By Design

Winter 2006

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Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr., Governor

Michael S. Steele, Lt. Governor

James D. Fielder, Jr., Ph.D., Secretary

John M. Wasilisin, Deputy Secretary

COMMISSIONER'S MESSAGE
Joseph Sliwka
Commissioner, Occupational & Professional Licensing

Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation

As 2006 comes to a close, I would like to sum up some of the major accomplishments of the Design Boards. They include the implementation of a communications outreach program and hiring of new staff as well as a record number of PE test takers—all culminating in a license fee reduction and the kickoff of the E-licensing Project. These initiatives are discussed in greater detail throughout this issue of ByDesign.

First, individuals who have been licensed professional engineers in Maryland for 50 consecutive years or more were honored at the Christie Society Awards Presentation held February 21 at the Engineers Club of the Garrett-Jacobs Mansion in Baltimore. These highly accomplished professional engineers were formally given the recognition they deserve.

Janine McDonald was hired by the Design Boards to handle media and communication duties. Janine is responsible for the publishing of thisnewsletter, By Design as well as producingbrochureson the licensure and /or careers of architects, PEs, land surveyors, landscape architects and interior designers. Janinehas also designed a brochure explaining the complaint process to give the public a better understanding of what it entails. She has done an outstanding job and we are pleased to have her on board.

Linda Rhew, the Design Boards’ exam coordinator for six years, has taken another position within the division of Occupational and Professional Licensing and has been replaced by Kendell Milker, hired on September 18th. We welcome Kendell and hope she has a long-lasting career here with the Design Boards.

We have also hiredJohn Stankowskias an investigator. With the retirement of the Design Boards’ previous investigator, we needed someone to focus on expeditiously handling current complaints. Please join me in welcoming John to O&P.

This year we had a record number of candidates (795) who were scheduled to sit at the April P&P exams. In addition, the five Design Boards’ have begun an extensive project to digitize all of the Design Board’s application forms and started the process of reducing licensing fees from $78 to $68 biennially.

Finally, I would like to wish everyone a safe and happy holiday season. It has been a pleasure serving you in my role as Commissioner throughout 2006.

ARCHITECTURE

PUBLIC HEARING REGARDING IDP/A.R.E. TIMING HELD

At its September 27, 2006 meeting, the Board of Architects held a public hearing regarding the issue of allowing architectural licensing candidates to take the licensing exam (A.R.E.) before they complete the Intern Development Program (IDP).

Those appearing before the board included Mahendra Parekh, president of AIA Baltimore and associate professor at Morgan State University’s Institute of Architecture & Planning, and Jaclyn Toole, AIA regional associate director for the Middle Atlantic Region. Others in attendance included recent architectural program graduates as well as students in their final year of their architectural education. In addition, the board received nearly 50 written comments.

Many of the oral and written statements favored beginning the A.R.E. before completing training. The ability of candidates to recollect newly learned information and a potential three to five-year wait for licensing were cited as primary reasons candidates want to start testing early.

The board is currently collecting and evaluating data from other sources including the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB) before making a final ruling on the matter. The process will likely take several months to complete.

RATCLIFFE RECEIVES CITATIONS

Retiring Board of Architects member Donald Burns Ratcliffe (center) was recognized for serving more than four terms and 20 years of service to the Board of Architects at its September 26 meeting. Gregg Safko, deputy secretary of the Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation (left) and Stephen Parker, board chairman (right) presented Ratcliffe with Governor’s and Departmental citations for the unselfish service he provided to licensees and the architectural design community of Maryland.

EDMEADES APPOINTED TO BOARD OF ARCHITECTS

The Board of Architects welcomes Paul D. Edmeades as an architect member. Edmeades is the managing principal/president of Edmeades and Stromdahl, Ltd. and possesses over 35 years of experience in the architectural profession. His expertise includes energy and environmental conservation as well as the design and development of fire facilities. Edmeades holds a Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Virginia and a Master of Environmental Design from Yale University. He replaces retiring board member Donald B. Ratcliffe.

