Organizations, in order to remain vibrant and relevant, routinely adjust policies, revise standards, examine outcomes, and make adjustments to long standing methods of operation. It’s clear, based on even a cursory glance back over the past decade, and especially the past 5 years, that the three collateral organizations: NCARB, NAAB, and the AIA, have all made significant changes focusing on the well-being of the individual as they transition from student, to graduate to licensed professional. A timeline of a selection of these improvements is attached to this summary.

Considering the action taken by these three collateral organizations, AIA California believes it would be both timely and helpful to host a gathering of involved parties, giving them a forum to assess the current state of architectural education specifically in light of the considerable changes carefully and thoughtfully made in the relatively recent past by the collateral organizations.

In short, the well-worn path of education, experience and examination has been upended and the sequence of what, where, when and how an individual is educated and prepared to become a member of the architecture profession has been altered.