Pub. 13 2018 Issue 1

www.ucls.org 10 Issue 1 2018 / UCLS Foresights T he principal duties of the education com - mittee are to plan, promote, and implement formal surveying educational programs includ - ing workshops, seminars, and forums (e.g.: C.S.T. program); standardize con - tinuing education units; and to oversee the administration of the corporation’s scholarship program, as directed by the board of directors. We are excited to announce Mi - chael Stewart as our first ever recipient of the Walter M. Cunningham Foun - dation. Michael is a U.V.U. student working towards his bachelor’s degree in Geomatics and currently works for Iron Rock Engineering in Kanab, Utah. Michael was recommended by his em - ployers who have been impressed with his hard work, commitment, and char - acter. He looks forward to being able to benefit his hometown of Kanab, Utah, in a new facet as a future profes - sional land surveyor. Congratulations, Michael, and best of luck! The Walter M. Cunningham Edu - cation Foundation was organized as a nonprofit corporation to provide funding and grants to low-income students and to provide academic opportunities and educational expe - riences to surveying, mapping, and geomatics students. Purpose of the Foundation • To act and operate exclusively for charitable and educational purposes. • To cultivate partnerships with public and private organizations committed to ensuring access to applicable learn - ing opportunities. • To fund educational experiences that focus on creativity, commitment to others, and that cultivate social responsibility. If you or someone you know would like to donate to the Walter M. Cun - ningham Education Foundation, please visit https://www.wmcef.org/. Salt Lake Community College (S.L.C.C.) Geomatics/Survey - ing Program Report: Per the SLCC Program Advisory Committee (P.A.C.) meeting held on April 25, 2018, Adam Dastrup, the pro - gram coordinator, reported he spent this last year seeking enrollments. Full Time Equivalent (FTE) enrollments were low because more than half the classes were offered online. College enrollment numbers tend to be cyclical. A poor economy forces many adult learners into the classroom to retrain or hone their skills, but when it improves, en - rollment decreases as they return to the workforce. The S.L.C.C. Geomat - ics/Surveying program is no different. The college is trying to run a minimum of 13 students per class due to budget constraints. Program administration is working on the following three items to increase enrollment: 1) adjust certain courses to be offered annually instead of each semester; 2) simplify registra - tion for courses to allow non-degree seeking students to register for classes as training courses to reduce course cost and increase enrollment; 3) po - tentially eliminate pre-requisites and disincentives or substituting work expe - rience for course pre-requisites. The Geomatics/Surveying program serves three distinct purposes: 1. Provides students who have little or no experience in the field the skills needed for employment as a surveyor. 2. Gives those already working in the profession additional knowledge needed to prepare for their profes - sional licensing examinations. BY STEVE COLLIER, P.L.S. EDUCATION COMMITTEE CHAIR Utah Council of Land Surveyors Education Committee