Philadelphia—2013-2014 NCARB President Blakely C. Dunn, AIA, NCARB, declared 2013 a resounding success for the Council, citing a number of high-impact changes to NCARB services and programs. “We have continued to evaluate our major programs and proposed changes that seemed to be ripe for consideration,” Dunn said.
Dunn expressed his pride in being the first NCARB president to have completed the Intern Development Program (IDP). He also had a hand in many of the program’s recent updates, which include the streamlined eligibility requirement, launch of the mobile app, implementation of the student coordinator program, and modified reporting requirement. “These are significant improvements to the program that will benefit countless interns on their path to licensure,” he said.
Dunn also discussed the Licensure Task Force, which was established early last year and chaired by Past President Ronald B. Blitch. The group is charged with exploring the viability of creating an additional, and completely optional, path that could result in licensure at graduation. “Our programs, as well-intentioned as they are, had become too cumbersome and were inconsistent in the treatment of those considered deficient in education, experience, or examination,” Dunn said. “It does not mean we are rejecting the current, traditional path. It means that as we evolve the traditional path, we will also provide an additional path that still has all the familiar pieces: an accredited degree, completion of the IDP, and passage of the ARE.”