NEW MAILING ADDRESS FOR VSPE, VSPE Education Fund, Virginia Engineers PAC, Virginia Engineers Conference:  P. O. Box 4969, Midlothian, VA 23112; phone/fax remain the same.

Need to take the P.E. Exam? We just made it easier for you! VSPE has partnered with its sister organization, the Minnesota Society of Professional Engineers, to  offer live webinar review courses for the Spring and Fall exams. Registration for these classes DOES NOT register you to take your exam. That registration needs to be made through the VA Department of Professional & Occupational Regulation.

P.E. Exam Dates:                                 P.E. Exam Application & Fee Deadline:

Friday, April 13, 2012                          December 5, 2011

Friday, October 26, 2012                     June 18, 2012

F.E. Exam Dates:                                 F.E. Exam Application & Fee Deadline:

Saturday, April 14, 2012                      December 6, 2011

Saturday, October 27, 2012                 June 19, 2012

ONLINE/LIVE WEBINAR REVIEW COURSES: The P.E. Exam (civil and mechanical) and the Fundamentals of Engineering Exam are taught in the Spring and Fall of each year via live webinar through a partnership VSPE has with the MnSPE. The class uses textbooks published by Professional Publications, Inc. (PPI) and is the provider of the popular Lindeburg books. Textbooks must be purchased separately and are not included in the registration fee. Receive a 15% discount by ordering your review materials through MnSPE's website.

To register for these on-line courses, click the appropriate link below. Not a member yet? Don’t worry, submit this membership application and then register at the member rate. Payment for the course must be made in full and received by MnSPE prior to the start of the course. Course materials will not be sent to the participant until full payment is received. If payment in full is not received, the participant may be denied enrollment until full payment is received. Don’t delay – sign up now to insure a spot!!

The F.E. course is $400 for members; $600 for non-members. Registration information for the Spring 2012 FE Exam Review Course.

The P.E. civil and mechanical course is $650 for members; $900 for non-members. Individual sessions can also be taken at the member rate of $65 each or $100 each for non-members.

Registration information for the Spring 2012 Civil PE Exam Review Course

Registration information for the Spring 2013 Mechanical PE Exam Review Course

If you are interested in receiving details about a future PE or FE exam review course, contact MnSPE and request to be added to the list of interested students. Please specify the course you are interested in. Course details will be emailed to you once they are finalized. You can also contact the VSPE office via email at info@vspe.org or 804.364.0505.

See what past review course participants have to say:

• "This was really a great course in content, instructors and expectations. I will recommend it to my colleagues." Mechanical PE webinar participant
• "The course got me back in the studying mindset and helped me to see the massive amount of information the exam covered and manage the review of all that material in a productive manner." Civil PE live site participant
• "Thanks for the opportunity to take this course. I hope more Texans get on board/online for it, otherwise they will be missing a key link in their preparation for the PE exam." ME webinar participant
• "The presentations were informative and I was able to learn effectively and efficiently right at home." FE webinar participant
• "The mock exam was awesome! What a good idea to do a full test to simulate test day." Mechanical PE live site participant
• I just wanted to thank all of you for your help regarding the PE exam. Good program, I will recommend it to others in the future. I felt great after each part of the exam. It was actually quite exhilarating and felt like I was "in the zone" and only had to guess on a few of them." Civil PE webinar participant
• "Thank you for putting this on and I hope you can find people willing to teach this class long into the future. I will probably take the PE exam class if offered." FE webinar participant
• "I just wanted to inform you that I passed the Civil-Transportation PE Exam. I believe the review course was a major factor in my success. Thank you for coordinating the class and thank you to all your instructors who did such a great job. I will be recommending this course to everyone I know here in Alabama." Civil PE webinar participant
• "Good course. I felt it was worth the time and a good study aid. I would recommend it to anyone else studying for the PE." Mechanical PE live site participant
• "The classes exposed me to topics I haven't studied andwhat to expect on the exam." FE webinar participant

VSPE's Ethics and APELSCIDLA Regulations Review  Seminar - Where Would You Like Us to Hold the Next Seminar?

