Link: Repositioning - The AIA Needs to Change

Mickey Jacob, FAIA, 2013 President:

If we fail to act on our own dissatisfaction with the status quo, if we accept business as usual, if we say there are too few of us to make a difference, we will not simply slide toward irrelevance, but we will move there at warp speed.

This is the kind of talk I can get behind. But talk is cheap. The AIA is "repositioning" based on the general disdain architects are feeling for the profession and it's professional organization. Mark LePage over at Entrepreneur Architect summarizes his thoughts that I totally agree with - I'll believe it when I see it. It sounds good, but what we need are actions. My skepticism is further fueled by applying Betteridge's Law to Mark's blog article title: Will the AIA Repositioning Effort Succeed?

Mark LePage:

Do you think it will be successful and help to rebuild a profession in crisis? Or, do you think it’s just another well intended plan destined for the pile of failures previously offered by AIA National?

I'm sure about one thing: the architects that are willing to get their hands dirty and do the work will change the industry, with or without the AIA. I hope the AIA National will be a resource for us to do so, and not just stand on the sidelines and watch.

Now let's see something.  Let's start over, shall we? We should all be asking ourselves how we can help.

The AIA national convention is happening next week in Denver. I hope there is a lot more dialog about this subject coming out of it. This all needs to have happened yesterday.

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