As president, Skemp will stress K-Life Learning

Emily M. Smith
ASME NEWS

MINNEAPOLIS — At her inaugural address here last month, Susan H. Skemp challenged Society members to make mentoring a way of life and to reflect on education as K-to-Life instead of simply K-to-12.

The address came at ASME's Summer Annual Meeting during the President's Dinner, when Skemp officially took office as ASME's 121st president. She spoke before some 160 ASME officers and well-wishers.

ASME President Susan H. Skemp, with Reginald I. Vachon (left), president-nominee, and William A. Weiblen (right), immediate past president, at last month's Summer Annual Meeting.

 

 

Skemp, manager of advanced technology planning at Pratt & Whitney, told her audience that three critical challenges to current and future members exist in ensuring the vitality of ASME. First, that the global perception of ASME as a value-based organization is a reality; second, that ASME use its alliances and coalitions to define and help the Society address the needs of engineers; and third, that the K-college pipeline for emerging engi-neers be expanded to go far beyond the postgraduate years to include perhaps the post-retirement years.

Already, ASME is meeting some of these challenges, Skemp said, mainly in the area of value. Responding to a cultural change that she said "was not only necessary, but critical for growth," ASME began "to move away from a constituency-based to a knowledge-based and value-based organization."

"However, as we move forward," Skemp told the audience, citing the reorganization of the Council on Engineering and the Council on Member Affairs, "we must recognize barriers and be ready to address them head on, continuing to recognize opportunities, and seeking to fulfill leadership roles with those with the expertise, the ability to think critically and analytically, and balance risk with reward."

In concluding her remarks, Skemp stressed the value of young engineers and the need to encourage more programs and activities to attract young people to the engineering profession.

"We need to recognize young engineers not as tomorrow's leaders, but as today's leaders," she said. "I challenge each and every one of us to make mentoring a way of life," for the mentor as well as for the mentoree.

To learn more about Skemp's professional background, visit www. asme.org/asme/president.html.

 

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