XD's Corner

I’d like to congratulate all the Philadelphia Post volunteers and SAME HQ staff for putting together an exceptional 2007 Joint Engineer Education and Training Conference & Expo. It was a great event in all respects. At the conference we installed our new Board of Direction members and welcomed Maj. Gen. Del R. Eulberg, P.E., F.SAME, USAF, as the SAME President for 2007-2008. I also presented my Executive Director’s report that included highlights of SAME’s accomplishments over the past year and goals for the future. With that in mind, I’d like to cover several subjects that were addressed at the meeting: the Education and Mentoring Fund; national conference planning; and the 2007-2008 Focus Areas.

SAME established the Education and Mentoring Fund in 2003 with an initial contribution of some of the revenue from the 2002 Joint Engineer Education and Training Conference & Expo. The Fund balance has grown to more than $170,000 since then. Proceeds from the national conference and the Academy of Fellows’ Golden Eagle Awards Dinner are contributed to the Fund each year to help ensure its continued viability.

Still, it is important to remember that with more money, we can do even more. To that end, several Sustaining Member Companies and Posts have chosen to become Fund Sponsors to benefit our members and help grow the principal. Sponsorships are available from $2,500 to $10,000; Fund Sponsors’ names are listed on the SAME Web site in perpetuity in recognition of this special contribution.

I encourage more Sustaining Member companies and Posts to consider becoming Fund Sponsors; see www.same.org/donate for more information.
So what does the SAME Education and Mentoring Fund do with the money? SAME allocates funds for the following activities:

• stipends to Young Member award winners to support their attendance at the national conference;
• stipends to Individual Members and to Posts that need financial assistance for students to attend one of the annual SAME Engineering and Construction Camps;
• sponsorship of West Point Cadets majoring in engineering or environmental disciplines to attend the New York City Scholarship Dinner;
• sponsorship of Young Members to attend Post Leaders Workshops to ensure their participation; and
• sponsorship of the annual Student Council meeting, which brings together college students from SAME Student Chapters at the winter Post Leaders Workshop.

There are plans to expand the program to support the NCO and Small Business Councils as well. However, there are no future plans to award cash scholarships from the Fund. For more information on the SAME Education and Mentoring Fund, visit www.same.org/donate, or contact Lou Martinez, Chair, Education and Mentoring Fund Steering Committee, at lou.martinez@martinezmgt.net.  
SAME has recommended that Posts re-name their “Scholarship Fund” to make it an “Education and Mentoring Fund,” allowing Posts to do more than award cash scholarships to students. The goal is to provide support to students, Young Members, NCOs and Small Businesses that are involved in SAME and directly contribute to the SAME mission. We encourage Posts to use their Education and Mentoring Funds to send students and mentors to the Engineering and Construction Camps, to send Student Members to regional conferences, and to send Young Members to the national conference. Providing opportunities for individuals to attend an SAME conference will enlighten the individual about the value of SAME and provide a great professional experience.

In his President’s Message, Gen. Eulberg noted the Board’s approval for SAME HQ to take a greater role in the planning and conduct of our national conferences. This is a very exciting opportunity for SAME HQ to utilize the capabilities it has grown over the past four years to provide a greater benefit to SAME members and Posts. The Board was clear, and I fully endorse, making this effort a partnership. The major benefit I see from the change is that it gives the Host Post the ability to focus on several activities so that its volunteers can support the conference, have fun, yet not be burdened with the logistics for the entire conference. SAME HQ has experience conducting a substantial number of conferences and workshops and we are fortunate to have staff members with expertise in event management, continuing education and marketing—expertise that can now be applied to our national conferences to achieve greater rewards and efficiencies. I look forward to working with the Host Posts for the conferences from 2008 to 2012 to define our respective roles and responsibilities and to create even better national conferences in the future.

I also look forward to working with National Committee Chairs, Regional Vice Presidents and SAME HQ staff to support the three focus areas approved by the Board and addressed by Gen. Eulberg in his President’s Message. I see SAME HQ as having an important role, particularly in the continuing education and K-12 outreach areas.

In the area of continuing education, we plan to provide members with new education and training opportunities that are not available through local Post programs or regional conferences. Kristin Duckworth, SAME’s new Continuing Education Manager, will be sending members a quarterly e-newsletter featuring upcoming continuing education opportunities offered by SAME’s Strategic Partners—the National Society of Professional Engineers, the International Facility Management Association and the Construction Management Association of America—as well as opportunities from SAME’s Academic Sustaining Members.

The advantage of these alliances is that SAME members can take courses and Webinars offered by our Strategic Partners at the organization’s reduced member price without actually having to join that organization. While we encourage SAME members to join other associations in which they may want to participate, our experience is that our members do not have the time to actively participate in more than one or two associations. As we strengthen our Continuing Education Program throughout the year, we will ask you for feedback to see how it has been received and to determine ways to make it even better.
As always, I welcome your feedback and comments at rwolff@same.org.  

Have a great summer.

Bob Wolff, Ph.D., P.E., F.SAME
SAME Executive Director
rwolff@same.org