As you know, VSPE's Ethics and APELSCIDLA Regulations Review seminar continues to be a hit! The latest seminar was held in December in Lynchburg and was attended by members and non-members. Comments from the survey continue to reaffirm VSPE's belief that this is an excellent seminar and every Professional Engineer licensed in Virginia should attend. The principal reasons for offering this seminar are to enhance the understanding of the APELSCIDLA Regulations amongst all design professionals, particularly Professional Engineers, to shed light on the “gray areas” of engineering ethics, and to highlight the ethical requirements contained in the “Standards of Practice and Conduct” portion of the Regulations. As part of the seminar, attendees take an open-book examination covering the Regulations. Some of the exam questions even deal specifically with actual disciplinary cases decided by the APELSCIDLA Board.

The seminar would be beneficial to those in any of the other design professions as well! We've had several architects attend the seminar and encourage you to publicize the seminar to your peers and colleagues in the architecture, land surveying, landscape architecture, and interior design professions.

The more people we have who commit to taking the seminar in one particular location, the better your chances of having it in or very near your hometown!  Send an email to Info@VSPE.org and tell us where you'd like the seminar to be held next. Previous locations included Richmond, Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Harrisonburg, Lynchburg, Blacksburg, and Arlington.

“Understanding Virginia’s ethics requirements in concert with our society’s code of ethics is fundamental to providing outstanding engineering services.  This seminar provides context and excellent understanding of our responsibilities as professionals.”—Rick Thoesen, P.E., City of Fairfax Dept of Utilities (Lynchburg seminar, 12/2/2011)  

“As an active-duty military officer, finding opportunities to attend professional engineering conferences and seminars can be challenging.  The one-day seminar offered by VSPE was ideal and I appreciated the registration discount and the take-away materials.  VSPE gave me a good opportunity to network and stay current on state regulations.”—Name not provided (Lynchburg seminar, 12/2/2011)  

“I thought the seminar greatly improved my knowledge of the regulations.”—Randy Hoffman, P.E., J. R. Hoffman Construction (Lynchburg seminar, 12/2/2011)

"I have been attending similar seminars in NC for years to

satisfy their PDH requirements and I found your event today exceeded

any I've previously been involved with."--William F. Goodfellow, P.E. (Richmond June 18, 2010)

"The program was very well done, and the exam, especially, was an excellent

method for review and in-depth understanding of the regulations."--Thomas J. Bolka, P.E.,

Turner Construction Company (Harrisonburg April 16, 2010)

"I feel that this course should be required for all before becoming a P.E. 

I serioiusly doubt that many people will sit down and read the rules and regulations,

and without taking a course like this, it is highly unlikely that people will have a

good understanding of the rules.  There were many items that I learned in the class

that I had not realized before.  The thought that ethics should be as simple as

doing the right thing certainly sounds good, but, there are many aspects of the

rules and how they apply to ethics that simple common sense does

not cover."--James R. Strozier, P.E. (Virginia Beach, March 26, 2010)

State Licensing Board News - VSPE Member & Former APELSCIDLA Board Member Recognized

By Kate Nosbisch

Executive Director

APELSCIDLA Board  

VSPE member and former APELSCIDLA Board Member Stanley Harris, PE, received the NCEES Distinguished Service Award at the NCEES Northeast Zone Meeting held in Annapolis, MD.  Mr. Harris is currently an emeritus member of the Virginia Board of Architects, Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors, Certified Interior Designers, and Landscape Architects, after serving the maximum two consecutive four year terms from 2002 to 2010.  During his tenure, he served as board chairman for the 2007-2008 term.  Mr. Harris also served two terms on the board from 1992-2000.  He has served as Section chair and on numerous committees including the ABET Engineering Accreditation Committee site review at UVA College at Wise 2009.

In his service to NCEES, Mr. Harris has served on the NCEES Engineering Licensure Qualifications Task Force 2000-2002, Special Committee on Constitutions and Bylaws Chair 2003-2004 and 2004-2005, Licensure Qualifications Oversight Group 2003-2004, Committee on Nominations 2008-2010 and Alternate Licensure Pathway Task Force 2010-2011.

