible for content. If you are interested, please complete this form, and send it to the ComSoc office listed below. Technical support will be provided Monday through Friday (9 a.m. to 5 p.m. EST). In an effort to provide the best service possible, please fill in the information below. After the form is completed and returned to ComSoc, your Chapter will be contacted with procedures and security information. Chapter:________________________________________________________________ Chapter Chair:___________________________________________________________ Technical Information Contact is the individual who will be responsible for the password, and the person, whom we can contact to inform of system maintenance, and downtime. Technical Contact: __________________________ IEEE Member #:______________ Address: _______________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ Telephone: Email: (_______) __________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________
Technical Support Information
Email: comsoc-techsupport@comsoc.org Telephone: +1 212 705 8933 Fax: +1 212 705 8999 Please return this form to: Natasha Simonovski, Web Developer IEEE Communications Society 3 Park Avenue, 17th Floor NY, NY 10016 USA
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Distinguished Lecturers Program

Provided as a service to our local chapters, Distinguished Lecture Tours can be arranged in response to a request from one or more Chapter Chairs. They may also be initiated by Regional Directors, the Director Membership Programs Development, or the Vice President - Membership Development. Although tours are organized to benefit existing members and Chapters, they can also be effective in generating membership and encouraging new chapter formation. Up to five lecture tours a year will be supported in each of our four Regions: Asia/Pacific, Europe-Africa-Middle-East, Latin America, and North America. The Director in each region plays a key role as facilitator. Funding is in accordance with the following guidelines.
Procedures
Funding is provided to enable a lecturer to address multiple groups during a lecture tour. (Individual lectures are not funded.) Tours, therefore, involve a series of lectures addressing at least three groups in three separate locations within reasonable geographical proximity to each other. Grassroots organizers may be Chapters, Sections, local conference organizers, or even a group of members in an area where no ComSoc chapter exists. Organizers work directly with their Regional Director, who facilitates arrangements and recommends the tour to the Director - Membership Programs Development. Final approval is the responsibility of the Director - Membership Programs Development. Lecturers are approved by him/her in conjunction with the appropriate Regional Director and, when needed, the Vice President Technical Activities. All arrangements must be made in advance with local sponsoring groups. At least two months lead time is recommended to allow local groups time to advertise. Funding is provided, as required, to cover a lecturers travel expenses. Living expenses, such as lodging and meals, plus transportation to and from the airport, are generally the responsibility of the local Chapter. Travel, lodging and meals must be booked at an economic rate acceptable for reasonable business travel. (Funding may include night before/after each lecture as required by the schedule to accommodate needs of local organizers.) Expenses are then submitted to the Director - Membership Programs Development for approval using an IEEE Expense Form. Receipts must be provided (in accordance with IEEE and Communications Society rules). The lecturer must not profit financially from the lecture tour.
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Distinguished Lecturers Tour Organization

First contact the Regional Director responsible for your region: Asia/Pacific, Europe-Africa-Middle-East, Latin America, or North America. Organize the Distinguished Lecture Tour around a pre-defined need or around the availability of a lecturer in a geographic region. Working with your Regional Director, establish interested local contacts in at least three locations (via IEEE contacts, conference organizers, Chapter Chairs or other contacts if possible) before proceeding to detailed level of organization or firming up lecturer. Give local organizers and the speaker about two months notice to arrange the tour. Verify that the logistics are feasible such as ensuring that it is possible to book connecting travel between sites in the time allowed, etc. Schedule talk sites in a geographic pattern that minimizes travel expenses. Ask Regional Director or local contact to ensure that the following items are addressed to the satisfaction of the lecturer: return transport from airport to lecture site/hotel hotel/rest recommendations where required arranging additional local contacts or meetings for the lecturer providing appropriate tourist information, if lecturer has some spare time
Brief the lecturer on local details, such as whether organizers are Chapters, a Student Branch, interested group of members (who could be encouraged to form a chapter), or local professionals (who should be encouraged to join Communications Society). Use the lecturer as an ambassador to encourage membership - using his/her own style.
Volunteer Travel Direct Billing Procedures

If you wish to direct bill expenses to ComSoc, you must make your arrangements via the IEEE Travel Department (in any of the following ways): Web site: http://www.ieeetravelonline.org/ Telephone: +1 800 TRY IEEE or +1 732 562 5387 E-mail: ieee.travel@ieee.org Tell IEEE Travel you would like your airfare "directly billed to the Communications Society as per Carole Swaim". IEEE Travel can book your hotel for you, however
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you will have to pay yourself and seek reimbursement from the IEEE Communications Society. Note If you are doing your transaction on the web, put the request in the additional notes and special request field. You do not need to fill in any credit card information. That should do it. After the trip is over you will complete and send me the IEEE Expense Form (attached) with your receipts (including your airplane and hotel receipts). You will list your airfare in the body of the expense report and in the column that says "Charge direct to IEEE". We will then see that it is charged back to the appropriate area within ComSoc. This is straightforward and will eliminate airfare coming directly out of your own pocket. Also, IEEE fares are normally the lowest available (because of the IEEE volume discounts.) Should you obtain airfares substantially higher from the IEEE Travel website (versus on your own) please contact IEEE (via email above) before booking your flight, and include your intended itinerary (dates, times, and airline). Contact Carole Swaim (c.swaim@comsoc.org) if problems arise.
Free ComSoc Publications

In 1996 Communications Society started a program offering Chapters free subscriptions to each of our ComSoc publications, as long as the Chapter Chair requests the subscription in writing each year, and promises to make the publications available to Chapter members.
Travel Grant Program

The IEEE Communications Society provides a limited number of travel grants to help members with traveling difficulties to attend major Society conferences. Six major conferences are currently included in this program: ICC, GLOBECOM, INFOCOM, WCNC, NOMS or IM. For the purposes of this program, the world is divided into four major ComSoc regions: North America (NA) IEEE Regions 1-6 for USA, IEEE Region 7 for Canada Europe, Africa & Middle-East (EAME) IEEE Region 8 Latin America (LA) IEEE Region 9 Asia Pacific (AP) IEEE Region 10 Grant recipients must normally reside in a ComSoc Region other than the Region where the conference is held. Two types of travel grants are available: (1) student and (2) professional.
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1. Student Travel Grants This grant is for $1,000 plus a complimentary copy of the conference record. To qualify a recipient must be: author of an accepted conference paper, attend the conference, and present the paper. valid Student Member of IEEE Communications Society at the time he/she submits an application full-time student regularly registered toward a degree in engineering or related field in a university.
Students (or their advisors) should submit applications to their ComSoc Regional Director; contact information will normally be listed on the conference web site. The applicants name and address, etc., must be printed on the application forms of the conference. Application forms are included in the authors' kits for accepted papers and on the conference web site. Applications deadline: The Regional Director must have all applications (properly filled out) three months before the day the conference is scheduled to start. Selections are based on review scores of the papers and regional selection guidelines set by each ComSoc Regional Director. Final decisions come from the office of the Vice President - Membership Development (delegated to Director - Membership Programs Development with the endorsement of the ComSoc Regional Director). No more than one travel grant per year may be awarded to an individual through this program. Special exceptions (with very restricted conditions) may be considered to enable students to obtain grants to attend a major conference held within the same ComSoc region as the applicant resides. In these cases the grant is $600 plus complimentary conference record. Examples of special conditions are: Very high paper review score, recommendation by the Technical Program Committee chair, or authorship of more than one accepted paper. Minimum airfare to attend conference is very expensive (i.e., air fare from Turkey to London, Australia to Tokyo) as verified by Regional Director. Letter signed by the advisor or other university official indicating there is no other practical way for the student to obtain local travel support.
Note: Cost of exception section of Travel Grant Program may not exceed 15% of the total student travel-grant budget allocated for each specific conference.
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2. Professional Travel Grants (program suspended for 2004 - 2005) A limited number of professional travel grants are available for professionals who encounter economic difficulties to attend conferences. Recipients may receive grants up to $1,200 (based upon their estimated travel budget/expenses) and a complimentary copy of the conference record. (Recipients do not normally receive complimentary conference registration.) Potential candidates include authors of papers accepted for the conference, panelists in panel sessions, session Chairs, or ComSoc Chapter Chairs. Complimentary full conference registration may occasionally be awarded depending upon the individual circumstance and recommendation of the Regional Director. Applicants must be valid members of IEEE Communications Society at the time of application. Requirements for this grant are the same as for student grants except professionals do not fill out student application forms; instead, they may send (or e-mail) a letter to their ComSoc Regional Director stating their need for a grant, attaching a budget estimate, indicating other sources which could part-fund the travel, and giving their IEEE member number. No more than one travel grant in a three-year period may be awarded to any individual. Special exceptions (with very restricted conditions) may be considered to enable professionals living and working within the same ComSoc region as the major conference to obtain a grant to attend that conference. In these cases the recipient may receive up to $800 (based upon their estimated travel budget/expenses) plus a complimentary copy of the conference record. (See examples of special exceptions above.) Again, complimentary full conference registration may be awarded occasionally depending upon the individual circumstance and recommendation of the Regional Director.
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Chapter Case Studies

