This update highlights IEEE’S historical practice that beginning in 1998 its MCC had been authorized to deny providing ethics advice and ethical support to its members through official board action. Now, what EMCC changes are needed to restore both services, as they were provided during the MCC’S first 20 years, as was demonstrated in the Virginia Edgerton case in 1978 and the Salvador Castro case in the mid '90's? Further, what changes or improvements can be considered for the services of the Ethics and Member Conduct Committee, EMCC, which was created for its members? These will be explored to find both their historical record and opportunities to make improvements into the future.
To the fullest extent possible, it is my intent to use IEEE approved policy statements first, to update the IEHR's Part 3. Where this material is not possible to be obtained or approved for use, as some Board/ExCom decisions made may still be considered IEEE PROPRIETARY, in these circumstances, material from 1st and 2nd hand witnesses and/or published material will be relied upon.
"IEEE will no longer be referred to as the "INSTITUTE OF ELECTRICAL and ELECTRONICS ENGINEERS, but rather as just the IEEE" and for members to look to the IEEE as "YOUR PROFESSIONAL HOME".
When I listened to him say thatI wasquitesurprised to learn this, for the very first time, and so I looked for the basis of such a policy change affectingallIEEE members. I found that it was adopted in 1990, when the number of "Engineer" members fell below that of "Technology" members for the first time, so the IEEE shifted its emphasisfromthe "Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers" to just the "IEEE", without spelling it out, except for changing its Incorporation papers, and to stress Technology from then on in its new Tag line, "Advancing Technology for Humanity" instead, to adapt.
President Ray first announced this in 2021 when serving as IEEE's 2021 President- Elect. His expanded written comments may be found at this linkː
I. RAMIFICATIONS OF THIS UPON QUALIFICATIONS FOR IEEE MEMBERSHIP
One area in IEEE where this change would be affected is in the Qualifications for Membership and as part of that the Designated IEEE Fields of Practice. These are given in the Membership Requirements. From looking this up the following was foundː
IEEE Member Qualifications
Professional membership is open to individuals who by experience give evidence of competence in an IEEE designated field. The designated fields as they existed at the end of 2022 were:
Qualifications Needed to be Designated as an IEEE Professional in One of These Practices (These are TBD)
Engineering,
Technology (ADDED BY THE EDITOR TBD)
Computer Sciences
Information Technology,
Physical Sciences,
Biological and Medical Sciences,
Mathematics,
Technical Communications,
Education,
Management,
Law and Policy.
Qualifications as Student
A Student/Graduate Student member must carry at least 50% of a normal full-time academic program as a registered undergraduate or graduate student in a regular course of study in IEEE designated fields. The total cumulative period for a member to hold the Student member grade and/or the Graduate Student member grade is limited to eight years.
