IN THIS ISSUE
** CECO WILL NOT ENDORSE MANDATORY CONTINUING EDUCATION
** STATE BOARD, OEF BEGIN STUDENT OUTREACH PROGRAM TO PROMOTE
ENGINEERING REGISTRATION - CECO Members Asked to Help Underwrite
the Program
** RIDLEY APPOINTED ODOT DIRECTOR
** WELCOME NEW MEMBERS
** CECO ENGINEERING EXCELLENCE AWARDS CALL FOR ENTRIES
** ACEWORKFORCE JOINS FORCES WITH ACEC
** ORDER ACEC PUBLICATIONS ON-LINE
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CECO WILL NOT ENDORSE MANDATORY CONTINUING EDUCATION
As reported in last month's CECO Report, the State Board of Registration is beginning the process to implement mandatory continuing education (MCE) for engineers registered in Oklahoma.
At their August 23rd meeting, the CECO Board discussed the State Board's decision at length. Of primary concern was the CECO's policy of opposing MCE given the State Board's implementation decision.
State Board member and Past Chairman Jon Nelson met with the CECO Board to discuss the reasons for the State Board's decision. CECO Board members asked many frank questions of Mr. Nelson during the very open and friendly meeting.
After full discussion, the CECO Board decided "not to endorse" the State Board's effort to implement MCE.
This "not to endorse" decision was considered by the Board to be the best option for CECO considering our long-standing opposition to MCE and means several things:
1. CECO will not actively support the Board's decision to implement MCE. If the proposal receives opposition either during rulemaking and legislative review, CECO will not assist the State Board in their effort to implement MCE.
2. At the same time, CECO will not be put in a position of having to go before the Oklahoma Legislature in an attempt to prevent the proposed rules from being implemented.
3. Since CECO is not "opposing" implementation, the Board believed that CECO would not be precluded from participating in the drafting of the rules by the State Board. If CECO had continued our opposition to MCE, it was believed that the State Board would not have welcomed our input into the drafting and construction of the proposed rules.
It seems that the overriding reason that the State Board decided to implement MCE is the "comity" issue. In the discussion with Mr. Nelson and in discussions with other Board members and the Board staff, "comity" is continually mentioned as a reason Oklahoma needs MCE. It seems that there is a strong fear that with more and more states implementing MCE, eventually registrants in states without MCE will be precluded from being licensed in states with MCE. Effectively, MCE is expected to become a prerequisite to becoming licensed in another jurisdiction.
With that, the CECO Board further decided that with the implementation of MCE, CECO should strongly advocate and encourage the State Board to require that any registrant from another state seeking initial Oklahoma registration be required to meet the Oklahoma MCE requirements "prior" to initial registration in Oklahoma.
CECO will work closely with the Board during the development of the implementation rules, and will keep you informed as this progresses through the rulemaking and public input process.
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STATE BOARD, OEF BEGIN STUDENT OUTREACH PROGRAM TO PROMOTE ENGINEERING REGISTRATION
CECO Members Asked to Help Underwrite the Program
ONLY 1 in 5 ENGINEERING GRADUATES NATIONWIDE GO ON TO BECOME REGISTERED PROFESSIONAL ENGINEERS!!!!!
CECO is asking for your assistance to assist in underwriting the cost of a program which will be beneficial to your firm and the engineering profession in Oklahoma.
A few weeks ago your firm received a letter from the Oklahoma Engineering Foundation and the State Board of Registration regarding a STUDENT OUTREACH PROGRAM FOR ENGINEERING REGISTRATION.
The STUDENT OUTREACH PROGRAM a proactive attempt by the State Board of Registration to encourage students to see professional registration as the natural follow-up to receiving an engineering degree.
In 2000, the State Board held STUDENT OUTREACH PROGRAMS at Oklahoma State University and Oral Roberts University. The next STUDENT OUTREACH PROGRAM will be held next week at the University of Oklahoma, with others to be held at Oklahoma Christian University and the University of Tulsa in the next few months. The STUDENT OUTREACH PROGRAM consists of presentations by State Board members and professional organizations regarding the registration process and the benefits of registration. Additionally, the Board hosts dinner for the students, providing the students the opportunity to visit one-on-one with Board members and industry representatives.
