> home
> About
> Contact Us
> Editorial Info
> IEEE-USA

02.11

By Terrance Malkinson

In 2011, the Peace Corps [www.peacecorps.gov] is celebrating its 50^th anniversary. Since its founding in 1961, more than 200,000 volunteers have served in 139 countries providing assistance in education, youth and community development, health, business and information and communications technology, agriculture, and the environment.

The Peace Corps emerged from of the optimism, energy, and idealism surrounding the presidential candidacy of John Fitzgerald Kennedy. Then as a Senator, Kennedy on October 14, 1960 issued a challenge to students at the University of Michigan. The challenge was to serve their country by living and working in the developing world. Kennedy became the 35^th president of the United States on January 20, 1961; fifty years ago, and the torch was passed to a new generation -

“Let the word go forth from this time and place, to friend and foe alike, that the torch has been passed to a new generation of Americans.”

-Kennedy inauguration speech

He presented a vision that would quickly become the Peace Corps. On March 1, Kennedy signed Executive Order 10924, establishing the Peace Corps, and a few days later on 4 March, he named Robert Sargent Shriver Jr. as the agency’s first director. Ten months after Kennedy’s speech at the University of Michigan the first Peace Corps volunteers headed to their assignments in Ghana.

Shriver who was responsible for launching the Peace Corps as its founding director recently died. After overseeing the Peace Corps launch in the early 1960’s, Shriver went on to serve subsequent presidential administrations and kept up his activism throughout his life, becoming a chief architect of President Lyndon Johnson's war on poverty and later heading the Special Olympics [www.specialolympics.org].

President Bill Clinton awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1994. President Obama called Sargent Shriver "one of the brightest lights of the greatest generation." The Shriver family considered him to be a "giant of love, energy, enthusiasm, and commitment" who "lived to make the world a more joyful, faithful, and compassionate place."

Service in the Peace Corps is considered by its many alumni a life-defining leadership experience. Information on volunteering for the Peace Corps is available on its website. Many volunteer opportunities for Americans aged 18 or over who are interested in public service abroad are available. Serving is more than simply a valuable addition to your resume. It is an opportunity to learn, grow, and make the world a better place.

“And so, my fellow Americans: Ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country.

My fellow citizens of the world: Ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man.”

- Kennedy inauguration speech

Other Bytes

Here are some of the things going on in and around the community:

·         A listing of 70 jobs that are forecasted to emerge in the next decades are provided by Cynthia Wagner in “70 Jobs for 2030”, [The Futurist. 45(1):30-33. January-February. 2011. www.wfs.org ]. This article is a sequel to a similar article published by The Futurist in 1984 “Emerging Careers: Occupations for Post-Industrial Society” which was one of the most popular articles ever published by The Futurist. In this recent article the author also discusses three basic approaches used when thinking about future careers. No one can predict the future with certainty; however you can increase your chances of success by developing a future consciousness.

·         Airline travel is seen by many as quite challenging. Business Traveller recently published a supplement “Airline Survey: Your Essential Guide for 2011.” [34(9) suppl. 2010] that provides valuable information to assist you in choosing the best airline, class, and seat for your trip. The survey was created in conjunction with seatplans.com [ www.seatplans.com ] and provides information on plane type and class; seat configuration, pitch, width, length, recline, and type; personal screens; audio-video; and power source for many airlines and their aircraft. The “seatplans” website provides you with an interactive opportunity to enter your journey details, compare statistics and ratings for airlines and individual flights, sharing your experiences, viewing detailed seating plans, as well as many other features.

·         Linda Hill and Kent Lineback have for many years examined how managers grow and advance. They came to the conclusion that managers often reach a certain level of proficiency and then stop short of their real potential. Their ideas are discussed in “Are You a Good Boss or a Great One? [Harvard Business Review. 89(1/2):125-131, January-February, 2011. www.hbr.org ]. In this article the authors discuss three ways that managers might use to avoid stagnation. They also offer an assessment tool “measuring yourself on the three imperatives” to help managers get started on the path to growth.

·         A profile of the 17^th Chief Justice of the United States is provided by Roger Parloff in his article “On History’s Stage: Chief Justice John Roberts Jr.” [Fortune. 163(1):63-76. January 17, 2011. www.fortune.com ]. Confirmed in 2005 and now at 50 years of age he is the youngest Chief Justice since the 1801 appointment of John Marshall and with good health could well serve for many years playing an important role in shaping the United States. Entering Harvard in 1973, Roberts graduated summa cum laude in history in three years winning the Bowdoin prize for “best dissertation in the English Language”. His career path and beliefs are described fully in this article.

·         In a special report IEEE Spectrum [January, 2011. pp 27-63] provides a report on each of what it believes to be the “Top Eleven Technologies of the Past Decade”. Each of the eleven technology reports provides valuable glimpses into the technology, its development, and its impact.

·         A good and relevant business model is essential for success of the organization. It is estimated that seven out of ten companies are actively involved in creating innovative business models. It is often difficult for business leaders to determine the best model. Ramon Casadesus-Masanell and Joan Ricart discuss the essentials of a business model, the characteristics of a good business model, how business models generate virtuous cycles, competing with business models, and a comparison among business models vs. strategy and vs. tactics. [“How to Design a Winning Business Model” Harvard Business Review 89(1/2): 100-107. January-February. 2011]. This is one of several articles in this issue of HBR that spotlights business model innovation.

Terrance Malkinson is a communications specialist, business analyst and futurist. He is currently an international correspondent for IEEE-USA Today's Engineer, an associate editor for IEEE Canadian Review, and a member of the editorial advisory board of IEEE The Institute. He was Vice-Chair of the IEEE-USA Communications Committee (2004-2010), and editor-in-chief of IEEE-USA Today's Engineer Digest (2004-2008). He was an elected Senator of the University of Calgary and an elected Governor of the IEEE Engineering Management Society as well as an elected Administrative Committee member of the IEEE Professional Communication Society. He has been the editor of several IEEE conference proceedings, and past editor of IEEE Engineering Management. He is the author of more than 420 publications, and is an accomplished triathlete. His career path includes being an accomplished technical supervisor and medical researcher at the University of Calgary a business proposal manager for the General Electric Company, an associate for Sears Canada Inc. and research administrator with the School of Health and Public Safety/Applied Research and Innovation Services at SAIT Polytechnic in Calgary Canada.

The author is grateful to the professional support of the Haskayne School of Business Library at the University of Calgary. He can be reached at todaysengineer@ieee.org.