Alabama -- Canadian Atlantic Dallas Houston Orange County Toronto Chapter -- Washington/Northern Virginia
Alabama Chapter (1998)

The Alabama Chapter operates to serve the membership and to provide informative programs to keep the membership up to date on new emerging technologies. The officers consist of the Chair, Vice Chair, Secretary-Treasurer, and the immediate past Chair. Over the years, the Officer selection process has been conducted on the principle of recruiting one new officer each year. Existing officers are promoted; the new officer starts as Secretary-Treasurer. The Chair becomes the immediate Past Chair. This process of carefully selecting one new officer each year, and then promoting the other officers has served the Alabama Chapter very well, as by the time one becomes Chapter Chair, the experience of serving in the other officer positions is been invaluable. Each year a survey of the membership is conducted to solicit members opinions regarding programs they want to see the Society provide. This feedback is carefully studied to produce a prioritized list of program ideas. The executive committee meets during the summer months to produce this list and to develop an action plan for getting appropriate speakers to address the topics the members have asked for. At this meeting, the Executive Board designates an officer to take each program idea and turn them into a successful program. For each program idea, we select a ComSoc member to organize the meeting and possibly help to select a speaker. In some cases, the executive board member makes the initial contact with the selected speaker; in other cases the designated member does this. The designated ComSoc member becomes a member of our Program Committee for the year. This idea of having each committee member handle one program spreads the work around and does not cause a hardship on any one person. This is another idea that is serving the Alabama Chapter very well. The member who agrees to organize the meeting becomes a member of the Program Committee for the year. The Executive Board then works with the Committee to get them started and makes sure the Program Committee person knows his/her responsibilities. A major step in conveying these responsibilities is documented in the Check List (attached) that shows the steps to take to conduct a successful Chapter Meeting. The Check List has gone through several revisions
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and is used to provide guidance to the Program Committee member organizing this particular meeting. Another thing we do each year is to conduct a membership drive. We buy a nice gift, such as a cordless telephone, and give it away to a lucky member. To get a chance in the drawing, a ComSoc member has to recruit a new member. This gives current members an incentive to bring in new members; another idea working well for the Alabama Chapter.
PROGRAM CHECK LIST

These guidelines are intended to provide a checklist for Program Committee Members of IEEE Communications Society Chapters. Consider this a working document. It will become more useful if each of us takes time to suggest additions and changes to this checklist. 1. Meeting Subject: The meeting subject should be one that the executive committee has approved. Also, agreement with the committee should be established for the meeting location. The committee should be sure the topic will be of interest to a broad base of members. 2. Meeting Speaker: Selecting a speaker is the responsibility of the Program Committee Member. The speaker should be a recognized expert (at least locally) in the selected subject. 3. Meeting Schedule: The executive committee has set meetings to be on Fridays following the Alabama Section Meeting. This schedule is flexible and can be changed to meet the schedule of the speaker. Most out-of-town speakers do not want to present a topic on Friday afternoon and then have to travel home that afternoon/evening. Meetings should be scheduled after the Alabama Section meeting so that the Section meeting may be used to advertise the meeting. 4. Meeting Time: Schedule the meetings for 3:00 PM. Unusually long meetings may start at 2:00 or 2:30 PM. 5. When possible, schedule meetings with the speaker at least two (2) months in advance. 6. Eight weeks prior to the meeting: Prepare a brief description of the meeting and send it to the Chapter Publicity Chair and the executive committee. This notice should be written in a way to encourage attendance. If the meeting is being held in an unusual place, include a map and/or directions. Reserve a conference room. 7. One month prior to the meeting, contact the speaker to confirm the schedule. During this phone call, ask the speaker what audio-visual materials he/she will
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be needing. Tell the speaker that you will take care of having these at the meeting site. If the speaker will need to be signed in at the location where the meeting is being held, tell the speaker whom to call when they arrive for the meeting. If the speaker indicates any uncertainty about being available for the meeting, ask the speaker who could substitute for them. Bring all potential problems such as this to the attention of the executive committee. 8. One month prior: Confirm the conference room reservation. Notify the Conference Center of the A/V equipment needed. 9. One week prior to the meeting: Notify Attendance committee Chairpersons. Remind each Attendance Chairperson that they should notify all members at their location of the meeting day, time and topic. Prepare a list of facts to be used to introduce the speaker. You should be prepared to introduce the speaker at the meeting. Check with the speaker if you have not done so, and ask them to provide introductory material to include their educational background and work experience. 10. Day of the meeting: Arrive early. Greet the speaker and show him/her to the Conference Room. Leave word at the Guard Desk so that the conference room may be called if anyone shows up who must be signed in. Such a notice should be left at each Guard location where people are likely to show up. 11. Following the meeting: Within a week of the meeting, send a thank you letter to the speaker. A copy of the thank you letter should be sent to the Speaker's supervisor and a copy to the Secretary/Treasurer.
Canadian Atlantic Chapter (1998)

