News Detail

ACI and Continuing Education

2/1/1999

In last month’s memo, I wrote about engineering education as it pertains to students currently enrolled in our colleges and universities. But there is another aspect of engineering education of equal or possibly more importance in our profession — continuing education. I believe that, at the least, it is of equal importance because it is a type of education that should really never end — as its name implies.

The American Concrete Institute has been involved in continuing education almost since the association’s inception nearly a century ago. It is committed to fostering progress "through education, technology, research, and standards development," as stated in the current Strategic Plan. Indeed, the plan, published in the January 1999 issue of Concrete International, calls for the expansion of the Institute’s educational programs. The plan specifies "taking advantage of electronic capabilities and multiple format presentations," as well as the acceleration of training activities, especially those related to certification, construction, leadership development for volunteers and the ACI staff.

I’ve always believed that service on ACI committees and attendance at Institute conventions are major ingredients in the continuing education process. From experience, I’ve discovered that the best way to keep informed of innovations in technology, alterations in standards and codes, and new concepts in design is to simply join and serve on ACI committees. Naturally, I don’t mean by this that one should join and then forget about it; I mean to join and participate, attend meetings, take part in the discussions and ask questions, keep advised of committee actions, and then — perhaps most importantly — read everything about the subjects of interest to you. You must keep abreast of technical literature if you wish to keep current with technological changes.

I remember that in the 1950s and 1960s, the General Sessions at ACI conventions were held in large meeting rooms, some of which were actually ballrooms. Seating was arranged at large round tables accommodating as many as eight individuals. There were no reserved seats or prescribed topics for conversation, but the discussions usually settled upon the latest "hot topic." There were lively exchanges at these "roundtable" chats. It was always a pleasure to find oneself seated with some of the world’s best-known concrete experts, listening in on a debate about the latest controversial matter. I had the pleasure of experiencing such roundtable exchanges for many years and found that often they were the highlight of a convention. Of course, with ACI conventions now averaging about 1200 attendees such sessions are probably no longer practical.

I also recall my first experiences during that same period with continuing education. I happened to discover some technical publications with a few articles about prestressed concrete. I wanted to learn more but books on the subject were not available in technical libraries even though a few textbooks touched upon the topic as early as 1941. Still, I didn’t give up. I resorted to contacting technical publishers, many of whom offered special-order books on prestressed concrete. My early interest led me to accept a position with a company involved in prestressed concrete. By the time I established my own practice in San Diego, I was fairly well versed on the subject and in a position to offer some expert design services. This was my first, but not my last, encounter with "continuing education."

ACI’s educational activities have blossomed in recent years. During the year just ended, 4025 individuals attended 90 seminars sponsored by the Institute and its local chapters. This is the best seminar attendance ever for a non-318 Code year and certainly an indication that the emphasis on continuing education will remain in place. For such success to continue, ACI needs the help of its members in formulating its seminar programs so that interesting, practical topics with widespread appeal are offered. In-house programs, introduced by ACI only a few years ago, seem to be growing in popularity as an effective way for companies and organizations to provide training to large numbers of people without requiring them to leave the office or plant.

Give us your ideas! Continuing education is just that — continuing! But we can only make it this with your help!

James R. Libby
President
American Concrete Institute

Back to Past-Presidents' Memo List