While this is a program of the State Board of Registration, state law precludes the State Board from spending state funds on this program. With that, the Oklahoma Engineering Foundation, a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) educational foundation, has taken on the funding for the program including raising funds to cover the expenses of the program. As a point of clarification, the State Board cannot pay for the meal function associated with the program, however they can cover the cost of printing materials for the meeting, etc.
Since engineering registration is the LIFE BLOOD OF CONSULTING ENGINEERING, the CECO Board of Directors is asking each CECO member firm to support this important program with a $50.00 contribution to the STUDENT OUTREACH PROGRAM.
Consulting firms cannot operate without registered Professional Engineers. Getting engineering students to begin thinking about engineering registration early in the educational career is critical to the continued flow of qualified registrants into the consulting profession.
$50.00 is a small investment to make to support professional registration and for the continued strength of the consulting profession.
Please send your tax deductible contribution (business or personal check) to:
Oklahoma Engineering Foundation
201 N.E. 27th Street
Oklahoma City, OK, 73105.
Please reference the STUDENT OUTREACH PROGRAM on your check.
Thanks, and if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to give CECO a call.
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RIDLEY APPOINTED ODOT DIRECTOR
Gary Ridley has been appointed Director of the Oklahoma Department of Transportation.
Ridley, who has served as the Assistant Director for Operations since January of 2001, was selected to replace Neal McCaleb, who resigned earlier this year after being appointed as Director of the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
"I don't think anyone can fill the shoes of Neal McCaleb," Ridley said. "I just think you can walk behind him and that's what I intend to do."
Ridley began his tenure with ODOT in 1965, when he joined the department as an equipment operator. He worked in various aspects of the agency until 1995, when he became Division Engineer at Clinton.
In 1997 Ridley left ODOT to take a position as executive director of the Oklahoma Asphalt Paving Association before returning to ODOT this January.
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WELCOME NEW MEMBERS
CECO is excited to welcome our newest members.
GW2 Engineering, Inc., is a Geotechnical engineering, Environmental engineering, and Construction Materials engineering and testing firm. Arvel L. Williams is the firm's principal. The firm can be contacted at P.O. Box 57505, Oklahoma City, OK, 73157, telephone and fax - (405) 848-7132.
FBS Engineers, Inc., is a multi-disciplinary firm specializing in transportation design, construction management, water distribution and drainage, and design and inspection of long span bridges. Brian Farmer, Ken Shoemaker and John Barker are principals of the firm located at 3144 S. Winston, Suite 103, Tulsa, OK, 74135, (918) 748-4500, fax (918) 748-4510.
CECO welcomes GW2 Engineering, Inc. and FBS Engineers, Inc. and looks forward to having both as active members of the Council.
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CECO ENGINEERING EXCELLENCE AWARDS CALL FOR ENTRIES
CECO announces the 2002 Engineering Excellence Awards Program by this Call for Entries. Entry information has been sent to all firms, and is also available on the CECO web site (http://www.cecok.org).
The timetable for the Oklahoma Program is:
** November 9, 2001 - Deadline for receipt of entries
** November 16, 2001 - Judging by a panel of judges selected from business, government, and education leaders in Oklahoma
** The five winning firms will be notified immediately following the judging to allow the firms to finalize their submissions to the ACEC competition.
** January 24, 2002 - Announcement of OKLAHOMA WINNERS at a special CECO meeting and Awards Luncheon with both winning Firms and their Clients as Special Guests.
The Awards will be: (1) Grand Oklahoma Conceptor and four (4) Oklahoma Honor Awards. The five (5) winning Entries are eligible to be submitted to the ACEC National EEA Program. Deadline for submission to ACEC is January 11, 2002. The ACEC Awards Presentation will be March 13, 2002 in Washington DC at which ALL ENTRIES will be displayed.
Please note that the detailed "Notebook" required for the ACEC Program is not required for the Oklahoma competition, but entrants are encouraged to prepare such a notebook anyway in preparation for submittal to ACEC.
Note that ACEC has made significant changes in the deadlines and submission requirements (i.e. Digital copy of the panel).
ACEC deadlines have been changed to accommodate moving the National Awards Presentation to Washington, DC for a major ACEC Event. All State entries will be displayed and recognized as part of the National Awards event. This will provide significant exposure of your entry, especially to Members of Congress, Agency Officials, as well as International and Washington dignitaries.
