The AIA Board of Directors is sponsoring four amendments to the Institute’s Bylaws and supports five resolutions. These are scheduled for consideration by the delegates at the annual business meeting in Chicago on June 12, 2004. Bylaws amendments require the approval of a two-thirds majority of all votes accredited to be cast at convention. Resolutions require approval by a majority vote.

Proposed Bylaws Amendments

Bylaws Amendment 04-A
Apportionment of Regional Directors. Section 6.012 of the Institute’s Bylaws governs the apportionment of the Board’s Regional Directors among the Institute’s various regions. One provision of Section 6.012 states that the number of Regional Directors for each region “shall be determined from the Secretary’s annual count of assigned Architect and Associate members in good standing” according to a formula reflecting the percentage of such AIA members who are assigned to that region. Another provision of Section 6.012, however, states that the “total number of Directors elected from regions shall not exceed thirty-four.” Because of recent membership growth in certain regions, enforcement of the 34-director limit would bar at least one region from selecting an additional director to which it has become entitled under the formula applied under Section 6.012. This amendment would revise Section 6.012 of the Bylaws to eliminate the current limit on the number of Directors that may be elected from the regions. If this amendment is adopted, it is not anticipated that the number of Regional Directors would exceed 37 in the foreseeable future.

Bylaws Amendment 04-B
Number of Vice Presidents; Term of Office of Vice Presidents. Section 6.1 of the Institute’s Bylaws provides for the election of Institute officers, including the annual election of three Vice Presidents for a one-year term. By contrast, the First Vice President serves in that office for one year and then serves an additional year as President, and the Secretary and Treasurer serve in their respective capacities for two-year terms. As the Institute has expanded its activities in recent years to be increasingly responsive to members’ concerns, the responsibilities of the vice presidents have steadily expanded. In order to foster accountability, strengthen continuity, and broaden the Institute’s ability to meet future challenges, the Board recommends that the Bylaws be amended to add a fourth Vice President, and to provide for staggered two-year terms for all Vice Presidents. This amendment would revise Section 6.1 accordingly.

Bylaws Amendment 04-C
Removal of Limits on Consecutive Terms Served by Regional Directors. The Institute currently has 18 regions, each of which may select one or more Regional Directors to serve on the Institute’s Board of Directors in accordance with the apportionment provisions described above. (See discussion of Bylaws Amendment 04-A above.) Section 6.011 of the Institute’s Bylaws provides for a three-year term of office for Regional Directors but further provides that, except in unusual circumstances, no Regional Director may serve two consecutive terms of office. The Institute’s Board of Directors believes that any decisions regarding term restrictions for Regional Directors should reside with members in their respective regions, and that such restrictions should therefore not appear in the Institute’s Bylaws. This amendment would revise Section 6.011 of the Bylaws to remove current restrictions on the number of consecutive terms that a Regional Director may serve on the Board.

Bylaws Amendment 04-D
Voting Rights for CACE Representative on Executive Committee. Section 6.5 of the Institute’s Bylaws currently includes the immediate past president of the Council of Architectural Component Executives (CACE) as a member of the Institute’s Executive Committee, but provides that that member “shall have no voting rights on the Executive Committee.” Except for the Executive Vice President/CEO—who is a member of the Institute’s staff—the CACE representative is the only member of the Executive Committee without voting rights. Moreover, the current CACE president is a member of the Board, and enjoys full voting rights on that body. This amendment would revise Section 6.5 of the Bylaws so that the CACE Representative on the Executive Committee would have voting rights on that body.

Resolutions

04-1 Dues Increase in Support of the Institute’s Annual Advertising Campaign
04-2 To Strengthen the Demographic Diversity of the Design Profession
04-3 Evolving the Intern Development Program
04-4 Recognition of Newly Licensed Architect Members
04-5 Appreciation to Retiring Members of the Council of Architectural Component Executives

Copyright 2004 The American Institute of Architects. All rights reserved. Home Page