Transcript Slide 1

IEEE-USA History:
The First 36 Years
IEEE 2009 History Conference on the History of
Technical Societies
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
August 5, 2009
John W. Meredith
IEEE-USA 2007 President
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About IEEE-USA
IEEE-USA is an organizational unit of the Institute of Electrical and
Electronics Engineers, Inc. created in 1973 to support the career and
public policy interests of IEEE's U.S. members. IEEE-USA is primarily
supported by an annual assessment paid by U.S. IEEE members.
IEEE-USA's mission as outlined in the IEEE Bylaws is to recommend
policies and implement programs specifically intended to serve and
benefit the members, the profession, and the public in the United States in
appropriate professional areas of economic, ethical, legislative, social and
technology policy concern.
Our vision is to serve the IEEE U.S. member by being the technical
professional's best resource for achieving life long career vitality and by
providing an effective voice on policies that promote U.S. prosperity.
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The Impetus
• The economic roller coaster particularly in United
States
-Downturn in aerospace industry (end of Apollo program)
-Reduced defense spending (post Vietnam buildup)
• Lack of national engineering society in United
States
–standing of engineers
–lack of focus on professional needs of electrical and
electronic engineers
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Preliminary Steps
• Established USAC office in Washington D.C.
• Volunteer leaders John Guerra and Jim Mulligan
(West Coast); Dick Backe, Saj Duranni, Leo
Young (East Coast)
• Education and career development programs
• Published salary surveys and employment data
• Experimental program in technology forecasting
• Limited by IEEE constitution (scientific and
educational …)
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Paving the Way:
Constitutional Amendments
• Initial effort to modify constitution failed in 1971 (“the
primary purpose of the IEEE is to promote and improve
the economic well-being of the membership…” and
“secondary purpose of the IEEE are scientific, literary, and
educational …”
• BoD further explored issues in a questionnaire
• This resulted in proposed change to IEEE Constitution “(a)
Scientific and educational…” and (b) Professional,
directed toward the advancement and standing of the
members of the profession it serves, …”
• Proposed amendments passed (42,899 yes, 6508 no)
• Amendments went into effect in February 1973
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Amendments Called for New
Objectives of a Professional Nature
• Conduct and publication of surveys and reports on
matters of professional concern to members
• Collaboration with public bodies and other societies for
the benefit of the engineering profession
• Establishment of standards of qualification and ethical
conduct
• Prohibit collective bargaining on such matters as
salaries, wages, benefits, and working conditions,
customarily dealt with by labor unions
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Launching United States
Activities Board (USAB)
• Sixth major IEEE organizational unit launched in 1973
with first Chair Harold Goldberg
• IEEE-USAB Board of directors first “Program Plan”
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Financial and economic benefits for members
Career conditions and opportunities
Professional status
Government relations and interface
Communications of USAB aims, activities, and accomplishments
• Highly energetic and dedicated leaders
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Early Initiatives and Successes
• Retirement security legislation
– Established intersociety pension committee
– Employees Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) enacted in
1974
– Reform resulted in IRA and 401K plans, shorter vesting, etc.
• Employment assistance
– Published Employment Guidelines for Employers and Employees
– Fair treatment of professional employees engaged in U.S.
government contract work
– Salary and employment surveys
– Career development workshops
• Grassroots involvement
– Professional activities workshops
– Professional Activities Committee for Engineers (PACE)
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Early Initiatives and Successes (cont’d)
• Support of Science and Technology legislation
– Resulted in establishment of Office of Science and Technology
– Created Congressional Fellows Program
– First conference on technology policy sponsored jointly by TAB
and USAB
• Ethics
– Bay Area Rapid Transit speed control problem field “amicus brief”
– Supported whistleblower following loss of Challenger Space
Shuttle
– IEEE Code of ethics originally drafted by USAB volunteers
• Licensure and Registration
– Dialog with NCEE to influence PE exam process
– Licensure and Registration Committee
• Student Professional Awareness Conferences (SPACs)
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The Mature Years – Making a Difference
• Focus on Competitiveness
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Council on Competitiveness
Business Roundtable
Thomas Friedman’s book The World is Flat
Innovation Institute, Entrepreneur’s Village, Consultants Network
• Public Policy
– State Department Fellows Program
– WISE program (joint with other societies)
– Public Relations programs and initiatives
• Ties to other Washington DC organizations (AAES, NAE,
SIA, Council on Competitiveness, etc.)
• Technology Policy Focus
– Policy statements
– Congressional R&D symposia
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The Mature Years – Making a Difference (cont’d)
• Bringing Young Engineers to the Table
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Driven by inputs from PACE workshop attendees
RAB picked up on concept
GOLD formed at SC ‘96
Source of tomorrow’s leaders
• Communications Initiatives
– Today’s Engineer
– e-books
– Eye on Washington report
• Re-branding/Reorganization
– Name change
– Member elected president
– Board reorganization and bylaw changes
• Promoting Professional Activities in other Regions
• Employment Assistance
– Job site on web; very popular
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Our Past - Our Future
Leo Young 1980 IEEE President (1926-2006)
“We engineers are part of a larger society. In a shrinking
and ever more independent world, and with diminishing
resources, the engineer has a critical role to play.
Increasingly, technology, research, innovation and
productivity are becoming public-policy issues in the
United States and throughout the world. We have an
unquestionable responsibility to participate in the debate.”
These words were visionary in 1980. They are just as true today as they will be in
the coming years. They say much about IEEE-USA’s past and where its future lies.
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Web Links
• IEEE-USA home page: www.ieeeusa.org
• IEEE History web site contains a wealth of history
resources relating to the history of USAC, USAB, and IEEEUSA. The site includes an updated history of IEEE-USA
written by Pender McCarter along with a an earlier history,
History of IEEE-USA: The First Ten Years written by Gloria
Aukland, and a number of other historical documents.
history :http://www.ieeeusa.org/about/history/index.html
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