We are getting closer by the minute to our Student Mentor Program kick off on Sept 17th at USU LAEP and are still actively seeking applications from possible mentors.  We introduced the student mentoring program to the LAEP students in the spring of 2010. While there I spoke with Professor Mike Timmons and asked if there had ever been a student mentoring program at USU for LAEP. He said that it had been talked about often but never implemented to this level and that he was very excited to see it’s successful launch.
Right now we have 11 apps and need 32.  I hope this note can address some of your thoughts and fears about joining this exciting and ground breaking program, if you have not already done so, and convince you that joining this program will be one of the most fulfilling things you will get the opportunity to do thruout your career!
Concern #1: *I just don’t have time to do one more “thing”….*
Who hasn’t had that thought cross their mind….I know that with cut backs in most offices that our work loads may be bigger then ever, especially for those of us that are trying to keep our business afloat…however, ideally taking on a mentor shouldn’t interfere with your billable work time.  We hope to design this program to allow the student to primarily “shadow you” while you work.  Think back to when you were that student and how you would have taken ANY opportunity you were given to increase your exposure to the profession. You can give THAT opportunity.  This program has been uniquely designed to be simple and easy for both the mentor and the student with flexible rules and expectations. Feel free to set your own rules about your time and interaction level.  Specifically the program asks that you offer two types of mentoring totally 4-6 hrs a month and you are free to design time and interacting however you wish using these two types of Interactions:
Direction Interactions:
2-3hr/month -These activities will include time spent in a focused manner, in a one-on-one or group fashion.  They may be in person or on the phone. Examples: discussing portfolio, touring through your office, providing feedback on the phone.
Observation/Shadowing
2-3hr/month - These activities will include the student in existing time uses the mentor is involved in.  The mentee is an observer but is present in person.  Examples: attending a city council mtg, sitting in on a monthly office brownbag, following mentor on a site inspection.
Concern #2: *I work too far away from Logan…there is no way a student will want to come out to work with me and I’ll end up having to find time to go to them…*
The program requirements will place the interaction responsibility on the student and not the mentor.  It will be up to the student to come to you.  Sometimes a simple phone call may cover your interaction for the month…and for most students, just knowing that they have a professional to call on when they need help will be a great asset.  If you are in or near Logan, that is even better, but not required.  We will do our best to match students with the mentors that will best fit their travel situation.
Concern #3: *The program is new and I don’t want to join until the bugs have been worked out…*
New is always a little scary, but it can also be exciting and fulfilling!  I want to assure you that we have tried to design this program to be very flexible and as bug free as possible from the start.  No, I can’t promise you we won’t encounter some bumps in the system, but that is the beauty of being involved from the onset.  You can make it what you envision it to be and take pride in saying you built the program to be more perfect next year then it was this year.
Concern #4: *I want to offer help but how can I when I am scraping for work myself…*
What better experience could you offer a potential student than the opportunity to watch you bid or interview for work in the real world - your shared experience could be very helpful to them.  And your knowledge of how to be a great LA doesn’t go away because you don’t have an active project or job.  Regardless of your work situation, you have a lot to offer a student and being a mentor shouldn’t take too much time away from your search for work. Plus, mentioning or listing that you are an active mentor would look great on a resume.  Being a mentor means that you are a trusted professional and are willing to share.  That garners respect in the workplace.
Those are just a few ideas that came to my mind.  I hope I addressed what might be holding you back and convince you to jump in and give a student a chance that you didn’t have.  Or, you may be hesitating for other reasons…whatever your reasons are, feel free to contact myself, Russ Holly - rholley@loganutah.org or Sean Michael - Sean.michael@usu.edu.  Any one of us us would be happy to address your concerns.
To sum it up, we need you and you will benefit from this experience!  You won’t regret it!  I sure wish I had this opportunity when I was in school.  Take the opportunity to be what you wanted or, if you were lucky enough to have had a great mentor in your early days, why wouldn’t you want to share that experience and give back!!  Either way, join in!  We will be actively taking applications thru Sept 3rd and if you do decide to join, I ask that you do all you can to join us for the Kick Off event on Sept 17th at USU.
Thanks so much and I hope that you will take my challenge and get involved in a student’s future.
 
