Fwd: STC: New Dues Structure for 2008

Tue Sep 25 12:37:39 MDT 2007

Hi Bonni,

  I agree with you to a certain extent. However, I do see subsidizing academe differently than subsidizing professionals in other countries. As a disclaimer, I have paid my own STC dues all but the one year in which we entered documents in the competition with my current employer, all of the years I was a full-time consultant, and about half of the years with my previous two employer (tech comm) employers.

  The STC began and endures as a professional organization. The goal listed first on the STC web site is to "Enhance the professionalism of the members and the status of the profession" (http://www.stc.org/about/). In fact, the first five of seven bullets are directly related to professional technical communicators. Only the last two, education and research and service to industry and academe, specifically address STC interaction with academe. 

  Certainly, there is certainly a wealth of benefit to academe from being involved with STC and STC members. Real-world input from STC members can help contextualize and situate academic research. Practicing technical communicators entering academe as adjunct and new faculty can result in contemporized curricula. Cooperative research and bilateral discussion and other interaction can result in improved pedagogies. The wealth of research subjects alone is a great reason for academe to join and support STC. However, these benefits are somewhat auxiliary for academe, something akin to a professional technical communicator acquiring domain knowledge. Teaching, pedagogy, research, theory -- these are the basic stock in trade for the academy. 

  For professional technical communicators, on the other hand, STC is targeted exactly at improving their professional lives. Whether in the US or abroad, new or experienced professional technical communicators can garner great benefit from STC membership. Professional (and student) members derive benefit from the forums for discussing technical communication and professional issues, the meetings for networking and socializing, conferences, competitions, seminars and workshops, and on and on. 

  Even as long as I have been in the profession, it is a rare meeting or get-together that I do not learn at least one new thing or meet at least one new person that helps me in the profession of technical communication. The benefits are such that I attempt to attend meetings in other communities when I travel. I recently attended and presented at a conference while I was in Delhi. 

  For the professional and the organization that employs the professional, the benefits of STC are primary and manifold. For the academician and academe, the benefits of STC participation -- though great -- are more secondary. Moreover, the immediate benefits of academy participation are greater for the STC organization and its members than for the academicans themselves. Ultimately, of course, without the completed loop of interaction between academy and industry, academician and professional, all will suffer in the long run. STC is a viable connector to complete those loops. As such, it is in our best interests to encourage STC participation by academicians.

  Now considering the ultimate benefit to the academy and to student members, many of whom endeavor to enter the professional world, it seems prudent for academies to fund STC membership. At those universities and colleges that have technical communication programs, STC membership should be part of the budget for the program. Along these lines, it would be helpful if the STC would modify the Sustaining Membership program to facilitate and encourage multiple individual members in a single sustaining membership. This could be implemented, for example, by assessing a reduced membership fee for individuals who are part of a sustaining organization.

  International professional growth will take care of itself. It certainly appears that there is more US-based technical communication leaving the US than international work being done in the US. As a result, the US and other western countries are already subsidizing growth of the profession by offshoring technical communication to other countries. There is no need to add a double subsidy by reducing international STC fees as well. Perhaps a better approach would be to offer corporate membership in a similar manner as stated above: a company joins as a Sustaining Member and multiple employees can then join at a reduced rate. Companies who choose to subsidize employee memberships could do so based on employee performance, corporate objectives, or other considerations. 

  Best,
  Cheri

  Cheri Mullins
  MATC, Texas State University
  PhD Student, Texas Tech TCR Program
  Director, Information Development, GENBAND
  Past-President STC Austin

Bonni_Graham at scantron.com wrote:

I just want to make sure I'm following the logic of this thread of posts here: 

We *don't* want US/Canada members to subsidize/underwrite the dues for International members, but we *do* want nonacademic members to subsidize/underwrite the dues for academic members? We don't want to be "taxed" so STC can provide services to offshore counterparts, but we're all in favor of nonacademic members being "taxed" to provide service to academic members? "Cost-shifting to your membership base" is not a good idea for growing internationally, but it's a fabulous idea for growing academically? 

Hmmmm. 

Although my employer currently pays my dues, I pay the dues for my two staff members, and paid my own dues for 16 of the 17 years I've been a member. I believe in demonstrating to the various entities for which I and my staff work (my clients, UCSD, UCR, etc.) that I am committed to and serious enough about my own profession to be a part of its professional society, above and beyond any other benefits I get from membership. I would continue to be a member even if I had to resume paying my own dues again. 

My 2 cents (not even adjusted for inflation...)

---------------------------------
  Bonni Graham
Product Management / Marketing: End-User Documentation 
Lecturer, University of California (San Diego Extension, Riverside Extension, and Riverside Main campuses)

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