1. Senior and Fellow Grade Elevation Procedures July 10, 2016 Beijing, China
Mahta Moghaddam

2. Senior Member Status: Chapter Involvement:
20% of GRSS full members are Senior members
~620 among about 3000
Excellent way to retain and grow membership
Necessary step before becoming a Fellow
Approx GRSS regular members
Would like to target as many as possible from the eligible pool
Chapters have access to, and knowledge of, local members and can have a prominent role in raising awareness about Senior member opportunities
Chapter Involvement:
Latest GRSS chapters’ reports revealed that there has been nearly no activity in senior member application and nomination within chapters
Senior member promotion activity will be one of the main areas of chapter evaluation in future years.
Chapters are recommended/expected to hold:
Information sessions
Senior member drives

3. Senior Member Requirements:
Must be an engineer, scientist, educator, technical executive or originator in IEEE-designated fields
Must have been in professional practice for at least ten years
Must have shown significant performance over a period of at least five of those years
Must supply three references from current IEEE members holding the grade of Fellow, Senior Member, or Honorary Member. 
Time in school counts as part of “Professional Practice for 10 Years”:
Three years for a bachelor’s degree in an IEEE-designated field
Four years for a bachelor’s and a masters degree in IEEE-designated fields
Five years for a doctoral degree in an IEEE-designated field

4. What is “significant performance”?
Does not mean special awards, patents, or other extremely sophisticated accomplishments
Includes:
Substantial engineering responsibility or achievement
Publication of papers, books, or inventions
Technical direction, or management of important scientific or engineering work, with evidence of accomplishment
Recognized contributions to the welfare of the scientific or engineering profession
Development of important scientific or engineering courses
Contributions equivalent to those of the above in technical editing, patent prosecution, or patent law, provided these contributions serve to advance progress substantially in IEEE designated fields
…....
Significant performance need not have occurred in the years immediately prior to the application
Life and Retired members are eligible for elevation

5. How to Apply for Senior Membership:
Yes, you can apply for yourself: need three references
Application is done online  
How to nominate or get nominated:
Same online portal
Nomination counts as one reference, so you will only need two more references
Any member at Senior level or higher can nominate eligible members
Simply enter IEEE number of nominee to initiate the process; then ask them to fill out the form themselves
Enter IEEE member number for two references

6. Once application/nomination is submitted:
References get notified automatically
Once all references are submitted, form is automatically forwarded to IEEE
IEEE evaluates case at monthly meeting; the whole process could take as little as one month!

7. Fellow Grade Status: 184 total Fellows in GRSS
includes 81 Life Fellows
6% of membership: significantly higher than average for other societies
Success rate for GRSS has been consistently ~50% or better
# nomination
# success

8. Fellow Grade Qualification:
At the time the nomination is submitted, a nominee must:
Have accomplishments that have contributed importantly to the advancement or application of engineering, science and technology, bringing the realization of significant value to society
Be IEEE Senior Member
have been a member in good standing in any grade for a period of five years or more preceding 1 January of the year of elevation
Can‘t apply for it; must be nominated

9. Fellow Nominator Responsibilities:
Preparing the IEEE Fellow Grade Nomination Form
Soliciting at least five, but no more than eight, references (with grade of Fellow) capable of assessing the nominee’s contributions
Optionally, soliciting no more than three endorsements capable of supporting the nomination
Identifying an IEEE Society/Technical Council whose evaluating committee will assess the nominee’s technical qualifications and contributions
Getting all material in by March 1st

10. For questions or consultation, contact:
Mahta Moghaddam