Jeremy Fillmore, President
Utah ASLA

President Elect: Cory Shupe - Blu-Line Designs

VP of Member Services: Jesse Bell, MGB+A

Education and Licensure Member-at-large: Greg Boudrero, MGB+A

Secretary: Robert Donigan - Logan Simpson Design

Utah ASLA will be kicking off our Student Mentoring

program with our September Social at the LAEP Dept in

Logan on September 17th. We will be having lunch and

doing some mixing with the new and returning students to

the LAEP Dept. Watch your email for more information on

presentation and lunch time.

That evening is also the opening night reception of the

Fuhrimans Framing and Art Gallery Exhibition “Landscapes

of the American West” by LAEP’s own Caroline Lavoie. The

show will run from Sept 17 to Oct 8th.

The concept of the show is “Landscapes of the American

West: Moments in Space and Time.” and will emphasize the

process involved in drawing on site: seeing, interpreting and

internalizing the qualities of the landscape and its variety to

facilitate a form of interaction with the viewer.

There will be 3 themes in those landscape representations:

winter landscapes, desert landscapes, and landscapes of

water/rivers. The sketches are drawn directly on site in order

to capture the relationship involved between the artist/

designer and the landscape. In its representation, a drawing

can describe the landscape in all its four dimensions as

a moment in space and time. Thus, drawing is not only a

mode of representation but also rather one of perception,

interpretation and reflection. As a form of analysis, a

sketch can convey the sense and essence of place. The

major premise is that drawing in the landscape creates an

awareness of place that is a distinct form of information

gathering and of understanding the landscape. The act of

awareness in drawing involves our imaginative perception

of space: an act of active visual, physical and cultural

relationship to the land. Thus, each drawing is a unique reconstruction

of one’s perception of space, a critical aspect of

how one proceeds with visual research and design.

Drawing involves a form of commitment that is closer to

design than any other medium of representation. Showing

the process involved in drawing and representation by a

designer/landscape architect may lead the viewer to a better

appreciation for those landscapes and to better convey a

sense of place. Some large format drawings will bring the

viewer closer to the scale of the actual experience of our

unique Utah landscapes.

Please make the trip and join us for a great day of learning,

socializing, food and art!

Why Mentor? Today, more firms are scraping for smaller

contracts, in more diverse market sectors, and with less

resources than in several decades. Why is now the time for a

practitioner to take additional time out to mentor a student?

In 2009, leaders in the Utah chapter of ASLA and USU’s

LAEP program met to discuss the greatest threats to the

next generation of practitioners. The resultant discussions

pointed time and again to the divide that separates future

practitioners—students in BLA and MLA programs—from

current practitioners. With an unusual show of leadership,

ASLA’s leadership endeavored to strike at the heart of the

problem, forming the Catalyst Committee. The group’s

express purpose was to break down the divide that

separates professional practice from academe. And central

to that mission was the creation of a bridge between

students and experienced landscape architects.

It is highly unlikely those reading this will have had a

mentor as a student. It is equally unlikely that any readers,

when they were students, would have turned down the

opportunity to work one-on-one with a mentor. The “great

divide”, as the Committee called it, is nothing new. However,

today, in the midst of the Great Recession, students are

straining for any means to assure that they are best prepared

graduates in the country. They—just like their professional

colleagues—are seeking any leg up on the competition.

Utah ASLA and LAEP are committed to helping them get

that competitive advantage over regional competitors like

Colorado State, the University of Arizona, and Texas Tech, as

well as programs across the whole of the U.S.

