Fellow of Society Guidelines

PURPOSE

The purpose of these guidelines is to describe the procedures for nomination and election of Society of Plastics Engineers members to the Fellow of the Society grade and to provide some assistance for carrying out those procedures.

QUALIFICATIONS

Fellow of the Society Member Bylaw
To be elected Fellow of the Society, a candidate shall have demonstrated outstanding achievements in the field of plastics engineering, science or technology, or in the management of such activities; shall be sponsored, in writing, by the Board of Directors of at least one Section or Division, or by a committee of the Society organized for this purpose; shall have credentials certified by and application approved by the Credentials Committee; and shall have been a member in good standing for six years.  The level of Fellow of the Society shall at no time exceed 5% of the voting members in good standing in the Society.  

Criteria for Eligibility
Criteria for eligibility for the Fellow of the Society member grade is taken to mean:  having accomplished a step change in the state of the art of plastics engineering such that the conduct of business has been taken to a higher level of effectiveness through advances in either the technology or its commercial practice, bringing significant benefit to society.  The individual must have contributed substantially, though not necessarily exclusively, to any achievement(s) being considered in evaluating her/his value to the profession.  

Substantial contributions include being an inventor, proprietor, creator or developer of a new concept or a driving force in reducing such to practice, or a recognized leader of such an effort with responsibilities that go beyond the administrative, such that the accomplishment could not have been made without that individual’s dedicated leadership.  

Documents indicating such recognition would include patents, publications, awards, promotions, letters of acknowledgment, elections to prestigious organizations and leadership positions in professional bodies that promote the utilization of the accomplishment for the common good.  It is important that a clear documentation of these contributions be provided to enable even those personally unacquainted with the candidate to arrive at a valid judgment of his/her credentials.

ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Nominating Organization
An SPE member may be nominated for the Fellow grade by the board of directors of a Section, Division, or by a committee of the Society organized for this purpose.

• Having decided upon a nominee, the nominating organization contacts, in writing, the SPE Staff Liaison to verify the candidate’s eligibility.

Once eligibility is determined, the organization contacts the nominee, obtains names of two individual sponsors, and selects the most suitable Division or SIG to review the nominee’s technical achievements from the list of Divisions/TIGs provided.

• The nominating organization also must designate a Process Champion to follow through with the application process.

The nominating organization completes the Nomination for Fellow of the Society Form and submits it to SPE:

• Nomination for Fellow of the Society Form

Nominee

The Nominee completes the Professional Record Form and submits it along with the proper documentation, i.e., title pages of all publications, patents, papers, books, etc. that support the application for Fellow, to SPE.  A list of all publications is of interest but not mandatory. Copies of the Professional Record should also be made available to the Sponsors for their review.

• Professional Record Form

Sponsor(s)
Each Sponsor completes a Sponsor Statement Form and submits it to SPE. Sponsor statements must include specific details on contributions made to the plastics industry.

• Sponsor Statement Form 

Division/Special Interest Group
The Division/TIG writes a Division/TIG Critique on the technical merits of the nominee’s achievements, and submits it to SPE.

• Division/SIG Critique

Process Champion
Action by the Section/Division Champion is crucial to the success of the nomination process. They will:  

• Facilitate the distribution and submission of the Professional Record, Sponsor Statements, and Division/SIG Critique.
• Verify that SPE bylaws and guidelines are followed.
• Submit all paperwork electronically to SPE Headquarters for distribution to the Fellows Election Committee and SPE Executive Committee.
• Do any required follow-up.

DEADLINES AND SUBMITTAL PROCESS

Completed application includes:

• Nomination Form.
• Complete Professional Record, including supporting documentation.
• Two Sponsor Statements.
• Division Critique.

Deadlines

• Deadline for the electronic submission of a completed application – October 1, 2019
• Deadline for missing/incomplete information as requested by Fellows Election Committee Chair – October 31, 2019
• Presentation of the Fellows certificates and pins – at ANTEC 2020

Submittal Process

The application process is electronic. All materials must be received electronically in a PC compatible format. They must be sent in the form of Microsoft Word (.doc), or Adobe Acrobat (.pdf). Please call 203-740-5430 with questions.