WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2023
Last week, the American Society of Civil Engineers announced at the ASCE 2023 Convention in Chicago that it would be adding a new tagline to its official branding, highlighting the society’s involvement in infrastructure.
According to a news release from ASCE, the new tagline will be “ASCE: Infrastructure Leaders | Building Communities.”
“If you ask somebody what a civil engineer does, they might not know. But everybody knows what infrastructure is,” said ASCE 2023 President Maria C. Lehman, who was running her final board meeting as president.
“Infrastructure has been a buzzword for a while. And I think in terms of branding, everything we’ve done with the Report Card for America’s Infrastructure the past 25 years, people get it. And I think they get it now more than ever.”
“Civil engineers are the backbone of society, building the bridges that unite us, the roads that connect us and the structures that shelter us.”
— ASCE Headquarters (@ASCETweets) October 19, 2023
– ASCE 2023 President Maria Lehman #ASCE23 pic.twitter.com/bSI1UXJepu
ASCE’s Board Strategic Advisory Council had reportedly suggested the change, estimating that it could signify a stronger connection to new strategic plan goals to grow and engage membership around the world and support inclusivity.
Lehman also acknowledged the recent bipartisan infrastructure law, as well as ASCE’s role in helping to make it a reality.
“Listen, we own the subject,” Lehman said. “We have a brand that is so respected and so admired around the world. And this is who we are. Infrastructure is us.”
Other Meeting Notes
At the meeting, members also reportedly discussed a new strategic plan, presented by The BSAC/Program and Finance Committee Joint Subcommittee on Strategic Alignment.
The presentations were reportedly an update to a BSAC Subcommittee on Strategic Plan Implementation report from March on streamlining the Society’s structure and budget process to fit the new strategic plan.
According to ASCE, its board approved the subcommittee’s recommendations, focusing on three key areas: personalized member value, communities of practice and a “One-ASCE strategic budget process."
Other actions from the board include:
Additionally, a civil engineering workforce report was also presented by ASCE’s Workforce Development Subcommittee.
As a response to documented civil engineering workforce shortfalls, a subcommittee, led by Ray Daddazio, former president of Thornton Tomasetti, reportedly positioned ASCE to be a large influence on workforce solutions for both the short- and long-term.
The subcommittee’s suggested roles for ASCE to take in workforce development include:
The subcommittee’s recommendations reportedly align with a collaboration between ASCE and the National Governors Association, which presented a report and webinar on specific workforce issues.
“The workforce issues are the backbone of all the issues we’re dealing with right now in the industry, so we have to have a comprehensive plan,” Lehman said. “I was really glad that BSAC took this on.
“It’s all hands on deck, working the whole pipeline, and rethinking what we’re doing and how we’re doing it.”
The board reportedly obtained progress reports on some of ASCE’s new and important enterprises, including the Standards Office and the Grants and Contracts Office and the Accelerated Digital Strategy.
According to ASCE, two years after its agreement with the American Institute of Steel Construction for the Student Steel Bridge Competition, the board got news from a working group which included the Region 10 Board of Governors, the Committee on Student Conferences and Competitions and the Structural Engineering Institute about a chance to develop a broader global student steel bridge competition.
The society states that its board voted on actions that are expected to encourage student groups in Region 10 to use the AISC rules for steel bridge competitions, suggest monitoring and supporting ASCE student symposia competitions in Region 10 and recommend global expansion of the competition at a time when there is enough momentum and support.
More from ASCE
Last year, ASCE released a new virtual map that features projects getting underway thanks to funding from the bipartisan infrastructure law. In partnership with Accelerator for America, the map arrived in time for the one-year anniversary of the passing of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
According to ASCE, communities in all 50 states saw the benefits of the bipartisan infrastructure law, as funds went towards fixing potholes, rehabilitating bridges, replacing lead pipes and cleaning up the environment.
The U.S. Department of Transportation also announced the first round of grants from the law’s competitive Bridge Investment Program and the Federal Highway Administration had released nearly $60 billion in funding for 12 formula programs under the law, in addition to awarding more than $2.2 billion for RAISE program transportation projects and $1.5 billion for the INFRA competitive grant program.
According to reports, the map was part of a larger effort from ASCE to track all investments and rulemakings by infrastructure sector for their 150,000 members working in communities across the country.
Part of Accelerator for America’s United for Infrastructure #InfrastructureWorks campaign, users could explore the map by state or region, while filtering by category, to see how cities were using infrastructure funding to raise their state’s report card grade.
Tagged categories: American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE); Business matters; Business operations; Engineers; Infrastructure; Infrastructure; Program/Project Management
