ASLA Oregon

August 2011 Trustee’s Report:

 

Some of the highlights from our National Office the past month are as follows:

 

Governance and Administration

·       On 8/17/11 Landscape architects across the country fanned our during their lunch hours to engage the public in a discussion about the profession. Some 175 activities were planned, and there was wide media interest.  Our Chapter provided a dozen members who participated at Director Park and Pioneer Square.

·       The U.S. General Services Administration has just added a high-level (GS-14) landscape architect position to GSA’s Office of the Chief Architect. ASLA had been pushing for the addition of this position to the Office, which oversees and sets policy for all of GSA’s design and construction programs.

 

Public Relations and Communications

·       A new website, “Landscape Architecture. Your Environment. Designed,” was launched today to support the public awareness campaign launch and serve as the go-to resource for more information.

·       Recent ASLA news coverage has appeared in the Wall Street Journal, Inhabitat, How Stuff Works, the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, among other outlets.

·       As a companion to the new Chinese language page on asla.org, which has been viewed nearly 3,000 times so far, a new Spanish language page is under development.

·       Web communications worked with professional practice staff to create a new, easier to use Web-based LATIS self-test form.

 

Professional Practice

·       On August 4, a new Federal Opportunities for Landscape Architects resource page was posted under the Business Tools section of the Professional Practice Resource Center on the ASLA website. This is a members-only page with easy direct access and links to new grant opportunities and direct access to federal business contract listings and other resources.

 

·       ASLA has released an updated paper in the Landscape Architecture Technical Information Series (LATIS): LATIS Forum on Therapeutic Garden Design, 2nd Edition. In addition to updates by the authors, the paper has been reviewed and the self-test exam approved for professional development hours (PDH) under Landscape Architecture Continuing Education System (LA CES). Members and non-members can access LATIS papers via the ASLA website. Members can download these publications at no charge. Both members and non-members pre-pay a small fee for the processing of the self-test exams.

 

Education and Academic Affairs

·       The Landscape Architectural Accreditation Board met in San Francisco on August 1-2. Mary Myers, ASLA, was elected LAAB chair-elect and will become chair on January 1, 2012. LAAB reviewed 17 landscape architecture degree program applications for accreditation and two applications for candidacy status. Additional information on the meeting will be announced after the schools that were reviewed have been notified.

 

Dave