Role & Expectations of SAE Faculty Advisors

SAE has over 12,000 student members and at least 354 SAE Collegiate Chapters at universities and technical schools around the world. These Chapters provide engineering students with practical exposure to a professional engineering society and a focal point on campus for student engineering programs and activities.

Through their participation in SAE Collegiate Chapters and the SAE Collegiate Design Series, students are able to develop key careers skills including: leadership, organization, communication, teaming project management, conflict resolution, time management, finance and budgeting and others.

An actively engaged SAE Faculty Advisor contributes greatly to the student's SAE experience. In addition to invaluable guidance and advice, they provide the continuity needed in a Collegiate Chapter. Since student membership is fluid and officers change annually, the Faculty Advisor is critical to the continued success of Chapter policies and activities from year to year.

Some activities of the Faculty Advisor include:

• Act as the liaison between the Collegiate Chapter, the local professional SAE Section and SAE International.
• Be familiar with the SAE Purpose and Vision Statement.
• Educate your students on the value statement and benefits of SAE membership.
• Help train new student officers on their roles each year.
• Assist student officers in planning and implementing programs and a financial plan/budget for the year.
• Help students brainstorm ideas for meetings and activities: tours of local plants/facilities, speakers (from the university, local community and the SAE Industrial Lectureship program), community service projects, etc.
• Help coordinate activities and relationships between Collegiate Design Series teams.
• Encourage networking between your Collegiate Chapter and your local professional SAE Section. Attend at least one Section Governing Board meeting each year and provide feedback about the needs of your student members. Encourage student involvement on the local professional Section Governing Board.
• Take advantage of the SAE Technical Papers program to provide technical information for your Collegiate Chapter student members.
• Nominate exemplary student leaders for the SAE Collegiate Chapter Outstanding Student Officer Award.

Membership Activities - Encourage your students to:

• Hold membership drives each semester/term to encourage others to join SAE.
• Educate others on the value statement and benefits of SAE membership.
• Encourage graduating students to transfer to professional SAE membership.

Collegiate Chapter Activities - Encourage your students to:

• Bring a speaker from the SAE Industrial Lectureship program to campus. Invite non-members, students at nearby universities, and your local professional SAE Section.
• Link their web pages to the SAE International website.
• Review the Collegiate Chapters Procedures Manual.
• Determine if your Branch is eligible to receive dues reimbursement. If so, the request must come from the Faculty Advisor each year (Collegiate Clubs not eligible).
• Send updated information for student officer positions each year.
• Interact with other engineering societies on campus.
• Interact with your Department Chairs and Dean.
• Ensure representation within the student government association.

Career Activities - Encourage your students to:

• Post their resume on the SAE Career Center.
• Attend SAE conferences.
• Read the SAE Digital magazines each month.
• Read the Campus to Corporate e-newsletter each month.
• Read UPdate, the monthly newsletter for SAE members.
• Sponsor a junior for the SAE Long Term Member Sponsored Scholarship.
• Apply for the Outstanding Collegiate Chapter Award (Collegiate Clubs not eligible).
• Apply for the various SAE Awards.
• Apply for an SAE Scholarship.
• Apply for the Washington Internship for Students of Engineering (WISE).
• Author (or co-author) an SAE Technical Paper.
• Participate in SAE telewebcasts sponsored by SAE Professional Development.
• Nominate your Collegiate Branch and local professional Section for the SAE Outstanding Section & Collegiate Chapter Partnership Award.
• Encourage your graduating students to transfer to professional SAE membership.

Community Service Activities:

• Volunteer with the SAE A World In Motion® program.

There are certain limitations restrictions placed on Collegiate Chapters as a function of the constitution and not-for-profit status of SAE International. Therefore, Collegiate Chapters may not, directly or indirectly:

• Engage in activities to exert political pressure of influence.
• Participate in programs relating to employer-employee relations or to problems dealing with the economic status of the engineer.
• Endorse or condemn any commercial product by direct or indirect action.

We strongly encourage all Faculty Advisors to be SAE members.

SAE Staff Contact:
Diane McGuire
Section & Collegiate Chapters
Phone: 724-772-7141
Fax: 724-776-3393
Email: dmcguire@sae.org