What is going on with the ASLA?

“I think the most exciting thing that is going on, in terms of the leadership role, we have been working on a strategic plan for the society. In other words, trying to decide where we want to be in five or ten years and how we are going to get there. And that has been very exciting. So, it is also setting the pace for our changes over the future as far as our evolution.

Where is the ASLA going?

“Good question. We spent a year thinking about that, and we have decided that, in addition to maintaining our membership and giving them the products and services they need, we also need to be leaders of the profession and of the society. To lead the profession as well as maintain it. And that is a very big job. One of the major aspects of that leadership is the public enlightenment about the role of Landscape Architects. Essentially that is my only agenda item as president. Is that a personal priority with you? Absolutely. But it is also a priority of the members. We have done enough member surveying, and certainly I have traveled around the country and talked to enough Landscape Architects that it has been clear to me for many years that the image of Landscape Architects is not well understood. So we are put-ting all our priority behind that this year.”

Do you think that the profession as a whole has improved in the last five years?

“I think it has improved quality-wise. I see that we are on the edge of a tremendous leap forward in terms of the need for our service and the understanding of the value of our service for the public in general. I see it as a time when we are really coming in to our own as professionals. It is a very optimistic time for Landscape Architects. I think there is a new level of rigor in what we do. We are getting better at what we do. We are more competitive, but that makes us better. And that is exciting. I think that there is still tremendous room for improvement, but there is in every one of the build environment professions. We are coming into an awareness of our strength and the importance of our skills. That is coming at a time when the public and potential clients are more aware of not only the aesthetic value, but the dollar and health-safety value of public spaces.

Is there any movement beyond “Sunsetting” such as creating “Practice Act” states that are now “Title Act” states?

“I think the eventual goal is to have both in every state. But, it is all part of the process and can only be determined on a case by case basis. Whatever way the states can go first to get a toe-hold. But, I think the ultimate goal is to have both in all states.”

What direction is the ASLA taking toward licensing in various states?

“Aggressive, in a word. One of the things that we think is most important to do is assist the states and what we plan to do when we get the funding in place is to put together a “SWAT” team. To really go to the states and educate the chapters in how to prepare for Sunset Review and to arm them with lots of information. Basically, to sensitize them to the fact that it is a political process they have to work on constantly. It is not just something they have to do every five years. But, get them set up to understand the political process and to understand who the players are and to really get political and play the game. I think the whole “SWAT team” idea is very exciting. Is this a fairly new concept? Well, we coined the term “SWAT team” a couple of months ago, but there has always been an effort to help the states although it has not always been as well targeted or as well focused. We need to get ahead of the ball and be pro-active and we need to understand where Sunset Review is going to happen before the Landscape Architects find out in the mail. Thus, helping Landscape Architects get ahead of the game. That is tough to do with Landscape Architects, being that they are not exactly the most political animals. They prefer to let things slide by, and by the time things begin to affect them, it is almost too late. We need to get them sensitized earlier to what is going on, and have them “watchdog” the process a little more.”

I understand that other states are trying to become licensed?

“The whole younger generation of Landscape Architects is very concerned about it and feels it is very important to their future. I could not agree more. We are competing every day with people who are licensed, how can we possibly not think about being licensed? LASN recently talked to a member of the Illinois AIA and got the feeling they were not interested in having the Landscape Architects licensed in their state. Their reasoning was that the Landscape Architects were not involved enough in the environment to warrant licensing. That was a kind of national movement in 1985, but the AIA actually had a policy statement that only Architects and Engineers should be allowed to deal with the build environment. Currently, in most licensed states, the AIA has written in the bylaws the role of the Landscape Architect. I really think that the differentiations between who does what?EUR??,,????'??+certain people are trained to do certain things?EUR??,,????'??+will never be clear because there are overlaps. We need to admit that and go on. The best always gets the job and the cream always rises to the top.”

Do you have any programs geared towards Landscape Architects who are not members of the ASLA in other words, are you going to put anything together to try to up your membership and bring in more Landscape Architects?

“Well, there has been a membership drive going on constantly through a membership marketing function going on for years with the ASLA. We have strengthened that last year. But really my feeling is that if we lead, others will join us. In other words, we have so many exciting things to offer, especially in the role of public relations, in the next couple of years that my feeling is that if we are setting the standards others will want to become members without having to be asked. The ASLA is a good network and that is one of the major reasons people belong is for information sharing. That includes the publications and all kinds of other ways to share information. In fact, something we are establishing is a computerized data base to make it easier to find specific people who are experts in certain fields. It will be a resource data base that you can eventually plug in and ask questions of the data base and find out who we are, where we are, and what kind of people work here. So, this would be open to members who have a modem? Yes, exactly, otherwise they could get printouts of the information. Eventually, though, we will have access to the information.”

Do you have an organized attempt for promotion of the ASLA and Landscape Architects in general?

“Yes. In fact, what we have decided to do is basically what we tell our clients to do and that is get professional help. So, we have just interviewed several public relations firms and we have selected one, though not officially, but we have targeted them to come on board, probably at the Baltimore meeting, to begin to help us implement all the ideas that we have. And they have some terrific ideas about how we can make the world hear about us. So, this is on the ASLA national level, that is to say, just Landscape Architects in general? Yes, exactly. It is more than just for the membership and we really feel that our responsibility is to the profession as a whole and to the public because we serve the public to a great extent. But we are not just limiting ourselves to our membership, but, or course members are certainly the key and what keeps us going. We feel it is very important to reach out and really lead the profession as a whole and try to benefit the profession as a whole.”

Is there anything, as president of the ASLA, that you would like to say to Landscape Architects as a whole?

“The thing that holds us back most as Landscape Architects is the fact that we often celebrate or focus on our differences. I would like to see us focusing on our similarities as professionals because that will move us ahead in the design professions. That more than anything else will slow down the progress of Landscape Architects in getting their message out to the world. That does not mean we cannot practice differently or can do different kinds of work, but in order to speak collectively, we really have to put aside some of our differences and not get hung up in our differences.”