The Secretary of the Interior’s Professional Qualification Standards describe minimum professional standards in terms of academic attainment, training, and experience for a number of professional disciplines routinely practicing in historic preservation today.
In recent years, the Interior Department has discussed potential updates to the Standards, which have not been changed in 40 years. These discussions come at a time when the CRM industry is facing workforce shortages, and when there is significant debate within the professions that comprise CRM about whether the Standards’ educational requirements should be changed.
Recognizing the importance of this discussion, ACRA has taken steps to ensure that all members have the ability to express their views through surveys, our Hot Topics series, and sessions at our annual conference. As conversations at Interior continue, it’s essential that ACRA can serve as the voice of the industry on this issue.
That is why ACRA is forming a Task Force to explore the implications of any changes to the Standards and provide recommendations to the ACRA Board about how ACRA can best represent its members’ views. The Task Force will present its findings at the ACRA Annual Conference in Indianapolis this September.
The Task Force will be comprised of approximately 8-10 people, representing the diversity of the industry. The Task Force will meet by Zoom roughly monthly between now and September.
All staff of ACRA member firms are eligible to apply to be a part of the Task Force, whose final membership will be determined by representatives of the Government Relations and Executive Committees. If you are interested in joining the Task Force, please fill out the Google form by March 31, 2023.
This is your chance to help ACRA chart a course in this vital discussion. Apply today!