ESTABLISHING THE CANADIAN ATLANTIC COMSOC CHAPTER A Chapter of the IEEE Communications Society was recently established in the Canadian Atlantic Section. This article reviews the process of establishing a Chapter of a Technical Society in the context of our recent experience. It also highlights the challenges that we face in developing an active Chapter in our small Section, and our plans to become an important ingredient in the economic growth of our area by establishing a forum for industry/university interaction and providing a conduit for technical expertise to IEEE members and local industry. The Canadian Atlantic Section consists of the provinces of Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island, and is situated approximately 500 miles northeast of New York City. These are two of Canadas smallest provinces, comprising slightly over one million people, with the largest metropolitan area of Halifax home to approximately 350,000 residents. The Atlantic Canadian economy has
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traditionally depended on natural resources such as fishing and mining, although with the recent collapse of the cod stocks and slow-down in coal mining, employment in these industries has fallen. In contrast, this region has a large number of degree-granting post-secondary institutions. There are twelve universities and colleges in these two provinces, with six in the Halifax area alone. Of these, one university grants engineering degrees and has a graduate engineering program. There are presently two universities that offer computer science undergraduate and graduate degrees, with one more currently undergoing accreditation. Given the relatively small size of our Section, it is not surprising that the number of IEEE members in our Section is also small, currently numbering approximately 250, with one-fifth of them being Student members. The Section is led by a small, but dedicated, executive team. Prior to formation of the ComSoc Chapter, there were three Chapters, representing the Computer Society, the Power Engineering and Industrial Applications Societies, and the Oceanic Engineering Society. Each of these Chapters is active, holding several events throughout the year. Over the past few years, however, there has been an increase in the amount of communications-related interest and activity in our provinces. Several entrepreneurs have established telecommunications-related businesses, and the region has also been successful in attracting the attention of large communications companies as well, most notably Nortel Ltd., Cisco Systems Inc., and Newbridge Networks Ltd. Also, a focal point for these activities was established with the formation of the Telecom Applications Research Alliance (TARA) in 1995. The mandate of this non-profit Alliance is to promote entrepreneurial activity in the telecommunications and IT industries within our provinces. Originally founded by Nortel Ltd. and Maritime Tel. and Tel., it now boasts over 35 member organizations. It also is home to the worlds only DMS100 switch available to private companies to test telecommunication products, it houses one of only six worldwide Cisco Internetworking Expert Certification laboratories, and it is host to the worlds first Master of Engineering in Internetworking program offered through DalTech, Dalhousie University. With this increase in communications-related activity in our area, the establishment of a ComSoc Chapter was a natural development. As is typical, however, it still required extra incentive to encourage Section members to progress from talking about setting up the Chapter to putting the wheels in motion. This encouragement came from higher-level executives within the IEEE. Last year, Eastern Canada was fortunate to host IEEE dignitaries on several occasions. In particular, our neighboring province, Newfoundland, hosted the 1997 Canadian Conference on Electrical and Computer Engineering. At the invitation of Wally Read, Past-President of the IEEE and a member of the Newfoundland Section, the 1997 IEEE President Chuck Alexander and PresidentElect Joseph Bordogna attended this conference. They were joined by other
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Canadian executives including Vijay Bhargava, former Vice-President of Regional Activities, Linda Weaver, Director of Region 7 and President of IEEE Canada, and Jacek Chrostowski, the ComSoc Chapter Coordinator for Region 7. These IEEE executives encouraged all conference participants to continue to participate in IEEE activities, and become even more involved in raising the profile of IEEE in both industry and university environments. I had the good fortune of attending this conference, as did the Chair of the Atlantic Section. Our Chair was particularly encouraged to act upon the words of IEEE leaders at the conference, and as a result asked me to coordinate formation of the ComSoc Chapter. Further motivating us to action was that another neighboring Section in Montreal was preparing to host ICC in a few weeks. In conjunction with this conference, meetings of the Communications Society would be held, offering an ideal opportunity to formally announce our progress in forming a Chapter and meet with fellow ComSoc members for advice and mentoring on Chapter organization. We found the requirements to form a Technical Society Chapter quite straightforward, and detailed in several locations. Chapter Manuals such as this one indicate that a complete kit for staring a new Chapter is available from IEEE Regional Activities. Given our time limitations, we did not have time for this kit to be delivered, and so turned to electronic sources of information. Related information can be found on the IEEE web site at www.ieee.org. We found the downloadable IEEE ROOT (Resource Officer Orientation Training) program to be very useful; it can be downloaded from the IEEE FTP site at ftp.ieee.org/software/ROOT. As outlined clearly in this documentation, the basic requirement to form a new Chapter is to obtain the signatures of at least twelve IEEE members above Student Grade who belong to the Section and the Technical Society. This petition should specify both the name of the Section and the Technical Society, and give the name and address of the Chapter Organizer. An example of a suitable petition for this purpose is given in the ROOT program. This signed petition must then be submitted to the Section Executive in order to receive the consent and approval of the Section before being delivered to the IEEE Regional Activities Department. IEEE will ensure that those signing the petition are authorized to do so, and will seek the approval of both the Regional Director and Society President. Following approval, the Society President, Regional Director, Section Chair and Chapter Organizer will be notified of the Chapter charter. We followed this procedure for the most part, but were fortunate to be able to combine several steps along the way, speeding the process for formation of our Chapter. First, a list of all ComSoc members in our Section was obtained from the Section Officer in charge of electronic services. This list enabled us to contact almost all of our members either in person or via fax in order to receive their signatures. Although we numbered only 25 at the time, this proved sufficient for the purposes of the petition. At this point we were able to include the signature
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of our Section Chair (with the approval of the Section Executive Committee), and we were also fortunate to obtain the signature of Linda Weaver, the Director of Region 7, since she is a member of our Section and a strong supporter of initiatives that will continue to raise the profile of IEEE. Given that ICC was quickly approaching, we did not mail the completed petition to IEEE, but held it in order to present it to Dr. Tetsuya Miki, the Director of ComSoc Chapters, during the ComSoc Board of Governors meeting held at that time. Celia Desmond, Director of IEEE Division III (ComSoc) and a principal organizer of ICC, arranged for the presentation to occur during a short break in the regular proceedings. I was pleased to be able to tell those assembled about the activities in the Canadian Atlantic Section, and formally present the petition to Dr. Miki. The response from IEEE was quite prompt. Within a few weeks we were notified that the Chapter had been approved, and we received further information from the Communications Society regarding organizing our Chapter. Unfortunately, due to prior commitments of those involved in establishing the Chapter, not many steps could be taken towards its further development throughout the fall months of 1997. An IEEE ComSoc Banner was ordered and received for the Canadian Atlantic Section, and free Chapter subscriptions to ComSoc publications were arranged. We have since decided to have these magazine and journal subscriptions on display and archived at TARA since it is a win-win opportunity to promote the visibility of IEEE and ComSoc to both industry and university, provide an excellent technical resource to IEEE and TARA members, and encourage new membership. In these endeavors, the assistance of the IEEE ComSoc staff has been invaluable. With the new year, however, active steps have been taken to develop the Chapter. We have decided for the present to proceed with a Chapter Executive limited to the Chair, but anticipate enlisting the support of several volunteers to assist with our events and look forward to expanding the Chapter executive somewhat. As with the other Chapters in our Section, we will have close alliance and support from the Section Executive. In particular, our finances will be handled by the Section Treasurer, which is appropriate and efficient given the small size of our Chapter and Section at present. Our mission will be to support communications-related research, development, and industry within our Section by bringing together experts from both academia and industry to share their technical knowledge and expertise among ComSoc members and the technical community at large. We see this network between researchers and business developers to be key to the continued growth of the communication technology sector in our Section. We will endeavor to complement the activities of others by providing technically-focused events highlighting the evolution of and upcoming opportunities in this rapidly changing industry. We will do so by organizing events to highlight the
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accomplishments and expertise of local success stories in this area, as well as participating in the Distinguished Lecturer Program. Our short-term objectives might appear somewhat modest. In this, our first year of operation, we plan to hold quarterly events and coordinate their timing so as not to conflict with events organized by other Chapters, the Section, or the Student Branch. We have set a goal of 50 ComSoc members by the end of the year, a two-fold increase within one year, but nonetheless a goal we judge to be realistic. Regarding publicity, we will establish a web site, and use the resources of the Section Newsletter, list server, and fax service to raise the awareness of our activities. Above all, we recognize that personal contact and the continuing efforts of dedicated volunteers will be the key to growth of the ComSoc Chapter in the Canadian Atlantic Section. We look forward to the excitement that lies ahead in the development and growth of this new Chapter.
Dallas Chapter (2000)

