1. ASABE Student Engagement Project Board Presentation: Research Findings and Recommendations

2. Presentation Scope Project Overview Project Steps Research Findings
Opportunities and Recommendations

3. Project Overview and Steps

4. Project Overview To help ASABE:
Understand the needs, expectations and motivations for students to join the Society
Pinpoint ways to engage students, either through faculty, special programming or other membership benefits
Develop a plan to recruit, retain and ultimately convert students to full-time membership.

5. Project Steps
Research conducted at three schools representing spectrum of AgE and BE education
Iowa State University
Michigan State University
Virginia Tech
Telephone interviews with ASABE members:
15 Faculty
16 Students
Three focus groups (mostly non-member students)
10 in-person interviews with non-member faculty

6. Research Findings

7. Relationship Building
Awareness
Engagement
Connection

8. ASABE Situation Analysis
Strengths
Challenges
Brand recognition
Silos and competition
Youthful enthusiasm
Lack of awareness
Professional connections
Gatekeeper perceptions
A story that builds
Lack of structure and consistency

9. The Faculty Perspective . . .
“We have 40 academic departments here and there are some homogeneity problems in our academic degrees, but these are still pretty close to the department names. If the association name doesn’t provide a direct link for the student, then they don’t think that is where they should be. I had a degree in agriculture and this is my pedigree, even though it’s not my department now. But there is a real identity struggle within my industry sector as the agricultural field is a turnoff to new students who don’t see their career path as agricultural. I’m not saying that, for example, ASCE has a magic recipe but I do see a more direct link there.”
- ASABE Member
“There are a large number of incoming potential students who are really interested in environmental, food, and maybe social welfare issues that ASABE - as a front man for the discipline - could take advantage of. Students who have an interest in those issues don’t know that they can find a home in this society. It needs to create awareness.”
- ASABE Non-Member

10. The Student Perspective . . .
“I was encouraged to join by my peer mentor during the first semester of my freshman year. He was very active and told me the benefits of the club. Meeting upperclassmen, making contacts, meeting people who can help you with homework Everything he told me was true and more. I’ve met so many upperclassmen as a freshman. I’ve made a lot of friends that way and started to get involved on committees.”
- ASABE Member
“The number of BSE students at a meeting for ASABE is usually very low. The employers who come in are usually agricultural engineers, so it isn’t that applicable to us. With the BSE club, we are hoping to have BSE employers come in and speak.”
- ASABE Member
“I think a lot more companies know what biosystems engineering is now than when we were freshmen or sophomores. I don’t know if this is just my perspective and who I am talking to, but I think this has been influenced by career advisors, who go to career fairs and talk to employers about what benefits we bring to the table and why we can be valuable to the organization. Another factor is that our graduates have gone on and are doing really well, so companies are coming back to look for more biosystems engineers.”
- Non-Member Focus Group Participant

11. ASABE Brand Identity

12. Student Perceptions

13. Faculty Perceptions

14. Opportunities and Recommendations

15. Relationship Building
Awareness
Engagement
Connection

16. Strategic Initiatives and Tactics
Awareness
Engagement
Connection
Strategic Initiatives
ASABE Institutes
Local industry contacts
100% Membership
Industry outreach
Inspirational opportunities
Incentives to spread the word
Leadership and guidance
Greater meeting exposure
Complementary value
Tactics for Implementation
ASABE-branded brochure for employers
Video to highlight BE work
“Push” engagement to students
“Cause” campaign (world hunger)
“Face of” campaign
100% Membership program for faculty
Student recruitment