The 2018-2019 AIAS Board of Directors (BoD) met in Seattle, Washington, on December 28th for the FY19 FORUM BoD Meeting to think proactively and discuss a wide range of topics and initiatives that would inevitably have a lasting impact on the organization. This BoD meeting is particularly exciting every year, as candidates for the next AIAS Board of Directors are invited to listen in on the discussions therein. The current Board Members were able to challenge what they are capable of as a team, while highlighting to our future leaders the synergy and constructive deliberations that are possible in the Boardroom.
In addition, the Council of Presidents (CoP) met on December 30th and January 1st to conduct relevant discussions surrounding the future of architectural education and the organization. In an attempt at maximizing transparency from the National level to the Chapter level, here is a recap of what was discussed and what was voted on at both the BoD and CoP Meetings in Seattle!
BoD Actions + Decisions Made
- The Board reviewed the FY18 Financial Review that was conducted by external accountants pertaining to the 2017-2018 AIAS fiscal year. In summary, the accountant concluded that the financial statements submitted for the FY18 Fiscal Year were in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the US.
- The Board approved the operational plan for two new National Instagram Accounts – one for Advocacy and one for Freedom by Design. These two Instagrams were subsequently launched during FORUM. Follow them now @aias_advocacy and @aias_fbd_national!
- The Board finalized the appointment of the AIAS Middle East Ambassador and AIAS Latin America Ambassador. Congratulations to Sandi Boutros from the American University in Dubai and Yuliane Thillet from the Polytechnic University of Puerto Rico who will be serving as the 2018-2019 Ambassadors for the AIAS Middle East and AIAS Latin America regions, respectively.
- The Board appointed the next NCARB Liaison who will be serving on the AIAS Board. The AIAS Board of Directors includes three collateral liaisons that act as conduits between AIAS and our fellow collateral organizations – AIA, ACSA, and NCARB. These liaisons each serve a three-year term, staggered from one another. In July of 2019, Dennis Ward, our 2016-2019 NCARB Liaison will be transitioning off of the Board, and NCARB Past President Kristine Harding will be sworn in as the 2019-2022 NCARB Liaison.
- The Board approved the operational plan for the AIAS Advocates Program – an application-based program geared towards showcasing and providing platforms to members to speak up and speak loud about niched advocacy topics and initiatives. The concept for this program was inspired by Shoaib Nizami, a deaf architecture student from the University of Houston. Shoaib, the inaugural AIAS Advocate, presented a video to all FORUM conference attendees in order to raise awareness of deaf architecture students having a lack of resources and opportunities within academic and professional architecture settings. This program will be application-based and will be launched in the next few weeks, so get excited and start thinking about how you can become an AIAS Advocate!
- The Board performed a thorough review of the new Design Editor of CRIT Journal that held its inaugural term in 2018. It was determined that this role will only be held for a single year every three years, to determine and update the CRIT Journal aesthetic for 3 consecutive years.
- The call for the 2019 CRIT Editorial Team will be taking place in the coming weeks, so look out for this incredible opportunity to get involved with the AIAS in a more tangible manner!
- In response to the imminent departure of our beloved Executive Director, Nick Serfass, the Board appointed an Interim Executive Director to aid in the ED succession taking place over the next few months. Join us in welcoming Charlie Klecha, 2014-2015 AIAS National President, as AIAS’s Interim Executive Director!
Ongoing BoD Discussions
- The Board continued their discussions surrounding existing and potential opportunities for increased AIAS Member benefits and member value specifically for Community College members and High School members in conjunction with a thorough analysis of our existing organizational membership breakdown by membership type.
- The Board engaged in another productive and monumental discussion with the three AIAS representatives on the NAAB Accreditation Review Forum (ARF) Steering Committee. This discussion was the second of four that will be taking place throughout the year in anticipation of the 2019 ARF taking place in July 2019. The AIAS Board recognizes the importance of the student voice in all issues pertaining to architectural education. Keeping the organization’s collective mission and values in mind, the 2018-2019 Board of Directors is in the process of creating a framework and a set of ideals to provide the 2019-2020 Board in anticipation of their participation at the 2019 ARF. Some of the collective goals that have been established thus far include: balancing the rigor of architectural education with the health and wellness of students, increasing the impact and weight of Studio Culture Policies, and exploring the value of multi-disciplinary curriculum requirements.
BoD + CoP Approved Governance Modifications
- In order to make any updates or modifications to out governing Bylaws, both leadership bodies must vote in favor of said changes. At FORUM, a few Bylaws updates were passed. These include:
- An amendment to our National Committee Structure, wherein staff liaisons are no longer required to be on each Committee. Going forward, they may be appointed by the Executive Director when necessary.
- The formal removal of all remaining acknowledgments of the no-longer-in-place Forum Elections Committee.
- A newly ratified expansion of AIAS Membership Categories as brought forth by the BoD to include a third category of AIAS membership – Associate Members. This category refers to individual members in good standing at schools without established AIAS chapters or chapters that are not in good standing. The other two existing categories of membership are Full Members and Affiliate Members, the latter of which now refers solely to AIAS sponsors; individual architects, educators, or other professionals; high school students; libraries and other information providers; AIAS alumni; and the AIAS legacy of national officers. The addition of Associate Membership provides more specific recognition to students at universities or community colleges without a member chapter.
- A newly ratified Bylaws section as brought forth by the BoD acknowledging the range of AIAS Credentials available to members by membership type.
- “, AIAS” for individual Members in good standing at chapters in good standing,
- “, Associate AIAS” for Associate Members, and
- “, Affiliate AIAS” for Affiliate Members.
CoP Decisions + Motions from the Floor
- The Council of Presidents conducted elections for the 2019-2020 AIAS Board of Directors. This year’s 21 exceptional candidates demonstrated their platforms to all in attendance over the course of the conference, and the CoP had extremely difficult decisions to make. Congratulations to all those that were elected – we look forward to seeing how to use your roles to propel our organization into the future!
- The CoP charged the AIAS with investigating a universal studio culture policy that encourages schools to still add to said universal policy such that it applies to their particular university.
- The CoP charged the Membership Committee with exploring the development of a program to focus on the expansion of high school and junior college involvement to promote the new Associate Membership Category and expand outreach to members not currently in a chapter.
- The CoP charged the Governance Committee to specifically address the needs and concerns of students who work while in school in their development of the AIAS Code of Ethics and Public Policies this year.
CoP Discussions
- Our NAAB ARF Steering Committee Representatives presented their work thus far, and the CoP engaged in an incredibly exciting set of conversations regarding our individual and collective goals in this important year for Accreditation. This was the CoP’s opportunity to begin brainstorming some of the priorities of the AIAS with regards to the future of architectural education.
- The CoP discussed the requirement of “Chapters in Good Standing” to have particular membership quantities and the National financial implications of membership dues. This conversation shed light on the reasoning behind the 11 member requirement currently in place as well as operational leeway in existence with regards to particularly small student bodies.
- The CoP explored the existing and potential opportunities for local collaboration between AIAS Chapters and AIA Components. This town hall discussion highlighted the exciting number of chapters that already have students serving as AIA Liaisons on their local Component Boards!
The next official Board of Directors Meeting will be taking place in Washington, DC in March. The final Board of Directors Meeting of the 2018-2019 term and the first Council of Presidents Meeting of the 2019-2020 year will be taking place in Washington, DC in July in conjunction with Grassroots 2019! Stay tuned for more updates on how your leaders are doing everything in their capacity to elevate your voices and provide you with the tools and avenues you need for success.
