9410.rtf

A PROPOSAL FOR VALUE ENGINEERING COLLEGE COURSE
TRAINING
This document was presented at the 1994 International Conference of the Society of American Value Engineers (SAVE) in New Orleans, LA. It was published in the SAVE Annual Proceedings andis copyrighted (SAVE, 1994), Permission to upload this document to the LEAP Forum Library has Michael N. Zabych offers Value Engineering (VE) Consultant Services from Alexandria, VA. He is a graduate of Pennsylvania State University, the Army War College, and Industrial College of the Armed Forces. Over a 23 year period. Mike was a VE Program Manager, Staff Value Engineer, and part-time instructor with the Federal Government. During the past seven years, he has been the VE Program Director at VSE, Inc., a VE Project Coordinatior for Smith, Hinchman & Grylls Associates, Inc., Value Management (VM) Division and a private consultant. He has taught VE in Germany, Italy, Australia, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates. He has taught VM at Catholic University of America since __________________________________________________________________________________________________________ approval by the instructor prior to commencement of work. Use of ABSTRACT
previously constructed projects for study is permitted because designers are reluctant to wait 15 weeks to obtain the results of a VE This paper presents a plan to improve the probability of having study done by the students. This is not to slight the student effort, VE/Value Analysis (VA)/VM accepted more readily by the but the time frame is too long, when compared with the rapid academic community. It also details the format and content of a response that is possible from the basic workshop. The course three credit graduate course taught at the Catholic University of permits students to use 10 hours of class time to work on their America since 1977. With the exception of minor variations, the project application, and requires a minimum of 10 hours outside of course is similar to the VE Theory Instructor's Guide and Text, by class to complete the VE workbook, study, and final report.
The course outline that follows is the one I have used since 1988. Based on the quality of studies performed and the reports prepared by the students, I am convinced that the outline is adequate and serves as a satisfactory alternative for the Module I The idea of using the college campus as a forum for value training is neither new nor a unique initiative. Ample evidence exists to show that value specialists have been teaching some form of value courses in the United States and several foreign countries since at least the decade of the 1970s. As a matter of fact, a review of the 1971 SAVE Proceedings indicates that Ken Cruise, who at that time was the National Director of College Relations, pointed out that a method of conveying information on the value disciplines to college faculty is through the University Extension Division1.
Under the aegis of the Los Angeles Chapter of SAVE and Past National SAVE President Anthony R. Tocco, the UCLA Extension Division offered a course, leading to a Professional Designation in At the same time, Carlos Fallon, also a Past National SAVE President, was teaching a VA course at the Camden, NJ campus of Rutgers University and an advanced course in Value Improvement at the University of Tennessee Space Institute. A year later, in 1972, the present SAVE National Vice President  Education, David DeMarle, began teaching a four credit graduate engineering VA course, and is still teachiing Value Measurement, Engineering and Management at Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester,NY2. A basic 40-hour workshop was introduced to George Washington University in 1973 by Rudy Kempter, CVS, FSAVE.
Unfortunately, some of these early VA/VE/VM college courses have been discontinued as their primary instructors or sponsors have moved on to bigger and more profitable pursuits, passed away, or just plain lost interest. Yet, enough of the courses have survived, and new courses initiated to give the impression that all is not lost, as long as we have a foot in the door of academia.
In addition to the Rochester Institute of Technology graduate engineering course, Donald E. Parker developed a VE Theory Instructor's Guide and Text in 1977. His course was accepted by the faculty of the Catholic University of America, Department of Civil Engineering, as a three credit graduate level technical elective course for stuudents working toward a Masters Degree in Construction Management. Initially, the course included class exercises related to the specific subject being taught during the class session, and a small individual VE project for study. As currently taught, the course includes application of value methodology on a construction project selected by the students. Both live and previously constructed facilities are permitted, but are subject to Organizing for & Performing Value Work Program RequirementsVE Policy  Budgeting At the same time that Don Parker began teaching the VM course at Catholic University of America, he initiated a Value Foundation effort to expand the value discipline to other colleges and universities by providing course materials to educators on a complimentary basis, providing that they requested the Instructor Guide and Text on university stationery. In addition, Don developed an instructor's seminar for college educators at the SAVE International Conference. The basic intent of the Value Foundation Program, as explained by Don, was to have the VE Theory course taught by college professors, even if they were not Certified Value Specialists (CVS). This initiative resulted in seminar attendance by as many as thirty educators, several of whom began teaching value courses at their colleges or universities. Two of these courses are still being taught at the University of Florida at Gainesville and at Georgia Intstitute of Technology at Atlanta.
