Regional Director
William J. Bates, AIA
Thanks to those who provided feedback on my chapter visits over the past year. I am grateful that Pennsylvania has so many members who care about important issues such as government affairs and are willing to share their concerns and what is more important lend their financial support to our state and national political action committees. I urge your continued support and engagement. Please contact me if you have any questions or concerns about the AIA’s advocacy efforts.
I also encourage you to participate in AIA/PA’s Architects Day in Harrisburg and the AIA Grassroots Conference in Washington, DC each of which offers us a chance to learn about critical legislative issues affecting our profession. Only by raising our collective voice will we be heard by policymakers.
These continue to be challenging times for profession. The doldrums of the post 2008 economy have stalled the building industry forcing firms to pare their ranks. As the baby boom generation nears retirement there are fewer young architectural graduates pursuing licensure. The boundaries of architectural practice are threatened with by a lack of public appreciation as well as competition from other disciplines. Numerous surveys suggest that architecture is the worse major for college applicants due to high unemployment among graduates. These issues highlight concerns about the resiliency of the profession and the value proposition of AIA membership.
So it is important to know that the AIA is in the midst of a repositioning initiative. The first half of this endeavor has been completed by our consultants LaPlaca Cohen. They already have interviewed 30,000 thousand individuals across the country including a cross section of our members, potential members, our clients and the general public. They have been processing all of this information and formulating a platform for change and recommendations for the Institute to reposition itself and the profession for a stronger and more influential future within society.
We are learning that our members expect the AIA to be a bolder leader. The survey revealed that 70% of our members want the organization to be the voice of the profession, advocating for architects, championing innovation, anticipating change, and leading the way forward. Obviously members expect the AIA to be identify the issues and to design strategies to a better future for the profession and our members.
As a result of these surveys we have gained insights from our clients and the public who admire us but don’t completely understand or appreciate the broader value of our services. While the AIA has long tried to educate society about the importance of design in health and quality of life issues we must do more.
I believe that it is important as we construct this new perspective to think about more ways in which AIA can exert a greater influence on society by repositioning our profession in the minds of the public and the imaginations of future architects. More details on this initiative will be presented at the AIA Convention in Denver.
I welcome your thoughts on this subject of this professional and institutional self evaluation.
On a closing note I would like to thank Caroline Boyce our former Executive Vice President for her 10 years of great leadership at AIA Pennsylvania and CACE. Likewise, thanks go to Robert Keaton our former Government Affairs Manager for advancing our legislative agenda during his 3 years on the state staff. They have each contributed to our region component’s success and now have gone their separate ways in search of new challenges. They will be missed.