In his service to the profession, Mr. Harris has been a member of the Central Virginia section of American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) since 1968, serving as chair of Membership Development 1979-1983.  He also served on the ASME Honors & Awards Committee, and chaired the Committee 1983-1985; he also served on the Audit Committee 2009-2010. He has also been a member of the Virginia Society of Professional Engineers since 1977.

Mr. Harris was the Director of the Engineering Club of Richmond, Inc. 1988-1995, also serving as President 1988-1995 and Vice President/Treasurer 1991-1993.  In addition, Mr. Harris has been on the board of the Richmond Area Program for Minorities in Engineering (RAPME) since 1979, serving as Vice President from 1984-1995, President 1996-2007 and Treasurer 2007-2011.

Virginia Engineers Conference - Exhibitors/Sponsors Needed

September 19-20, 2012

Williamsburg Marriott

Dates have been selected and the task force has begun preparations to select topics and instructors for this year's conference.  Exhibitors are needed to showcase their products and/or services and sponsors are needed to ensure that registration fees can continue to be as affordable as possible so that the majority of licensed professionals can attend.  Registration for the 2012 conference will go live on our dedicated website (www.VirginiaEngineersConference.org)  as soon as we have all the topics and speakers confirmed.  Sponsorship and exhibitor forms will be updated soon.  Contact Leigh Dicks for more information at Info@VSPE.org or 804-364-0505.

NSPE/VSPE Membership Now Includes 15 PDHs

NSPE membership just got even better! As a member, you now have access to online courses worth 15 professional development hours at no extra charge: www.nspe.org/15ForFree.

Course topics include communication, contract documents, engineering leadership, ethics, negotiating, qualifications-based selection, and green design. At the end of each seminar, a quiz is available to those members who need it to meet their state’s continuing education requirements.

Join NOW - download membership application and mail in OR go to www.NSPE.org and join online!  By joining, you also are able to take advantage of 'member rates' for various seminars and the Virginia Engineers Conference.

VSPE Files Complaint with State Licensing Board - NY Company Solicits Business But Not Registered in VA 

Here is just one way that VSPE assists its members and protects the public at the same time.  

On April 26, 2010, a member forwarded an email he received from a New York-based company promoting itself and the engineering services it offered.  Leigh Dicks, VSPE Executive Director, was asked to see if the company was registered with the Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation (DPOR) to offer engineering services in Virginia. Upon using the License Lookup feature on the DPOR website, Ms. Dicks discovered that although the President of the NY company was registered to practice engineering in Virginia, his company was not.  To be absolutely sure, Ms. Dicks contacted DPOR and received confirmation on April 28 that the company was, in fact, not registered with DPOR.  A DPOR complaint form was then filled out and submitted on May 1.  DPOR informed VSPE on May 12 that an initial investigation would be conducted to determine if the evidence supported a possible violation.  During the investigation, the New York company was contacted and admitted to sending the email soliciting business in Virginia despite not being registered to do so.  The company agreed to cease soliciting business in Virginia and the file was then closed on June 8.

The lookup feature on the DPOR website is a great feature to use and can be found at the link below -

http://www.dpor.virginia.gov/regulantlookup/selection_input.cfm?CFID=1848303&CFTOKEN=56660492.

The lookup feature can be used to verify the registration of any design firm, whether located in Virginia or not, including branch offices. It is quick and easy and takes no more than a few minutes to get verification.  It can save you and your company time, money and a lot of headaches by verifying DPOR registration BEFORE you do business with another entity. 

Any individual can file a complaint with DPOR against any design professional or firm if they believe they are not complying with state regulations.  The link below takes you to the COMPLIANCE & INVESTIGATIONS DIVISION website where you can get a detailed explanation of the complaint process in Virginia, review their "Frequently Asked Questions" page, and download a complaint form to submit -  http://www.dpor.virginia.gov/dporweb/enf_main.cfm.  As a VSPE member, you can also submit your concerns to VSPE and if warranted, VSPE will file the complaint in your behalf.