Kansas Professional Engineer
eNews
January 2009, Issue 1
In this Issue:
Engineering Issues Among 2009 Priorities
By Ron Gaches
For the first time in several years,
legislative issues important to Professional Engineers are among the top
priorities of issues to be considered by the Kansas Legislature. At the top
of the KSPE list is authorization and funding of a new Comprehensive
Transportation Program. The current CTP ends at the end of the 2009 fiscal
year on June 30. With motor fuels taxes in decline and the state and
national economies mired in recession, finding revenue for a new Program
will be a daunting task.
Another top priority is funding a plan being
championed by Senate President Steve Morris to increase graduation rates
from the state’s three engineering schools by 50% over the next five years.
Large and small employers of Professional Engineers and other engineering
professionals have spoken to Senator Morris and other state policy makers
about their unmet needs for new employees.
Over the past year a Task Force led by the
Kansas Board of Regents has reviewed a plan developed by the Deans of the
three Kansas ABET-accredited engineering colleges. At a recent meeting,
Morris acknowledged the difficulty of committing new funds to implement the
Deans’ proposal, but asked them to work with an ad hoc group, including key
legislators, to develop recommendations that the legislature could enact
this year to get us closer to the five-year goal.
Also, KSPE will work to close the funding
gap for addressing the deferred maintenance issues of our state
universities. Action taken by the Legislature in 2007 has proven to be far
short of what is needed to upgrade facility conditions on campus and a
recent report by the Regents reveals that the price tag for deferred
maintenance has grown by more than couple hundred million dollars in the
recent years.
The common denominator for each issue is
money, and there’s not much money lying around the halls of the Statehouse
this year. Two keys to addressing these priorities are educating policy
makers about these needs and reprioritizing state spending to elevate these
needs above other discretionary spending by the state. Look for additional
information about each of these issues in future issues of the KPE and the
KSPE Legislative Report.
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 PRESIDENT'S
MESSAGE
by Thomas Roberts, P.E.
Colleagues;
Your KSPE Executive Committee and Board of
Directors has been busy. Our focus is three-fold:
-
Increase the impact on the Kansas
Legislature and public policy
-
Clarify/align the KSPE message and more
clearly communicate that message to current & potential members, the
Kansas Legislature, and the general public, and,
-
Provide for the sustainable growth of KSPE
membership and revenues.
Throughout the year we are working to “Change
the Conversation” about the importance of our profession and our positive
impact on society.
Doug Danaher, P.E., Don Taylor, P.E., and others
have worked diligently to update our By-laws to allow the development of an
Associate Membership program. That action was approved in December and the
new program is being implemented in early 2009. Brian Armstrong, P.E.,
Stacey Lamer, P.E. and Ron Gaches worked on the details. These actions are
aimed at growing our KSPE membership and increasing our revenues. Go to the
URL
www.kansasengineer.org and invite a new member to join KSPE!!
Mike Crow, P.E. and the members of the
Legislative Committee have been actively updating KSPE legislative
positions. Recent action includes working with the Kansas State Board of
Technical Professions and Land Surveyors to improve the design interface
between engineers and surveyors. Thanks Mike and committee for helping
communicate the KSPE message to the Kansas Legislature.
Thanks to Keith Beatty, P.E., GBS staff, and the
K-State Libraries for organizing and hosting a successful fall professional
development conference on historic preservation. Guest speakers and topics
reflected a state-wide effort involving local & state government, state
agencies, and experts in the field. Keith is now working on Spring 2009
professional development – stay tuned!!
Ron Gaches & I have enjoyed our travels across
Kansas listening to and exchanging ideas with our members. Thanks to
Eastern Chapter & Nathan Hamm, P.E., Smokey Valley & Chad Lawson, P.E.,
Topeka Chapter & Mike Morrissey, P.E., Southwest Chapter & Steve Cottrell,
P.E. L.S., Southeast Chapter & Wayne Gudmonson, P.E., Wichita Chapter &
Michelle Winkelmann, P.E., and, Golden Belt Chapter & J Jednoralski for
leading Chapter operations and helping us implement the KSPE strategic
plan. Thanks also to Dick Pikul, P.E. for his efforts to strengthen the
Tri-Valley Chapter and to all our KSPE leaders for their volunteer efforts.
The impact of professional engineers on the
State’s economy is significant. KSPE Chapter Leadership is essential to
driving that message home to our membership. Engineers must be key players
as the Kansas Legislature considers the state budget – we need your
participation – get to know your local representatives and work with Ron
Gaches to stay informed!
