One in a series of blog posts about CGS committees and their work
*This committee currently has openings for volunteers
The Education and Events Committee is unusual in that it is really a group of committees that work together as one big committee. It’s good that they do because this committee involves a lot. Breaking it into multiple pieces makes it possible to accomplish all they do.
| Purpose | The purpose of the Education and Events committee is to plan the various talks, seminars, field trips, research trips and some of the social events hosted by the society. |
| Chair | Jacqueline Henderson |
| Meets | Typically, once a week or every other week as needed. Jacqueline wants to add bimonthly (every other) meetings with the SIG leaders. |
| Time Commitment | About 10 hours a week depending on your role |
| Helpful Skills | Being organized and some computer skills, i.e., knowing how to maintain a spreadsheet. The ability to interact professionally with speakers. |
| Work Location | Since the pandemic meetings have all been via Zoom or telephone but Jacqueline would like to start having occasional in-person meetings because it is nice to get together. |
Currently the other committee members include Adelle Treakle, who handles communications. She deals with EventBrite to schedule events and is assisted by Keith Montgomery. Jacqueline coordinates with the chairs of our Special Interest Groups when they are planning their meetings. She is also talking with a couple of members about leading a research trip in 2023, and possibly having an event with speakers on Irish Research in 2024.
The committee is looking for at least two additional members. It would be helpful to have one person to help with promotion. They have good systems in place for doing this so it’s not a difficult task. They could also use help with sending out the post-event surveys, analyzing the responses, and preparing a summary report.
The committee’s goal is to have one speaker each month except in December. Jacqueline solicits input from others about the best speakers and topics for the coming months. Members make suggestions for speakers and Jacqueline checks our past surveys to identify which speakers received good reviews. She checks the speaker’s website to see what topics they offer to decide on a particular topic. She always makes a point to book speakers who will talk about current trends and topics in the field. She then contacts the speaker regarding their interest and availability and does all of the follow-up tasks to book and promote each talk.