ENGINEERING

NCEES ANNUAL MEETING HELD

by Pastor Farinas, Board for Professional Engineers

The National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES) held its Annual Business Meeting on September 13–16, 2006, in Anchorage, Alaska. Representing the State of Maryland were Rosalind L. Yee, H.C. Harclerode, II, PE, and Pastor Farinas, PE. In sum, the annual meeting was a solid success, with members participating in workshops, voting on motions and networking with other Council members.

The delegates approved revisions to the Model Law and Model Rules to increase mandatory engineering education for licensure. The approved language states that,“An engineer intern with a bachelor's degree must have an additional 30 credits of acceptable upper-level undergraduate or graduate-level coursework from approved providers to be admitted to the Principles and Practice of Engineering (PE) examination.”

The Council also passed a Committee on Uniform Procedures and Legislative Guidelines (UPLG) motion adding language to the Model Rules, stating effective January 1, 2015, a graduate with a bachelor of science degree in engineering requiring more than 120 credits may request that credits earned in excess of 120 credits be applied to satisfy the requirement.

The following language was added to the NCEES Model Law definition of what will be considered minimum evidence satisfactory to the board that an applicant is qualified for licensure as a professional engineer:

Licensure by Examination (Effective January 1, 2015). The following individuals shall be admitted to an eight-hour written examination in the principles and practice of engineering:

  1. An engineer intern with a bachelor's degree, with an additional 30 credits of acceptable upper-level undergraduate or graduate-level coursework from approved course providers, and with a specific record of an additional four years or more of progressive experience on engineering projects of a grade and a character which indicate to the board that the applicant may be competent to practice engineering.
  2. An engineer intern with a master's degree in engineering from an institution that offers EAC/ABET-accredited programs, or the equivalent, and with a specific record of an additional three years or more of progressive experience on engineering projects of a grade and a character which indicate to the board that the applicant may be competent to practice engineering.
  3. An engineer intern with a doctorate in engineering acceptable to the board and with a specific record of an additional two years or more of progressive experience on engineering projects of a grade and a character which indicate to the board that the applicant may be competent to practice engineering.
  4. An individual with a doctorate in engineering acceptable to the board and with a specific record of an additional four years or more of progressive experience on engineering projects of a grade and a character which indicate to the board that the applicant may be competent to practice engineering.

At the meeting, delegates approved motions to change the Model Rules section on continuing professional competency (CPC). The changes clarify what constitutes appropriate CPC activity and incorporates new language to define a standard for CPC renewal. The standard requires licensees to acquire 15 professional development hours in one calendar year in compliance with CPC guidelines. Licensees meeting this standard may document their CPC activities on the NCEES CPC standard reporting form approved by the Council.
The 2006–2007 NCEES Board of Directors was commissioned at the Annual Meeting. It includes the following members:

President—Louis A. Raimondi, P.E., L.S., New Jersey
President-Elect—W. Gene Corley, Ph.D., P.E., S.E., Illinois
Past President—Martin A. Pedersen, L.S., Wyoming
Treasurer—Gregg E. Brandow, Ph.D., P.E., S.E., California
Vice President Central Zone—Donald E. Rathbone, Ph.D., P.E., Kansas
Vice President Northeast Zone—L. Robert Smith, P.E., Rhode Island
Vice President Southern Zone—Mitchell S. Tibshrany Jr., P.E., South Carolina
Vice President Western Zone—David L. Whitman, Ph.D., P.E., Wyoming

MARYLAND SOCIETY OF PROFESSIONAL ENGINEERS HONORS NEW PEs

In conjunction with presentations of official license certificates to newly licensed Maryland professional engineers, the Maryland Society of Professional Engineers held a scholarship fundraiser on October 12, 2006 at the National Aquarium in Baltimore.

The evening began with a slideshow by Don Hankey from Whiting Turner, a project manager who worked on the construction of the “Building Animal Planet Australia: Wild Extremes” exhibit and construction and renovation of the Baltimore Aquarium itself. Those in attendance at the lecture were then invited to view the new Australia Exhibit or participate in a special behind-the-scenes tour of engineering spaces in small groups.

