The last time ACCE sent out a newsletter, we had just completed our 2020 Midyear Conference in Jacksonville and the COVID-19 pandemic was barely beginning to impact our lives. Since then, all of our members have had to implement changes and solutions to the many challenges that the Coronavirus has created in our professional lives and, more importantly, our personal lives. Many of the changes that had to be implemented in ACCE construction management degree programs challenged us to be more creative and to employ new skills and technologies in the effort to complete the academic year. |
|
|
ACCE has been supportive of all of the solutions that each of our institutions have had to implement. We will continue to do so, and to offer support and assistance when called upon. |
|
|
SPRING 2020 Accreditation Visits ACCE has implemented changes that will improve our ability to provide our members with accreditation services that were already planned and scheduled. Additional changes and improvements are in the planning stage to assist ACCE in supporting our member’s evolving needs and requirements. Seven accreditation visits were scheduled for Spring 2020. Five of the Visiting Teams were able to travel to their respective campuses before ACCE made the decision to temporarily cease team visits. The two Team Visits that were canceled included one program seeking Reaccreditation and another seeking Initial Accreditation. The Initial Accreditation visit to Lansing Community College has been re-scheduled for the Fall semester. The team visit to the University of Nevada, Las Vegas is progressing virtually with review of the documents and the program well underway to complete this mission. We believe that we will be able to complete a comprehensive accreditation review using virtual technology. We are using this particular case as a beta test for ACCE’s ability to achieve a successful outcome despite significant unanticipated challenges. There will be many new ideas and lesson learned from this experience that we plan to share with everyone as soon as possible. However, a personal visit to the campuses we accredit will always remain a requirement of our process. The UNLV case is a singular occurrence that we can refer to in the future as an example of ACCE’s resilience and dedication to serving its members. |
|
|
FALL 2020 Accreditation Visits ACCE’s Fall 2020 Accreditation visits are expect to occur as planned. Our new process of submitting documents online via OneDrive has allowed each program the flexibility to submit their Self-Evaluation Study documents according their individual situation. All Programs scheduled for Fall 2020 team visits have been individually communicated with. ACCE will continue to monitor all specific needs regarding their accreditation visits. |
|
|
CHEA has been supportive of our efforts as we addressed the rapidly changing needs of our ACCE Programs. Our organizations have been in regular communication during this quarantine period, and I am pleased to report that CHEA has fully backed the decisions each Institution has had to make. |
|
|
It should be noted that ACCE is undergoing a review by CHEA as part of its standard recognition process. CHEA has been both respectful and supportive of our organizational requests during this unprecedented time. ACCE will move forward with our written application for recognition to CHEA, and expect to submit before June 1st, 2020. A CHEA representative had planned to join ACCE in Minneapolis. However, CHEA has agreed to be flexible with regard to one of their recognition process procedures that requires having a CHEA representative attend in person at the next ACCE national conference. |
|
|
ACCE Annual Conference 2020 |
|
|
Virtual Implementation The ACCE Annual Conference will be conducted this July utilizing virtual technology. |
|
|
ACCE’s Executive Committee decided - after serious consideration and with significant member feedback - that we will not host a live conference this July |
|
|
A survey was conducted to determine the impacts COVID-19 has had on ACCE members’ ability to attend the Annual Conference this summer. The feedback we received convinced us that it would be best to plan to host our July 2020 conference via web-based services. We have a number of ACCE business decisions to make during these annual meetings for which we will utilize Zoom virtual meeting technology |
|
|
Virtual Meeting Schedule / Registration Process The schedule for ACCE’s virtual meetings will be published on the ACCE web site by the end of May. Scheduled sessions include Committee meetings, Caucus meetings, and Board of Trustees meetings. ACCE Committee meetings are being scheduled to avoid conflicts with other meetings in order to facilitate member participation. Each meeting will be set up with a specific Zoom User Code. Individual registration will be required for each of the meeting sessions you plan to attend. To assist you with the scheduling and registrations for the meetings, ACCE will post the schedule on the web site with registration done via Eventzilla. Because there are some minor costs associated with using the technologies, the registration fee will be $10.00 per person. This nominal fee will allow you to attend all of the open session meetings. Attendance at meetings will be based on the records of the participants that we collect from Zoom. Visiting Team Training All of our Visiting Team Training sessions will be held. This includes the New Attendee Orientation, Initial Visiting Team Member Training, Advanced Visiting Team Member Training, and Visiting Team Chair Training. The Case Studies Workshop will also be available. Be sure to review the Eventzilla registration page for the days and times of each session. We ask that you register for each individual session you want to attend as each of them will have a specific Zoom meeting number. |
|
|
ACCE News and Accomplishments With the discussion of our recent challenges and the plans that we have to embark to move forward, I would like to talk about some of the great things that have been happening at ACCE. . . Accreditations Three Programs have achieved Reaccreditation, and one Program received its Initial Accreditation at the Midyear Conference. Reaccredited programs are: - Florida International University
- North Carolina A&T State University
- University of Oklahoma.
