National Convention

KY-A Hosted: 1940, (2012)

There are several objectives of the National Convention. As the supreme governing body of Tau Beta Pi, the Convention conducts the business of the Association. In this sense, it is the annual stockholders’ meeting of the corporation. The Convention alone has the power to grant new chapters, elect an Executive Council, and amend the Constitution (subject to chapter ratification) and the Bylaws.

The Convention serves as a training session for student delegates, most of whom are chapter presidents who will serve this year. The Chapter Development Program, including Interactive Chapter Exchange, Engineering Futures, and District meetings, is designed to achieve this goal.

The Convention also provides an opportunity for delegates from all parts of the country to meet each other and to see another major engineering college. National officers are afforded a special opportunity to meet with chapter representatives and to learn first-hand about their problems, solutions, and opinions on the role of Tau Beta Pi on the nation’s campuses.

Each collegiate chapter must send one Voting delegate to the Convention whose expenses will be paid by Tau Beta Pi. Chapters pay an assessment to help fund the expenses of the Voting delegates. (Bylaw I, Sec. 1.05.) Nothing is gained in not sending a delegate to Convention. Chapters are also encouraged to send Non-voting delegates and Advisors at their expense. On-site expenses of Advisors are paid by Tau Beta Pi. If at the last moment the Voting delegate cannot attend, a Non-voting delegate who attends automatically becomes the reimbursed Voting delegate.

(All information on this page was gleaned from TBP headquarters’ website. For more information on National Convention, please visit the headquarters website: http://tbp.org/pages/Convention/GeneralInfo.cfm)

2010 National Convention Lehigh University