What can you do? Simply put, we need at least 32

practitioner-mentors. This academic year will be the pilot

launch of the program, and will pair one mentor with each

student in his/her final year of the BLA and MLA programs.

The program calls for you to pull back the veil on the

professional life of a landscape architect, whether in private

or public practice, in a for-profit or not-for-profit setting. It

asks you to speak into the life of a young person whose hope

is that they might learn from your hard-won experience.

In short, it asks you to open your world to your mentee

for 2-4hr a month. Those hours—whether visiting a site,

sitting in on a public meeting, or commenting on that first

interview—will be invaluable to them, and often will involve

little more than the mentor extending an invitation.

In the U.S., mentor programs in landscape architecture

programs are almost unheard of. Utah’s ASLA members

have an opportunity to distinguish themselves as leaders

nationally. And, in so doing, to give the next generation of

landscape architects a better shot at bridging the divide. If

you have 5 or more years of professional experience, is an

ASLA member, and are willing to help a young person, please

submit a Mentor Application form by Sept. 1 to: Alicia Smith,

Executive Director of UASLA. alidarmonsmith@gmail.com

John Kennedy Nicholson, 62, beloved

husband, father, brother and uncle, died July

9, 2010, at the University of Utah hospital.

John grew up in a loving family in Lawrence,

Kan. At age 13, he traveled throughout Europe

for a year with his parents. This trip unlocked

a passion and curiosity for “how cities work”

that would lead him to his profession as

an urban planner. At the University of Kansas, where he

obtained undergraduate and graduate degrees, he met

the love of his life, Jane, and the two were married in 1970.

Feeling a draw to the Mountain West, they moved to Casper,

Wyo., then to Salt Lake City, and 31 years ago to Logan.

A 30-year career as associate professor in the Department of

Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning at Utah

State University was fulfilling in every way. He loved working

with inspiring colleagues (many of them close friends) and

with so many bright students over the years. He embraced

the challenges and continuous learning that came with the

position.

Some of the most satisfying professional experiences for

John included: working on the Salt Lake City Olympic bid

in the early 1980s (which helped pave the way for the

successful 2002 bid), two Fulbright teaching fellowships in

Germany (1987-88 in Bremen, 1994 in Dresden), developing

and fostering an exchange program between the landscape

architecture programs at USU and the University of Ljubljana,

Slovenia, planning/leading several spring break study trips

for LAEP students to Paris and Berlin, and several stints as

a guest professor in the Master of Landscape Architecture

program in Bernburg, Germany. His many experiences in

Germany, most often with Jane, a German teacher, led to a

knowledge and love of the culture, fluency of the language

and lasting cross-cultural friendships.

John loved Logan and wanted to contribute to the

community by making it an even better place. He served

many years on the Historic Preservation Commission,

the Downtown Alliance, and most recently the Bicycle/

Pedestrian Commission.

John had many talents and interests: gifted musician,

designer and woodworker, enthusiastic athlete (windsurfer,

skier, biker …) “yurt” designer/builder, fly-fisherman,

adventure planner for the family - but perhaps his most

impressive talent was in raising two wonderful, loving sons

who want always to honor his memory.

Diagnosed almost two years ago with lung cancer, John

continued to live life to the fullest. He made it his mission to

be active every day, taking daily ski tours, bike rides or hikes.

The joy experiencing the beauty of nature brought was a

powerful cancer antidote. He was an inspiration to all who

watched as he faced the physical and emotional challenges

of really LIVING with a terminal diagnosis.

John is survived by his wife, Jane; and sons, Patrick and

Paul. His passing leaves a mighty void in their lives, but the

countless memories of his beautiful life will help sustain

them.

In lieu of flowers, John would prefer a donation to the John

Nicholson Scholarship Fund for graduate students in the

Department of Landscape Architecture and Environmental

Planning, Utah State University, 4005 Old Main Hill, Logan, UT

84322-4005.

A memorial service for John was held on August 7th.

