groups of Fellows – our Judicial Outreach Committee , International Committee and Senior Fellows Committee . Two committees are dedicated to honorary recognition – the Distinguished Service Award Committee selects award recipients from among our Fellows , while the Distinguished Law and Business Students Committee identifies prospective leaders in the insolvency and bankruptcy profession . From a governance perspective , the Finance Committee oversees all financial aspects of the College and Foundation , while the Nominating Committee recommends Fellows for leadership roles , and the Executive Committee , which includes officers and senior leadership , acts on behalf of the board of directors in certain circumstances . The Foundation has a Pro Bono Committee to identify grant recipients . Finally , the process of nominating prospective Fellows to be considered by the Board of Regents for admission to the College is the province of Circuit Admissions Councils , as well as the Judicial Nominating Committee and the International Fellows Nominating Committee .
Whew ! Just listing and briefly describing each of these committees required a fair amount of space in this column . There is mutual benefit to serving on committees – the College relies on the talents and efforts dedicated by its many Fellows to remain active and vital , while these committees represent the best way for our Fellows to become more involved and find opportunities to interact with other Fellows . Like any organization , what you get out of being a Fellow of the College will be directly proportional to what you put into it . When you step back and think about the professional organizations that are a priority in your career , I hope the College
and Foundation will rank at the top of that list . If you have been sitting back hoping for an opportunity to connect ( or reconnect ) with the College or waiting for something to change , I encourage you to make that change happen and to make a commitment to being active in the College . Go to the Committees ’ section of the website to learn more , and reach out to the Committee Chairs , the Regents or others in leadership to learn how you can contribute to – and benefit from – their efforts . Get engaged !
You may also ask , how do we fund these activities ? The Patrons & Sponsors Program provides approximately 50 % of the College ’ s core receipts each year , with dues and induction fees comprising the remainder . As such , this Program is critical to the continuation and expansion of the committee activities described above , as well as the College ’ s financial support of pro bono grants through the American College of Bankruptcy Foundation and the ongoing work of our Select Commission on Diversity , Equity & Inclusion . Now more than ever , we hope that supporting the College ’ s important work will remain a priority for your firm . All Fellows should have received letters from me in August and September soliciting your firms ’ contributions . Our Patrons & Sponsors Committee is making follow-up calls and sending emails to Fellows who have yet to pledge . We are working hard to conclude the solicitation efforts and are happy to report that we have exceeded our budget ! Thank you to the over 150 firms that have already committed more than $ 400,000 to our 2022 Patrons & Sponsors Program . You can find a link to pledge , and lists of 2021 Program participants , on the website under the “ About / Patrons and Sponsors ” menu item . Thank you for your support .
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