President's Blog

Recently, I had the opportunity to attend the World Justice Forum in Vienna, Austria, at the invitation of the American Bar Association. Held July 1 through 5, the forum brought together leaders representing disciplines of business, education, engineering, faith, human rights, labor and other related fields.  The forum was intended to launch new partnerships and initiatives to advance a global "Rule of Law," and to help all disciplines to achieve their goals.  Although the Rule of Law was a relatively new concept to me, it's something that has been a part of the legal community for centuries. Its basic principles are:

·  The government and its officials and agents are accountable under the law.
·  The laws are clear, publicized, stable and fair, and protect fundamental rights, including the security of persons and property.
·  The process by which the laws are enacted, administered and enforced is accessible, fair and efficient.
·  The laws are upheld, and access to justice is provided by competent, independent and ethical law enforcement officials, attorneys or representatives, and judges, who are of sufficient number, have adequate resources, and reflect the makeup of the communities they serve.

One of the primary objectives of the Rule of Law is to ensure that all peoples have greater access to justice and how this access can help reduce poverty.  Worldwide, there are more than 3 billion people who do not have access to justice and do not live under the principles of the Rule of Law.

You might ask "why is the American Society of Civil Engineers interested in this?"  The answer is very simple -- corruption.

In architectural and engineering communities worldwide, corruption is so rampant that more than $500 billion a year is believed lost.  The opportunities make it more prevalent within the construction industry, but it is also frequent in the architectural and engineering community, where it can start with subtle influences such as finding the right official to bribe. Fortunately, most cases of corruption are exposed and the individuals brought to justice. Transparency International, a German-based organization, rates nations by level of public and private corruption. Out of almost 200 nations ranked, the United States is 20th. Finland and New Zealand are least corrupt, while Myanmar and Somalia are the world’s worst.

ASCE was invited to participate because of our Global Anti-Corruption, Education and Training Project (ACET).  In addition to Transparency International, we have been working with the International Federation of Consulting Engineers, the World Federation of Engineering Organizations, the World Economic Forum Partnership Against Corruption, and others.  Our objective is to develop and distribute a comprehensive education and training program devoted to the importance of individual integrity among all participants in the performance of engineering/construction projects.  With the program nearing completion, we hope to have it available at our annual meeting November in Pittsburgh, including a new DVD, PowerPoint presentations and other materials.

I challenge each of you to look in your community to see if the principles of the Rule of Law are present.  Do poor and disadvantaged individuals in your area have adequate access to the legal system?  Not just when matters end up in court, but with other issues such as wrestling with debt, clashing with landlords and other legal entanglements.  Do you see signs of corruption in the system? 

As civil engineers, we believe that we should be building a better quality of life.  That doesn't simply mean the physical infrastructures that surround us, but all elements of the quality of life.

I was recently directed to an article by Samuel C. Florman published in the fall 2007 edition of The Best of Tau Beta Pi. The title of the article is “Facing Facts About the Engineering Profession” (PDF document.) Mr. Florman has written a number of books, including “The Existential Pleasure of Engineering,” “The Civilized Engineer” and “The Introspective Engineer.”

From the vantage point of 2007, the 1946 graduate of Dartmouth’s Thayer School of Engineering looked back at some of his hopes for the profession that he expressed during the 1950s. He hoped that the space race, environmental crisis, and the computer age would provide fertile ground for the engineering profession to achieve a significant level of prominence. He believed that engineers would take a leadership role in government. “I believe that individual engineers would emerge from the midst of anonymity and become well known, indeed celebrated, in the public arena,” Mr. Florman said. He also felt that increasing percentages of young people would enter engineering. As he looks back, he believes that none of these aspirations have been realized.

Mr. Florman believes that engineers have not become leaders in government, nor have they become significant advisors. He does note the successes of the establishment of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, the National Science Foundation and other agencies such as NASA and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. He felt that engineers would receive their due public recognition. Unfortunately this has not occurred in the degree to which he hoped. The most prestigious engineering award is the Charles Stark Draper Prize awarded by the National Academy of Engineering. Outside of the engineering community, few have heard of the Draper Prize. Maybe a Nobel Prize for engineering would receive more publicity, but unfortunately, none exists. 

Mr. Florman concludes his article on a very optimistic note. While his 1950s hopes and aspirations for engineering have not been realized, he fervently believes that engineers have a strong commitment to humanity, benevolence and compassion. ASCE’s new relationship with Engineers Without Borders-USA is simply one example of how ASCE recognizes the importance of this ethic which engineers possess. He notes the Engineering Projects in Community Service, a program at Purdue University where teams of undergraduates design, build, and deploy real systems to solve engineering-based problems for local community service and education organizations. He ends by saying, “While I accept the universe…I also respect that impulse and human nature which seeks to improve the world. This impulse manifests itself in engineering.”

What do you think of Mr. Florman’s viewpoint? Do you share his optimism or not?

The day before the official kick-off of ASCE's 137th Annual Civil Engineering Conference, I served on a panel discussion during the CEO Forum: Every Engineer's Duty-What Tragedy Has Taught Us about Professionalism, Ethics, Leadership and Public Safety. The focus of this forum was ethical responsibility. Leading up to the Q&A session, presenters addressed the leadership issues and ethical implications of recent engineering disasters. David Daniel, of the Hurricane Katrina External Review Panel, talked about how engineers, politicians and those in public office failed New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina from a policy and engineering standpoint. No one was positioned right or had the courage to speak out regarding the dangers surrounding the levee system. George Black, of the NTSB, discussed the failed system, comprised of public officials, government agencies and consulting agencies, in the Big Dig collapse. Gerry Galloway, of the University of Maryland, talked about how ethics must be considered as young people enter an ever-changing working world.

During the Q&A session, Jane Chmielinski of DMJM Harris, Ben Schwegler of Walt Disney Imagineering, Research & Development, Inc. and I addressed personal ethical responsibility. At one point the following question was posed: "What is an engineer to do when faced with something he or she feels is ethically wrong?" Some of our suggestions included making a call to the ASCE ethics hotline, or talking to a mentor or boss. Some larger firms, like DMJM, have a personal hotline for their employees to call when faced with this issue. In my firm, they use ASCE Webinars to educate employees on ethical practices. In addition, the owners of the firm try to set good examples through their behaviors. As Ben mentioned in the panel, leading by example is the way to lead an ethical culture. Jane added that at her company, employees undergo training and sign agreements to act ethically. While I believe the process of promoting ethical behavior varies from company to company, I think the general idea is far-reaching. By personally demonstrating ethical behavior and providing resources to educate employees, a firm can bolster an ethical culture in the workplace.

What are you doing to foster an ethical culture in your working environment?