2019 Architect Licensing Advisors Summit

{"version":"0.3.0","atoms":[],"cards":[],"markups":[["b"],["a",["href","https:\/\/www.naab.org\/accreditation\/program-resources\/current-conditions-and-procedures\/"]],["a",["href","https:\/\/www.ncarb.org\/pass-the-are"]],["a",["href","https:\/\/www.ncarb.org\/gain-axp-experience"]],["a",["href","https:\/\/www.ncarb.org\/advance-your-career\/ncarb-certificate"]],["a",["href","https:\/\/www.ncarb.org\/advance-your-career\/international-practice"]],["a",["href","new-line"]],["a",["href","https:\/\/www.ncarb.org\/nbtn2019"]],["a",["href","https:\/\/www.ncarb.org\/nbtn2019\/timeline-to-licensure"]],["a",["href","https:\/\/www.ncarb.org\/nbtn2019\/demographics"]],["a",["href","https:\/\/www.ncarb.org\/nbtn2019\/jurisdictions"]],["a",["href","mailto:customerservice@ncarb.org?subject=Licensing%20Advisors"]]],"sections":[[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"NCARB and AIA hosted the 2019 Licensing Advisors Summit on\nAugust 3 - 4 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. \nThe purpose of the two-day summit was to share information about NCARB\u2019s\nprograms and best practices with fellow advisors around the country."]]],[1,"p",[[0,[0],1,"What is a Licensing Advisor?"]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"A licensing\nadvisor is a volunteer who helps others navigate the road to licensure. Licensing advisors come in many forms. All accredited schools of architecture are\nrequired to have an appointed advisor as part of their "],[0,[1],1,"conditions\nfor accreditation"],[0,[],0,". Every state also\nhas a licensing advisor who is appointed by the state AIA Chapter. The third form of licensing advisors are\nthose appointed by their firms or local AIA components."]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"Overall, around 250 licensing advisors from around the\ncountry, including from as far away as Alaska and Hawaii, participated in the\nretreat. The distance these advisors are\nwilling to travel for the summit speaks volumes to the value these individuals\nplace on the importance of helping others achieve their goals of becoming\nlicensed."]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"This year\u2019s summit was the sixth that I have attended; and it\nwas by far the best one. The summit used\nto be an annual gathering which was appropriate due to all the changes that\nwere happening with Architectural Experience Program (AXP), Architect Registration\nExamination (ARE) and other programs provided by the National Council of Architectural\nRegistration Boards (NACARB). The need\nto distribute information on the programs to make sure both the advisors as\nwell as the licensure candidates were up to date on the new rules and programs warranted\nan annual summit. As those changes have\ntaken effect, the need to gather annually became less; and the summit switched\nin recent years to a biennial gathering."]]],[1,"p",[[0,[0],1,"2019 Summit Themes"]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"This year\u2019s\nsummit revolved around a theme. Many of the general sessions tied into smaller\nelective breakouts and included a \u201cIf you want to learn more, go to this\nsession later\u201d aspect that made it feel well-planned and choreographed. "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"In addition, the sessions that focused on major NCARB\nprograms, which addressed topics like the "],[0,[2],1,"ARE"],[0,[],0,", "],[0,[3],1,"AXP"],[0,[],0," and "],[0,[4],1,"NCARB\nCertificate"],[0,[],0,", went into greater detail beyond a general program overview as\nthey assumed that the attendees, many of whom have attended multiple summits,\nwere familiar with the basics of these programs. "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"The ARE overview included a discussion on how the ARE is\nwritten, including who sits on the Item Development Subcommittee and the\nprocess of writing an ARE question (item), and the effort required of the\nvolunteer item writers to get a question from an idea in someone\u2019s head to a\nlive question on the exam. "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"The NCARB Certificate overview looked at many of the\nnon-traditional paths an individual can take to obtain an NCARB Certificate, including\nthe Education Alternative for those without a NAAB Accredited Degree and the\npath for a foreign licensed architect. \nThe session also talked about some of the recent "],[0,[5],1,"Mutual\nRecognition Agreements"],[0,[],0," to allow U.S. Architects with an NCARB Certificate\nto gain licensure in other countries including Canada, Mexico, Australia and\nNew Zealand."]]],[1,"p",[[0,[0],1,"Deeper Dive"]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"Many attendees appreciated this \u201clook under the hood\u201d\ninsight and deeper dive into these programs. \nAfter all, we were all there because we want to help others achieve\ntheir license \u2013 and that includes understanding the programs and resources\navailable to individuals."]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"Additionally, every session that I attended included some\nsort of interactive aspect. This was a\nnoticeable departure from past licensing advisor summits where only a handful\nof sessions included or actively encouraged full participation from the\nattendees. Helping people become\nlicensed is not a one-size-fits-all approach. \nEverything from firm size to education background to work experience and\nhome\/family dynamics influences an individual\u2019s path to licensure and more\nimportantly how long it takes and if they stick with it. "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"Adding the interactive aspect to the sessions allowed for\nfellow licensing advisors, whose backgrounds are as diverse as the licensure\ncandidates they are advising, to participate and share their own experiences. This rounded out the sessions well and\nprovided a more balanced approach to sharing information and best practices as\nwell as an additional avenue for connecting with other advisors, which is one\nof the main goals of the summit."]]],[1,"p",[[0,[0],1,"The Value of Licensure"]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"I also had the pleasure of co-presenting a session at this\nyear\u2019s summit titled \u201cThe Value of Licensure: A Discourse on Present and Future\nPerspectives.