2019 AIA College of Fellows Emerging Professionals Grant Award

(Business photo created by yanalya)

John Webster, AIA happily reports the AIA College of Fellows awarded one of twelve Emerging Professionals Component Grants for 2019 to AIA Oregon. John is the current Chair of the Emerging Professionals Committee for the Eugene section of AIA Oregon (and also one of my colleagues at Robertson/Sherwood/Architects) and was primarily responsible for submitting the grant application.

The $5,000 grant will assist with the development of a network of interconnected emerging professionals groups in each section of the newly formed statewide AIA chapter, and provide a uniform standard of resources available to emerging professionals within Oregon.

During an effort to connect recent architecture school graduates, designers seeking licensure, and young architects licensed less than 10 years, AIA Oregon board members discovered some local sections lacked formal EP programs, particularly outside of AIA Portland and AIA Eugene. Accordingly, the board identified several key goals:

• Establish EP groups in each section 
• Provide statewide resources for licensure preparation and Architectural Registration Examination (ARE) study
• Assist EP members with identifying mentoring opportunities
• Provide career-focused education programming tailored to emerging professionals
• Encourage diversity and the equitable practice of architecture

In response, John and EP representatives from the other sections developed a plan to implement the goals. The plan is organized in three phases:

1. Establish missing section EP committees, connect emerging professionals with one another, and educate about the benefits of AIA membership. This phase would include the establishment of a common online communication tool (AIA Oregon currently uses Slack). 
2. Provide equitable ARE study assistance in each state section. This means furnishing ARE 5.0 study materials to each of the five sections for use as a lending library, and offering scholarships for subscriptions to Black Spectacles (ARE exam prep software for those located far away the lending library locations). 
3. Provide emerging professionals with access to mentorship opportunities, and provide EP-focused continuing education content.

AIA Oregon sought the grant because the imperative exists to inspire professional growth and to support that growth by providing career-advancing resources and tools to new generations of Oregon architects.

The College of Fellows established the grants fund to assist AIA components in the development of programs which foster the mission of young architects and AIA Associate Members. A primary goal of the component grants program is to make emerging professionals groups a vital component activity. The application requirements include nomination by a component executive, a one-page summary of the proposal, and details of the proposal (purpose, expected audience, budget, amount of grant requested). A jury comprised of the COF Executive Committee and one representative each from the NAC Executive Committee and the YAF Advisory Committee reviewed the applications in June.

The jury fully funded the AIA Oregon application, a testament to its merit and the emphasis the College of Fellows accords to the development of emerging professionals. Thank you John for the work you and your fellow EP representatives are doing to advance the interests of EP groups throughout the state!