President Bush, shown here addressing the 2006 ACEC Annual Convention, signed the Council’s loan forgiveness legislation into law this week.

President Bush signed into law this week legislation that will provide up to $10,000 in student loan forgiveness for engineering students.

The Higher Education Reauthorization and College Opportunity Act of 2008, extends various federal student aid programs to provide financial incentives for professions in areas of “national need.” ACEC ensured that the bill also included engineering among the eligible professions.

When implemented, engineering students will qualify for up to $10,000 in credit against their outstanding student loan obligation following graduation and entry into an engineering career.

ACEC President Dave Raymond said: “It’s a well-known fact that we have a critical shortage of engineers in this country. The ideal solution is to find ways to encourage more young people to pursue engineering careers, and this new program is a great first step. This is an investment that will benefit our country for decades.”

Now that the bill has become law, the Department of Education will need to develop regulations for the program, and Congress must provide appropriate funding. ACEC will work with the agency and Congress to ensure that the new program benefits as many engineering students as possible.

David Billington to receive the 2008 Distinguished Award of Merit.

ACEC will present its prestigious Distinguished Award of Merit to David P. Billington, one of the world’s foremost engineering educators, at the upcoming Fall Conference in Montreal, October 19-22.

A professor at Princeton University’s School of Engineering and Applied Science since 1961, Billington speaks to world-wide audiences on the scientific, social and artistic aspects of large structures, illuminating “structural art” as an art form parallel to, but distinct from architecture.

Engineering News Record named Billington “one of the five top educators in the construction industry over the past 125 years.”

He will receive the Council’s highest award bestowed upon an individual at the Fall Conference Awards Luncheon on Tuesday, October 21. The luncheon will also include recognition of new ACEC Fellows; Past Chairman’s Award recipient; Community Service Award recipients; Young Professionals of the Year; and ACEC Scholarship winners.

The Fall Conference, titled Sustainability in the Built Environment, features over 40 educational sessions focusing on critical aspects of business practice. The lineup of speakers includes legendary explorer Robert Ballard and noted FOX News political analyst Morton Kondracke.

The internationally renowned Fairmont Queen Elizabeth Hotel in downtown Montreal is the Conference site. Attendees are encouraged to register early as the ACEC room block is filling up fast.

If you don’t have a current passport, go to www.travel.state.gov/passport for further information.

Click here for more Conference information, or contact meetings@acec.org or call 202-347-7474.

Major industry issues and the role of design professionals in design-build were the focus of the recent meeting between several federal agency leaders and members of ACEC’s Federal Agencies and Procurement Advocacy Committee in Washington, D.C.

Maintaining the critical role of design professionals in design-build teams was a major concern of representatives from the State Department and the General Services Administration (GSA).

William Holley, chief engineer at GSA, expressed concerns over the loss of professional involvement on design-build contracts. These views were echoed by Nick Retherford, the State Department’s Overseas Building Office Planning Integration Division Director, who noted that some design-build projects lack a designer of record, posing problems for the agency.

Joe Gott, chief of engineering with the Naval Facilities Engineering Command reviewed the agency’s priority projects over the next two years, and updated committee members on changes to NAVFAC’s design-build and small business contracting.

The meeting also included the Corps of Engineers Chief of Engineering and Construction, James Dalton, who briefed members on liability issues and the agency’s approach on the use of Building Information Modeling (BIM), and Mui Erkun, from the Department of Homeland Security, who discussed the multiple programs and procurement offices within the agency.

“This was an excellent meeting, because it put us face-to-face with the senior agency people who set program and policy decisions that matter to my firm,” said Mickey Jones with The Mason and Hanger Group. “Such information would benefit any member firm doing business with federal agencies.”

For more information on this meeting, or to join the Federal Agencies and Procurement Advocacy Committee, contact Mark Steiner, senior policy director for Federal Programs at 202-347-7474 or msteiner@acec.org.

Diane Snyder, Executive Director of ACEC/New Mexico

H. Diane Snyder, executive director of ACEC/New Mexico, who does double duty as a state senator, faces a well-funded challenger in this year’s race for her seat.

Snyder, who has represented her district since 2001 “has been so tremendously supportive of the engineering industry, we should do all we can to support her,” says ACEC/New Mexico President Scott F. Perkins.

ACEC President Dave Raymond encourages members to “support Diane Snyder as generously as possible because of the strong contribution that she continues to make to ACEC’s political and educational programs.

“ACEC/New Mexico has met its ACEC/PAC goals each year, and now its our job to stand up to the plate and support Diane,” says Raymond.

New Mexico law permits state candidates to accept unlimited corporate, PAC and personal donations. Your support would be greatly appreciated.

If you are interested in assisting Diane, you may send your donation to: Snyder for Senate, 7006 Elna Court, NE, Albuquerque, NM 87110, phone: 505-830-1669. For more information about Diane’s re-election campaign and to make a donation online, see her new Website at www.senatorsnyder.com.

Education Forum
October 19, Montréal

Responding to growing interest in specialized training and development within Member and non-Member firms, ACEC will convene the first meeting of a new Education Forum on October 19, during the 2008 Fall Conference in Montréal.

The new Forum will follow the successful structure of ACEC’s other professional forums, using a roundtable format to optimize peer interaction. Participants will be able to develop professional networking connections, discuss emerging trends, and exchange problem-solving ideas and information.

Discussion topics for the first meeting will include:

• Training and Development: Challenges and Opportunities
• Role of Continuing Education in Employee Retention
• Return on Training Investment
• Innovative Strategies and Cost Effective Methods of Continuing Education
• Best Practices Employed by Leading A/E/C Firms

Participants will be able to stay in touch between Forum meetings via a dedicated Listserv, continuing the conversations and sharing ideas year-round.

To register for the Education Forum, click here.