Your Display Panel and other materials WILL NOT BE RETURNED. CECO plans to display all entry panels in various sites throughout the year, including the State Capital, Oklahoma City and Tulsa Council Chambers, Airports, etc.
After the CECO Program awards are made, the judges critique comments will be sent to all entrants for their guidance in submitting their entry to ACEC. At that time, entrants may want to make final changes before producing several copies of their display panel (for ACEC submittal, their own use, etc.).
If you would like to see the panels from the 2001 competition, you can view them on the ACEC Web Site. All of the entries in the 2001 competition are available based on the category in which the projects were entered. Click on the picture thumbnail to enlarge to screen size.
This is a very prestigious competition nationally, and we hope to develop it into an outstanding state program also. To do that, however, we need your assistance and participation.
If you have any questions, call CECO, 405/525-7696.
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ACEWORKFORCE JOINS FORCES WITH ACEC TO PRODUCE PREMIER ENGINEERING AND CONSTRUCTION RECRUITMENT SERVICE
AECWorkForce, Zweig White's Internet career portal devoted to professionals in the design and construction industries, announces a partnership with the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC), the nation's leading engineering business association.
This collaboration makes AECWorkForce the preferred Internet job board and career information center of ACEC. The deal also cements ACEC's position as the official engineering association of AECWorkForce.
"ACEC is very excited to be able to offer to its members
access to such a useful, powerful, and exhaustive recruitment
service," says Florian Kogelnik, ACEC's Director of Business
Practices. "It has been a dream that
has been a long time coming."
Under the agreement, AECWorkForce offers ACEC members a 10% discount on all employer membership packages.
"This is a great deal for all parties involved,"
says AECWorkForce spokesman Mike Kemether. "Since engineering
firms make up a large portion of our target market, we feel that
the real winners in this deal will be
ACEC and AECWorkForce members around the country. Obviously, we're
extremely pleased and excited about working with an association
of ACEC's caliber."
Look for more details on this partnership at AECWorkForce.com and in upcoming issues of AECWorkForce Professional and Employer News, as well as various ACEC publications.
To learn more about how to sign up as an AECWorkForce employer member and receive your 10% ACEC discount, call one of our customer service representatives at 1-800-218-8930.
AECWorkForce is the fastest-growing career portal for architecture, engineering, and construction jobs on the Internet. Packed with career news, helpful information, and job postings from industry leaders such as Parsons Corporation, HDR, Camp Dresser & McKee, HOK, Gensler, HNTB, Carter & Burgess, and many more, AECWorkForce.com is the premier career site for design and construction industry.
ACEC is the business association of America's engineering industry, representing about 6,000 independent engineering companies throughout the United States engaged in the development of America's transportation, environmental, industrial, and other infrastructure. Founded in 1910 and headquartered in Washington, D.C., ACEC is a national federation of 51 state and regional organizations.
For further information, contact: Ryan Dean Waite, AECWorkForce, Buckhead Centre, 2970 Peachtree Road, Suite 875, Atlanta, GA 30305, Tel: (404) 233-3283, Fax: (404) 233-9479, http://www.AECWorkForce.com, mailto:rwaite@AECWorkForce.com
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ORDER ACEC PUBLICAITONS ON-LINE
Convenient, Easy to Use and Readily Available! There are three reasons to visit the ACEC Publications web site when you need EJCDC documents or other ACEC publications.
At ACEC's Publications web site you can shop, browse, and buy publications, as well as download over 70 EJCDC and CASE contract documents, all from the convenience of your desktop.
This area is equipped with all the handy features of e-commerce, as well as the security you rely on, making your online shopping experience as pleasant and simple as possible.
The Engineers Joint Contract Documents Committee (EJCDC) develops and updates fair and objective standard documents to simplify the contract document process.
EJCDC documents represent the latest and best thinking of practicing engineers and attorneys on the subject of contractual relations between parties involved in a project. The end result is documents that can help to reduce conflicts and litigation.
EJCDC documents are convenient, easily obtained, and available in either hard copy, disk, or can be downloaded from the web site.
For all of your publication needs, visit the ACEC Publications web site at http://www.acec.org/publications/
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