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Outstanding SAF Student Chapter Award

The Outstanding SAF Student Chapter Award recognizes the outstanding student chapter in the nation and its faculty representative during an academic year.

Three student chapters are recognized annually during the SAF National Convention. The first‐place student chapter will receive a $500 honorarium and is asked to submit an acceptance video to present at convention showcasing the chapter. All three student chapters will be recognized in The Forestry Source. The school's department head and/or dean, the university president, and the SAF faculty representative will receive notification of the award.

Eligibility
Any SAF Student Chapter is eligible to receive this award. Self nominations are encouraged and accepted.

Criteria

The award recognizes the accomplishments of the student chapter during the academic year. There are 10 possible points awarded in each of the following categories:

  1. Membership
  2. Service to SAF and its Members
  3. Service to the College or University
  4. Involvement with Other Natural Resource Organizations
  5. Public Relations, Outreach, and Community Involvement
  6. Chapter Management

Nominations
Your nomination packet should address the following items in each category:

  1. Membership
    • Describe your recruiting and retention efforts and state the current number of student members in the chapter.
    • Describe your chapter’s activities that encourage graduating students to maintain their affiliation with SAF.
  2. Service to SAF and its Members
    • Provide details of any chapter sponsored programs, seminars or workshops held during the last academic year. Include information about topic and speaker.
    • Does your chapter participate in a mentoring program? Describe professional development opportunities provided to members.
    • Describe your chapter’s involvement and support at the SAF national, state, and local levels.
  3. Service to the College or University
    • Describe how the student chapter supported the Forestry School or Department. For example, did the chapter publish or contribute to publication of student, school, or department materials?
    • Describe your chapter’s involvement with any projects that assisted the campus community.
  4. Involvement with Other Natural Resource Organizations
    • Explain how your chapter collaborated with related organizations on campus, nationally, or internationally.
  5. Public Relations, Outreach, and Community Involvement
    • Describe the chapter’s outreach efforts and how they were recognized on blogs, Facebook, or in local or state news media.
  6. Chapter Management
    • Please provide your chapter management plan. Include chapter goals, budget, a description of fundraising efforts, and meetings, events and projects planned.
      Examples include a description of your faculty advisor’s role and participation in chapter activities, chapter funding sources, or a description of how budgets are developed for your chapter.

Submission Requirements

  • Letter of nomination or cover letter from the Student Chapter Faculty Representative summarizing and supporting the chapter's accomplishments
  • Letter of nomination or cover letter from the dean/department head summarizing and supporting the chapter's accomplishments
  • Completed nomination packet

Click here to view Outstanding SAF Student Chapter Recipients