\u201d My co-presenter was DJ\nHeinle, AIA, from Minneapolis. Our\nsession was a four-corners exercise in which we broke up the attendees into\nfour groups and asked them to answer four questions, with each group rotating\namong the four questions."]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"The questions we asked participants to answer were:"]]],[3,"ul",[[[0,[],0,"Why is licensure important to you? "]],[[0,[],0,"\nHow do you think the value of licensure will\nevolve?\n"],[0,[6],1,"\u200b"]],[[0,[],0,"What tools\/resources do you use to communicate\nthe value of licensure to candidates\/peers? "]],[[0,[],0,"\nWhy is licensure important to your firm,\ncurrently and in the future?"]]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"As a precursor to the session, two white boards were set up\noutside the registration desk for the summit with the first two questions in\nthe list posted at the top and attendees encouraged to write answers to the\nquestions. Those boards then joined us\non day two to be a primer for the discussion."]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"The session was presented twice and was attended by\napproximately 50-60 participants in each session. Many of the answers thought up by the groups\nwere similar; however, there were some outliers. "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"The most interesting question posed, in my opinion, was:\n\u201cHow do you think the value of licensure will evolve?\u201d What made it interesting was it required the\nparticipants to think towards the future. \nThere is a lot of talk in the profession right now about what the future\nof licensure looks like and how the value of an Architect\u2019s license goes beyond\njust designing buildings. Themes with\nthe answers centered around the architect being a thought leader, citizen\narchitect and the value of the skillsets that architects have and how they can\ntranslate to many different careers and avenues."]]],[1,"p",[[0,[0],1,"NCARB by the Numbers"]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"One of my favorite parts of the summit is to see the new "],[0,[7],1,"NCARB by the Numbers"],[0,[],0,". The annual publication is a result of\nanalyzing NCARB\u2019s database of all licensure candidates and certificate holders.\nIt offers insight into the state of the profession and trends related to those\nworking towards and achieving their initial license."]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"This publication is one of my favorite references to direct licensure\ncandidates to as it offers hard facts on things like "],[0,[8],1,"how long it takes\nto earn a license"],[0,[],0,", "],[0,[9],1,"demographics\nof the profession"],[0,[],0,", and (one of my favorites) "],[0,[10],1,"jurisdictions by the\nnumbers"],[0,[],0,", which offers statistics on how long it takes others in each\njurisdiction to complete the ARE and AXP. These types of statistics always come\nin handy when candidates ask: \u201cHow long will it take me?\u201d"]]],[1,"p",[[0,[0],1,"Summit Experience"]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"Being at a conference is always an energizing way to get\nexcited about the profession. How could\nyou not when you are surrounded by a couple hundred people who are just as passionate\nabout the profession? This summit is no\nexception; and it has the added benefit of being full of people who are committed\nto helping others get licensed. "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"For many people this was their first Licensing Advisors\nSummit. It\u2019s always encouraging to see\nhow they come away excited and full of knowledge to help others. For others, like me, it was a chance to reconnect\nwith the many people who you\u2019ve met at previous summits over the years as well\nas to make new connections and friends."]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"I was joined this year by two licensing advisors from\nWisconsin. One was representing our\nstate; and the other a first-time attendee for their firm, which also sent a\nsecond representative from another office in another state. These first-time attendees quickly saw the\nvalue in the summit and returned to their firm energized and excited to help\nothers."]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"NCARB and AIA make this conference free for all attendees,\nwhich highlights the importance they put on supporting those on the path to\nlicensure and making sure they have adequate resources to stick with it and\nachieve their initial license. That\neffort is further supported by the AIA Wisconsin Board of Directors, which provided\nfunding to support those that chose to go and don\u2019t have other sources of\nsupport."]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"That effort and support is deeply appreciated, both by those\nthat chose to go as well as those in the licensure process, because it ensures\nthey have resources to support them as they navigate the path towards being\nable to officially and legally call themselves an Architect."]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"The next Licensing Advisors Summit will be held in two years.\n Until then, there is a seemingly\nunending supply of candidates working towards their license (almost 41,000\naccording to NCARB by the Numbers) who can all benefit from the knowledge and\nskills of their local licensing advisor. \nIf you or someone at your firm is passionate about helping others on the\npath to licensure or simply wants to learn more, reach out to "],[0,[11],1,"NCARB"],[0,[],0,"\nand inquire about becoming a licensing advisor!"]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"EDITOR: The author, Andrew Malanowski, AIA, was recently recognized by NCARB for his exceptional contribution to the Architect Licensing Advisors Community. "]]]]}