From Century House

SAME Launches Design—Build Workshop SAME recently developed a Design-Build Workshop for both government and industry employees focusing specifically on U.S. Department of Defense projects. The pilot workshop, held March 21-23, 2007, in Norfolk, Va., drew attendees from the U.S. Army, Navy and Air Force, as well as industry. This joint interaction proved to be the most valuable part of the course for nearly all attendees, with many commenting about how much they had learned from each other. Future Design-Build Workshops are slated for other locations. To register, go to www.same.org. And be sure to check the SAME Calendar of Events at www.same.org/calendar for future Design-Build Workshops. AMS Update SAME’s new Association Management System (AMS) is now up and running for Individual Members. This has been a long and arduous transition process and we appreciate your patience.

By now, every Individual Member should have received a new SAME Member ID number. Hopefully, you are already using the SAME Web site to renew or update your member profile, logging in by typing your e-mail address as your user name/user ID and using your new ID number as your password. If you have trouble logging in, please contact Individual Member Specialist Christine Gruszkowski at christine@ same.org, 703-549-3800, ext. 123, or Membership Support Specialist Heather Alexander at halexander@same.org, or 703-549-3800, ext. 122. You also may send questions or comments to the Membership Department by e-mail at member@same.org.

We are working diligently to launch the Sustaining Membership portion of the AMS in July, in time for August renewals. The system will not “go live” until we are satisfied that it will perform correctly. Upon launch, Sustaining Members will be able to update their contact information online, just as Individual Members do.

Currently, there are no online renewals for Sustaining Memberships because we are transitioning to a new membership and dues structure. Instead, Sustaining Members will be required to submit revisions by physically “marking up” a document. This mark-up will be used to help SAME transition data to the new membership system and dues structure. This process will be used until all Sustaining Members have renewed under the new membership system and dues structure. Should you have any questions regarding Sustaining Membership, please contact Jackie Porter at jporter@same.org, 703-549-3800, ext. 121.

Companies that wish to consolidate their billings for Sustaining Membership dues should contact Database Manager Natasha Rocheleau at nroch@same.org, 703-549-3800, ext. 124.

Again, thanks for your patience during this transition.

Continuing Education Opportunities for Members

SAME is expanding your professional development opportunities by developing new courses and capitalizing on our strategic partnerships. Whether you’re looking to obtain certification, or seeking a degree or a course to improve your knowledge and understanding of the A/E/C industry, SAME has something for you!

Strategic Partnerships offering Member Discounts. SAME’s Strategic Partnerships provide great benefits to our members! The National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE), Construction Manage¬ment Association of America (CMAA) and Inter¬national Facility Management Association (IFMA) all offer courses to SAME members at their discounted member rates—giving SAME members the benefit of three more memberships for the price of an SAME membership! Offerings include Webinars, workshops and courses that can be used for professional development and are often eligible for professional development hours or continuing education units required for licensing boards or re-certification.

Certification Programs. SAME Members also can earn the Certified Construction Manager (CCM) credential from CMAA and the Certified Facility Manager (CFM) credential from IFMA. SAME sponsored review courses and testing opportunities for both programs and the SAME member pass rate for both was close to 100 percent compared to the average pass rate of 60 percent. For dates of future courses, go to SAME Calendar of Events at www.same.org/calendar.
 
These programs also offer an excellent opportunity for SAME Posts! We encourage Posts to partner with their local IFMA and CMAA chapters to schedule future review courses and certification exams. If your Post would like to co-sponsor a review course with a local IFMA or CMAA chapter, please contact SAME Continuing Education Manager Kristin Duckworth at kduckworth@same.org, or 703-549-3800, ext. 151.

Emergency Preparedness and Response Streamer Changes

FASTSTART plans are no longer required for the Readiness & homeland Security Streamer. Instead, collaboration, gap analysis, Incident Command System 100 training, and an Emergency Preparedness and Response Report are now required. For additional information on this change, please go to the SAME Web site at www.same.org/readiness, or contact the Readiness and Homeland Security Committee Chair, Robert Adamski at radamski@gfnet.com. The Incident Command System training may be found at emilms.fema.gov.