IEEE Geographic Unit Formation Policies and Petitions

In accordance with the actions of the IEEE Member and Geographic Activities Board, there are specific guidelines to follow when forming an IEEE geographic unit. 

Geographic unit petitions are submitted online (with the exception of Geographic Councils, where a form must be downloaded, circulated, and submitted.) 

The lifecycle of an online petition is as follows: Petition workflow

For each petition type, the roles of Organizer, Endorser, Petitioner and Approver must meet specific requirements.

 

Choose a geographic unit below to learn more about or begin the formation process.

Email IEEE Staff at petition@ieee.org with questions regarding unit formation policies or petition processes

Find more information about forming a geographic unit in Section 9 of the MGA Operations Manual

Petition to form an IEEE Section

Upon joining IEEE, members are automatically associated with an IEEE Section. IEEE Sections provide their members a venue to share technical, professional, and personal interests locally, with their fellow members who live and/or work in close proximity.

ORGANIZERS
  • The Organizer must be an active IEEE member of Graduate Student Member grade or higher for a minimum of 6 months

  • The Organizer must have a mailing address within the territorial limits of the proposed Section

  • The Organizer shall serve as the interim Section Chair pending election at a later date

ENDORSERS

Section petitions must be endorsed by the following:

  • Region Director (or their designee)

  • Section Chair

Note: If the Organizer does not report to a Section, the petition will only need to be endorsed by the Region Director.

Endorsers will be invited to endorse the petition once the petition has been verified by IEEE Staff.
PETITIONERS

Section petitions must be signed by the following:

  • 50 active IEEE members of Graduate Student Member grade or higher for a minimum of 6 months

  • Each Petitioner must have a mailing address within the territorial limits of the proposed Section

Qualified members will be invited to sign the petition once the petition has been endorsed by all Endorsers.

APPROVERS The IEEE Member and Geographic Activities Board shall approve the formation of a Section at its next scheduled meeting.

 Access the IEEE Geographic Unit Petition Application

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Petition to form an IEEE Subsection

Upon joining IEEE, members are automatically associated with an IEEE Section. Subsections, a subunit of a Region or Section, are formed to meet the needs of a smaller group of members locally. Participating in a Subsection provides opportunities, through its many activities to grow, on multiple professional and personal levels.

 

ORGANIZERS
  • The Organizer must be an active IEEE member of Graduate Student Member grade or higher for a minimum of 6 months

  • The Organizer must have a mailing address within the territorial limits of the proposed Subsection

  • The Organizer shall serve as the interim Subsection Chair pending election at a later date

ENDORSERS

Subsection petitions must be endorsed by the following:

  • Region Director (or their designee)

  • Section Chair

Note: If the Organizer does not report to a Section, the petition will only need to be endorsed by the Region Director.

 

Endorsers will be invited to endorse the petition once the petition has been verified by IEEE Staff.

PETITIONERS

Subsection petitions must be signed by the following:

  • 20 active IEEE members of Graduate Student Member grade or higher for a minimum of 6 months

  • Each Petitioner must have a mailing address within the territorial limits of the proposed Subsection

Qualified members will be invited to sign the petition once the petition has been endorsed by all Endorsers.

APPROVERS The IEEE Member and Geographic Activities Board shall approve the formation of a Subsection at its next scheduled meeting.

Access the IEEE Geographic Unit Petition Application

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Petition to form an IEEE Society/Technical Council Chapter and Joint Chapter

A Chapter shall be a technical subunit of a Region, one or more Sections, or a Geographic Council. There may be single Society Chapters, joint Society Chapters, and Technical Council Chapters. Chapters are your local link to the valuable resources available from IEEE and its 40+ Societies and Technical Councils.

ORGANIZERS
  • The Organizer (and Co-Organizer, if applicable) must be an active IEEE member of Graduate Student Member grade or higher for a minimum of 6 months

  • The Organizer (and Co-Organizer, if applicable) must be an active member of the Society(ies) or Council(s) involved

  • The Organizer shall serve as the interim Chapter Chair pending election at a later date

Note: For Joint Section Chapters, there must be one Organizer/Co-Organizer from each contiguous section involved.

ENDORSERS

Chapter petitions must be endorsed by the following:

  • Section Chair

Joint Sections Chapter petitions must be endorsed by the following:

  • Section Chair for each Section involved

Note: If the Organizer does not report to a Section, the petition will be endorsed by the Region Director.

Endorsers will be invited to endorse the petition once the petition has been verified by IEEE Staff.

PETITIONERS

Chapter petitions must be signed by the following:

  • 12 active IEEE members of Graduate Student Member grade or higher for a minimum of 6 months, who are members of the parent Society(ies) and Section(s) involved

Qualified members will be invited to sign the petition once the petition has been endorsed by all Endorsers.