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Budget Issues Focus on 2009
Legislators
Freshmen legislators must be wondering why
they signed up for this job. Even before the 165 representatives and
senators who make up the Kansas Legislature were sworn into their positions
on Monday, January 12th, they had been hearing about the
worsening state budget crisis. Back in early November, on the same date as
the election, the Consensus Revenue Estimating Committee forecasted a $146
million shortfall in current year revenue. In just two months the gap has
grown to more than $180 million with no turnaround in sight. Estimates of a
$1 billion shortfall in Fiscal Year 2010 now look conservative, and
legislative leaders have made it clear that every opportunity to reduce
state spending will be considered as they struggle to produce a balanced
budget for this fiscal year and next.
In the meantime demand for additional
revenue continues to mount. The reasons why sound like a recap of major
headlines from the past few years. Kansas is a rapidly aging state with
growing Medicaid caseloads. The Kansas Supreme Court rendered a decision
calling for ongoing increases in state funding for public schools. The
price tag for deferred maintenance at our public universities has increased
to more than $800 million. Unfunded liabilities of the Kansas Public
Employees Retirement System are greater than a billion dollars and growing
rapidly as KPERS joins all investors with huge losses to end 2009.
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Society
Creates State PAC
In an effort to increase its political
influence in state legislative elections and the Statehouse, the KSPE Board
has authorized organization of a new Political Action Committee. The KSPE
PAC will be chaired by the Society’s Government Relations Chair, Mike Crow,
and the Government Relations Committee will serve as the PAC Board.
Fundraising efforts for the PAC will begin
later this calendar year with a goal of raising $10,000 for the 2010
legislative elections. According to KSPE President Tom Roberts, PE, the
intention is to raise contributions for the PAC that are incremental to
campaign funds already raised by ACEC – Kansas.
“It was clear from our 2007 member survey
that our members want us to be much more active in the Kansas Statehouse,”
Roberts explained. “They expect KSPE to take the lead in representing their
interests. Part of that activity means participating in campaigns. Our
friends in the Statehouse deserve our support and that includes our
financial support.”
Fundraising efforts will focus on generating
contributions from KSPE members and from firms, other than ACEC member
firms, that employees Society members. All funds raised for the new PAC
will be maintained in a separate bank account and activities of the PAC will
be regulated by state law and rules and regulations adopted by the Kansas
Ethics Commission. News about upcoming PAC fundraising efforts will appear
in future issues of the KPE. If you have questions about the KSPE PAC, or
wish to make a contribution, please contact KSPE Executive Director Ron
Gaches.
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State-only Associate Membership
Following months of Board discussion and
formal bylaws changes, KSPE is now prepared to offer nonmembers the option
of becoming Associate Members at a price point less than the full NSPE-State
Society membership. Associate Members will be associates of the Kansas
Society and their local chapter, but will not be members of the National
Society of Professional Engineers and will not receive NSPE member benefits.
Associate Members will pay annual dues of
$180, $165 to the state society and $15 to the local chapter. The state
society dues are $15 higher than the state dues paid by an NSPE member to
compensate the state for the additional work associated with maintaining the
database and invoicing of the Associate Members. The chapter dues are the
same as for an NSPE member.
“The Associate Member option provides Kansas
Professional Engineers with a lower cost option to participate in the state
society and local chapter,” explained KSPE President Tom Roberts. “We’re
not trying to discourage NSPE membership. I’m an NSPE member and believe my
participation is a great benefit to my career. But nonmembers frequently
mention the high cost of NSPE membership as a barrier to their becoming KSPE
members, particularly those whose employer doesn’t pay for their membership
in their professional society. All we’re doing is providing PEs with an
option that we believe will strengthen our society.”
Just like NSPE and most state Professional
Engineering societies across the county, KSPE membership has been in steady
decline for the past 20 years, and is currently under 600 members
statewide. The Associate Member option is intended to provide nonmembers
with an affordable way to receive the benefits of their State Society and
chapter. While Associate Members will not be required to join the Nation
Society over time, it is hoped that their participation with KSPE and their
chapter will expose them to the many benefits of National and over time they
will join NSPE.
Associate Member application forms are currently available on
the KSPE website at
www.kansasengineer.org
or contact Amy Schlink at KSPE office at 785-233-2121.
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National/State Agreement
The National Society of Professional
Engineers is currently developing a National/State Agreement that would
formalize the relationship between the national society and each of the
state societies. According to NSPE leadership, the idea for the Agreement
came from the outside legal firm retained by NSPE to review the current
status of liability and other legal issues for NSPE. The Agreement provides
for clarity in the legal relationship between National and state societies
and describes the relationship between NSPE and state societies.