The Dallas Chapter of the IEEE Communications and Vehicular Technology Society (CVT) has been an active participant in the local telecommunications community since 1981 and is a key source of educational and professional development for its members and other professionals within the industry. The Dallas Chapter was selected as Chapter of the Year in 1997 and 2000, for achieving excellence in its Chapter operations and for furthering the objectives of the Society. It is a prestigious recognition out of over 130 chapters worldwide. Each year, we host nine monthly technical meetings during lunch hour, bringing in a series of distinguished speakers to address todays most talked about technologies. The format of lunchtime meeting is a convenient way to inform members and guests on leading communications issues and topics. It also provides a good networking opportunity for working professionals and a good forum for local communication companies to gain recognition for their technical activities. The monthly technical meeting has been a highly successful program, which attracts 120 attendees on average. As part of services to IEEE members and students, the chapter subsidizes 50% of the lunch cost to members and offers free lunch to student attendees. Each April, the Dallas Chapter hosts a full-day annual symposium, with the theme Communications Technology Update, which was designed to educate its members and general public on emerging communications technologies. We take pride in making the high quality educational program accessible to our members and the general public, with a registration fee of merely $40 for IEEE members, which includes breakfast, lunch, and conference proceedings. Much
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positive feedback has been received from attendees who acknowledge quality, cost, and logistics of the symposium. Besides its own annual symposium, the Dallas Chapter was also an important contributor to the highly successful twoday Emerging Technology Symposium in 2000 sponsored by IEEE Dallas Section. The Dallas Chapter was responsible for the technical program, public relations, and website development, which drew around several world-renowned speakers and 350 attendees. Besides technical and educations programs, Dallas Chapter has also been championing professional development activities. In response to a series of company mergers and layoffs in the local communications industry in 1999, Dallas Chapter organized a half-day Job Search Workshop. Experts on technical recruiting and executive search were invited to give presentations on networking strategies, interview techniques, and resume preparation. The efforts were well appreciated by its member and general public. Dallas Chapter also supported the IEEE-USA Professional Development Conference held in Dallas, Texas, in Sept 1999, for publicity and local arrangements, which contributed to the success of the conference. Dallas Chapter manages to establish and maintain effective working relationships with many telecommunications companies for corporate sponsorship, which the chapter replies on for operating expenses. Each year, the Dallas Chapter has around 10 sponsors ranging from local and international powerhouses to startups who pledge different levels of financial commitment, recognizing our benefits to their companies and the local community. The Dallas Chapter promotes the engineering profession and communications issues and advertises a sponsors new technology or hiring announcement before chapter membership. Additionally, the Dallas Chapter strives to encourage student participation. Apart from giving talks to IEEE Student Branch meetings of local universities, we held a Student Technical Paper Contest in 1999 with a theme of WIRELESS IN THE NEW MILLENNIUM: Future Applications and Developments. The chapter teamed up with EE Department & Student Branch of local universities to broadcast the announcement/rules and encourage student participation. Overwhelming response from the students and the universities was received from seven local universities. The 1st ($1,000) and 2nd ($500) prize winners were invited to deliver presentations at a chapter-organized meeting. Our website, www.cvt-dallas.org, has been an effective method for public relations. The website promptly posts meeting notices, which is also available by electronic subscription. Our effort to promote wide distribution of technical and educational programs for public awareness has generated more than 2,500 subscribers. As part of efforts to improve communications with chapter membership, the Dallas Chapter website posts a monthly Letter from the Chairman, which is a newsletter keeping members informed of the public affairs,
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communications issues, and chapter activities. The website also posts past meeting presentation slides, IEEE promotional announcements; provides links to IEEE and our sponsors web sites. The chapter continuously makes progress in membership development. In 1999 the chapter acquired 410 new members, a 23% increase in chapter membership. We organized a ComSoc Membership Appreciation & Celebration event, welcoming new members, greeting old members, encouraging visitors to become members. It was a great networking event for members to exchange ideas, exchange business cards. The Dallas Chapter member advancement includes an IEEE Fellow and 19 IEEE Senior Members. The Chapter nominated several officers for Outstanding Service Award at sectional and regional levels. The Dallas Chapter also endorses and campaigns for member running for IEEE offices during our monthly meeting. The Dallas Chapter of the IEEE Communications and Vehicular Technology Society (CVT) is an active participant in the Dallas, Texas local telecommunications community. Since 1981, the CVT Society has been a source for professional development and education to its members and other professionals within the communications industry. And since 1981, we have consistently provided high quality activities, attracted Dallas Metroplex area members to our organization, promoted engineering excellence, and strived to increase student involvement. The momentum built from a strong precedence of leadership is evident in all aspects of our activities. We intend to continue this tradition by maintaining successful programs as well as identifying concise, achievable new goals to reach for each fiscal year.
Houston Chapter (1998)

Introduction The Houston Chapter of the IEEE Communications Society has been active since the 1970s. Meetings are held monthly September to April. At the end of the 1990 program year, the Chapter was faced with decreasing attendance and increasing meeting costs. Almost a year later, in April 1991, attendance at each meeting had more than doubled and meeting costs were kept at reasonable levels. This case study describes some of the challenges we faced and what we learned from dealing with these challenges. Challenges As in most volunteer organizations, it is difficult for the officers to meet outside of the regularly scheduled Chapter meetings. Our only such meeting occurred in
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August when the new officers met over lunch to discuss the strategy for the program year. Although all the officers already knew each other from previous IEEE activities, this session became a very good icebreaker. At this first meeting we set some important objectives: Increase the attendance at the monthly meetings Find a location that would be convenient to our members Assign individual tasks to each officer At the same time, we reviewed our Chapter organization to ensure each meeting went well. Chapter Membership The Chapter membership consists of IEEE members who have formally joined the Communications Society, of regular IEEE members, and of non-IEEE communications professionals who regularly attend the monthly meetings. The meetings are open to the public. These are held during lunch on the third Tuesday of each month in the Medical Center area, south of Downtown Houston. Thus, the dates are known in advance for the year. During this program year, the topics are announced one meeting ahead of time and a mailout with detailed information goes out about three weeks ahead of time. Reservations are suggested but not required of the members who wish to attend. It helps to know approximately how many people are coming when making arrangements with the restaurant. Chapter Officers The Chapter has a typical officer structure composed of Chair, Vice Chair, Secretary and Treasurer. For several years, Southwestern Bell employees held three out of four, if not all, of the positions. This changed to where the Chair and Treasurer positions were held by two employees of Shell Oil, while Southwestern Bell employees held the other two positions. The current officers' structure recognizes the profound changes in the industry since the AT&T divestiture. Communications is no longer limited to local operating companies or to carriers. Instead, communications is essential to everyone's business and each company has its own Communications Department. The Chair provides the continuity for the Chapter. As such, first time officers are not offered this position. The Chair may also attend Houston Section meetings and represented the Chapter at these meetings. The other responsibilities are to set the direction of the program year, coordinate the tasks of the other officers,
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and MC the monthly meetings. At the end of the program year, the Chairman has the final task to recommend new officers. Within the Houston Chapter, the responsibility to find speakers for the meetings is given to the Vice Chair. The understanding is that the Chair will always be available to help in case a speaker is not available. However, it is the Vice Chair that contacts the speaker and acts as the interface to the Chapter. The Secretary has the responsibility to interface with the Houston Section newsletter. This was our means of announcing upcoming meetings to all Houston IEEE members. At the same time, the Secretary maintains our own mailing list of people who regularly attend our meetings. We have an address database that is used to generate mailing labels and Southwestern Bell contributes the copies, envelopes and postage. We also generated a sign-up list for each meeting so we could track the number of attendees, the companies they work for, and whether they are members of IEEE (or interested in receiving an application). This sign-up list became the basis for our monthly report to the IEEE. The Treasurer has the responsibility to negotiate prices with various restaurants and hotels for a meeting site for the year. He also sets the meeting prices that our members pay. This is a delicate task because the Chapter is not expected to retain a profit; on the other hand, we must collect enough to pay the establishment (with tax and gratuity) after each meeting and to cover the speaker's meal. Problem Identification As part of the effort to increase meeting attendance and member interest, we looked at the factors that we have to deal with. We also informally polled some members for feedback. We asked ourselves "What really attracts someone to our meetings?" The answers we came up with were both simple and surprising. In engineering terms, it goes back to simple price/performance. The member wants to know what he/she receives from the meeting in return for the time and money. The relevant factors are presented in three broad categories. - Profile of member: most are full-time professional some University of Houston and Texas A&M students all are involved in communications more project level and management level people than strictly technical an even mixture of people from RBOC/carriers and the end-user side most work in or around the Downtown Houston area - Factors within our control: Meeting time Meeting location
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Speaker selection Meeting cost Meeting notification Meeting structure - Areas of improvement: Meeting topics Meeting notification Meeting structure Coordination among officers With only four people doing the work with only one month between August and the first meeting in September, these factors presented a challenge in themselves. It is at these times that the strength of the officer teams really comes through. Problem Resolution The member profile helped immensely by telling us about the target audience and what factors really mattered to the audience. We decided to maintain the lunch hour meeting format. In reality, the "hour" consisted of social lasting 30 minutes, a lunch lasting 30 minutes, and a speech topic lasting up to 45 minutes. Thus, a member had to allocate two hours out of his/her busy schedule plus commute time, and in a city like Houston, a lunch hour round trip commuting time could take as long as one hour. We also decided that people would attend our meeting only if they could justify the time or if they could make the commute with a minimum of hassle. This pointed the officers to two areas: location and topic selection. Although Downtown Houston would have been ideal, its cost and problems with parking deterred us. Instead our treasurer settled for the Medical Center just a few miles from downtown with several fine hotels and restaurants. We decided that menu selection and quality were important as well, but we discovered that a varied menu would increase serving time and cost. We settled with a locally well-known restaurant which offered a truly remarkable lunch buffet (that we thought we could not afford) which included shrimp, dessert tray, and iced tea. We negotiated a spacious and quiet private room for just over $11 a person including tax and gratuity, and set a meeting cost of $12.50 for the program year. The extra would cover the speaker's lunch with as few as ten people attending. We were yet to be surprised. For topic selection, we looked at the general scope and breadth of the topics from previous years. We soon realized that these had been too technical and too directed toward carrier topics. Our regular members were no longer interested in the framing structure of a multiplexed bit stream, or in the detailed protocol
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between switching centers. These people wanted to learn about the big picture at the system level and understand the impact of a technology on their business. The theme for the program year would be Applications! I took the responsibility to call the officers during the monthly cycle between meetings to follow up on speaker selection, restaurant arrangements, newsletter deadlines, etc. We committed to having a confirmed speaker about six weeks ahead of time so we could make mailing and editorial deadlines, and so I could announce the next speaker at each meeting. We committed to finding speakers from new sources who had interesting applications to share with the members. Our Program Chair's previous position as the Program Chair for the Houston Section helped in establishing that first contact with the speakers. The Program Chair passed the program information to the newsletter editor and prepared the first mailing. We also personally called many of the members to remind them of the first meeting after the summer break. Results At the first meeting in September 1990, we announced the program theme of Applications. Our first speaker was a program manager from Southwestern Bell on the topic of "Communications for the 1990 Economic Summit." This was a very timely topic, as the Summit was held in July 1990 and still fresh in the people's minds. About 35 people attended the meeting! The speaker had everyone's attention as he described how the latest and greatest (and sometimes unorthodox) in communications provided the bells and whistles of the system put in place for a short week in July. The 35 people at the first meeting was a record for the Houston Chapter in recent memory and surprised all of us. It was very rewarding for the officers to know that the arrangements and the topics were well received. With 35 people in attendance, another meeting benefit became obvious: socializing and information sharing. Professionals from competing companies were elbow-to-elbow discussing the latest trends in communications and comparing notes. Everyone was really enjoying themselves. The topics that followed during the program year included: Med-Net, Houston Medical Center Medical Network Communications for Smart Highways Applications of 560 Mb/s Redundant Rings in MANs Space Communications at NASA Johnson Space Center Tutorial on VSAT Technology RF to Fiber Optics Conversion at HL&P
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These talks were given by communications professionals from Baylor College of Medicine, the Texas Highway Department, Shell Oil, Houston Lighting and Power, and NASA. None of these are the "traditional" communications shops but all of them were at the cutting edge of an area within communications and had something interesting to share with the rest of us. Throughout the program year, the attendance averaged 35 people at each meeting with a high of 40 at one meeting. Now we had the problem of collecting too much cash at the meetings even after paying for the speaker's meal. The treasurer, Patrick, offered a novel suggestion that was an immediate hit with the members: we collected business cards from all present (except for the officers) and randomly drew one card for a $12.50 refund - a free lunch! We have been able to do this and pay the restaurant bill at every meeting. We will use the remaining cash from this program year to pay for the August 1991 officers lunch meeting. The attitude was a positive one and there some anecdotal facts we would like to share. We had a professional recruiting company (head-hunters) sign up for a meeting so they could mingle with prospects and hand out business cards. We had people call our published number in the Pocket Scope to find out what the next topic would be, where and when. We had people offer ideas for topics and even volunteer to give a speech. We even had a Section Committee member come to circulate a petition to change one of the IEEE Bylaws. We do not know if the head-hunters hired anyone or if the amendment ever passed. In retrospect, we stood by our task commitments and had an extremely successful program year. Our attendance averaged 35 people for each meeting and we had a high of 40 at one meeting. We proved to ourselves that if we make it worthwhile to the members, they would take the time to attend. Planning for the Future We will continue to do the things that worked for us this year and continually look to improve. We plan to continue meeting during lunch at the same restaurant and we will choose topics of general interest within communications. We are thinking about extending our program year to include May. Currently, we are talking with professionals from companies other than Shell Oil and Southwestern Bell to find nominations for officers. The intent is to spread the industry involvement even more to appeal to an even larger membership base.
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Orange County (1999)

