I found out this morning that the Society for Technical Communication (STC) has filed for bankruptcy. As of today, the STC headquarters in Fairfax, VA has permanently closed its doors. All activities have ceased. I am saddened by this decision. STC has been instrumental in my professional career as a technical writer and communicator. I joined in 2004. I was a part of the Manitoba chapter. There were a multitude of STC chapters around the world. When I moved back to the greater Toronto area, my chapter was STC Toronto, which happened to be the largest chapter outside of the United States. STC published a journal and magazine that members had access to. I remember reading the magazine that came in the mail. There was an ad for the Master of Science degree at Mercer University. Targeted at technical communicators who were in the workforce, you could get a graduate degree in Technical Communication Management. I kept this ad in mind. I enrolled in the program in late 2007. I became a graduate student in January 2008. I graduated just over two years later in August 2010. I learned so much from this degree. Usability. Project management. Proposal writing. Instructional and information design. Multimedia. Web presence and accessibility. Content management and development. The list goes on and on. In one course, we worked with STC to establish the Technical Communication Body of Knowledge (TCBOK). It's a source for content in the technical communication field. I was fortunate to have contributed to it. The TCBOK is still accessible as I write this review. I attended a number of STC summits: - Minneapolis (2007) - Philadelphia (2008) - Atlanta (2009) - Dallas (2010) - Anaheim (2016) All summits were paid for my employer at the time. Last year, the summit was in Bloomington, MN. I asked my manager if I could go. My employer (specifically, my manager's manager) did not approve to fund it. I realize that times are tough. It kills me that I wasn't able to go. It never crossed my mind that it would be the last STC summit ever. Summits were great to network with other technical communicators -- to learn about cutting-edge trends with the best in the profession. I always learned so much and was inspired to take what I had learned and apply it to what I do at work. I will miss attending STC Toronto events. I remember attending my first one just north of Broadview station. It was great meeting folks from our chapter, learning about various topics, and having lunch. STC Toronto used to have a monthly gathering at The Pickle Barrel at Yorkdale Shopping Centre. It's so sad that these events are no more. I have good memories to cherish. STC was established in 1953. As the oldest professional society for technical communicators, it's even more painful to see such an established organization cease operations for good. I am thankful for its existence. I will miss it dearly. (37) read more

Society For Technical Communication - Message from STC on Facebook. The same. Message appears on STC.org. I also got the same message in my inbox. - Community Service/Non-Profit Near Me - Fairfax, Virginia