Following review of the draft Agreement, the
KSPE Board sent NSPE a letter that raised several questions about the
content of the Agreement. Among the specific concerns of the KSPE Board
were the provisions of the Agreement that would require all state societies
to comply with all Bylaws of the National Society. Those Bylaws include the
definition of member categories. Enforcing those membership definitions
would prevent any state society from creating an Associate Member category
similar to the one recently created by KSPE.
The draft Agreement and comments from state
societies were discussed at the NSPE Board meeting earlier this month.
Input from several state societies was shared with the National Board and
staff was charged with developing a new draft that considers that input for
future review by the Board.
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national
Engineering Week - February 15-21
This year, National
Engineering Week will be held February 15th -21st.
National Engineers Week,
founded in 1951 by the National Society of Professional Engineers, is a
formal coalition of more than 70 engineering, education, and cultural
societies, and more than 50 corporations and government agencies. Dedicated
to raising public awareness of engineers' positive contributions to quality
of life, Engineers Week promotes recognition among parents, teachers, and
students of the importance of a technical education and a high level of
math, science, and technology literacy, and motivates youth to pursue
engineering careers in order to provide a diverse and vigorous engineering
workforce. Each year, Engineers Week reaches thousands of schools,
businesses, and community groups across the U.S.
Engineers Week community
outreach programs depend on organizations and local volunteers for success.
How can you be part of EWeek? To get involved with a local KSPE chapter,
please consider participating in one or more of the following chapter
events:
Local KSPE Chapter
Events:
Eastern Chapter: Engineers
Week Luncheon, Wednesday, February 18th, 11:00 a.m., Kansas City
Downtown Marriott
Topeka Chapter: EWeek Lunch
& Speaker, Friday, February 27th, 11:30 a.m., Topeka Country Club
Wichita Chapter: Engineers
Week Banquet, Thursday, February 19th, 5:30 p.m., Hawker
Beechcraft Facility, Wichita, KS
University Campus
Events:
Kansas State University:
-
1200+ posters with E-Week logo sent to high
schools in five states for K-State "Engineering Day", Friday, February
20, 2009
-
10 students & faculty will attend/show
display at Kansas City E-Week luncheon on February 18
-
Career Info/presentations in Wichita &
Hutchinson on February 22, 2009
-
Career Info/ presentations on campus to high
school prospect scholarship day on February 16.
-
Engineering Student Council games /
competitions / events during the week for on-campus students.
University of Kansas:
-
Engineering Expo, begins
at 8:30 a.m. on Friday, February 20th and continues through
mid-day Saturday, February 21st, at the Eaton and Learned
Halls on the KU Campus.
Wichita State University:
-
Engineer for a Day
program (includes a tour, speaker, and luncheon) on February 19th,
2009 at the Hughes Metroplex at Wichita State University
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state mathcounts competition to be held march 7, 2009
The
Kansas MATHCOUNTS competition will be held on Saturday, March 7, 2009 in
Salina. MATHCOUNTS is a national math coaching and competition program that
promotes middle school mathematics achievement through grassroots
involvement in every U.S. state and territory. This program is one of the
country's largest and most successful education partnerships involving
volunteers, educators, industry sponsors and students.
MATHCOUNTS promotes student interest in mathematics by making math
achievement as challenging, exciting and prestigious as a school sport. At
the beginning of each school year, the MATHCOUNTS Foundation provides a
complimentary copy of its School Handbook and other materials to
middle schools across the country. Teachers and volunteers use these
materials to coach student "mathletes," as part of in-class instruction or
as an extracurricular activity.
After
several months of coaching, participating schools select students to compete
individually or as part of a team in written and oral competitions. Students
first compete in one of more than 500 local competitions held in February.
Winners progress to state contests in March. There, the top four individuals
and the coach of the top team earn an all-expense-paid trip to represent
their state at the national finals in May. At all levels, mathletes gain
self-confidence and math skills, as well as win prizes and scholarships.
If
you would like more information on our state or local MATHCOUNTS
competitions, please visit our website at:
http://www.kansasengineer.org/MathCounts/Mathcounts.htm.
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Mark
Your Calendar
Future Cities
Competition-January 24, 2009, KSU Campus
MATHCOUNTS State
Competition-March 7, 2009, Salina
KSPE Annual Conference
-June 10-12, 2009, Overland Park
PE License Recognition
Event-July 10, 2009, Topeka
NSPE Annual Conference-July
15-18, St. Louis
EFK Golf Event
Fundraiser-October 2, 2009, Lawrence
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