Good subject line, and I thought I'd wait a bit before jumping in again.  I
agree with many of Bruce's points in response to Sue Myburg's remarks.

As a "bottom line", I would assert that both education AND certification
should play a role "growing" or developing professionals.  I don't believe
that we need to restrict the field of play, and believe that there's plenty
of room for many well-educated, certified professionals.

We all have a challenge in the education area, from what I've read.  My
hope, repeat HOPE, is that the competencies project will lead us to
improvements in both areas.  Interestingly, in researching the area of
education, ARMA staff found 700 education courses within the U.S. alone.

My own observations here may or may not be accurate...and I'll be happy to
be corrected by others.  However, the education area is among the most
"thorny".  Establishing degree programs and/or areas of concentration
requires an ability to stimulate demand.  Stimulating demand, among students
and among private and public sector organizations is long, arduous work, and
will not likely meet with short-term success.

I'm proud to be involved with ARMA at a time when we're tackling such
challenging issues....and while many of us could focus on what hasn't been
accomplished thus far, I think we'd all be better off in focusing on what
needs to be done now, and how we can sustain those efforts, and how we can
all gain the greatest advantage from the efforts to further our profession.
When Bruce calls on ARMA to "step up to the plate", let's realize that for
those of us who are ARMA members, that it's up to all of us to make a
contribution to the effort.

Douglas P. Allen, CRM, CDIA+

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