Dr. Israel complemented the Visiting Team Chairpersons for the quality of their reports, which allowed the Board members to focus on major topics and take efficient action, which reduced the time needed to conduct the hearings.

The Board of Accreditation formed a task force to develop and implement accreditation standards for Industrial Technology Masters Degree programs. The members of the task force are Dr. Donald Bennion, Chairperson, Dr. Lowell Anderson, Dr. James DeLaura, Dr. Mohammed Fahmy, Dr. Jerry Parish, and Dr. Randall Shaw.

NAIT has been asked to participate in the SME Manufacturing Accreditation Workshop to be held in September 1999. Tentative plans are for NAIT to hold Team Training and Preparation of Self-Study reports and to give an orientation to NAIT accreditation.

B. Standards and Accreditation: Dr. John Sutton and Mr. Harold Finn reported that the Standards and Accreditation Committee held an all day training session for team members and team chairs at the convention, led by Dr. Brad Lawson and assisted by Mr. Finn. Fifteen NAIT members attended the session -- eight previous attendees and seven attendees receiving training for the first time. The committee recommended that the Board of Accreditation approve the seven who received initial training along with one CCTI member who has been very active in the NAIT accreditation, having led the development of the self-study at his institution for both initial and reaccreditation. The Board of Accreditation approved all of these. Additionally, three Industry Division Members were approved as team members upon the recommendation of an accredited institution.

The Standards and Accreditation Committee conducted a hearing to discuss the merit of changes to 14 of the accreditation standards (the substance of the standards affected and the discussion can be found on the NAIT web page.) The committee submitted these standards to the Board of Accreditation for public review and action.

C. Board of Certification: Dr. Rudisill reported there has continued to be a decline in certifications, from highs of over 800 reached in 1993 and 1994, with declines in each division particularly the Industry Division. Dr. Rudisill noted that a major problem is the decline due to initial certifications not being renewed. Promoting the meaning and value of certification, within the association and its divisions and within the industrial community, presents a challenge for the Executive Board, the Board of Certification, and the membership and Dr. Rudisill pledged strong national office involvement in this issue.

D. Foundation Board: Dr. Clois Kicklighter reported that the NAIT Foundation has been formally approved and that he is pleased to have been appointed as its first Board chair. The new board has gone to work, while the process of identifying new board members will continue. In addition to Dr. Kicklighter, also serving are Dr. Rudisill, Dr. Mark Estepp, Mr. Hank Martin, Dr. Raj Chowdhury and Dr. John Earshen. The Board has met three times during the conference and Board positions continue to be filled. Foundation Boards tend to be large, "working" boards in which membership is extended to individuals with strong fundraising abilities, personal commitment to the goals of the foundation, or on the basis of personal contributions.

Those interested in serving on the Foundation Board should inform Dr. Kicklighter. Dr. Kicklighter appealed to the membership to recommend individuals to be solicited for Foundation Board membership or contributions, particularly retired NAIT members who may be in the best position to contribute their time and resources to the success of the Foundation.

A NAIT Foundation WebPage is being developed for addition to the NAIT website and a committee is working on a NAIT foundation promotional brochure. The Board has identified two campaigns related to "charter memberships" - one directed at individuals and one directed at organizations. The Foundation Board has set their next meeting date to be consistent with the Spring Executive Board meeting in Florida.

E. Public Relations Committee: Dr. William Brauer reported on the development of the NAIT IT Career Opportunities CD-ROM that will be directed at high school students through a pilot project. The committee is also developing an industry-directed newsletter and an industry database as a means of gaining recognition and finding new members within industry.

B. Student: Dr. C. Ray Diez reported that Student Division membership has continued to increase. The Division is working on the problem of membership non-renewal subsequent to graduation with efforts to improve the transfer of students from the Student Division to the Industry Division as they move into their careers. The Division is also working on the retention of certification after graduation, noting that there is significant student interest in a testing requirement for initial certification and in involving students in the Boards of Accreditation and Certification. The Student Division has used its conference meetings to plan a student program for the 1999 conference and have established 7 committees for the next year.

C. University: Dr. Ming Land reported that Dr. Jerry Parish of Texas A&M University-Commerce will be the next division President and that Dr. Art Rosser of Central Missouri State University has been elected president-elect of the division.

Dr. Land reported that he had placed a great deal of emphasis on membership recruitment and member involvement, personally contacting potential members throughout the world and urging fellow industrial technology faculty to join NAIT. In spite of the Division's efforts, membership showed a small decline during the past year.

He noted there should be opportunities for each and every member to be involved meaningfully in the organizational direction of NAIT and the activities at the annual convention. The first two of such opportunities were in the activities of the Focus Groups and the establishment of three proposed divisions -- Manufacturing, Graphic Communications, and Research. Another opportunity will be for members to participate in the NAIT Foundation. Two members from the University Division, Dr. Mark Estepp of Appalachian State University and Dr. Raj Chowdhury of Kent State University, will serve on the Foundation Board. The Division supports the public relations initiative that is currently being undertaken by Dr. Brauer at Bemidji State University in Minnesota. The University Division is in favor of the electronic publishing of the Journal of Industrial Technology and the publication of the Baccalaureate Degree Program Directory in a joint effort with the Council on Technology Education (CTTE) and the National Association of Industrial and Technical Teacher Educators (NAITTE). The University Division supports the accreditation of colleges and universities and the standards for accreditation.

Dr. Land noted that the University Division was well represented at the convention, with the majority of the paper presentations and the focus groups activities from the division members. The Division is proud of its contributions to NAIT and the active participation of its members in the convention.

D. Industry: Mr. John Reese reported that the Outstanding Industrial Technologist award has continued and is on a firm financial footing for at least the next year, but that a permanent funding structure needs to be developed. He suggested that more formal recognition of past OIT award winners be incorporated into future conference programs, as a form of acknowledgement and as a means of using their experience and expertise for the education of members and to help foster stronger connections to NAIT within industry.

He reported the continued struggle of the Industry Division with retention of membership, which makes effective functioning of the division difficult. He noted that the underlying issue is the larger organizational need to increase the importance of NAIT certification within the industrial community.

Discussion ensued. Concerns were registered about the impact of new divisions on membership in standing divisions, and the membership fee aspect of the motion was explained as an effort to minimize immediate negative impacts. It was also noted that the Focus Groups proposing the new divisions have met the prerequisites in the Bylaws for the formation of new divisions. It was noted that additional divisions need not adopt the same structure as existing standing divisions and that to the extent new organizational issues are presented by the addition of divisions the Board and membership will need to discuss and resolve them.

An amendment was offered from the floor to replace the words "special divisions" in the motion with the words "special interest groups." The amendment was supported. Discussion of the proposed amendment ensued. A motion was made to call the question. The motion was supported. The question was called. A majority voting against rejected the amendment on a voice vote.

A motion was made to call the main question and the motion was supported. The question was called. A majority voting in favor approved the main motion on a voice vote.