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The FPP Heritage Society
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Challenge For The Future
A strong profession is the result of successful members. A survey by NSPE of
over 200 CEO's nationwide resulted in the establishment of a report entitled,
"Nine Factors of Success in Engineering." These factors are:
- Technical Skills
- Judgment
- Communication Skills
- Integrity
- Management Ability
- Leadership
- Commitment
- Teamwork
- Service
Of the nine factors, only two are generally taught in school, and the remainder
are largely the result of our environment and the mentoring to which we are exposed
during our professional development. Traditionally, professional development relied
on a solid technical education followed by years of on-the-job training and mentoring
by senior staff to understand the associated practice issues and develop the skills
needed to become a professional.
The current competitive business environment results in minimized mentoring
by senior staff as well as restricted participation in post-graduate professional
training programs. Legal issues are continually changing and are becoming increasingly
complicated. The associated ethical issues are becoming more of a blur. The
universities are struggling with an overburdened curriculum and a faculty with
less and less design-related experience. Course work with meaningful design
issues is rare. The profession needs technically qualified graduates and successful
engineers if the profession is to prosper. Training in all nine of the factors
above is critical to our success.
The Foundation for Professional Practice is responding to the needs of the
profession. We want successful engineers, successful projects, and continuous
improvement in our profession. We are addressing this through our programs and
our niche as the "bridge" between students, faculty, and practitioners. One
student summarized our program in the Issues course by saying:
"This class should be mandatory for all undergraduate engineering
students. It helps remove some of the unpleasant surprises awaiting future managers.
It also alerts the engineer to the non-technical aspects of the profession,
which are essential for a successful engineering firm. Good work!"
The programs offered by FPP are directed at the "real world" by enhancing the
student's knowledge of business, legal, and professional practice issues. They
are taught by practitioners who relate their own varied experiences to students
and faculty. This form of mentoring by practitioners is a way of "giving back,"
which benefits the students, the university, and the practitioner.
These programs benefit the profession by:
- producing graduates that are better prepared to enter the profession
- reducing training costs to firms
- reducing a firm's exposure to liability
- reinforcing these issues at the faculty level thereby benefiting students
- upgrading the profession by practitioners sharing their experiences
Upgrading or even maintaining the profession will not occur by itself. We must
be proactive if we want the profession to succeed. FPP's mission is to start with
the "raw material" of the profession ¾ the student and the recent graduate, the
future of our profession. Our vision is that our programs will augment a sound
technical background enhancing the opportunities for successful engineers and
thereby upgrade our profession. In just three years, through the summer of 1995,
over 900 students have completed our courses. Over 100 practitioners have helped
teach these courses by sharing their experiences, and the faculty at these universities
have been exposed to real world experiences and seen the delight of their students'
reaction to a discussion of professional practice issues.
This is only a start. Of the 210 ABET accredited engineering curricula throughout
the United States, approximately 20% of these schools have initiated a full
course on issues and professional practice. More than 100 schools are using
portions of the course work developed by FPP. It is obvious that these courses
meet a need. Universities and the profession are beginning to recognize this
need, and we expect these numbers to continue to increase. If you would like
to assist in enhancing the opportunity for success in our profession, we can
use your help. Sustainable funding is critical to the longevity of the Foundation.
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The Heritage Society
The members of the FPP Heritage Society are design professionals who believe
in the mission of the Foundation for Professional Practice. They have made a
commitment to ensure that quality educational programs will continue to be developed
to prepare engineering and science students and recent graduates for successful
careers in professional practice. An individual becomes a member of the Heritage
Society by making an outright gift, a planned gift, or a bequest in his or her
will to the Foundation.
Its Purpose
The Heritage Society's purpose is to encourage individuals and corporations
to support the operation of the Foundation (financially through any of a number
of gift-giving programs). Through the Society, the Foundation recognizes those
individuals and corporations whose leadership and commitment to the mission
and goals of the Foundation have caused them to make a gift or gifts by qualifying
them for membership in the Heritage Society.
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Ways To Join The Heritage Society
Individuals and organizations can join the Heritage Society by pledging to make
a qualifying annual gift for a period of five years or a one-time gift. Individuals
can also make a bequest or a gift of life insurance. Annual and one-time gifts
can be made any time. It is the most immediate way to support FPP.
A bequest is also an effective way of giving. Your bequest may specify a dollar
amount, a percentage of your estate, or a residual of your estate. Members of
the Foundation's Endowment Development Committee are available to meet and discuss
the many benefits to the donor and the Foundation of a planned gift.
Gifts Are Tax Deductible
Your gifts to the Foundation for Professional Practice are tax-deductible. Other
tax benefits, including reductions in capital gain and estate taxes, are generally
available through planned giving arrangements. The Foundation can assist you
and your estate planning professional in analyzing the specific tax benefits
from your gift to the Foundation.
Investment Management
The Board of Governors of the Foundation has the overall responsibility for
managing gifts to the Foundation, including the preservation, growth, and use
of these funds. This responsibility is shared by the Board of Governors and
the Treasurer of the Foundation. The Foundation's long-term investment objectives
are to increase the value of the endowment through prudent and responsible investments.
Use Of Proceeds
The Foundation was originally founded (as IPP) in 1989 with a $300,000 grant
from ASFE ¾ Professional Firms Practicing in the Geosciences. Since that time,
with the assistance of some annual grants, earnings on investments, and gifts
from friends of the Foundation, we have managed to provide dynamic programs.
Designation Of Gifts
The Foundation will work with you to make sure your gift accomplishes what you
have in mind. A gift is a great way to honor a colleague. Your gift can be for
a specific program or any other stated purpose. Your gift can also be for the
general purposes of the Foundation without restriction, thus, permitting your
gift to have the greatest impact on the future of the Foundation. Unrestricted
gifts allow the Foundation to adjust to future or changing conditions so that
your gift can be used where the current need is greatest.
Unless directed to do otherwise, annual gifts will be deposited in the Foundation's
operating fund, while larger outright gifts, planned gifts, and bequests will
be placed in the Foundation's capital fund. The latter gifts will provide perpetual
support to our program. Heritage Society members are recognized for their lifetime
giving.
Reflections On Tomorrow
Your decision to make a gift to the Foundation will be a great source of personal
satisfaction. The gift you make will be recorded as a perpetual reminder of
your interest in and concern for your profession and will ensure that the Foundation
will provide a quality educational program for current and future young professionals.
The Foundation will gladly assist you in planning a gift to meet your wishes
and produce maximum financial benefits for both you, your family, and the Foundation.
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