This Communications Society Chapters Got What it Takes What does it take to start a Communications Society Chapter? When organizers made the decision in 1995 to form a Communications Society Chapter in Orange County, a firm basis for success was already in place. First, Southern California was a thriving technology area, located midway between Los Angeles and San Diego, both flourishing technology sites. And Orange County itself could boast placing third in the state. Second, these experienced organizers had the support of the local IEEE Computer Society and had served it as officers. On top of this, the hot climate of the Internet was fueling the drive to get information faster through telecommunication pipes and was indirectly pushing the changes in communications. It was upon this foundation then that founding Communications Chair Dwight Borses had the vision to focus on the technology horizon and the fledging chapter catapulted into immediate success. One could hardly imagine a better place to form a new Communications chapter. The engineering environment in Orange County provides a large pool from which to draw members and volunteers. It is the site of two large universities, many established companies, and rapidly growing technology development in the Irvine Spectrum area. At the inception of the chapter it was reported that within the county there were 81,000 high-tech workers and 2,543 high-tech establishments, most employees being involved in electronic components manufacturing (12,000), followed by communications services (11,600) and software services (11,000). The fever over the Internet in the 1995 through 1998 time period spurred a renewed competition among businesses for getting information faster. The potential of communication networks sparked a seemingly voracious appetite for communications. The communications frontier was assailed by competitive technologists. On everybodys mind was high-speed transmission and the fat pipes to get it. High speed was the real agenda, whether the subject was bandwidth, operating environments, or advanced services. In this fervent atmosphere, the Communications Society audiences in Orange County pulled in 60 to 120 attendees for their monthly technical meetings. Here again, location meant everything. Prestigious engineers from nearby Rockwell Semiconductor, PairGain, Qualcomm, and National SemiConductor accepted invitations to speak on DSL, CDMA, set-top boxes, modems, and wireless and satellite communications. Hot meeting topics and distinguished speakers were the attraction, and people from as far away as Los Angeles, Ventura and San Diego counties all areas rich in high-tech companies and IEEE members hopped into their cars after long days at the office and braved the freeways at rush hour, driving in some cases up to two hours through heavy traffic, just to get to the monthly Monday night technical meeting.
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Its always been a diverse group: researchers at local companies; start up business owners who needed to know how the technology worked because they needed to use the new technology; and students and faculty members from the two local universities. Many came to hear from speakers what they could not hear anywhere else and to ask questions of these experts. The Q&A period afterward was invariably extensive, and the questions were detailed, intense, and esoteric. Initially, the founders had anticipated that the interaction of the Computer Society and the Communications Society would enhance the technical meetings. However, when Signal Processing became the third member of this collaboration, the result was a truly synergistic effect, and not only for the technical presentations. As a result of this combined energy, the administrative support of the Computer Society met the challenge with a streamlined e-mail list reaching all IEEE members in the Computer, Communications, and Signal Processing chapters. They created a Web site with information about future meetings and past meetings, and even posted all the presentation materials. They took over all advertising to local newspapers and newsletters. The new Orange County publication, the Lynx, filled in the gap when Orange County could no longer advertise in the Los Angeles newsletter. To ease the meeting scheduling, a program collaboration between the three societies sprang up to meet the challenge. It has been four years since that first technical meeting in 1995. Now the chapter is consolidating around its own accomplishments and expanding its volunteer base. The current goals of the members of the executive committee are to reach administrative independence from the Computer Society with a separate program schedule, yet continue the successful collaboration. Some joint meetings with the Computer and Signal Processing Societies are planned for next year as well as future joint meetings with the Los Angeles and San Diego. Heres to our continued success!
Toronto Chapter (1998)

