Technical Region Director's Report

All members of the ASCE Board of Direction are expected to communicate effectively with the constituents in their respective regions. The Technical Region is a worldwide, virtual region comprised of ASCE's seven Institutes. This report is the second in a series of brief summaries intended to keep you informed of the news from the ASCE Board of Direction. Communication is a two-way process. Please do not hesitate to contact me at any time with your questions and concerns. I would especially appreciate receiving any thoughts that you might have on how ASCE and it's Technical Region can better serve you.

2006 ASCE Election

The election process for the second Technical Region Director has commenced. Five Institutes nominated outstanding candidates for this position in December 2005. The Technical Region Nominating Committee met in Tempe, Arizona on January 14, 2006 to interview these individuals and select the official Technical Region Director Nominee(s). The result of voting at this meeting is that there will once again be two Official Nominees. They are Max Porter of SEI and Tom Rachford of EWRI. You will undoubtedly receive more information on both of these outstanding civil engineers in the coming months, as they prepare for this nationally contested election.

Voting will take place between June 15 and August 15, 2006. Only those individuals who are members in good standing of at least one Institute on May 15, 2006 can vote. If you know of any of the 48,000 ASCE members who have not yet joined an Institute, please encourage them to do so now. Explain to them that, like many of the best things in life, membership in an Institute is free!

Finally, please remember that this election is a contest between two individuals. It is not a contest between two Institutes. ASCE's Technical Region Directors must equitably represent all seven Institutes.

January 2006 Board Meeting

The Civil Engineering Research Foundation (CERF) has been a subject of much study and debate for the past two years. On October 26, 2005, the ASCE Board of Direction assigned three Directors (Stan Caldwell, Tony Reid, and Mark Woodson) to work with the Task Committee on CERF Reengineering. Those Directors published their Final Report on December 15, 2005. One day later, the Final Report was unanimously endorsed by the CERF Board of Directors and forwarded to the ASCE Board of Direction. The ASCE Board of Direction held a special meeting on January 4, 2006, for the primary purpose of resolving the future of CERF. At that meeting, a motion was approved to accept and implement the five specific recommendations in the Final Report:

Dissolve the Civil Engineering Research Foundation (CERF) and the CERF Advisory Board, and establish an Industry Leaders Council (ILC) consistent with the terms and conditions described in the Final Report.

Rename the existing CERF 501(c)(3) corporate entity as the Industry Leaders Council with a new ILC Board. New governing documents consistent with the recommendations in the Final Report shall be submitted for approval by the ASCE Board of Direction as soon as practical.

Take steps to close, complete, or transfer to ASCE, all existing CERF grants, contracts, and projects as soon as practical. The ASCE Board of Direction needs to recognize that there might be some additional expenses incurred in closing current grants and contracts and cleaning up CERF's books.

Establish a Task Committee to develop the governing documents and the operating procedures for ILC. The ASCE President shall appoint at least on District or Region Director to this committee to serve in an ex-officio capacity.

Incorporate the ILC activities into the strategic planning process.

Contact your Institute Director at ASCE Headquarters if you would like an electronic copy of the Final Report. ASCE President Dennis Martenson recently appointed Bob Costigan to the Task Committee on ILC. He will do an excellent job of representing the Institutes as the details of ILC are developed. If you have any specific suggestions on this matter after studying the Final Report, please send them by email to BCostigan@aztec.us.

Respectfully submitted,
Stan R. Caldwell
scaldwell@halff.com