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National Affiliation
The Virginia Educational Facility Planners (VEFP) is the state chapter of the Council of Educational Facility Planners, International (CEFPI), a professional association whose sole mission is improving the places where children learn. CEFPI members — individuals, institutions and corporations — are actively involved in planning, designing, building, equipping and maintaining schools and colleges. Learn more about the Council of Educational Facility Planners, International on-line.
Mission
Specifically, the mission of Virginia’s chapter of the Council of Educational Facility Planners, International is to promote creative and responsible planning of school facilities, to foster professional development, and to exchange best practice knowledge of Virginia school facilities in order to provide the best possible learning environment for all students.
History
In January of 1991, a workshop on school facility planning was initiated on the campus of Virginia Tech as a response to the need for more opportunities for professional development on the part of educators, architects, and engineers. The idea was to bring together members of these groups plus university faculty and vendors to meet for the purpose of sharing mutual needs and ideas. A total of 24 individuals attended the first workshop held in the Donaldson Brown Conference Center on the campus of Virginia Tech. Evaluations of the workshop indicated a need to continue such experiences. Subsequent workshops were held in February of every year since the initial workshop. At the 1995 workshop, the participants indicated a desire to form an organization and at the following workshop in 1996, a set of by-laws was accepted to form the Virginia Educational Facility Planners. The by-laws were most recently amended on March 4, 2008.
VEFP was initially constituted as an independent organization, but in 1998 became a state chapter of the Council of Educational Facility Planners, International. A close association with the Virginia Department of Education was formed initially with financial support for professional development. The 24 participants at the initial gathering has grown significantly as word of the organization and its mission has spread. In 2008 there were 175 registered in attendance for the workshop held at the Hotel Roanoke, and the list of renowned provocateurs who have addressed the members has grown to include Ron Bogle, Frank Kelly and Victoria Bersagle, Ian Jukes, Ed Mazria, Susan Rundle, Stephen Kellert, and Mark Milliron among others.
VEFP continues to serve the educational, architectural, and engineering establishments in Virginia in providing quality and needed professional development opportunities including but not limited to its annual conference, regular one-day, drive-in seminars and this website. If you have suggestions for improving the services provided to members, please contact Bill Bradley at bbradley@shwgroup.com.
Join the CEFPI
If you would like to become a member of the CEFPI and/or participate in VEFP events you can register on line.