Business Meeting Minutes november 4, 2000

Business Meeting Minutes
November 3, 2001

National Association of Industrial Technology
2000 Annual Business Meeting

November 4, 2000
Saturday November 4, 2000
Marriott City Center
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Call to Order and Opening Remarks: Dr. Jerry Parish, Chair, Executive Board, welcomed the membership and thanked them for their participation in the conference and in the Association. The meeting was called to order at 7:06 a.m.

Review and Approval of the Minutes of the October 24, 1998 Annual Business Meeting: A motion was made from the floor to approve the minutes of the 1999 Annual Business Meeting. The motion was supported and was approved on a voice vote by the majority of those present.

Executive Board Report: Parish gave a brief report on a number of items:

Strategic plan will be updated by the Executive Board for 2001; current goals were reviewed.
The CCTI Division and the Graphic Communications Division held elections for President Elect, with Dr. David Dillon and Mr. Steven Brown being elected, respectively.
He noted the growth of the Special Interest divisions and that further membership growth is needed in Graphic Communications and Research in order to meet the minimum 100 members needed for continued division status. Manufacturing Systems Division has met the minimum and maintained membership above 100 members.
He noted the site of the 2001 Convention in Dearborn, Michigan, and that the same general scheduling format will be used.
He reported on efforts to create a stable funding base for the Outstanding Industrial Technologist awards, which is necessary if the award is to continue.
He also noted the need for further appointments to the NAIT Accreditation, Certification and Foundation Boards and urged those who may be interested to contact their division president.

National Office Report: Executive Director Dr. Alvin E. Rudisill reported briefly on a number of areas:

Programs & Activities: NAIT continues to operate its primary programs of: accreditation, certification, convention, proceedings/selected papers, directory, foundation, JIT, IT Insider, NAIT Website, Web Advertising, Award Programs special programs (CDROM project), the Industrial Technology Leadership Series. He noted that the NAIT Office staff is proud of the number and variety of programs they operate for the association with the equivalent of 2.5 FTEs, and that in comparison to other associations, NAIT is very active with respect to programming.

Major Accomplishments: Rudisill described the major accomplishments of the past year:

Three special interest divisions were formed at 1999 Convention and grew in membership throughout the year, and the Safety Focus Group is poised to request the Executive Board to approve division status at the Executive Board meeting of November 4, 2000.
A large upsurge in interest in program accreditation for associate degree institutions is likely to result in an increase in requests for accreditation over the next few years.
Positive end-of-year budget balances.
Application for NAIT membership in the Council of Higher Education Accreditors was submitted in September 2000.
NAIT Website use has continued to increase as a larger variety of material on NAIT programs and activities is incorporated into the Website.

Finances: Rudisill reported that the improvement in financial balances sine 1999 has continued, and that as of September 2000, NAIT's balance was at an all-time high. It is expected that the Accreditation Sponsorship program and the revision in the fee structure for the accreditation program will assist in improving the balance situation.

Membership: Rudisill reported:

Though association membership has been in decline nationally, NAIT membership has rebounded from prior declines and stood at 2177 as of June 30, 2000.
As of September 30, 2000, the Industry Division has become NAIT's largest, with 556 members.
The CCTI Division has increased to 145 members and the University Division stands at 502 members, as of September 30, 2000.
Student Division has maintained membership of at least 730 students since 1994, and stood at 753 members as of September 30, 2000.

Certification: Rudisill noted that the Certification Program was established in 1992-1993 with the "grandfathering" of many faculty at NAIT-accredited institutions; the number of certified members declined from that point until 1999 and has increased to 505 members as of June 30, 2000.

Accreditation: Rudisill noted that the 1990's saw a steady increase in the NAIT Accreditation program and that there are now 61 programs accredited through NAIT. As many as eight new programs may apply for accreditation in 2001. NAIT continued its membership and active involvement in the Association of Professional and Specialized Accreditors (ASPA) and will be submitting its membership application to the Council on Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA).

Special Committee and Board Reports:

Board of Accreditation: Dr. Everett Israel, Chair of the Board of Accreditation, gave a brief report:

Hearings were conducted on Wednesday, November 1 for initial accreditation for one associate program, reaccreditation of 1 associate and 5 baccalaureate programs; the Accreditation Board also received two status reports, granted one-year extensions for reaccreditation visits to two programs, and granted a one-year extension for the status report to one institution.
In the Business meeting on Thursday, November 2, the Board revised the procedures for submission of status reports and appointed a task force to report on how the increase and changes in distance learning programs may affect program accreditation.

Board of Certification: No report was given.

NAIT Foundation Board: Rudisill reported that Dr. Clois Kicklighter, Chair of the NAIT Foundation Board, resigned due to the press of other commitments, but that a new chair will likely be appointed at the Executive Board meeting of November 4, 2000. Though there was little activity in the last year, the initial fundraising and renewed board activity provide good prospects for future growth in funds and activities.

Division Reports:

Community College & Technical Institute Division: Dr. Sid Connor, President, reported:

Primary area of high activity in last year has been in new program accreditation.
Membership is up 25% since 1999 and about 50% of the members are participating in the 2000 NAIT Convention.

Industry Division: Mr. Hank Martin, President, reported:

The Industry Division membership has continued to grow with increases in certification of graduating students entering jobs in industry.
The division is striving to create a stable funding base for the OIT Awards that will sustain the awards on a continued basis.
Leadership recruitment continues to be an issue, though about 15 members have expressed an interest in serving in a leadership role.
Plans for the 2001 Convention will be finalized at the Spring 2001 Executive Board meeting, with a goal of joining with the Manufacturing Systems Division to organize a workshop.

