Student Careers Leading the Way Guide Contents
The careers chair should assist the student chapter officers and faculty advisors, encouraging them to achieve excellent business practices in their chapter projects and activities. Should a chapter have more than one student NAMA chapter, it is recommended that a careers committee member be assigned to each school. At your chapter planning meetings, you will want to work with the board of directors to determine the direction for the coming year.
So your student chapter may gain the most from your chapter, you may want to implement one or all of the programs outlined below.
Mentor Program
Students explore career opportunities one-on-one with professionals in agri-marketing through a mentor program. This program is typically developed to be launched in October and matches students with professionals for interaction throughout the year.
Professional Interaction
Professional interaction could be as simple as inviting students to meetings and events. Many chapters allow students to help with on-site meeting registration as a way to meet professionals. It’s important to make contact with student chapter officers and have at least one professional chapter member attend one or more of their student chapter meetings throughout the year or even participate as a speaker at one of their meetings.
Marketing Competition
Your chapter can help students prepare for the annual Marketing Competition by inviting them to present their marketing plan prior to the Agri-Marketing Conference in April. Constructive criticism on these plans is invaluable to the student chapter, and professionals can help oversee that deadlines are met.
Scholarships
Develop a scholarship program for your student chapter. Implement a scholarship to help send the
student chapter to the Agri-Marketing Conference. Or if you choose to award an academic scholarship, this can be done through the Agri-Business Educational Foundation (ABEF). Contact Jenny Pickett at 913-491-6500 for details on academic scholarships.
Annual Report
As part of their accreditation requirements, all student chapters must submit an annual report by March 1, 2012. Professionals can assist by critiquing these reports and making sure all deadlines are met.
- Become familiar with the Student Chapter Guidelines mailed to you by the NAMA office in September.
- Make contact with student officers in September to determine plans and year-long goals. Assist the student chapter officers and faculty advisors with planning for student chapter meetings.
- Help to meet December 1, 2011, and March 1, 2012, student chapter accreditation deadlines. Remind your chapter president to submit an accreditation letter by December 1. The chapter will be responsible for submitting this letter endorsing the student chapter as part of the student chapter’s December 1 accreditation requirements. Please submit the letter either electronically or by mail to the NAMA office, attention: Debbie Brummel (debbieb@nama.org).