Published in Logan Herald Journal from July 12 to July 25

Join us for the exchange of some great information in the ASLA Information Cafe Roundtable.  Please see the attachment regarding registration for the the upcoming ULCT Conference on Sept 16th.  Want to be a panelist on the roundtable?  Contact Jay Nielson at jay.nielson@loganutah.org before August 31st to get more information on participating.

duany_sept_16

 
 
Thanks!
Alicia

The ASLA Advocacy Summit was held July 30-August 1.  This event took the place of the annual Licensure Summit and focused on assisting chapters in building and improving their advocacy program.  This year, we were unable to invite all chapters to attend due to budget considerations.  However, we are able to make much of the information available to all of you through the Advocacy Summit website http://www.asla.org/ContentDetail.aspx?id=28128.  

In addition to the Summit powerpoint presentation, there are several new or revised tools available on the website, including:
·         Advocacy Day 101 – planning your advocacy event
·         Coalition building toolkit – ideas and strategies for building relationships with other organizations
·         Tips on hiring and working with a state lobbyist
·         Handy links to the state bill tracking system; the Advocacy Network; and the ASLA Public Policies.
 
On another front, the crisis resulting from the oil spill is a timely reminder for chapters to utilize the Disaster Preparedness Handbook.  This system was created in response to the hurricanes of 2005.  If your chapter is not already using this manual, please take a few minutes to look through the handbook and discuss with your chapter ExCom.

disaster_response_chapter_handbook
 
If you have any questions about the Summit or any of these tools, please contact me.
Julia
 
Julia M. Lent
Government Affairs Director
American Society of Landscape Architects
Phone: 202-216-2330
jlent@asla.org

Check out the latest ASLA Facts Sheet saved under the Chapter Documents Tab.  This helps you describe the demographic of Landscape Architects, who we serve and how we serve.  Also compiles stats and forcasts where our field is going.

Join us for our August Social on Aug 25 at JRC Lighting in Salt Lake.  Click on the link below for more information:

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What is World Landscape Architecture Month (WLAM)?

April 2010

“April is the perfect month to share our profession and reach out to our communities, notable for Earth Day (April 22nd) and the birthday of Frederick Law Olmsted (April 27th), founder of the landscape architecture profession in North America.

The International Federation of Landscape Architects (IFLA) inaugurated the event in 2006. Since then, IFLA and its member associations around the world join annually in celebrating this month.

The Purpose of the CSLA WLAM program is to provide resources to:

• bring local and national recognition and awareness to the profession, Landscape Architects, and works of landscape architecture;
• encourage public participation and interest in events and activities related to landscape architecture; and,
• encourage people to consider a career in landscape architecture.

– CSLA

World Landscape Architecture Month is a time to reflect on the profession and its place in the world, and to help build awareness of why landscape architecture is so important to us, to architects, engineers, politicians and members of the general public.

“Landscape Architects, have been “Green Since 1899.” Interested in the environment and art? Landscape architecture is a profession that blends creativity and science. Interested in contributing to the greening of the planet? That goal lies at the core of all landscape architects do.“

– ASLA

WLAM 2010 Contest:

Have you done your part for World Landscape Architecture Month? Well here’s your chance!

Enter the Landscape Architecture Resource WLAM 2010 ‘What Moves You?’ Contest

Spread the word!

Vote for your favorite entries!

The entry with the most points at the end of April will win a $100 gift certificate at Kiva.org–another great way to help make the world a better place!