Our Chapter has been active for years. In 1995, we set for ourselves a new vision and a new approach. The goal is to make a difference and to be useful to the community in general, and members in particular, in harmony with Societys objectives. To achieve this goal, we simply need to reach out, and moreover, attract participation and involvement. This, in turn, brings up new questions: Who to reach out to? How to reach out? How to get attention and win participation? How to maintain continuity and growth?
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We realized, and many other Chapters have probably experienced, that just finding a speaker, looking after the arrangements, running an advertisement in the newsletter, or even sending a mail-out to all members would not do! To explain why, lets try to answer the above questions. We may consider multiple dimensions in answering whom the Chapter should reach out to. On the one hand, there are multiple levels from high schools, to college and university students, to professionals. On the other hand, the new environment consisting of technology, market and regulatory drivers, integration of services, convergence of industries, competition, globalization, market liberalization and alliances have created a broad spectrum of topics (within and around telecommunications) and linked to that, many new players. This spans across academia, government and public agencies, banks and enterprises, utilities, management and consulting firms, a broad array of industries, and many interested individuals are interested in these topics. The key theme of our Chapters vision and framework for activities is to not only to adapt to this new environment but take a leadership role in it to make a true difference. We have consciously followed steps to try to include all and to try to cover all! We have called this a Total Approach! Right here, it becomes obvious that the questions of who to reach out to, how to reach out to, and what to bring in order to win their continuous participation are hard to separate. Who they are suggests what they would be interested in and how they can be reached out to. This reaching out and interaction with members and nonmembers on a local level and bringing technical seminars, tours and tutorials, to social and student activities, membership programs and others, is very much in harmony with IEEE goals and the Societys objectives and expectations. We have taken new steps in the past few years to invite a broad range of expert speakers from universities, industries, major consulting firms, and elsewhere, from within and outside the Chapter, and offer numerous technical seminars. These cover such range of topics as ATM and High Speed Networking, CATV, LMDS and other Broadband Access, Emerging Residential Video Services, Video Compression, Future Networks, Optical Networks, Multimedia, Trends in Software Technologies, Internet, Wireless/PCS, Microwave and Millimeterwave Applications, Satellites, Industry Trends and Regulatory Developments. This variety of hot topics and a persistent effort to bring in expert speakers have been essential for our Chapter to be useful at all, and to expect members and non-members to participate and even further their level of involvement. Organizations have become increasingly efficient and more knowledge-based. Individuals have less free time and travel relatively long distances between work, home and other activities. This means the only way to attract them, and rightfully so, is to respond to their needs, in the new dynamic, diverse and efficient environment. In so far as the content goes, the broad range of hot topics referred to earlier, with emphasis on new and emerging technologies, applications and trends, offered by expert speakers, does indeed respond to
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(knowledge) needs in this new environment. In addition, participants get further rewarded by networking with others, and by attending an ensemble of Chapter events to get a better grasp of the promised end-to-end picture. Our technical events have taken a variety of formats: an hour-long presentation preceded by a reception, a half or full day workshop with multiple speakers, halfday tutorials, or a cluster of seminar series. They have been general (open to all) or targeted. This brings in another important aspect of Toronto Chapters activities: inviting in versus going out to! Events for targeted groups and onsite delivery demand particular attention and, sometimes, greater effort, although they may be less frequent in comparison. Our Chapter has visited and given seminars/talks to high schools, colleges, university student events, professional organizations in nearby towns, Toronto Technology Network luncheon, Professional Engineers of Ontario, Toronto HighTech Show, and several other events. We have expanded our policy of inclusion through co-sponsoring events with other Chapters within Toronto Section, with other Sections such as IEEE Peterborough, with the Society Chapters, such as North Jersey and Ottawa (on Societys Tour of Distinguished Speaker), and with local conferences and workshops. We have learned that creating a dynamic network of participants, expanding on that, and maintaining regular liaison help our continuity and growth a great deal. The Toronto Chapter maintains its liaison with the core participants, with members and with the community on many levels, from Internet, to newsletters and flyers, announcements and personal liaison. It does take effort, useful plans and programs and persistence to keep this network together and to bring in new participation. Our goal remains the same: reach out, take leadership role, and make a true difference, in ways expected of IEEE Communications Society local Chapter. We have tried to take a Total Approach, consistent with the new environment, to attract participation, maintain continuity and growth, and respond to the knowledge needs and interests of our members and of our community as a whole. We have been rewarded by some success, but this remains a continuous challenge. The good part is that it s a truly worthwhile and continuously rewarding exercise!
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Washington/Northern Virginia Chapter (1998)

The Washington/Northern Virginia (W/NV) Chapter of the IEEE Communications Society is one of the largest of all IEEE Chapters with a membership of approximately 2300. Although the membership is accumulated from a base of the District of Columbia, the area of Western Maryland, and the region of Northern Virginia, the meetings are generally open to all. This Chapter has a long established record of consistent monthly meetings with very few exceptions. The background and interests of members and meeting attendees vary widely as we tend to draw from government and military, private industry, lobby groups, and special interests. In 1984, the Washington and Northern Virginia IEEE Sections created a council to coordinate and oversee certain overlapping activities in this area such as the "SCANNER" newsletter, the administrative office, and conferences to name a few. As such, the W/NV ComSoc interfaces often with the council for different reasons Beginning as Secretary/Treasurer in 1988, I was elected Chapter Chairman in 1989 and served for two terms. Upon establishment of the Executive Board, we set out to plan the first year's activities. We immediately developed a set of questions; 1) what level of program should be provided? 2) who are we trying to attract? 3) how aggressive/ambitious should we be? The answers to these questions assisted us by allowing us to back up and determine what our basic objectives should be. Our discussion generated the following vision: The W/NV ComSoc vision is to provide a forum for technical exchange in line with the wants and needs of our membership. In seeking to fulfill this vision, it was decided that a diverse programming schedule be assembled in an effort to address the broad interests of our membership. This meant that not only a wide variety of program be offered, but a varying level of depth as well. For example, we offer programs that require a substantial level of understanding on signal processing techniques. This arrangement tends to attract smaller and more specialized types of audiences. Conversely, we offer programs on technical public policy which attract not only participants with direct involvement, but also those who simply have a "peripheral" interest to satisfy and don't need a deep technical understanding. This "level variety" was initiated as we realized that our responsibility needs to speak to all of the ComSoc constituency, not only to those whose fields of specialization are currently in the limelight. We agreed that the size of the meeting could not be the only measurement of success and that our vision must be pursued from assorted perspectives. How aggressive the organization should be relates directly to the size of your volunteer staff. As we all realize, attempting to offer everything to all people only
65
results in mediocre programs and staff burnout. For these reasons, as I began my term, I felt that it was important first to strengthen our base of monthly meetings, establish a local ComSoc monthly mailer, and reaffirm our ties with our members rather than leap into large production programs. CHAPTER OFFICER DESCRIPTION: There is little new or different about the W/NV ComSoc officer structure. In the Washington area, the National Capital Area Council (NCAC) is the administrative entity for all local IEEE Society Chapters. Funds are distributed and varying area activities are coordinated through the NCAC. The active board and duties are described as follows: Chapter Chair: Basic responsibility is to build a platform to attain the W/NV ComSoc vision. Lead all meetings and attempt to increase membership base. Also to coordinate activities of all officers and report to the National Capitol Area Council on performance. Vice-Chair: Assist Chapter Chair in all capacities. This position is usually occupied by the successor to the Chair at end of term. Secretary: Complete all reports and coordinate monthly mailer. As such, interface directly with local IEEE "Scanner" Editor. Treasurer: Keeper of the Chapter funds. Responsible for all Chapter financial records and coordinates meeting registration (meal tickets). Program Committee: Arranges speaker assignments for agenda defined by Executive Committee. Very time consuming and difficult job. Requires patience, diplomacy, and a working knowledge of the local technical haunts. These position duties are suggested and are not cast in stone. Due to newly arising situations -- or sheer convenience -- there tends to be some overlap of duties; yet this structure serves as a usable template. The position that has had an enormous impact on the success of our ComSoc Chapter has been the Chair of the Program Committee. This slot was filled by Neil Owrutsky, a ComSoc member who has an extensive technical background yet now operates an executive and professional search firm. He regularly interfaces with a wide variety of technical managers who can speak to our Chapter on assorted topics. His occupation, along with his normal abundance of energy made Neil an ideal candidate for the position. Since he joined our Chapter, our meetings have significantly improved, as our ability to find and attract speakers has broadened. His influence continues to spread within the area as he has single handedly revived the Computer Society of Northern Virginia and next year will take over as Chair of the ComSoc. I cannot recommended strongly enough that other IEEE Societies search out a volunteer with a background similar to Neil's to join their Executive Board.
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MEETING LOGISTICS: As previously stated, the W/NV ComSoc offers at least one regular monthly program with flexibility to offer others. Realizing that most engineers are creatures of habit, we meet regularly on the third Thursday of every month at the same location (a well known local restaurant) at, of course, the same time. We have found that most prefer luncheon meetings, so we meet at 11:30 for registration, eat at 11:45 and convene the program at 12:15. This schedule has become so ingrained that we have members who customarily show up at this time every month simply because they want to attend regardless of the topic! The area IEEE publishes a monthly newsletter ("The Scanner") which advertises all Society Chapter activities yet this occasionally is only published bi-monthly. We choose to supplement this with our own monthly mailer which goes to all attendants of previous meetings. The response to the mailer has been quite positive and we are confident of our active membership being notified with accurate, timely information. Additional meetings held within the month are generally held as dinner meetings in a variety of locations. This information is also included within the mailer. The meals offered at these meetings are not required, but are recommended. With an adequate number of meals, meeting rooms are usually provided for free by the restaurant. Although we require reservations for meetings, we've never turned anyone away to date. The reservations are taken by calling the NCAC Secretary and leaving the information on the answering machine. We find that by obtaining name, choice of meal (meat or fish), and return phone number, we develop an accurate estimate of meeting size. The meal price is about $2.00 above the price the restaurant to cover the cost of the speaker's meal and help recover some of the cost of postage for our mailers. The last meeting of the year is our annual awards banquet. This is an evening, dinner meeting where, along with a technical program, we present a certificate of appreciation to each speaker from the year's list of programs. We also use this time to express our appreciation to all other volunteers and officers with small tokens or plaques. These tributes are the types of activities that keep our volunteers returning year after year to subject themselves to the pain and torture of yet another ComSoc planning agenda. MEETING SUGGESTIONS: One of the most important activities of the Executive Board is to develop an agenda. The following list of topics is provided as a guide to programs we have offered in the past 2 years and are still current issues. Broadband ISDN: Architecture and Protocols Caller ID Issues Applications of Artificial Intelligence to Communications Systems
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Successful ISDN Applications Satellite Switched TDMA SMDS - High Speed Data Networking via the Public Network EDI/CALS - Electronic Commerce in a Heterogeneous Network Environment SONET, The foundation of tomorrow's Networks Ultra Long Distance All-Optical Transmission Systems Utilizing Solitons Mobile two-way Satellite Communications Frame vs. Cell Relay Technologies: Their Impact on Future Wideband Services Large-Scale Telephone Crashes: Recent Outages and new approaches to System Protection of CCS-7 Systems Extended TDMA - A High Capacity Solution for 2nd Generation Cellular Systems Technology Trends in High Performance Switching Architectures Results of the first ever Comprehensive Field Validation Test of a CDMA-Based Digital Cellular Telephone System Implications of GOSIP, CCITT, and BELLCORE Compliance Requirements on Wide-Area Network Conformance Testing Emerging Standards for Digital Signatures and their Impact on Communications Services New Mobile Satellite Services Dual Mode Digital Cellular Networks: The Effects of Bandwidth Segmentation on Digital and Analog Users Symposium on Worldwide Advances in Communications Networks Navigating the Internet
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Communications Society Chapters Questionnaire 2004