The newly licensed engineers received their certificates from H.C. Harclerode, II, vice chair of the Maryland Board for Professional Engineers.

Other highlights of the evening included the presentation of the MDSPE Fellow Award to Eduardo Acevedo, P.E., and the administration of the Order of the Engineer Installation Ceremony.

MONGAN NEW PRESIDENT-ELECT OF ASCE

The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) elected David G. Mongan, PE, FASCE, as its president-elect. Previously, Mongan has served as ASCE treasurer, Zone 1 vice president, and District 5 director. He has also chaired committees dealing with government relations, infrastructure policy, technical activities, and federal procurement of architecture and engineering services.

Mongan, is the president of the architecture and engineering firm Whitney, Bailey, Cox & Magnani, of Baltimore. The firm provides services in highway and bridge engineering, architecture, and waterfront and marine engineering. A resident of Reisterstown, Md., he earned bachelor's and master's degrees in civil engineering from the University of Maryland and a master's of business administration from Loyola College.

NCEES ISSUES LIST OF CALCULATORS PERMITTED IN EXAMINATION ROOM
The National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES) has approved a list of calculators for the April and October 2007 exam administrations. The following models are the only calculators that will be permitted in the examination room for the 2007 exam administrations:
Hewlett Packard—HP 33s
Casio—FX 115 MS or FX 115 MS Plus
Texas Instruments—TI 30X IIS
Texas Instruments—TI 36X Solar
Employers, please distribute the above list to exam candidates in your firms and companies. For more information, please see the Calculator Policy at or call NCEES headquarters at 864-654-6824.

INTERIOR DESIGN

NCIDQ ANNUAL MEETING HELD

The annual NCIDQ Council of Delegates meeting was held in Louisville, Ky. November 10-12, 2006. Carol Doering, chair of the Maryland Certified Interior Designers Board and board member Teri Lura Bennett were the delegates representing Maryland.

The following new officers were installed:

Jan Bast (Calif.)-Installed as 2007 NCIDQ president

Sandy Friend (Ore.)-Installed as NCIDQ president-elect

Sharon DelBianco (Fl.) and Debbie Steinmetz (La.)-New members elected to the NCIDQ Board of Directors

The Council of Delegates passed nine amendments to NCIDQ bylaws. Major resolutions included:

  1. A requirement that the president-elect be elected from the Council of Delegates rather than appointed by the Board of Directors
  2. A requirement that four of seven directors who hold certificates have previously served as delegates or alternate delegates
  3. A reduction of the Board of Directors term of service from six to four years
  4. A requirement that the Nominating Committee nominate and the Council of Delegates elect a new person to fill any Board of Directors vacancy
  5. Change of composition of the Nominating Committee

There were also breakout sessions, including one for the Interior Design Continuing Education Council (IDCEC) and another regarding the CIDA-comparable process for education, minimum educational requirements and NCIDQ’s new technology system.

BECOMING A CERTIFIED INTERIOR DESIGNER

by Carol Doering, Chair, Board of Certified Interior Designers

As those interior designers know who hold certificates in Maryland, NCIDQ is the testing agency that measures competency through examination once an interior designer has completed the education and work experience requirements. Arkansas has joined the ranks of states regulating interior designers.

For those of you who may be considering taking the NCIDQ exam so that you can then become certified in Maryland, here are a few important things for you to know. (Further information is available at or by calling 202-721-0220). There are several ways the education and experience requirements can be met in order to qualify to sit for the exam. Even if your school is not CIDA (formerly FIDER) accredited, you can still qualify for examination using one of three combinations of 6 years education/work experience.

Certification is an important way to demonstrate professionalism and to set the profession of Interior Design apart from other “designer” jobs. For those of you who have already taken the NCIDQ exam but are not yet certified, did you know that there are nearly 200 Interior Designers in the state of Maryland who have successfully completed the NCIDQ exam but who are not certified? If you are one of those designers,

certification is only a couple of simple steps away and costs very little on a yearly basis (currently $78.00 and soon to be $68.00 for a two-year period).