Contest Details:

This contest is open to anyone 18 and over, no purchase necessary. Winners will be decided by public voting on the Landscape Architecture Resource (LAR) website (the site) (http://LandscapeArchitectureResource.com) “star user ratings”. Each rating will score points from 1 to 5 for the entry (”article”) that has been rated. Any visitor to the site may vote as often as once per article per day. Authors may vote for their own article if they wish, although it is encouraged to tell others about the contest and World Landscape Architecture Month, so that they may visit the site and vote as well. Spreading the word is the purpose of WLAM. Contestants may submit more than one entry. The winning article will be the one with the most cumulative rating points at 11:59pm eastern time, April 30, 2010. The winner will be notified by email. LAR reserves the right to publish the winner’s name and profile picture, if submitted by the contestant. In the case of a tie, the winner will be the article that was submitted and published to the site earliest.

Canadian contest law requires the winner to complete a ’skill-testing question’ in order to be eligible to claim their prize. It will probably be a grading question. All entries become the property of Landscape Architecture Resource (LAR). LAR reserves all rights to publish, print, share, modify, or otherwise distribute contest entry materials. LAR will not share or sell your email address. Registrants are responsible for any personal information they share on the site. It’s a social network, we all know how these things work. LAR and its editors, members, representatives and founders holds no liabilities, makes no warranties, guarantees nor otherwise will be held responsible for any loss, damage, dissapointment, or other loss as a result of data loss, server error, software or hardware malfunction, or human error. In the event of a disaster, LAR reserves the right to extend the contest deadline, postpone the contest, cancel, or otherwise modify the contest as required. LAR does not collect or store any financial information or credit card numbers.

Thanks for participating!

Check out this link for more info:

http://landscapearchitectureresource.com/learn-more-wlam2010.html

The best single-sheet measured drawing of a Historic Building - See the link below for all the rules, regulations and other details!

leicester-holland-prize-rr

Leicester B. Holland Prize - HABS/HAER/HALS http://www.nps.gov/hdp/competitions/holland.htm

The intent of the Holland Prize is to encourage creative drafting.
Participants should fill a single sheet of drawings in an organized, informative fashion reminiscent of the style of drafting practiced during the early years of HABS.  As such, only one drawing is allowed per set.
Should you like to see an inspired sample, please go to the Built in America HABS/HAER/HALS collection website at the Library of Congress and see the Captain Thomas Bennett Sunken Garden - Sheet 15 of 15.  It is an excellent example of a plan, section, elevations and details all on one sheet - http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/hhh.ma0118

Please consider entering the competition and sharing this announcement with others that may be interested. Thank you.

Chris

Christopher M. Stevens
Landscape Architect
Historic American Landscapes Survey (HALS) National Park Service
1201 Eye Street, NW
Washington, DC 20005
Phone: 202-354-2146
Fax: 202-371-6473
www.nps.gov/hdp/hals

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Join us for our 2010 Annual Meeting and Trade Show held April 23 at the Swaner EcoCenter in Park City, Utah!  Click the link below for information on the meeting and a registration form.

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Want to show off an Award for all of your hard work?  See the links below for the ASLA Utah 2010 Awards

2010-call-for-entries1

2010-uasla-awards-entry-form1

The Utah State University’s Department of Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning annual Sustainable Landscapes Conference is taking a bold new step this year to encourage involvement from professionals across the state and region – we are issuing a Call for Papers.
 
Through this call, this year’s conference is seeking to bring together a cross-section of participants concerned with designing, planning, educating, and building healthy communities in the Intermountain West. We are excited to announce three, excellent keynote speakers that will support our efforts this year:
 
Dee Merriam, “Making Healthy Choices Easy Choices”
Robert Hoover, “East Meets West: The Art and Science of Therapeutic Gardens” and
Robin Moore, who is an international authority on user needs research and participatory-based open space design. 
 
To learn more about the conference and our call for papers, please see our newly updated website: www.laep.usu.edu/htm/sustainable-landscapes.
 
Please note the submission due date for your abstracts is no later than March 5th.
 
We look forward to seeing each of you at our conference this year!