Student Division: Dr. Ivan Mosley, President-Elect, reported:

The Student Division had more than 75 registrants for the convention
The IT/IQ Contest drew over 60 participants and prizes were considered excellent.
New activities are being planned for the 2001 convention, including improvements to current contests.

University Division: Dr. Art Rosser, President, reported:

The Division held two executive committee meetings and had over 60 members at the open meeting.
The division is planning a divisional newsletter.

A new President-Elect for 2000-2001 has been selected, Dr. Niaz Latif of Purdue University.
The executive committee spent considerable time discussing committee functions and status, and filled critical committee positions.

Manufacturing Systems Division: Dr. Ron Meier, President reported:

The division held two meetings, reviewed progress on membership growth, and discussed the failure of the workshop to attract interest.
Dr. Russell Johnson of Colorado State University was elected the President Elect at the membership meeting, for the term of November 2000 through November 2002. Dr. Fred Walker of the University of Southern Maine will assume his position as President at today's division meeting.
The division plans to take steps toward creation of an Internet-based manufacturing curriculum exchange system.

Graphic Communications Division: Dr. John Craft, President, reported:

The division has 37 members currently; and 14 NAIT Members were added to division roles at the Convention.
The division will make efforts to involve industry partners, such as GATF.
The GATF tour was the highlight of the 2000 Convention.
Dr. Marlow Marchant, of Eastern Kentucky University, will begin his term as President today and Dr. Dave Dillon of NC A&T State University was elected President Elect for the term of November 2000 to November 2002.

Research Division: Dr. Charles Patrick, President Elect, reported:

The Division President was unable to attend the convention due to the impending birth of his second child.
The division plans to work on standardization of the review process for Selected Papers and to work towards a "Best Paper of Conference" program.
The division is reviewing division and association goals.
The division plans to devote some of their schedule at the 2001 Convention to presentation of graduate student research.

Dr. W. Tad Foster was elected as the President Elect for the term of November 2000 to November 2002.

A motion was made from the floor and seconded to accept the reports as submitted. The motion was approved on a voice vote.

Old Business: Dr. Charles Patrick noted that the "Selected Papers" process was changed in accordance with direction from the 1999 Business Meeting and the Executive Board so that the Selected Papers are designated as peer-reviewed, and that the Research Division is continuing efforts to improve the process.

New Business:

Dr Al Rudisill, NAIT Executive Director, queried if there is further interest in the development of new divisions and noted that some of the Focus Groups are currently gauging interest in moving to division status.
Dr. Charles Patrick, President Elect of the Research Division, noted his personal desire to maintain the primacy of the Primary Divisions at the Executive Board due to the small size of the Special Interest Divisions and their cross-membership with the Primary Divisions.
Dr. Marlow Marchant, President Elect of the Graphic Communications Division noted that he would raise the Division/Membership issue at the Executive Board meeting today by proposing that a minimum membership of 50 members be required for division status with a minimum membership of 100 for full voting rights on the Executive Board.

9. Report on 2001 Conference:

Rudisill reported that many members have expressed to him their support for 20-minute conference presentations and that the Executive Board will discuss the issue; he suggested that it would be fair to surmise that the format for 2001 will allow for shorter sessions.
Dr. Sid Connor, President of the CCTI Division, noted his observation that "hands on" sessions that offer a practical learning opportunity can lead to good attendance; he noted that one late afternoon session in one of the session rooms not located in the main conference area was well attended due to its appealing content.
The issue of audio-visual support for the presentations was raised, with NAIT Staff noting the difficulty of fulfilling requests for computer projectors. It was suggested that convention track leadership take responsibility for supplying such equipment if actually necessary. NAIT Staff noted that rental costs are exorbitant, that many members requesting projectors also come prepared to use overhead slides, and that those whose presentations are dependent on computer projection tend to bring their own equipment.

Report on 2001 Annual Conference: Dr. Rudisill, Executive Director, withdrew the agenda item.

Presentation of Service Awards: Harold Finn, on behalf of the Association, presented Service Awards to the outgoing Division Presidents, Mr. Mark Franco, Student Division; Dr. Art Rosser, University Division; Dr. Mahyar Izadi, Research Division; Dr. Ron Meier, Manufacturing Systems Division; Dr. John Craft, Graphic Communications Division; and to Dr. Jerry Parish, NAIT Executive Board Chair. Dr. Parish thanked all of the outgoing officers for their dedication and service to NAIT.

Installation of Officers: Dr. Rudisill presided over the installation of Association Officers for 2000-2001: University Division - Dr. Mark Estepp, President, Dr. Niaz Latif, President Elect; Student Division - Dr. Ivan Mosley, President; CCTI Division - Mr. Steven Brown, President; Graphic Communications Division - Dr. Marlow Marchant, President, Dr. David Dillon, President-Elect; Research Division - Dr. Charles Patrick, President, Dr. W. Tad Foster, President Elect; Manufacturing Systems Division - Dr. Fred Walker, President, Dr. Russell Johnson, President Elect; Safety Division - Ms. Leslie Pagliari, President Elect. The new officers recited the oath of office.

Closing Remarks: Executive Board Chair Dr. Jerry Parish made brief closing remarks and thanked all of those present for their participation in the Business Meeting and the Conference.

A motion was made from the floor to adjourn the Annual Business Meeting. The motion was supported. A majority voting in favor approved the motion on a voice vote.

The Annual Business Meeting was adjourned at 8:15 a.m.