Region 7 Director's Report
July 2019
Board Works to Strengthen Member Engagement
Marsia A. Geldert-Murphey, P.E., F.ASCE, your Region 7 Director, is a member of the St. Louis Section. Marsia represented you at the July 12-13 Board meeting in Reston, Virginia.
The Board returned to the friendly confines of ASCE Headquarters in Reston, Virginia, for our July meeting. We had a packed agenda and a busy two days, as we continue to work toward the Society’s top goal that an ever-growing number of people in the civil engineering realm are members of, and engage in, ASCE. The Board voted to approve measures that will potentially strengthen ASCE connections with student members, Younger Members and other professional segments of the profession. (See story in ASCE News.)
Other highlights from the Board meeting:
- Credentialing was a major topic during the meeting, with the Board hearing updates from a task committee studying the potential creation of a single-tier system of post-P.E. competency-based credentialing. A panel moderated by former ASCE President Norma Jean Mattei provided valuable context on the issue from leaders representing other organizations who have built similar credential models. Ultimately, the Board approved a market research study during the next year to collect more information about the feasibility of such a credential.
- Jim Tymon, executive director, and Carlos Braceras, president, of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, spoke with the Board about continued synergy between ASCE and AASHTO.
- In an effort to boost the organization’s efficiency and nimbleness, the Board approved the creation of a task committee to review existing committees and present in the future any recommendations for streamlining our committee structure.
- The Board also approved the preparation of documents for approval that would potentially allow affiliate members of ASCE to vote in Society elections. These documents will be presented to the Board for first reading in October before being put to a Board vote at the January 2020 meeting, requiring two-thirds approval. The amendment to modify eligible voters would then have to be approved by two-thirds of voters in a Society-wide election.
- The Board approved several new, revised and rescinded policy statements from the Public Policy Committee. Among the new statements (which can be read in full here) were policies related to federal support for higher education and licensure of civil engineering faculty.
The next Board meeting is scheduled for October in Miami, following the ASCE 2019 Convention.
To share your views or provide ideas on how ASCE can better serve its members and the profession, please email Marsia.