With only three months of experience as Executive Director, I am impressed at how well the Design Boards work---I am also firmly convinced that it can be done much, much better. A strong complement of volunteer Board Members and a great staff make things work. I believe that they can do more with less effort if we apply good consistent management and well planned systems—digital and manual.

A big part of good management is understanding how things are working. Board Members and staff have been very forthcoming with ideas and suggestions. I think we need to hear from the professionals who self-fund our operations what it is that you think should be improved. This is not done as a flip request; it is a significant part of a plan to move quickly on those things that can be changed quickly and to start those that will require more time.

The interaction between the Boards and the professionals we license is too limited and klutzy. We are in the middle of developing a Communication Plan and we need to hear from you about what you need to know about policies, regulations, and issues before the Boards. We need to know about how your interaction with the Boards works or does not. We know there are weak points and convoluted processes. They are targets for action. We need to hear from you to know what your priorities are and how we can be more effective and efficient in how we protect the health, safety and well-being of people in Maryland. For example: what are the most effective media for communicating with licensees? Are the forms and systems you use easy or hard to use? Can you navigate the Web site easily? Does the format or layout keep you from using it? Are there significant issues that the Boards should address that you see every day? Are Code Officials and local government staff aware of the statutes and regulations?

If you would email me at dboards@dllr.state.md.us, I promise to review your email and respond with where we are in addressing the issue. I will try to put your comments into some summary form in the next By Design, so you know what is on our agenda and the opportunities and obstacles we face in resolving each issue.

I look forward to working with everyone.

Dan Parr

In compliance with Code of Maryland Regulations 09.21.02.04, architects are required to sign and seal drawings, similar to the amendment to the regulation for professional engineers. The certification for architectural drawings is as follows: “Professional Certification. I certify that these documents were prepared or approved by me, and that I am a duly licensed architect under the laws of the State of Maryland, license number _______, Expiration Date: _______.” Titleblock, certification, seal, and signature shall appear in close proximity to each other.

Effective July 2, 2007, the Board for Professional Engineers requires a professional engineer to include the following statement to be stamped in or near the title block and seal when it is used on plans or documents:

“Professional Certification. I hereby certify that these documents were prepared or approved by me, and that I am a duly licensed professional engineer under the laws of the State of Maryland, License No. _______, Expiration Date: _______.” The document, certification, seal, and signature shall appear close to one other.

Code of Maryland Regulations 09.23.03.10

This has had the desired effect of bringing to many engineers’ attention the fact that their license has expired. It is believed that this will also be a reminder to those who miss or forget about receiving a renewal notice that is sent out 60 days prior to expiration.

The National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES) held its annual business meeting August 22-25, 2007 in Philadelphia, Pa. Representing the state of Maryland were Professional Engineers board members Steven A. Arndt, P.E., Howard C. “Skip” Harclerode, II, P.E. and Pastor Farinas, P.E. As the previous year’s meeting in Anchorage, the annual meeting was a solid success, with members participating in workshops, voting on motions and networking with other Council members.

At the first business session of the meeting, Herbert Shivers, Ph.D., P.E. of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) delivered the keynote address to kick off the annual meeting. Dr. Shivers spoke about the role engineers play in the day-to-day operations of the Marshall Space Flight Center. In addition, he provided an exciting multimedia update on NASA’s future plans, which includes the Constellation program and Ares spacecraft as well as key steps in the process of putting human beings back on the moon and eventually Mars.

During Thursday’s meeting, the Nevada Board distributed a new motion on the Official Motion From proposing “rescinding the B.S. plus 30 requirements for engineering licensure, a Uniform Procedures and Legislative Guidelines (UPLG) Committee motion that the Council passed in Anchorage during last year’s annual meeting and is set to go into effect in 2015. During Friday’s meeting, this floor motion was rejected by the Council, as the Council indicated that it wanted to continue to move toward heightened educational requirements for engineering licensure.

A Structural Exam Task Force motion to create a uniform structural exam passed by a large margin. The motion proposed charging the Examination for Professional Engineers (EPE) Committee with modernizing the format of the Structural Engineering (SEI and SEII Exams to create a single examination for Member Boards that grant structural engineering licensure. This examination would have two eight-hour components and would be put into use by April 2011.

A motion was passed to print separate books for P.E. depth modules (Civil, Electrical and Mechanical) and F.E. afternoon modules. The motion also called for printing three versions of the morning portions of the Civil, Electrical and Mechanical P.E. exams to deter copying/collusion. The changes to the Civil P.E. exam will be implemented in October 2009 and the changes to the F.E. and P.E. Electrical and Mechanical exams will go into effect in April 2010.

The Governance Task Force to combine the Constitution and the Bylaws into one document for the Council’s consideration at the 2008 Annual Meeting passed by a large margin. A non-binding straw poll concerning an election at large for the president-elect position failed.

The Council passed a Board of Directors motion to approve NCEES serving as the primary sponsor of National Engineers Week with a projected cost of $250,000. A second motion to establish a Washington, D.C. based satellite office was defeated.

The Council passed four UPLG Committee motions. The first revised the Model Rules definitions of Model Law Engineer and Model Law Structural Engineer to include the B.S. plus 30 requirement beginning in 2015. Motions presented by the EPP Committee to revise various Exam Development and Exam Administration policies passed, with the motion authorizing the Council’s Board of Directors (rather than the Council as a whole) to contract to provide NCEES examinations to sanctioned foreign licensing bodies failed.

A Western Zone resolution urging the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) to stem the decline of required credit hours for engineering degrees at accredited institutions passed with a solid majority.

The motion to strike expert testimony from practice definitions presented by the Law Enforcement Committee calling for the removal of the term “expert technical testimony” from the Model Law definitions of engineering and surveying failed.

A supply of each of the land surveyors’ brochures were given to James Whitehead of the Maryland Society for Surveyors to assist the Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation (DLLR) in getting the word out about land surveying as a career. In addition, additional brochures were sent to the DLLR One-Stop Job Markets in Anne Arundel, Howard, Montgomery, Prince George’s and Wicomico Counties to be distributed in waiting areas and at job and career fairs.

Two additional brochures, Maryland Design Boards Complaint Process and Understanding Maryland Professional Engineers’ Licensure are also being distributed through the office of the Professional Design Boards to walk-in customers and telephone inquiries. For more information about obtaining any of the aforementioned brochures for single copy or group distribution, please contact Janine McDonald at jmcdonald@dllr.state.md.us or (410) 230-6215.