VE & Complementary Discliplines During the last half of 1993, Dave DeMarle has reported on three different surveys to determine the extent of value training in colleges and universities in the United States. In 1989, Tom Snodgrass, CVS, FSAVE, Director of the Center for Value Education at the University of Wisconsin at Madison, contacted 325 universities and colleges listed as having engineering schools and continuing education departments. His survey showed that only 13 schools offered credit courses and an additional 23 schools offered value training through a continuing education program.
Only 8 of the latter schools offered a traditional 40-hour basic In November, 1992, Fred Sherwin, CVS, FSAVE reported Interactions that only six colleges offered credit courses in VE/VA/VM, although this later survey may not have been as extensive as that conducted by Tom Snodgrass.
In a more recent survey by Dave DeMarle and Art Mudge and Interactions, it appears that some form of value training is conducted at 43 colleges and universities4.
How many of the 43 schools are offering undergraduate or graduate credit courses is unknown, but apparently some form of value training is happening at these schools. What is unknown also, is whether any of the credit courses and continuing education courses have been approved as a substitute for the basic Module I workshop Dave DeMarle unveiled a plan in the July, 1993 issue of Interactions to expand value training at U.S. colleges and Creation of an ad hoc academic committee of professionals to "network and partner with SAVE members who wish to serve as adjunct VA/VE/VM Development & Implementation Strategies In states having universities that offer value credit Expanding VA/VE/VM training where it is taught in one department to other departments within the Introducing value training into other colleges Guide for $100 as a non-SAVE member, or for $90 if they are within the state by partnering current faculty with To make matters worse, the course, which has been taught to graduate students for 17 years, has not been approved by the Certification Board as an equivalent Module I basic workshop course, and if taught by other than a CVS, albeit even a college Dave DeMarle's efforts to expand value training in New York professor, would doom the course as a basis for AVS/VPM/CVS State are commendable, and should serve as an example for other qualification. Apparently the only benefit a college graduate SAVE chapters throughout the country to follow. Similarly, Past student may derive from taking a three or four credit VA/VE/VM National President Fred Sherwin is in the forefront, leading the course under current certification rules is to provide them with the efforts of the Miles Value Foundation to expand the teaching of opportunity to join SAVE and to take the Module I basic workshop value courses on the college campus. Their initiatives are steps in under the tutelage of a CVS. Whoopie!! Do we really want colleges the right direction and should be supported by all SAVE chapters; and universities to offer more credit courses in VE/VA/VM? however, I submit that we need more commitment from the SAVE National Board, in general, and by the Certification Board, in Without fear of contradiction, I believe that SAVE is, or at If the objective of SAVE is to "Attract Educatiors and least, should be in the business of making change happen on Students," and "Expand Value Training" on the college campus, we purpose. The very nature of the value discipline is based on this have a strange way of showing our interest in fulfilling these premise. Yet, when it comes to making change within the SAVE objectives. Long term acceptance by the academic community and organization or certification criteria, our reluctanace to change perpetuation of our existence as a society demand that we get anything is only exceeded by the perceived higher order functions to seriious and provide a few basic incentives to drum up interest by "Make Money" or "Protect Turf." To illustrate my point, the ensuring that existing or newly developed college course credit Module I basic value workshop, consisting of 20 hours of courses are fully recognized as meeting the educational instruction and 20 hours of live project application, has undergone requirements for AVS certification. Rather than placing major only minor change since the certification program was initiated in emphasis on whether a potential AVS learned the value discipline 1973. Perhaps the only significant change was the addition of by taking a Module I basic workshop, or by taking a VA/VE/VM several variations of FAST diagraming, and the addition of the three or four credit college course, our emphasis should be placed Module II Advanced Seminar as a basis of CVS Certification.
on the successful completeion of a written value theory examination. If the student can pass the examination, we really Many of the long term value practitioners question the value should not care how they learned about value techniques.
