This past semester, the Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers at Purdue reached a record membership count of over 200 students. The sudden increase in membership can be attributed to the hard work of the chapter’s Board, which plans and hosts professional development events, a biannual career fair, and networking activities for IISE members and IEs at Purdue. With the increase in membership, chapter leaders agreed that a restructuring of the organization was necessary.

IISE membership is divided into two categories: General membership and Board membership. General membership is open to all students who pay National dues. Board members are selected through a competitive application and interview process, and those selected adopt leadership positions within the organization. Previously, the Purdue IISE Board was comprised of five committees, but the Board voted last March to increase the number of committees to nine to better suit the chapter’s goals. Among the new additions is the Community Engagement Committee, responsible for the chapter’s philanthropic endeavors as well as driving new Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion efforts within the organization. The Competition Committee was added to focus on the chapter’s semesterly IE challenge and engage members in campus competitions. Other committees were split to emphasize more specific roles within the chapter. 

In addition to committee changes, positions within the Executive Board were granted new titles and responsibilities. The titles of Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer transitioned to Vice President of External Relations, Vice President of Internal Relations, and Vice President of Finance, respectively. Each Vice President will now oversee three committees.

General Members, who do not serve on the board, will be provided with greater opportunities to get involved in the chapter as these changes take effect. Chapter president Bryan Denmark says, “The goal of the IISE restructure is to provide a better experience to General Members of IISE at Purdue. In the fall we will be hosting weekly general member meetings featuring student-led workshops, alumni speakers, company info sessions, opportunities to meet faculty, and so much more! We are excited to improve the quality of our general membership and can't wait to expand what IISE can provide to not only more undergraduate students, but graduate students and faculty as well.” Over the next semester, the organization will likely see further changes as it engages a greater population of the student community.

We look forward to seeing what the chapter accomplishes over the coming semesters! To read more about opportunities through IISE or to catch up on the latest news, head over to the Purdue IISE website: https://www.iisepurdue.com/.