CEU's and Early Birds

I’m going to be honest with you – this is my first blog…..ever. So, there’s a lot of pressure on me right now. I am going to start by saying that it is a very humbling experience and an honor to be the 2nd Vice President of this great organization. While I am a few weeks removed from my first Executive Board meeting as 2nd VP, I am still learning the ropes of how SWATA runs on a daily basis. So I am going to take this opportunity to talk about something I am quite familiar with and try to answer quite a few of the questions I have received from you over the past few years…….How is the SWATA Program put together?

I have been blessed to have been a part of the last five SWATA Programs, either as a committee member or as a chair, so I can only speak for that time frame. It has been a great experience for me and I have learned quite a bit – so let me share some of that with you. The skeleton of the SWATA symposium usually is put together before we leave SWATA the year before. There is a basic structure that has been followed for years and it makes things a little easier. There are a few staples in the structure that have to be put in each year: Texas and Arkansas State Forums, Keynote Address, NATA Forum and the SWATA Business Meeting. We also allow some of our SWATA Committees to sponsor speakers on a rotating basis with these committees being responsible for a speaker every other year. To be honest, that is half the schedule. What about the rest of the schedule? Once we shut down the surveys, a list of suggested topics was usually made from membership suggestions. That list was trimmed down based on how long ago that topic may have been covered as well as some other factors. At that point, that list is sent to the Program Committee for input as well as to see if they know of anyone who might cover that topic. Usually, the topics that come out of that discussion as well as other input from the membership is enough to fill out our schedule.

Membership ideas have been a huge benefit for the Program Committee for the past few years. Many of our topics, from the Secondary Schools Roundtable to the Diversity Roundtable, have come from member ideas. The Trailblazers session was a direct result of listening to the stories told by SWATA Hall of Famer Eddie Lane at the Honors and Awards Banquet that he presided over. Once those ideas have been plugged into the schedule skeleton, the rest is downhill. Speaker invitations, travel planning, transportation arrangements and audiovisual requirements fill the rest of the year. The rough draft for the printed program is due by the first of June to assure they are printed in time and delivered for the members. After that, we just look after the small details and hope that 1) our speakers show up and 2) my computer and technological ignorance does not mess up the program.

Now, on to every ones favorite topic…….Early Bird Sessions. While the 7:00 am sessions are not a favorite to many of our members, they are vital to assure that we offer as many CEU’s to you as possible. Over the past four years, we have offered an average of 23.5 CEU’s a year to our members, and for NATA Members paying $80 for the Symposium, it roughly comes out to $3.40 a CEU……..I fully believe that this is one of the best benefits for your money that you can find out there. Therefore, in order to offer as many benefits to you, I don’t see the Early Birds going anywhere.

You don’t see a lot of the things that go on behind the scenes that help SWATA run smoothly…..without the dedication of those who handle exhibits, registration, convention planning, relocation and AV, the annual SWATA meeting would be a mess. I wish I had time to recognize them by name, but they know who they are and that they are appreciated.

Well, my first blog is over and I hope I have answered some of your questions about how SWATA is put together. I truly hope that you will utilize this service to answer some of the questions you have about your organization. Please do not hesitate to let us know how your Executive Board can better serve you!