APPROVERS

Chapter Petitions must be approved by the following:

  • Region Director (or their designee)

  • Society/Council President, for each Society/Council involved

Approvers will be invited to approve the petition once the petition has been signed by 12 Petitioners.

Access the IEEE Geographic Unit Petition Application

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Petition to form an IEEE Affinity Group

 Forming an affinity group is the best way to interact and share information with others with similar interests in your local area. 

ORGANIZERS
  • The Organizer (and Co-Organizer, if applicable) must be an active IEEE member of Graduate Student Member grade or higher for a minimum of 6 months

  • The Organizer shall serve as the interim Affinity Group Chair pending election at a later date

Note: For Joint Section Affinity Groups, there must be one Organizer/Co-Organizer from each contiguous section involved.

ENDORSERS

Affinity Group petitions must be endorsed by the following:

  • Section Chair

Joint Sections Affinity Group petitions must be endorsed by the following:

  • Section Chair for each Section involved

Note: If the Organizer does not report to a Section, the petition will be endorsed by the Region Director.

Endorsers will be invited to endorse the petition once the petition has been verified by IEEE Staff.

PETITIONERS

Affinity Group petitions must be signed by the following:

  • 6 active IEEE members of Graduate Student Member grade or higher, who are members of the Section(s) involved for a minimum of 6 months

  • 3 of the 6 required Petitioners must be active members of Women in Engineering, if applicable

Qualified members will be invited to sign the petition once the petition has been endorsed by all Endorsers.

APPROVERS

Affinity Group petitions must be approved by the following: 

  • Region Director (or their designee)

  • Chair of each Sponsoring Entity involved

Approvers will be invited to approve the petition once the petition has been signed by 6 Petitioners.

Access the IEEE Geographic Unit Petition Application

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Petition to form an IEEE Student Branch

An IEEE Student Branch provides opportunities to meet and learn from fellow IEEE Student and Graduate Student Members and engage with professional IEEE members locally. An active IEEE Student Branch can be one of the most positive elements of your academic career, offering programs, activities, and professional networking opportunities that build critical skills outside of the classroom. IEEE currently has Student Branches at thousands of universities and colleges in hundreds of countries throughout the world.

Benefits of forming a Student Branch

ORGANIZERS
  • The Organizer must be an active IEEE member of Student or Graduate Student Member grade and attend the school

  • The Organizer shall serve as the interim Student Branch Chair pending election at a later date

ENDORSERS

Student Branch petitions must be endorsed by the following: 

  • 1 Institutional Department Head (need not be an IEEE member, but must create an IEEE Web Account to Endorse.)

  • 1  Faculty Counselor, who must be an active IEEE member of Graduate Student Member grade or higher, teaching in the IEEE designated fields of interest

  • 2 Faculty Members, who must be an active IEEE member of Graduate Student Member grade or higher, teaching in the IEEE designated fields of interest

Endorsers will be invited to endorse the petition once the petition has been verified by IEEE Staff.

PETITIONERS

Student Branch petitions must be signed by the following: 

  • 12 active IEEE members of Student or Graduate Student Member grade who attend the school

Qualified members will be invited to sign the petition once the petition has been endorsed by all Endorsers.

APPROVERS

Student Branch petitions must be approved by the following: 

  • Region Director (or their designee)

  • Regional Student Activities Chair

  • Section Chair

Approvers will be invited to approve the petition once the petition has been signed by 12 Petitioners.

Access the IEEE Geographic Unit Petition Application

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Petition to form an IEEE Student Branch Chapter

A Technical Chapter at your Student Branch is your local link to the valuable resources available from IEEE and its many Societies and Councils. There must be a current, active Student Branch at your school, in order to form a Student Branch Technical Chapter.

ORGANIZERS
  • The Organizer must be an active IEEE member of Student or Graduate Student Member grade and attend the school

  • The Organizer must be an active member of the Society(ies) or Council(s) involved

  • The Organizer shall serve as the interim Student Branch Chapter Chair pending election at a later date

ENDORSERS

Student Branch petitions must be endorsed by the following: 

  • The current IEEE Student Branch Counselor, who will endorse the petition on behalf of the IEEE Student Branch Executive Committee

  • Student Branch Chapter Advisor, who must be an active IEEE member of Graduate Student Member grade or higher, Faculty Member of the school, and an active member of the Society(ies) or Council(s) involved

Endorsers will be invited to endorse the petition once the petition has been verified by IEEE Staff.

PETITIONERS

Student Branch Chapter petitions must be signed by the following: 

  • 6 active IEEE members of Student or Graduate Student Member grade who attend the school, and are members of the Society(ies) or Council(s) involved

Qualified members will be invited to sign the petition once the petition has been endorsed by all Endorsers.