NASLA Spring 2010 LARE 2 Day Workshop – Section C

Date:  Friday-Saturday, April 9 -10, 2010
Location:  University of Nevada Cooperative Extension
8050 South Paradise Road
Las Vegas, NV 89123

Instructor:  Dr. Lee-Anne Milburn, RLA, ASLA, LEED AP

Cost for ASLA Members:  $130 if received by March 9; $170 after March 9; No refunds after March 9

Cost for Non-Members:  $170 if received by March 9; $210 after March 9; No refunds after March 9

Note:  If the minimum number of candidates has not been met, the workshop will not be held

Contact Information:  Tammi Gaudet, (702) 281-0919, tammi.gaudet@cox.net
See Workshop Ad for more information (PDF)
Enrollment Form (PDF)

NASLA Spring 2010 LARE 3 Day Workshop – Section E

Date:  Friday-Sunday, April 16 -18, 2010
Location:  University of Nevada Cooperative Extension
8050 South Paradise Road
Las Vegas, NV 89123

Instructor:  UCLA Professor, Jerry Hastings, ASLA–former Master Grader for CLARB, and author of LARE Review Section E Vignettes: Grading, Drainage, and Stormwater Management

Cost for ASLA Members:  $195 if received by March 16; $245 after March 16; No refunds after March 16

Cost for Non-Members:  $245 if received by March 16; $295 after March 16; No refunds after March 16

Note:  If the minimum number of candidates has not been met, the workshop will not be held

Contact Information:  Tammi Gaudet, (702) 281-0919, tammi.gaudet@cox.net
See Workshop Ad for more information (PDF)
Enrollment Form (PDF)

Just a quick reminder that deadlines are approaching for two important opportunities:
Propose an education session presentation for the ASLA annual meeting and EXPO, September 10-13, 2010, in Washington, DC.  The deadline for submitting a proposal is Wednesday, January 27. For questions, please contact ASLA’s education program manager, Clark Ebbert, at 202-216-2326 or cebbert@asla.org.
Enter the distinguished ASLA professional awards program.  The deadline for professional awards entry forms and payments is Friday, February 12.  Submissions are due by Friday, February 26.  For questions, please contact ASLA’s honors and awards program coordinator, Carolyn Mitchell, at 202-216-2331 or cmitchell@asla.org.
Happy New Year!

Nancy C. Somerville, Hon. ASLA
Executive Vice President/CEO
Forward

ACTION REQUESTED – January 29, 2010
 
ASLA Student Chapter Presidents
 
Nominations are now open for the 2010-2011 Student Representative to the ASLA Board of Trustees. Your chapter is encouraged to nominate an ASLA student member to run for this important position.
 
The Student Representative is the official representative of students and student chapters within ASLA. Duties include, but are not limited to: communicating with student chapters, collecting content for the emerging professional/student page on asla.org, serving on student related ASLA committees, attending ASLA annual and mid-year meetings and reporting student news and issues to the ASLA Board of Trustees. Click here to view the Student Representative functions.
 
In order to elect the next Student Representative, I am asking you to nominate a member of your chapter who meets the requirements of the position. Click here to review the eligibility requirements.
 
Click here to download a nomination application. Nominations must be received at ASLA headquarters no later than 5:00 pm (eastern) on January 29, 2010.
 
All nominees will then be reviewed by the ASLA Emerging Professionals Committee, which will narrow the field of nominations to up to five candidates if needed. Chapters will then be sent candidates’ names and will be allowed one vote. Ballots will be accepted from February 15-19, 2010 and the new Student Rep will be announced at the LABash.
 
The position of Student Representative to the ASLA Board of Trustees is a wonderful opportunity to meet and work with the leaders within the profession of landscape architecture.
 
If you or anyone else in your student chapter has any questions about nominee qualifications or the election process, please do not hesitate to contact me at jstecyk@iit.edu or Barbara Drobins at bdrobins@asla.org or 202-216-2324. 
 
Best Regards
John Stecyk, Student ASLA
2009-2010 Student Representative to the ASLA Board of Trustees

See the link below for more information and to sign up:

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