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Date:         Mon, 12 Oct 1992 11:26:46 -0500
Reply-To:     ASACERT@CTRVAX.VANDERBILT.EDU
From:         ASACERT@CTRVAX.VANDERBILT.EDU
Subject:      Am. Statistical Assn: Com. on Certification of Statisticians
              (Announce)

The following article will be published in the November Amstat
News.


              ASA Committee on Certification of Statisticians Formed

      Following the recommendation of the Ad Hoc Committee on
Certification (Amstat News, March 1992), the Board of Directors
has formed a Committee on Certification of Statisticians.  The
committee intends to recommend to the Board of Directors a
proposal for certifying individuals as statisticians, including a
schedule for implementing the recommended certification
procedures.  To do this, the committee plans to:

      1.     Implement a continuing process of communication among
             the ASA membership concerning certification.
      2.     Present a draft of the proposed implementation plan to
             the Board of Directors at the April 1993 meeting, and
             following revision, at an open session of the Joint
             Statistical Meetings in August, 1993.
and   3.     Present a final implementation plan to the Board of
             Directors at the December 1993 meeting.

The members of the committee are (in alphabetical order): James
R. Boen, Gordon D. Booth, G. Rex Bryce, James M. Davenport,
William Golomski, Berton H. Gunter, Richard M. Heiberger, Karen
Kafadar, Robert A. Parker (chair) and Karen A. Pitts.  J. Stuart
Hunter (President-Elect) and Barbara Bailar (Executive Director)
are ex officio members of the committee.

      There is a general consensus among the committee members on
the following points:

      --     Certification will be voluntary.
      --     Certification is recognition that an individual
             possesses certain skill and abilities.  These skills
             might be acquired through academic degrees or
             university courses, but such accomplishments need not
             in themselves automatically lead to certification, nor
             will the lack of specific academic degrees preclude
             certification.
      --     There may be several different levels or types of
             certification.
      --     Certification would not be related either to
             registration or to licensure, which are legal
             limitations on the ability to practice imposed by
             individual states.

      During the next few months the committee will be considering
a number of major issues, including:

      --     What are we certifying?  (single vs multiple level,
             core level, specialties, provisional certification,
             e.g., "statistician in-training")
      --     How is certification awarded?  (examination, panels,
             review groups, references, etc.)
      --     What are the eligibility requirements?
      --     Will there be special consideration for current
             practitioners?
      --     Is certification for life?

      Because there are strong opinions among ASA members
concerning certification (both pro and con), an open public
discussion would be useful.  To get the discussion started
quickly, we have set up an email discussion list at
ASACERT@CTRVAX.VANDERBILT.EDU.  Mail will be forwarded to all
interested participants and to all members of the committee.  The
use of an email list is intended to get the discussion going
quickly.  It is not meant to discourage individuals without
access to email from communicating with the committee.  If you do
not have email, please write to the committee chair (Robert A.
Parker, Department of Preventive Medicine, A-1124 MCN, Vanderbilt
University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN 37232-2637) and he
will circulate your letter to the committee members.  If you
would like to communicate solely with the committee, you should
send email to him personally (parkerra@ctrvax.vanderbilt.edu).
We anticipate that it may be possible to publish at least some of
the letters and messages in future issues of Amstat News.

      We want to encourage communication from individuals on all
sides of the certification issue, both those in favor of
certification and those opposed.  The members of the committee do
intend to provide a specific proposal to the Board.  It is only
through hearing from all sides of the certification issue,
however, that the committee can hope to develop a plan that
minimizes objections.

      We look forward to hearing from you.
Comments: Gated by NETNEWS@AUVM.AMERICAN.EDU