APPROVERS

Student Branch Chapter petitions must be approved by the following: 

  • Region Director (or their designee)

  • Regional Student Activities Chair

  • Society/Council President, for each Society/Council involved

Approvers will be invited to approve the petition once the petition has been signed by 6 Petitioners.

Access the IEEE Geographic Unit Petition Application 

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Petition to form an IEEE Student Branch Affinity Group

 Forming a Women in Engineering (WIE) Affinity Group is the best way to interact and share information with others at your school with similar interests.

ORGANIZERS
  • The Organizer must be an active IEEE member of Student or Graduate Student Member grade and attend the school

  • The Organizer shall serve as the interim Student Branch Affinity Group Chair pending election at a later date

ENDORSERS

Student Branch Affinity Group petitions must be endorsed by the following: 

  • Student Branch Affinity Group Advisor, who must be an active IEEE member of Graduate Student Member grade or higher and a Faculty Member of the school, teaching in the IEEE designated fields of interest

Endorsers will be invited to endorse the petition once the petition has been verified by IEEE Staff.

PETITIONERS

Student Branch Affinity Group petitions must be signed by the following: 

  • 6 active IEEE members of Student or Graduate Student Member grade who attend the school

  • The Petitioners must be active members of Women in Engineering

Qualified members will be invited to sign the petition once the petition has been endorsed by all Endorsers.

APPROVERS

Student Branch Affinity Group petitions must be approved by the following: 

  • Region Director (or their designee)

  • Regional Student Activities Chair

  • Chair of the Sponsoring Entity (or their designee)

Approvers will be invited to approve the petition once the petition has been signed by 6 Petitioners.

Access the IEEE Geographic Unit Petition Application

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Petition to Change the Status of an Existing Section Chapter/Affinity Group

The status of an existing Chapter or Affinity Group may be changed from single to joint, or vice-versa, or from one joint combination to another.

ORGANIZERS
  • The Organizer must be an active IEEE member of Graduate Student Member grade or higher for a minimum of 6 months

  • The Organizer must be an active member of the Society(ies) or Council(s) involved

  • The Organizer shall serve as the interim Chair

ENDORSERS

Section Chapter/Affinity Group Status Change petitions must be endorsed by the following:

  • Section Chair for each Section involved

Note: If the Organizer does not report to a Section, the petition will be endorsed by the Region Director.

Endorsers will be invited to endorse the petition once the petition has been verified by IEEE Staff.

PETITIONERS Section Chapter/Affinity Group Status Change petitions do not require Petitioner signatures.
APPROVERS

Section Chapter/Affinity Group Status Change petitions must be approved by the following:

  • Region Director (or their designee)

  • Society/Council President, for each Society/Council involved, if applicable

  • Chair of each Sponsoring Entity involved, if applicable

Approvers will be invited to approve the petition once the petition has been endorsed by all Endorsers.

Access the IEEE Geographic Unit Petition Application 

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Petition to Change the Status of an Existing Student Unit

The status of an existing Student Branch, Student Branch Chapter or Student Branch Affinity Group may be changed from single to joint, or vice-versa, or from one joint combination to another.

ORGANIZERS
  • The Organizer must be an active IEEE member of Student or Graduate Student Member grade and attend the school

  • The Organizer must be an active member of the Society(ies) or Council(s) involved, if applicable

  • The Organizer shall serve as the interim Chair

ENDORSERS

Student Unit Status Change petitions must be endorsed by the following:

  • The current IEEE Student Branch Counselor, who will endorse the petition on behalf of the IEEE Student Branch Executive Committee

Endorsers will be invited to endorse the petition once the petition has been verified by IEEE Staff.

PETITIONERS Student Unit Status Change petitions do not require Petitioner signatures.
APPROVERS

Student Unit Status Change petitions must be approved by the following: 

  • Region Director (or their designee)

  • Regional Student Activities Chair

  • Society/Council President, for each Society/Council involved, if applicable

  • Chair of the Sponsoring Entity (or their designee), if applicable

Approvers will be invited to approve the petition once the petition has been endorsed by all Endorsers.

Access the IEEE Geographic Unit Petition Application 

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Petition to form an IEEE Geographic Council

In several Regions, groups of Sections agree to form a Geographic Council. This type of Council is intended to act as a subordinate committee of the Sections, and the Sections’ leaders have the right to direct its operation. The Council carries out delegated tasks that can be best done together by the Sections, rather than singly by each Section. The Sections retain their recognition as the basic operating, executive, and administrative unit of IEEE.

 

The Region Director and the IEEE MGA Board approves the formation of a Geographic Council. The Geographic Council petition form includes complete directions and a workflow document of the Geographic Council petition processing activity.

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Year to Date Geographic Unit Formation Report

The year to date (YTD) geographic unit formation report lists the petitions approved and subsequently formed geographic units, shown by unit type and by Region.

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