News Detail

Inspiring ACI's Young Members

2/1/2017

Students and young professionals are critical to the continued success of any organization. I am constantly amazed at the quality and passion of students coming out of universities. In the early 1990s, at the request of Luke Snell, I joined my first ACI committee: E801, Student Activities. I have always had an interest in bringing young talent into the concrete industry.

One of Dan Baker's (ACI President, 2001-2002) objectives was to "attract the best and brightest young people into our industry." He was instrumental in securing funding for ACI Fellowships, which are awarded annually by the ACI Foundation Scholarship Council. During the 2015-2016 academic year, the Scholarship Council awarded 10 Fellowships and nine Scholarships. This is the most ever awarded.

ACI leadership recognized the need to address the issue of student and young professional development. A board task force studied the situation and recommended the formation of a new committee. The Student and Young Professional Activities Committee (SYPAC) was established in 2007 with Andrea Schokker as the first Chair. For most students and young professionals, ACI can be very intimidating. We must bridge this gap between intimidation and ACI's need to have young, active members. The SYPAC mission is to "advise the Board of Direction on issues and strategies for the recruitment and retention of students and young members." Young members are defined as being under the age of 28. In 2015, ACI had 9903 student members (5498 of these were free student E-memberships) and 430 Young Professionals.

The ACI Board recently approved the recommendations of a Board Task Group on Outlook 2030. The Executive Committee asked the Task Group to address the question "What does ACI look like in 2030?" The Task Group identified 13 megatrends and driving forces that will affect how ACI looks in 2030. The Task Group is confident that the ACI mission will remain relevant in 2030. They believe that ACI will be a thriving and effective association that has adapted to the challenges of the previous decades. Nine recommendations were made that will prepare ACI for the challenges of the future. The ideas are intentionally broad and conceptual, intended to inspire further thinking about an ACI business model that is sustainable, adaptive, and incentive-driven. The importance of keeping ACI relevant to students and young professionals is woven throughout these recommendations.

SYPAC also engaged a consultant to gain the opinions and insights of students and young professionals toward ACI membership value enhancements. After focus group sessions and in-depth telephone interviews, a report was completed in May 2016. At the same time, a Membership Roadmap was being developed which complemented the ACI Strategic Plan and Operations Plan. This was approved by the ACI Board this past October at The ACI Convention and Exposition in Philadelphia, PA. Goal No. 3 of this Roadmap is to "Develop a strategic approach to maximize the engagement, participation, and retention of students, young professionals, and faculty."

All of these studies recognize the importance of attracting young people to our industry and retaining them. As I have been representing ACI this past year at both international and domestic meetings, I have met many students and faculty members. It is imperative that we support education and recruit more people into this industry.

As my generation (baby-boomers) retires, it opens up tremendous opportunities for young professionals (millennials). We must recruit more young women into our industry. One of the questions I ask at schools is how many women are there in the program and whether this number is increasing or declining. The good news is that more women are entering our industry. I'm inspired by the passion these young people have in their research. The work they are doing will help ensure that concrete continues to be sustainable, resilient, and relevant in the year 2030.

Today's young members are the future of our industry, and it is our responsibility to provide them with meaningful and informative engagements in ACI. Think about young professionals in your office and on your projects and how they could benefit by becoming more involved with ACI. Encourage them to become active with the local chapter and possibly a committee. It is an exciting time to be a part of ACI!

Michael J. Schneider