Initial Accreditation: - Mississippi State University
To commemorate and fully recognize these outstanding programs, images of the plaques that were sent to each of the program leaders to display in their buildings are shown here. Congratulations to these great Construction Management Programs! |
|
|
The Prodigal Accredited Program Last October 4th, I received an email from Joel Condon, the Director of the Construction Management Program at the University of Alaska, Anchorage. They have an Associate’s Degree Program and a Bachelor’s Degree Program that has been accredited by ACCE. Joel informed me that due to the State of Alaska budget cuts, they would continue with the Bachelor’s Degree accreditation but were not going to renew their Associate’s Degree accreditation. My response was that ACCE is disappointed and they would remain accredited through the 2019 – 2020 academic year since their fees were paid and current. On May 15th, Joel sent an email message stating that they have decided to keep their accreditation active for the Associate’s Degree program! We are glad to have them back and we will continue their accreditation with ACCE! |
|
|
ACCE Memberships We are pleased to report both new, and renewing, ACCE members: |
|
|
There is a new Sustaining Association Member at ACCE - Colorado Association of Mechanical and Plumbing Contractors (CAMPC), represented by Mostafa Khattab. |
|
|
At our Board meeting in July, Mostafa will join the Board of Trustees. CAMPC joined ACCE as an Organization Member in December 2019 but voted to upgrade their membership in April. |
|
|
We also have a new Association member - The Plumbing, Heating, and Cooling Contractors of America |
|
|
They are based in Washington DC. Cindy Sheridan and Michael Copp will be representing them during our meetings. Two ACCE Organization members have renewed their memberships. They are Wehr Constructors of Tampa, Florida and Construction Employers Association of Walnut Creek, California. |
|
|
ACCE Committees During our Annual Meeting in July, the Board of Trustees will review and approve the slate of committee members for the coming year. A list of the committees and their areas of responsibility are on the ACCE web site. If you are interested in getting more involved with one of the ACCE Committees, please review the guidelines for requirements needed to join each committee. The requirements are here on the ACCE web site. Send me an email expressing your interest and I will forward it to the appropriate Committee Chair. The Chairs will then make their recommendations to the Board for the slate of members. ACCE Scholarships The Dupree Education Committee Chair, Rogers Hunt, reminds everyone that the two Dupree Scholarship applications are now available online via our web site. The first scholarship is the Dupree Education Fund Scholarship. This award is granted to a existing construction professional that has a desire an plan to become an instructor at an ACCE program. The second scholarship is the Dupree Construction Education Fund / National Housing Endowment Scholarship application. This award is similar to the first one but is specifically for a person in the residential construction industry. Also on our Scholarship Web Page, students can find links to several scholarship programs that are offered by our member organizations. We encourage our Program Leaders at the ACCE institutions to provide the links to your department’s web pages. |
|
|
ACCE Website Improvements Webmaster Chip Mansfield is planning to design Phase Two of ACCE’S new website.
Improvements will include a members only area, portals for ACCE Committees to store their files and discussion boards, and a Best Practices page. Chip asks if anyone has a suggestion to please send it to Chip Mansfield |
|
|
ACCE Annual Report The 2019 ACCE Annual Report has been published with a new look! Chip Mansfield and I had fun using our creative skills to modernize the look and feel of ACCE’s Annual Report. - Be sure to check it out here on the ACCE web site . . . Let us know what you think! |
|
|
We look forward to gathering together virtually this July! Until then, be safe everyone. |
|
|
American Council for Construction Education 300 Decker Drive, Suite 330 Irving, Texas 75062 (972) 600-8800: Office |
|
|
|
|