The Professional College of Engineers and Land Surveyors of Puerto Rico —
Spanish: Colegio de Ingenieros y Agrimensores de Puerto Rico (CIAPR)— is the
association mandated by law that groups all professionals that call, present, or represent themselves as "
engineers" or "
land surveyors" in
Puerto Rico.[a] As with many other countries,
the profession of engineering and land surveying is both regulated and licensed in Puerto Rico; while another entity, namely the
Puerto Rico Examining Board of Engineers and Land Surveyors, regulates the profession and emits its corresponding licenses, the Puerto Rico Annotated Codes and Act 173 of 1988 requires that all licensed engineers and land surveyors in Puerto Rico be members of the College. The quasi-public nonprofit corporation was established on May 15, 1938, through Act 319 of 1938 in order to bring together professionals with the right to practice engineering, architecture, and surveying in Puerto Rico.[2]
The primary mission of the Professional College is to promote the protection and development of engineering and surveying to promote ethics and excellence in professional practice for the benefit of referees and the people of Puerto Rico.
Organizational structure
The Professional College is composed primarily of its governing board, which in turn is composed of the presidents and delegates elected by the enrollment of the schools in their respective annual meetings, and delegates elected by their chapters are registered for their assemblies year. Also part of the governing board are the president, a vice-president for engineering and a vice-president for surveyors, elected at the annual meeting.
The professional college institutes are semi-autonomous bodies, which represent the various professional bodies board of government or publicly.ico.
In addition to these agencies, the Professional College has about twenty permanent committees and ad hoc committees designated for specific projects.
The college also has an independent disciplinary tribunal that is used in cases of violations of professional conduct or ethics, or disputes between colleges.
Former presidents of CIAPR
The following have served as presidents of the CIAPR:
1938-1940 Engineer / Architect Etienne Totti-Torres - First President of CIAAPR, Worcester Polytechnic Institute.
1940-1942 Eng. Manuel Font Jimenez - Civil Engineer and Health, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
1942-1944 Eng. Juan G. Figueroa - Civil Engineer, CAAM.
2004-2006 Eng. Robert L. Rexach Cintron - Civil Engineer, University of Massachusetts.
2006-2007 Eng. John A. Pérez González - Chemical Engineer, CAAM.
2007-2008 Eng. Antonio E. Medina Delgado - Mechanical Engineer, CAAM.
2009-2011 Eng. Miguel A. Torres Diaz, MEM - Civil Engineer, Master in Engineering Management, Universidad Politecnica de PR
Institutes
The CIAPR has eight Institutes:
Institute of Surveyors.
Institute of Environmental Engineers.
Institute of Civil Engineers.
Institute of Computer Engineers.
Institute of Electrical Engineers.
Institute of Industrial Engineers.
Institute of Mechanical Engineers.
Institute of Chemical Engineers.
Chapters
The CIAPR has eleven Regional Chapters:
Aguadilla Chapter
Arecibo Chapter
Bayamon Chapter
Carolina Chapter
Guayama Chapter
Humacao Chapter
Ponce Chapter
San Juan Chapter
Mainland Chapter (Headquarters in Florida)
Notes
^CIAPR "In order to be called, presented or represented as an engineer, architect or land surveyor in Puerto Rico, you have to be [...] a member of the CIAPR."[1]
^Libro del año: enciclopedia de datos útiles y conocimientos prácticos sobre Puerto Rico y lo que se dede saber de índole internacional. 1956-1957 (in Spanish). San Juan, Puerto Rico: Imparcial. 1957. p. 416.
Commission CIAPR History (2008). "1938-2008 70 Years of History".