Contact Information
IEEE Region (1-10): Name of Chapter or Section: Chapter Chair for 2004: Name: Preferred Mailing Address: E-mail address: Tel - Office: Tel Home/Mobile (optional): Yes No
Supplements
Does your chapter have a Membership Development Chair/Director?
Chapter Achievement Award

(For chapters who want to be considered for the CAA in 2004): List your 2003 activities/meetings (as categorized below). Include dates of meetings and comments. (a) Recruitment events / new Chapter members (b) Technical meetings (c) Public Relations / Membership Development (d) Student activities (e) Other Required L-31 forms must be submitted to IEEE (see www.ieee.org/scsreports)
ComSoc Chapter Funding

Did your chapter request/receive ComSoc funding in 2003?
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Yes
No
Explain briefly how 2003 funding was used? (If you received funding, this section must be
filled out for 2004 funding consideration.)
Will your chapter need ComSoc funding in 2004?
Yes
No
Chapter Bank Balance (To be considered for funding, our Board of Governors now requires chapters to state their funds/bank balances.) Does your chapter have its own bank account or access to a separate fund maintained by your Section for the chapters use? Yes No Yes No
If yes, does account balance/available funds exceed US$1000? If yes, please indicate year-end balance. Intended Use: Special Initiative/Project #1 (Explain) Special Initiative/Project #2 (Explain) Membership recruiting (meeting, reception, etc.) Remuneration for special lecturers Web page (or other electronic dissemination) Newsletter, brochure, or other publicity Administrative/General Expenses Other (Explain) $_________
Estimated Cost $_________ $_________ $_________ $_________ $_________ $_________ $_________ $_________
Total Estimated need: Payment Method for Approved Funds: Check: Make payable to:
US$ ____________
Concentration Bank Account: HOP # Wire Transfer (information required for successful transfer)
70
Complete Bank Name: City: State / Country: Bank Account Name: Bank Account Number: Swift#:
(Note: Final decisions on funding requests are made by the Director-Membership Programs Development.)
Free Subscriptions to ComSoc Publications Does your chapter want free ComSoc periodicals in 2004? Yes No
Please indicate how publications are used: Available at Chapter's office Available at other locations (local library, university library) Circulated among chapter members Other: Please explain:
Publications will be delivered to the Chapter Chair. (Note: All Chapters Chairs receive free CDs of
ICC and GLOBECOM proceedings.)
ComSoc web site is www.comsoc.org (see about comsoc in header for chapter information). You may direct questions to Carole Swaim, Executive & Volunteer Services at c.swaim@comsoc.org Note: address change shown here; please adjust your records.
3 Park Avenue New York, NY 10016 USA Tel: 1 212 705 8970, Fax: 1 212 705 8999
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DISTINGUISHED LECTURERS PROGRAM REGIONAL DIRECTOR and CHAPTER CHAIR EVALUATION

NAME _______________________________________DATE ____________________ SPEAKER ____________________________________ REGION___________________________ CHAPTERS VISITED_________________________________________________________________
Excellent Good Poor
Overall, how would you rate this particular tour program? Promotion: Did you advertise? How? When (how far in advance?) Results? i.e., e-mail, mailing,
5 posters (where?),
other
Meeting organization and speaking arrangements: (If your answer is no, please explain.) Did the meeting go smoothly? Yes Did it start and end on schedule? Yes Did you offer refreshments? Yes Were microphones and podium provided (as necessary) Yes
No No No No Poor 2 1 2 1 2 2 2 2 1 1 1 1
What was the overall attendance? Good Fair How was lecturers presentation and delivery? 5 4 3 What was the response/interest level of the members following the lecture? 5 4 3 Travel arrangements: Airfare (including Direct Billing via IEEE if used) Lodging and meals Transportation to and from airport Other. Please explain. Financial Support (if inadequate, please explain) Did you have any outside support/funding (i.e. IEEE Section) Based on this experience, what suggestions do you have for improving our DLP? 5 5 5 4 4 4 3 3 3
5 4 3 Yes No
_________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ PLEASE RETURN TO REGIONAL DIRECTOR
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DISTINGUISHED LECTURERS PROGRAM SPEAKERS TOUR EVALUATION

SPEAKER ____________________________________ REGION__________________________ DATE ____________________
CHAPTERS VISITED_________________________________________________________________ TOPIC _______________________________________

Excellent Good Poor
Overall, how would you rate this tour? Reception (welcome by members at each meeting) Overall attendance at meetings Speaking arrangements (ie. microphone/podium as needed) Response/interest level from attendees following each lecture Please rate your overall satisfaction with the following logistics: Airfare arrangements Direct billing procedure through IEEE (if applicable) Lodging and meals Transportation to and from airport Were you kept properly informed of essential details? Other. Please explain.
5 5 5 5 5
4 4 4 4 4
3 3 3 3 3
2 2 2 2 2
1 1 1 1 1
5 5 5 5 5
4 4 4 4 4
3 3 3 3 3
2 2 2 2 2
1 1 1 1 1
Based on your experience, what suggestions do you have for improving our Distinguished Lecturer Programs? _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________
PLEASE RETURN TO REGIONAL DIRECTOR