and content of Module II as a basis for meeting certification requirements. Approval of the course is granted to a "Principle There is a wealth of course materials available among value CVS", not to an organization. Presumably, this means that each specialists and in universities to develop undergraduate and CVS must have his own Module I and Module II course approved graduate courses in the value discipline. Whether the course of by the Certification Board. Since the Board, during the past year, instruction takes the form of Dave DeMarle's "Value Measurement, raised the fee for course approval from $75 to $125 (a whopping Engineering and Management" at Rochester Institute of 66% during a recession), is there any wonder that the perceived Technology, or Don Parker's "Value Engineering Theory" at the higher order function of the Certification Board is to: "Make Catholic University, or some other form, such as Hank Wales' Money" and "Protect Turf"? If ever we should approve Dave McGill University Value Analysis course is irrelevant. What DeMarle's Rochester Institute of Technology course, or Don matters is that the value gospel is being preached and students are Parker's Catholic University of America course as an equivalent to learning how to apply the methodology. These students are Module I, does it mean that each time one of the courses of potential members of SAVE, and should be encouraged to become instruction is adopted at a new college or university that the faculty value specialists by society acknowledgement that the value training they have received is at least equivalent to the basic 40-hour instructor must submit the course for Board approval  and send their $125 in the process? Heaven forbid that the course should be taught by a college professor and not a CVS! In addition to the three or four credit technical elective value course, there is a real need to provide an orientation course to Contrast the preceding requirements with those necessary for students in engineering and architecture. Undergraduates in these Engineer in Training and Professional Engineer registration. For disciplines must first know that there is such a thing as VE. The Engineer in Training  a person who has completed eight course can be a one credit Freshman course (15 hours) that includes semesters of an engineering or engineering technology curriculum, such subjects as: What is VE?, The Functional Approach, FAST, or eight years in an engineering field, and after having passed the Creativity, History of VE application in Industry and Government, fundamentals of engineering examination, shall be issued a The VE Job Plan, and Examples of VE application. If we are certificate as an Engineer in Training (EIT). For professional unsuccessful in getting this type of course introduced into the Engineer  in addition to the requirements for EIT, a license and already crowded, undergraduate curriculum, we can, as a specialty cerification, or an additional specialty certification shall be minimum, prepare a one or two hour VE lecture for inclusion into issued to a person who, after graduation, completes active practice the general engineering or architecture orientation courses that in engineering work satisfactory to the Board, the last two of which already exist for freshman college students, and furnish the lecture certification is sought, and haveing attained a passing score, set materials free of charge to any college faculty member.
examination testing the principles and practices of engineering in If we continue to insist that only a qualified CVS can teach value courses, we are making our task of introducing or expanding Obviously, the emphasis seems to be on passing examinations these courses on the college campus difficult. To make the basic aand obtaining experience rather than on a specific course of study, assumption that only a CVS can teach VA/VE/VM is equivalent to or the Professional Engineer qualifications of the college professor.
the requirement that only a registered professional engineer can Granted a fee is charged for each examination, but not for course teach a college engineering course, and we know that the latter approval, nor are college professors required to have professional requirement does not exist. Instead, the SAVE Certification Board engineering license, prior to teaching a course.
should offer a Certified Value Instructor (CVI) certificate, providing that the educator has taken a course on how to teach the value A common business practice by publishers of college text discipline. The course may be given during the annual International books is to provide complimentary copies to educators in other than SAVE Conference by an academically cognizant individual or the author's college, presumably to encourage more widespread group, or on a college campus by a nearby SAVE Chapter team.
sales and use of the text. As previously noted, Don Parker and the Miles Value Foundation provided complimentary copies of their VE We must come to the realization that we are in a "request," Thaeory Instructor's Guide to educators, under the original intent of not a "demand" mode vis-a-vis the academic community and need introducing a value course that could be taught by a college to reorient our thinking accordingly. We cannot set up a wall of professor, rather than a CVS. Today, the SAVE National Business superficial requirements for the aspiring student and prospective Office and the Miles Value Foundation are in a money-making college professor to negotiate if we are to make serious inroads into posture. A potential college educator who wishes to introduce a the college campus. The society must be willing to bend to the VA/VE/VM course on their campus can procure the Instructor's needs of the college or university, and minimize the negative impact that inflexible certification educational requirements imply.
The college satudent who completes a three or four credit VA/VE/VM course is also a potential member of SAVE. We cannot ignore the fact that, in spite of our past actions, society membership is flat. Our membership rosters have varied between 1200 to 1500 members over the past 25 years. During the next ten years, we can expect that there will be a mass exodus from SAVE, as large numbers of members reach retirement from full-time employment. SAVE needs an infusion of young engineers and architects if it is to remain a viable organization. As society membership increases, so will our revenue and recognition, and we need not be concerned with self-serving ineterests. Let's resolve to Fallon, Carlos, "Body of Knowledge Underlying the Value Disciplines," SAVE Proceedings, 1971, Vol VI, May, 1971.
DeMarle, David J., "Value Training at the Rochester Institute of Technology," SAVE Proceedings, 1993, Vol CCVIII, May, DeMarle, D.J., "Five-Year Plan Expands Value Training at U.S. Universities," Interactions, Vol 18, No. 7, July, 1993.
DeMarle, David J., "Value Engineering in Higher Education,"Interactions, Vol. 18, No. 11, November, 1993

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