Happy 2008 to all. I am pleased to have stepped into the job of COPRI President. However, I know that Steve Curtis is a very hard act to follow. He has been an outstanding leader and I will work hard to follow his example and uphold the standards he helped put into place. I also am grateful to be guided by the exemplary service of past presidents Gordon Sterling and Billy Edge.
COPRI has an exciting and challenging year ahead. Major topics facing the Governing Board include ways to encourage coordination and cooperation within the Institute and ASCE at both the national and local levels as well as streamlining our Board and Institute membership processes, preparing for peer review and increasing our presence at both the local and national level. Your COPRI Governing Board will implement our Strategic Plan and identify and take action on new opportunities to advance COPRI’s mission through the year. Your input and support is critical so let me or any of the Board members know if you have suggestions or concerns about your Institute.
At this time of the year, while we review plans for the time to come we must also recognize the individuals who distinguish themselves by their service to the COPRI profession. The Board congratulates Gordon Sterling for receiving the OTC Heritage Award. Because of Gordon’s visionary and dedicated service, the Board enthusiastically supported Gordon’s nomination to stand for Technical Region Director office on the ASCE Board of Direction. Best of luck to Gordon.
In recent months, the Governing Board has nominated several other Institute members and academic colleagues for publications awards and an OPAL nomination. I urge all COPRI members to have a look at the new COPRI Project Excellence Award. Nominations for the 2008 PEA will be accepted until April 1. These are all efforts which recognize the contributions of COPRI members and raise the banner for COPRI, thereby increasing the Institute’s prominence.
As we enter into the busy season of Institute and organizational membership renewals, I want to emphasize the value of the partnership between our members and our Institute leadership. When you received your ASCE or COPRI renewal, you might have noticed a line for voluntary contributions. You might have wondered what that meant or how it helps. These voluntary contributions allow COPRI to provide funding for new committees, support committee endeavors such as manuals of practice and innovative conferences and better meet your needs. Please consider what additional support you can offer COPRI this year.
While revenue is essential to the growth and maintenance of our Institute, our primary goal is always to offer you, our membership, desired services and products, providing educational opportunities in our fields of expertise, and promoting the engineering profession. Our activities support those goals and provide the lion’s share of COPRI’s income. Our conferences provide wonderful educational opportunities and are a key source of income generation. In the coming years, I would like to see COPRI expand its efforts to generate Webinars. These can be excellent educational tools; are relatively inexpensive compared to our major conferences; and, allow our membership to share specialized knowledge with their colleagues.
Among the eight ASCE Institutes, and especially within COPRI, every member can find a niche which allows them to share their expertise and contribute to the growth of the profession. I encourage you to find one new conference to attend, one webinar or seminar to participate in or develop (presenters receive $1,000), or a committee to join. Along with your ASCE and/or Institute renewal, I encourage you to introduce a colleague or perhaps an old friend from your college or graduate school days to COPRI.
I’d like to send all COPRI members and their families the very best wishes for a happy and prosperous new year. Feel free to contact me with any questions or suggestions at jblanchar@aol.com.