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DISTINGUISHED LECTURERS TOUR ATTENDEES MEETING EVALUATION

ATTENDEE __________________________ REGION___________________________ CHAPTER __________________________ SPEAKER __________________________
Excellent Good Poor
DATE ____________________
Overall, how would you rate this lecture and program?
Please rate the session you attended based on the following criteria: Lecturers knowledge of the subject matter Lecturers presentation and delivery Effective use of handouts/audiovisual aids (if appropriate) Ability of the speaker(s) to present material effectively 5 5 5 5 4 4 4 4 3 3 3 3 Yes Yes 2 2 2 2 No No 1 1 1 1
Was the room configured so you could hear properly (i.e., microphone, if needed) Would you recommend this lecturer and topic to a colleague? What suggestions do you have for improving our Distinguished Lecturer meetings?
_________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ PLEASE RETURN TO CHAPTER CHAIR
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SOCIETY CHAPTER PETITION

REQUIREMENTS TO FORM A CHAPTER OF AN IEEE SOCIETY
A petition, signed by not less than twelve (12) Section members, above Student grade, who are members of the Society, shall be submitted to the Section Executive Committee, via the Section Secretary, for approval. It is suggested that more than the specified amount of names and signatures be included to ensure that all petitioners qualify, thus speeding the petitions processing. The petition must include: The name of the Section The name of the Society The name and address of the Chapter organizer Written approval of the Section Executive Committee.
A Chapter is a technical sub-unit of one or more Sections, or a Council, constituted by a minimum of twelve (12) members of a Society and established by petition to the parent unit(s) and Societies concerned to represent and fulfill the needs of the members and the missions of IEEE. A Chapter functions in a manner similar to that of a committee of the Section. In instances where Section territorial geography may warrant and Society member interests are sufficient to support multiple Chapters of a Society, additional Chapters, suitably identified, may be formed and operate under the current applicable procedures.
Regional Activities staff will review the petition and work with the organizer to resolve any discrepancies. The Chapter will be considered established after Regional Activities has ascertained that the Regional Director and the Society President(s) have no objections to the formation of the Chapter. Following approval, the Section Chairman, the Chapter Organizer, the Regional Director and the President of the Society will be notified. The Chapter formation will be noted in the Report of the Managing Director at the next meeting of the Regional Activities Board. TO FORM A JOINT CHAPTER COVERING TWO OR MORE SOCIETIES The requirements are the same as for a single Society Chapter, except that not less than three of the 12 signatures on the petition shall be members of each of the Societies involved. For example, a joint Power Engineering (PE-31) and Industry Applications (IA-34) Society Chapter, might be formed with eight petitioners belonging to PE-31 and four petitioners to IA-34. It is not required, but may be useful, that Chapter members or officers maintain membership in both Societies. It is suggested that more than the specified amount of names and signatures be included to ensure that all petitioners qualify, thus speeding the process of the petition.
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TO FORM A JOINT CHAPTER OF 2 OR MORE CONTIGUOUS SECTIONS A petition must be signed by not less than twelve (12) members, other than Students, of the Sections involved, who are members of the Society or Societies, and submitted for approval by the pertinent Sections Executive Committees. It is suggested that more than the specified amount of names and signatures be included to assure that all petitioners qualify, thus speeding the process of the petition. The petition must include: The names of the Sections involved The name(s) of the Society or Societies The name and address of the Chapter Organizer The organizational unit (administrative parent Section) which shall be responsible for Chapter management. (In joint Chapters, administrative matters relate to the parent Section.) Written approval of the entities involved.
The Joint Chapter shall be considered established after Regional Activities has ascertained that all entities involved have no objections to the formation of the Chapter. Following approval, the Sections and Societies involved, the Chapter organizer and the Regional Director will be notified. The Chapter formation will be noted in the Report of the Managing Director at the next meeting of the Regional Activities Board. TO CHANGE THE STATUS OF AN EXISTING CHAPTER The status of an existing Chapter may be changed from single to joint, or vice-versa, or from one joint combination to another without submission of a petition. The change in status will become effective following approval of the change by the Regional Director, the Society Presidents and the involved Section Executive Committee(s). 1. The written request, with full details on the proposed change in Chapter status, shall be submitted by the Section Executive Committee. This request should include the name and address of the Organizer of the restructured Chapter who will act as its Chairman, and be faxed or mailed to the above address. 2. Action will be taken by Regional Activities staff to obtain approval of the change in statusby those concerned. 3. When the necessary approvals have been received, the Section Chairman, the Chapter Organizer, the Regional Director and the Presidents of the Societies concerned will be notified. 4. The Chapter formation will be noted in the Report of the Managing Director at the next meeting of the Regional Activities Board. Please send petition to the attention of Peggy Kovacs to fax + 1 732 463 9359 or mail to: IEEE REGIONAL ACTIVITIES 445 Hoes Lane Piscataway, New Jersey 08855 USA
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PETITION TO FORM AN IEEE CHAPTER Name of IEEE Society/ies: Name of IEEE Section/s: We, the undersigned, who are members of the above Society and Section, hereby petition for approval to form a Chapter in the Section indicated above. Signature of Petitioner 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. Member Number Printed Name
**12 PETITIONERS ARE REQUIRED FOR A TECHNICAL CHAPTER FORMATION**
The action has the approval of the Section Executive Committee. The following individual is serving as the Organizer of the Chapter:
Note: The Organizer of the Chapter must hold grade of Member, Senior Member or Fellow
Name: Address: City: Postal Code: Phone: E-mail: Section: Officer's Signature: Office Held:
77
Member #:
State/Province: Country: Fax:
Date:

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CHAPTERS MANUAL

IEEE COMMUNICATIONS SOCIETY

Chapters Manual 2002

IEEE Communications Society

Chapters Manual 2002

Overview and Scope of Society

IEEE Communications Society

Chapters Manual 2002

IEEE Communications Society

Chapters Manual 2002

IEEE COMMUNICATIONS MAGAZINE

IEEE Network--The Magazine of Global Information Exchange was first published

IEEE Communications Society

Chapters Manual 2002

Vision and Mission of Society

IEEE Communications Society

Operations and Procedures

Purpose - WHY LOCAL CHAPTERS?

Targeting New Chapters - GUIDELINES

Chapters Manual 2002

IEEE Communications Society

Chapters Manual 2002

IEEE Communications Society

Starting New Chapters

Chapters Manual 2002

IEEE Communications Society

Chapters Manual 2002

IEEE Communications Society

Chapters Manual 2002

IEEE Communications Society

Chapters Manual 2002

IEEE Communications Society

Meetings & Conferences Planning

Chapters Manual 2002

IEEE Communications Society

Chapters Manual 2002

ComSoc Regional Directors

IEEE Communications Society

IEEE Funding and Reporting

Chapters Manual 2002

IEEE Communications Society

Chapters Manual 2002

IEEE Communications Society

Getting Help from IEEE and ComSoc

Chapters Manual 2002

ComSoc Region 10 Office

IEEE Region 8 Office

IEEE Communications Society

ComSoc Programs & Benefits

Membership Benefits - Why Join the IEEE Communications Society?

Chapters Manual 2002

IEEE Communications Society

Chapters Manual 2002

IEEE Communications Society

Chapter Achievement Award (CAA)

Technical Programs: meetings, tours, and full- or half-day conferences.

Educational Programs: multi-session courses, full-day (or several-day)

Public Activities: meetings open to the public on national/local issues

Chapters Manual 2002

Student Activities: must be directed towards electrical engineering (or

IEEE Member Advancement: programs that encourage member

Award Nominations: nominating members for IEEE Fellows, IEEE Technical

_ _ PLEASE RETURN TO REGIONAL DIRECTOR

CHAPTERS VISITED___________________________ TOPIC _