NCIDQ also offers 6 monographs for continuing education units (CEUs). There are a variety of subjects covered that allow you to take the course whenever it’s convenient for you. Check out the list of monographs by visiting the NCIDQ website.

If you still have questions about how to become a Certified Interior Designer, please go to the DLLR website or contact the DLLR office at 410-230-6259 to complete the circle of your profession to the highest level now available.

LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE

CLARB ANNUAL MEETING HELD

by Michael Fisher, Maryland Board of Examiners of Landscape Architects

The annual meeting of the Council of Landscape Architects Registration Boards (CLARB) was held in San Antonio, Tx. September 7-9.

Maryland’s Landscape Architects Board of Examiners member Michael Fisher attended to provide input from Maryland and receive updates on various CLARB activities. One such topic is the search for a new CLARB executive director. CLARB Board members stated their goal is to have an executive director in place bysummer 2007.

The U.S. and Canada, which have CLARB representation, are divided into five regions. As part of the annual meeting schedule, each region holds a meeting with the representatives of the states or provinces within that region, presided over by a regional director who sits on the Board of Directors.

Denise Husband, RLA from Delaware, is Region One Director. Denise gave a report of our region’s activities and items discussed at our regional meeting. Denise is the Maryland board’sliaison to CLARB. She has frequently offered her assistance in providing information and making comments to CLARB’s Board of Directors.

Comments were provided by other DLLR board members and professionals regarding challenges to using the CLARB Website. CLARB representatives indicated they are aware that efforts need to be made to improve the Website. The goal is to make improvements before the annual meeting in 2007 so that the Website is more user-friendly. Continuing education requirements and courses that qualify for continuing education credits are ongoing topics of discussion.

CLARB will hold a meeting in February 2007 where updates will be provided. The Maryland Board of Landscape Architects Examiners plans to send a representative to that meeting.

DESIGN BOARDS INFO

JOINT CHAIRS GROUP REDUCES LICENSE FEE

by Janine S. McDonald

The Joint Chairs Group of the Design Boards passed a resolution at its October 17 meeting urging the five design boards to reduce their current licensing fees by $10, from $78 biennially to $68. The boards for Architects, Professional Engineers, Professional Land Surveyors, Certified Interior Designers and Landscape Architects have taken the necessary action to do so.

The change comes after extensive discussion by the boards’ chairs over the past several months, culminating with a recommendation by Dr. Charles Maloy, chairman of the Joint Chairs and of the Board for Professional Land Surveyors, that the matter be brought before the group, which resulted in a unanimous decision.

The fee reduction will contribute to the “preservation of financial integrity of the cluster fund as well as the Group’s overall responsibilities to licensees and certificate holders,” according to Maloy. Prior to the change, the Design Boards Special Fund had been accumulating annual surpluses.

“It’s gratifying to see the Five Design Boards take the initiative to reduce their licensing fees,” said Executive Director T. L. Woods. “It’s not often that a state agency takes such an action. I’m sure the 23,000 persons licensed by these boards will appreciate it.”

The Joint Design Chairs Group is taking other measures to appropriately utilize money in the DB Special Fund to benefit its constituents. These including hiring additional personnel, upgrading outdated computer systems, and implementing an enhanced E-licensing system.

The Maryland General Assembly passed HB-267 in 2003, creating the Professional Design Boards Special Fund and giving the five boards fee setting authority. The five year trial program was designed to end the chronic under-funding of the boards and was strongly supported by those organizations which represented the professionals licensed by the boards.

DESIGN BOARDS E-LICENSING PROJECT UNDERWAY

by Janine S. McDonald

An upgrade of the current electronic licensing system for the Design Boards is no longer just a concept but is becoming a reality. The “E-licensing Project,” as it is commonly referred to, will enable re-exam applications, license renewals, first-time applications and limited license applications for various Design Boards to be fully processed electronically. This includes receiving credit card payments as well as electronically transmitting supporting documents--the full application process from start to finish.