For the Betterment of the Structural Engineering Profession:
A Joint CASE, NCSEA & SEI Town Hall Event
The leading professional organizations of Structural Engineering–CASE, NCSEA and SEI–continue to work together for the betterment of the profession.
  • In 2019, the leadership from CASE, NCSEA and SEI jointly endorsed a Vision for the Future of Structural Engineering.
  • Building on that Vision, the three organizations issued a joint Call to Action this past year pledging to identify and eradicate behaviors that perpetuate racism and inequality within the structural engineering profession.
On Tuesday, February 23 from 2:30 to 4 pm CST, the leadership from the three organizations will host a virtual Joint Town Hall event to discuss how the three organizations are progressing to fulfill the Vision and Call to Action, specifically highlighting current and future initiatives to advance the profession and enhance member engagement. In addition, the leadership will host an open Q&A session to continue the discussion as we all move toward the future.
What Does the SE Profession Expect from College Grads?
Participate in the Structural Engineering Practitioner Survey by January 31, 2021
You're invited to participate in the 2020 NCSEA Structural Engineering Practitioner Survey. Your survey responses will assist the Basic Education Committee (BEC) in communicating with universities, current students, and rising professionals about the attributes sought in new hires by the structural engineering community as well as look for opportunities to supplement education where needed.  NCSEA's BEC advocates an academic curriculum which prepares students for practice in the structural engineering profession. The information gathered will be compared with the Curriculum Surveys completed by accredited ABET institutions, then shared with the structural engineering community. Participate in the 2020 Practitioner Survey
Welcome to the next installment of Read.Watch.Listen: a monthly forum hosted by the NCSEA SE3 Committee to share and promote conversations on diversity, equity and inclusion within the structural engineering profession. Each month, we will curate a series of articles, audio-visual and digital media to facilitate self-education in matters that affect our professional practice as structural engineers. Whether you choose to read, watch, or listen (or all three!), we hope you will join us in this important conversation.

This month, we explore hiring practices, with a focus on how to hire for improved diversity, equity, and inclusion. The resources below discuss hiring for “cultural fit” and demonstrate how seeking a specific background or skillset can hinder innovation and growth. These resources provide suggestions for augmenting hiring practices, emphasizing the concepts of “cultural add” and “values fit.”

Missed the previous installment? Check out the NCSEA SE3 Committee News and Publication page.
Share your thoughts and/or recommended resources for the next issue at ncsea@ncsea.com.
READ
Written for Forbes by Lars Schmidt, the article explores the steps several major companies have taken to expand their hiring beyond “culture fit” in favor of “culture add”. While culture fit is “fraught with bias”, culture add reflects the desire of these companies “to ensure all voices, opinions, views, upbringings, etc. are reflected by their staff makeup.”
WATCH
Adam Grant is a professor of psychology at Wharton, and author of the book Originals: How Nonconformists Move the World. Here, he discusses how hiring for cultural fit can be detrimental to a company’s long-term growth.
LISTEN
Bretton Putter, author and CEO of CultureGene, discusses the downsides to screening for cultural fit when hiring. This episode of the Culture Ops Podcast focuses on the benefits of screening for values fit to improve company culture by reducing bias and increasing your ability to adapt to changes.
The Structural Engineers Association of California (SEAOC) and NCSEA have teamed up to deliver a brand new Web-Based Seminar Series for you on the newly-published Seismic Design Manual. This web-based Seismic Design Seminar will be delivered over six weeks in six 1.5 hour webinars by some of the industry’s best and brightest minds. 
Each presentation will provide examples of IBC 2018/ASCE 7-16 problems that include a discussion of the provisions in the standard, speaking to big-picture concepts and the nuts, bolts and nails of implementation.
Each individual webinar can be purchased separately for $195 for members ($250 for nonmembers). The Seismic Design Manuals (or individual volumes) may also be purchased separately through ICC using a 15% discount code.
2019-20 NCSEA Annual Report
NCSEA has released its 2019-2020 Annual Report. Click here to view a snapshot of our recent success, including membership by the numbers, news and updates from the past year, and a look back at the conferences and events NCSEA was a part of in 2020. 
NCSEA continues to partner with our Member Organizations to support practicing structural engineers to be highly qualified professionals and successful leaders.
NCSEA Communication Webinar | February 10th, 2021 at 1:00pm CST
As a leader in your SEA, you continually face one challenge: how do you keep structural engineers interested, engaged and enthused about your SEA? The virtual environment put the brakes on traditional association activities such as face-to-face networking and in-person education. While you are working to provide value virtually, is the value seen by your current or potential members?
To current and potential members, it really is all about perceived value, and this webinar will share ideas on how you can help show what your SEA is really worth. The presentation will include ideas for selling the value every SEA intrinsically has, and share experiences from SEAs that have attempted various approaches to retain and grow their local membership, and their results.
Start Studying for the Next PE Structural Exam Today
The next NCEES PE Structural Exam is coming up on April 22 & 23. Start preparing with NCSEA now! NCSEA’s on-demand course provides the most economical PE Structural Exam Preparation Course available. The course includes 30 hours of instruction, preparation tips and problem-solving skills to pass the exam. All lectures are up-to-date on the most current codes with handouts and quizzes available.
PLUS…students have access to a virtual classroom exclusively for course attendees! Ask the instructors directly whenever questions arise. This NCEES PE Structural Exam Preparation Course allows you to study at your pace but with instant access to the material and instructors. Several registration options are available, click here to register yourself or to learn more about special group pricing!
Upcoming Webinars
All NCSEA live webinars offer 1.5 hours of continuing education credits. Most NCSEA webinars are Diamond Reviewed and accepted for SE continuing education in all 50 states. To view other upcoming webinars, click here.

February 9, 2021
James Malley, S.E.

February 16, 2021
Medapati Abhinav Reddy, E.I.T

Recorded Webinars can be purchased here.
Subscribe to education with NCSEA's Live & Recorded Webinar Subscription. Available to NCSEA members only! This exclusive plan includes:
  • At least 30 live webinars per year featuring high-quality speakers.
  • An unlimited number of free CE certificates for each webinar; multiple viewers at the same location can receive credit for every live webinar.
  • Unlimited 24/7/365 access to NCSEA's Recorded Webinar Library
Call for Information
We'd love to hear about your SEA! Have you hosted an event recently that you'd like to share with the rest of the organization? Are you hosting an upcoming event that you would like featured in Structural Connection or NCSEA News? Please let us know! If you have any news, events, or accomplishments you'd like to share, please reach out to Dana Long at dlong@ncsea.com. Also, remember to add your upcoming events to NCSEA's Calendar. Just visit this link and fill out the details of your event, it is really that easy!