Guidelines for
FEF Industrial Advisory Boards
Revised 2/2025
What is an Advisory Board?
An advisory board is a structured, collaborative approach to support the FEF Key Professor and the school program by acting as a sounding board for ieas and actions. Advisory boards are useful in providing support to the FEF professor and school programs by creating well-structured best practice principles for the program. This allows advisory boards to test their strategic thinking and expertise or connections to make the school program stronger.
The Purpose of an Advisory Board:
The purpose of the advisory boards is to help an FEF school program gain new insights, advice to solve school program problems, or explore new opportunities by stimulating robust, high-quality conversations. The role of an advisory board is not to make decisions but rather to provide current knowledge, critical thinking, feedback, and analysis to increase the confidence of the decision-makers who represent the school program. An advisory board is an important part of the overall program's structure.
Due to the flexible nature of advisory boards, the scope and roles are chosen to fit the school program. The specific roles, responsibilities, expectations and tasks are normally established within the advisory board.
What Do Advisory Boards Do?
Advisory boards exist to provide advice to the FEF professor and school program. The advice sought will differ but may include topics from anything such as:
- How to grow and recruit for the program
- Succession planning
- How to support the FEF professor
- Tackling program challenges
- Managing school administration relationships
- Leading marketing ideas of the program
- Student involvement within the industry
Advisory board members are typically industry professionals with some knowledge of the school program who are appointed by the FEF professor due to their skills or experience in the industry.
Advisory boards generally meet regularly (two to three times per year) in person or virtually. They help with problems that the FEF professor needs to resolve, especially where there is a requirement for industry expertise.
Advisory boards also suggest and provide alternative funding ideas for special projects when FEF funds are not enough to cover discretionary assigned to the school's program.
Advisory Board Key Contact
The best practice for advisory boards is to have a board key contact. Ideally, a board key contact is an FEF board member selected by FEF. The role of the key contact is to work with the Key Professor to establish and facilitate a formal advisory board structure to support effective advisory board outcomes. This may include:
- Establishment of a new advisory board structure
- Evaluation of existing advisory board structures for effectiveness and best practice
- Facilitation of advisory board planning and meetings
- Contribution to advisory board outcomes through value-driven insights and advice
- Mentoring the FEF Key Professor
- Create a mission and vision for the advisory board based on the professor's objective for the program
- Develop and assign tasks to be completed to support the professor's and students' needs
Advisory Board Members
Members of the advisory board are appointed by the FEF Key Professor where their skills, experience, or contributions align with the advisory board's scope and intended impact. Members of the advisory board may be industry representatives, matter experts, stakeholder representatives, funders, and/or experienced professionals. Ideally, members are appointed for their knowledge and direct experience to problem solve and explore options/concepts and strategic direction. Advisory board participants should actively contribute to the goals and desired outcomes defined by the key contact and FEF professor. This may include:
- Contribution to advisory board outcomes through value-driven insights and advice
- Structured meeting schedule, agenda & communications
- Industry engagement
- Problem-solving conversations
- Mentoring the FEF Key Professor
- Complete tasks and assignments based on professor's needs
Additional Roles & Responsibilities
- Provide encouragement and industry support to the Key Professor
- Make sure there is a smooth transition when a Key Professor leaves or retires. The Department should have a plan of action for a Foundry Professor replacement
- Be a conduit for supplies, speakers, and plant tours
- Assist the University's Cast Metals program in securing new and/or rebuilt laboratory equipment to enhance the program's capabilities
- Provide jobs for students, including summer, co-op, and permanent employment opportunities
- Provide curriculum guidance to the school on what is needed in our industry once a student graduates; this would include direction and focus on existing cast metal courses as well as the development of additional cast metals curriculum
- Make sure FEF scholarships receive recognition when they are presented to students at AFS Chapter meting, school assemblies, etc.
- Be an FEF contributor
- Provide representation during the FEF certification visits