EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE
Membership Categories: Which is right for you?
Aaron W. Johnson, MEM-2783
awj@aipg.org
One of my favorite things about being Executive Director at AIPG is the chance to talk to our members. I am often able to chat with members at AIPG meetings, to meet up with members at other professional meetings or to exchange emails with members. The topics that we discuss vary from the technical to the mundane, often focusing on upcoming AIPG meetings, or the most recent AIPG webinar. In a recent email, one member suggested that outlining membership options in AIPG might be a good subject for an article in The Professional Geologist. The more I thought about it, the more I thought it might be a good subject for this column.
When AIPG was founded in 1963, there was only one member-
ship category, the Certified Professional Geologist (CPG) credential. Since that time, membership options in AIPG have expanded due to a number of factors. The addition of state licensure, the need for a pathway to go from being a geology student to a CPG, the recognition of people who are interested in the work we do but are not geologists, and the understanding that we don’t stop being geologists when we retire helped to drive this change to the number and types of AIPG memberships.
Today, AIPG offers five different membership categories to meet the needs of professional geologists all over the world. In addition, should a geologist choose to retire, they can decide to become a non-practicing or Emeritus member, depending on their member- ship type. As a result, AIPG offers seven total membership types: CPG, CPG-Emeritus, Professional Member, Professional Member Non-Practicing, Early Career Professional (ECP) Member, Student Member, and Associate Member. In addition, AIPG can award Honorary Member status when deemed appropriate by the Awards and Honors Committee. Each membership type varies slightly in terms of requirements and restrictions, and with respect to whether or not a member has voting rights in National and Section business or the right to serve on AIPG committees.
Memberships with full voting and committee rights
The CPG credential represents the highest level of membership within AIPG. Those who apply for the credential must hold a bac- calaureate degree or higher with at least 36 semester or 54 quarter hours of geology courses and possess at least eight years of experi- ence as a geologist. Those who hold a master’s degree receive one year of experience credit; those with a Ph.D. receive three years of experience credit resulting in a work experience requirement of seven and five years respectively. In addition, applicants to be a CPG must provide work experience verification by a third party and must be sponsored by either 1) two other persons who hold a CPG and a third practicing geologist, all of whom can attest to the applicant’s character and quality of work; or, 2) six practicing geologists, all of whom can attest to the applicant’s character and quality of work.
38 TPG •
Jul.Aug.Sep 2024
Members who hold the CPG designation are eligible to hold any office within the Institute at the National or Section level, may serve as chairpersons of any of the Institute’s committees, and are eligible to vote in all National or Section elections. Those persons who hold the CPG credential but are no longer working full-time may apply to become a CPG-Emeritus. As CPG-Emeritus members may still work part-time, with part-time being defined as an average of 20 hours or less per week during any calendar year. Emeriti retain eligibility to serve as officers, or as chairs of standing committees.
The Professional Membership in AIPG is a general member-
ship category for geologists who do not wish to pursue the CPG credential or who do not yet have the necessary experience to apply for the CPG. The education requirement for the Professional Membership is slightly different, requiring that the applicant hold a baccalaureate degree or higher in geology, but requiring only 30 semester or 45 quarter hours of geology rather than the 35 semester or 54 quarter hours required for the CPG. Professional Members are eligible to vote in all National and Section elections and may serve on any National or Section committee, save the screening committees, which are tasked with screening applicants who have applied for the CPG. In addition, Professional Members may not serve as chairpersons of National Standing Committees, nor may they serve as President Elect, President, Past President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, or Editor of the Institute. Professional Members are eligible to serve as Advisory Board Representatives to the National Executive Committee. Eligibility of Professional Members to serve as officers for Sections depends on the Section. To learn more, please consult the bylaws of your Section. A Professional Member who no longer practices geology may choose to become a Professional Member non-practicing. Similar to the CPG Emeritus, these members should refrain from practicing geology more than 20 hours per week on average for a given calendar year, while retaining all rights and privileges associ- ated with Professional Membership.
The Early Career Professional (ECP) membership was created to
address the transition from student to professional geologist. Only those persons who are in the first five years of their professional career qualify for this member category. The ECP membership is a sub-category of the Professional Member category that is free for the first year and pays a reduced dues rate for the next four years of membership. ECP members hold the same rights and responsi- bilities as a professional member, with one exception: an ECP may stand for election to the National Executive Committee as the ECP representative. A member qualifies to be an ECP so long as they have fewer than 60 months of work experience, regardless of whether that experience is gained in consecutive months or is interrupted by a return to school, being called up to active-duty military service, or time taken off due to any other circumstance.
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