October 8, 2018

The 2018-2019 AIAS Board of Directors (BoD) met in Washington, D.C. from September 28th to September 30th for the FY19 Fall 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 is the one BoD meeting of the 2018-2019 year that consists of solely the current Board Members, so all parties were encouraged to make the most of this meeting and challenge what they are capable of as a team. 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!

Decisions Made

  • The Board finalized a thorough evaluation of the AIAS Rules of the Board to ensure that the contents of this governance document are up to date with the current state of the organization. An updated Rules of the Board will be uploaded to our website within the next month.
  • The Board established a third category of AIAS membership – Associate Members. This category refers to individual members in good standing at schools without established AIAS chapters. The other two existing categories of membership are regular 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 schools without a member chapter. A clear outline of the three AIAS membership categories can be seen in the graphic below:

 

 

  • The Board reviewed the applications for the AIAS Middle East and AIAS Latin America Ambassador positions, and a subsequent announcement will be released. These individuals will serve in these roles for the duration of the 2018-2019 year.

Ongoing Discussions

  • The Board began discussions surrounding existing and potential opportunities for increased AIAS Member benefits and member value specifically for Community College members and High School members.
  • The Board continued their discussions from the 2018-2019 BOD Retreat held in NY in June regarding potential strategies for enhanced collaboration with the other four architecture collaterals – AIA, ACSA, NAAB, and NCARB.
  • The Board explored the value and need for additional resources and communication platforms for Faculty Advisors to ensure that administration continually understands the value of AIAS and its role within the academic sphere, how their role contributes to an AIAS Chapter, and how to maintain institutional memory when transitioning their role to a new faculty member.
  • The Board engaged in a productive and monumental discussion with the three AIAS representatives on the NAAB Accreditation Review Forum (ARF) Steering Committee. This discussion was the first of many 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.

Looking Ahead

  • The Board decided to pursue an AIAS Advocates Program, geared towards showcasing and providing platforms to members to speak up and speak loud about niched advocacy topics and initiatives. This Program will be application-based and will be launched in the next few months, so get excited and start thinking about how you can become an AIAS Advocate!
  • The Board engaged in a productive conversation surrounding a 6-in-6 Campaign that President Rosen will be embarking on in Spring 2019, within which she will be studying and taking all 6 ARE 5.0 Examinations. This campaign will highlight replicable resources and strategies that AIAS members can utilize when taking their licensing exams. More exciting information on this campaign will be published in the next few months!

The next official Board of Directors Meeting will be taking place in Seattle in conjunction with FORUM 2018! 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.