Member Universities
As of January 1, 2003, annual dues for University Members are based on the number of members who are currently listed with the University member: for up to 5 individual faculty members, dues are $1000 per year; for 6 to 8 members, dues are $1,000 plus $150 per person. An annual dues cap is set at $1,500 (fees do not increase for 9 or more individual members.) The annual dues for applicant Universities are reduced on a pro-rata, calendar year basis in the first year of membership according to the month of admission. Dues are invoiced after admission. There is a one-time $1,500 admission fee. A check for the admission fee made out to CUREE must accompany the University Member application. If an application is not accepted, this admission fee is fully refunded.
Criteria for Admission
The Bylaws define the general criteria the Board will use in evaluating applications for university membership. This category is intended for “research universities in the United States of America which have demonstrated interest and a strong research and education program in Earthquake Engineering.” The Board defines “research university” as a university with a Ph.D. program in earthquake-related fields. (Interest has been expressed by several universities in other countries; the intent is not to be exclusionary but simply to avoid undertaking too much change too quickly). Generally, a university would have approximately half a dozen or more faculty who would qualify as “Faculty of Admitted Universities” (see below). Membership applications for both the university and the individual faculty should be submitted together, with the one time admission fee, as a single application package. Benefits of university membership include the following:
No Individual Faculty Dues: Faculty members at a university that is a member of CUREE pay no dues.
Core Involvement in Research Projects: The member universities, as the core of support for the organization, will tend to have larger roles in research projects, though this may vary according to the project and the desirability of collaborating with outside organizations.
Voice on the Board: The CUREE Board of Directors is comprised of 16 elected university member representatives and four practioner Directors appointed by the Board. University Representative board members serve a two-year term on the Board by a vote of the individual members, selecting from the pool of representatives of university members. The representative of a university member is named by that university’s dean of the School of Engineering, which helps maintain a strong connection to CUREE’s institutional base.
Student Stipends and Other Membership Benefits: In the past, CUREE has sent one student from each member university to a major research conference, such as the 12WCEE in New Zealand.
Information dissemination: CUREE works with each Member University to prepare information on the university’s curricular and research qualifications. This information is disseminated by CUREE via its website and printed materials such as the CUREE calendar.
Individual Faculty at Member Universities
Because of the lack of consistency in the definition of “faculty” at different universities, the definition in CUREE’s Bylaws is tied to the ability of an individual to submit a proposal as a principal investigator through that university’s grants and contracts office. Individual Faculty members are expected to have engaged in teaching and/or research with published results in the earthquake subject area in the civil engineering field. Faculty in other departments who have engineering-related experience in the earthquake field may also meet the criteria for membership. Faculty at member universities may apply for membership at any time and pay no dues.
Faculty at Non-Member Universities
This category of membership opens up the organization to individual faculty who are interested and qualified, but whose university does not have a major earthquake engineering program and does not prefer the “group” membership approach described above, with the associated university dues. A single qualified faculty member at a school could make a contribution to CUREE and benefit from membership, and so this category accommodates that need. Criteria for admission are identical to those for faculty at an admitted university, as are voting rights (e.g. the right to vote for members of the Board). Currently the Board has set the dues for faculty at non-member universities at $150.
