Section/Division Report

There are lots of changes coming to the world and a lot of changes coming to the ISA if things go the way some of the folks would like them to go. Now, what does that mean? Well, by now you are aware of the committee that has a charge to "Reinvent Divisions" and you should know about changes to the MOP's that govern some of the groups in the Society. Those groups include the Departments, the Districts and probably just about every other group in the Society. My goodness, it seems that we just got through the throes of the name change from Instrument Society of America to ISA, the instrumentation, systems and automation society, and here we are changing other stuff. Oh well, what is a guy to do except mutter under his breath about the folks at RTP and wonder where the Society is going!

Knowing that the Divisions need help is easy! Knowing how to best address the needs of the Divisions is quite another story. Just what do the Divisions need besides an infusion of volunteerism that has long existed in the Society. Why I can remember very clearly, (even though a number of other memories have gone away) the night when the Director of Chempid, who at the time was also the Houston Section President, inspired me to start a sub-committee for instrument designers within the Section. I had been complaining that there was little programming in the Section for designers, technicians and construction specialists. The Director said, "why don't you start a designer's sub-section?". At that instant, the ball or "hot potato" if you will, was in my court, and it was up to me and a number of my business contacts to start the job. Not a bad idea, really, and since there was already an Analysis sub-section in the area the help was there to get it going. Then there was the challenge of trying to take the idea to the national level. We did that by creating a sub-committee in Chempid, at the time, one of the most active Divisions of the I&S Department. It was interesting, and the result of our efforts was the development of additional programming for the annual conference, participation by a new group of ISA members, and it spurred the idea for the development and chartering of the Construction/Design Division. So, what is the answer to the dilemma of the lack of Division leadership we are faced with today? Is the above example one of the ways to do it? Just ask Ed Critzer, the Director of ConDes if it was a good method. We were there when the Charter was written and it has become one of the fastest growing Divisions of the I&S Department. Hard work breeds success and if the members of your Division expect success, they need to chip in and help. If you need to know more about how to make your Division a success, give Bob Hubby or me a call and we'll try to give you the advice to make your role in ISA beneficial to you and to your Division.

L.M."Dutch" Keen, P.E.

Section/Division Liaison