Summary: The AIA on January 4 presented two architecture firms Awards for Excellence in Professional Continuing Education. Marshall Craft Associates, Baltimore, was honored in the small firm category, and Lord, Aeck & Sargent Architecture, Atlanta, in the medium firm provider category. Established nine years ago, the annual award recognizes educational providers to architectural and engineering firms and their commitment to an overall system of developing high quality professional continuing education programs. The recipients will accept a trophy at the AIA/CES MarketPlace May 2 during the AIA 2007 Annual Convention and Design Exposition in San Antonio.

Strict criteria
The AIA requires that all winning projects demonstrate excellence in six phases:

1. Commitment and support examines the firm’s leadership, support, and commitment to education.
2. Planning and analysis examines the organization’s structure for analyzing educational needs and professional development of the architect.
3. Design and implementation reviews the program, learning objectives, design, and delivery methods.
4. Resources and records examines human resources and the record keeping process.
5. Evaluation and improvement examines the evaluation and improvement process of the education activities.
6. Continuing education services, provider specific is the area in which judges examine the organization’s community outreach through educational programs and services.

Linton S. Buck Marshall, III, president, of Marshall Craft stated that his firm is honored to receive the AIA/CES Award for Excellence. “We appreciate and value the recognition by the AIA for our commitment to employee education,” he says. “MCA's education and training program has improved the overall quality of services to our clients and our ability to recruit and retain a professional staff.”

“As one of the first architecture firms to establish an AIA-accredited continuing education program, Lord, Aeck & Sargent has long been a leader in this area,” adds Daniel Schumm, that firm's manager of professional development. “We are extremely pleased that the AIA has recognized our commitment to providing outstanding continuing education for our staff through our program. We're proud of the program because it strengthens our employees, thereby directly benefiting our clients. And we believe that our continuing education programs have been and will continue to be a factor in attracting quality candidates to join our firm.”