Volume 6, Number 1 • Spring 2004
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Rachford's Reflections
But continuing progress depends on continuing planning such as that which took place in Reston, VA on February 21 and 22, 2004. This weekend was the occasion of our second Council Weekend ... an activity that seems increasingly likely to become an annual affair because of its perceived value in fostering the necessary communication, coordination and commitment among the EWRI leadership. Approximately 75 representatives of the EWRI Governing Board (GB), Executive Committees (EXCOMS) and council signed in on Friday evening for the Council Weekend ... once again demonstrating their commitment to EWRI by donating a weekend to the cause. Phil Burgi, chair of our Task Committee on EWRI Organizational Restructuring, was also in attendance to capture the flavor of the discussions. The first half of Saturday morning was devoted to introductions and updates on matters of general interest ... primarily financial issues and the use of our adaptation of the ASCE PAES (Program Assessment and Evaluation System) during the weekend. Other than for an interesting Saturday lunchtime presentation by ASCE's Michael Sanio on the potential for restoration of the Iraqi Mesopotamian Marshlands, the rest of Saturday was spent in council meetings. On Sunday morning, each council presented an assessment of its productivity ... past and future; and other organizational issues of importance. The dialogue was frank; and the sense of responsibility encouraging ... one council even suggested that its mission could be better accomplished if it were merged into another council. Other than for a few Sunday afternoon meetings assembled ad hoc by the real stalwarts, everyone departed at the end of the morning; presumably energized to action by the good ideas that surfaced during the weekend. However, to borrow a phrase from the real estate industry ... there are three things that will determine the ultimate value of the EWRI 2004 Council Weekend ... follow up, follow up and more follow up! Larry Roth, the ASCE Associate Executive Director, and John Durrant, the ASCE Managing Director for Engineering Programs, were both able to spend time with us on Saturday ... clearly proving the case for our decision to periodically hold meetings in Reston to gain better access to ASCE and EWRI staff. Of course, Brian Parsons and Autumn Richter did their usual competent job of ensuring that the weekend went well ... which it did. It has been observed from time to time that the present EWRI organizational structure is somewhat cumbersome ... maybe to the point of being a "belt and suspenders" structure. While our structure is likely to change in response to recommendations expected later this year from Phil Burgi's Task Committee on EWRI Organizational Restructuring, each layer in the structure has a purpose. The three EXCOMS Reflections (Technical Activities, Member Services and Products Development) are responsible for coordinating and integrating three distinct areas of activity: technical – products – and member services. At present, approximately 20 councils, with oversight from the EXCOMS, are in turn responsible for being catalysts for productivity by establishing and expediting the outputs from as many implementing committees as are needed. Most committees within the EWRI are expected to come into existence, do their work and be dissolved. In addition to providing a suitable environment for nurturing leadership within an organization whose leadership transitions regularly, the present structure is sufficiently robust to remain functional as our activities expand. But for this structure to be efficient and effective, communication is paramount ... thus the need for Council Weekends and similar venues at which face-to-face discussions can take place. While I am speaking to the subject of organizational structure, I would like to comment on another organizational issue of significance to the EWRI ... namely, the proposed new American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) governance model. The proposed new governance model, which is scheduled for a vote in June 2004, incorporates many changes ... the pros and cons have been debated extensively in several issues of the ASCE News; at the ASCE Zone Leadership Conferences; and in other forums. The full text of the proposed changes can be found at www.asce.org/governance/. The EWRI GB has thoroughly reviewed and discussed the proposed ASCE governance changes and unanimously supports the new model. The EWRI GB recommends that those members of EWRI that are also eligible members of ASCE vote in favor of the proposed ASCE governance changes. At present, all ASCE members are represented generally though the existing geographically-elected Board of Direction ... but passage of the proposed ASCE governance change will set in motion a process that will lead to the Institutes being able to directly elect two voting members of the ASCE Board of Direction. Because ASCE is, at its core, a technical society and because a large percentage of its members also claim membership in one or more Institutes, both the need and justification for direct representation is obvious. Passage of the proposed ASCE governance changes requires a twothirds majority of the ASCE members actually voting, Because only a relatively small percentage of eligible ASCE members actually vote and because one "no" vote tends to cancel two "yes" votes, it is important that those in favor cast their ballot. In fact, the EWRI GB feels strongly enough about this issue to have encouraged ASCE to make ballots available within the registration packet to be given to attendees at our World Water & Environmental Resources Congress in Salt Lake City, Utah during June 27 through July 1. (But if you are an ASCE member who is unable to attend the Congress, you will receive your ballot in the usual manner within the June 2004 issue of ASCE News.) By the way, we are hoping for a big turnout at the Salt Lake City Congress. If you haven’t signed up yet, see what you are about to miss by reading about the program on the EWRI website. Better still ... go online and register for the Congress! Thomas M. Rachford
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