Collaboration with the Enterprise Foundation
The Board of Directors supported an affiliation with The Enterprise Foundation and its subsidiary organizations to advance the benefits of “green communities” for low-income people and places, to further the work already underway and poised for expansion in the areas of green building; healthy housing; and smart, sustainable development.

Election of 2004–06 Public Director
The Board of Directors elected Saul Gonzalez to serve as Public Director from the close of the 2004 annual meeting of the Board until the close of its 2006 annual meeting. Mr. Gonzalez has distinguished himself as a television news correspondent, writer, and producer for a number of years and is currently the Los Angeles producer for the Public Broadcasting Service’s NewsHour with Jim Lehrer.

Ratification of Convention Resolutions
The Board of Directors ratified the following resolutions, as adopted by the delegates at the AIA 2004 National Convention and Design Exposition:
• Resolution 04-1: Dues Increase in Support of the Institute’s Annual Advertising Campaigns
• Resolution 04-2: To Strengthen the Demographic Diversity of the Design Profession
• Resolution 04-3: Evolving the Intern Development Program
• Resolution 04-4: Recognition of Newly Licensed Architect Members (with a direction to management to verify the number of newly licensed architects for inclusion in the minutes of the Board’s meeting)
• Resolution 04-5: Appreciation to Retiring Members of the Council of Architectural Component Executives

Approval of AIA Public Policies on First Reading
The Board approved, on First Reading, 10 AIA Public Policies as follows:

Architecture profoundly affects people and their communities. The work of architects is essential to human well being, and architects must embrace their ethical obligation to uphold this public trust.

The Architect
The practice of architecture should be regulated. The privileges and responsibilities of practice should be extended only to those architects who demonstrate through education, experience, and examination that they are ethically and technically prepared.

Design and construction are constantly changing. To serve their clients and society well, architects must commit to continual professional growth through learning, innovation, and exploration.

As members of their communities, architects are professionally obligated to use and share their knowledge, skill, and experience to engage in civic life.

The Practice
With an obligation to the future of the architecture profession, architects must encourage, recruit, and inspire those who would become architects.

Leadership in design and construction requires collaboration. Architects must encourage and recognize the contributions of those who bring diverse experiences, views, and needs into the design process.

Regulation of the construction industry shapes the built environment. As stakeholders, architects must participate in the development and application of appropriate regulations and standards.

The financial health of architecture businesses is essential to the future of the profession. Architects should advocate within the law for sound business practices and compensation reflecting the architect’s value to society.

The World
Architecture expresses the values of society and has the power to enhance the quality of life for this and future generations. Architects must advocate for beautiful, healthy, and equitable design solutions that respect and accommodate society’s diverse cultures and needs.

The creation and management of the built environment require an investment of the earth’s resources. Architects must be environmentally responsible and advocate for the wise and appropriate use of those resources.

(Note: the proposed Public Policies will be revised to reflect, as appropriate, comments received to date, including those made at the Board of Directors meeting, and will be distributed for additional comment prior to presentation for approval on Second Reading by the Board of Directors at its meeting in December 2004.)

Proposed 2005–06 Strategic Plan
The Board of Directors approved the proposed 2005–2006 Strategic Plan for the Institute.

Preliminary 2005 Operating Plan
The Board of Directors directed management to submit for its endorsement, at the Board’s meeting in December 2004, a final 2005 Operating Plan that supports implementation of the 2005-06 Strategic Plan, delineating programs and projects to be implemented or enhanced, with clear metrics that define expected levels of accomplishment/progress.

Preliminary 2005 Operating Budget
The Board of Directors endorsed the preliminary 2005 Operating Budget as presented, and directed management to prepare the final 2005 Operating Budget for adoption by the Board at its meeting in December 2004.

Conceptual Plan for Observing the 150th Anniversary of the Founding of The American Institute of Architects
The Board of Directors endorsed the conceptual plan for acknowledging the 150th anniversary of the AIA as presented to the Board by the chair of the AIA Sesquicentennial Blue Ribbon Panel, Sylvester Damianos, FAIA. The Board authorized management to work with the Panel to refine the plan; budget appropriately; work collaboratively with AIA components to develop marketing, communications, and business plans, and other resources necessary for successful multiyear implementation of the plan; and provide periodic progress reports to the Board.

Revisions to the AIA Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct
As shown in materials presented and amended at the meeting, the Board adopted the following revisions to the Institute’s 1997 Code of Ethics & Professional Conduct:
• Technical revisions were made to the Preamble to the 1997 Code of Ethics & Professional Conduct, and the revised document was re-styled as the 2004 Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct (Code of Ethics).
• The commentary to Rule 2.104 of the Code of Ethics was revised to clarify the evidence required to establish a finding of fraud under that rule.
• Commentary was added to clarify the operation of Rule 4.101 (duty to file a complaint with the National Ethics Council in specified circumstances) and Rule 4.202 (responsibility to ensure that those under a member’s supervisory control conform their conduct to the Code of Ethics).
• A new ethical standard was added to encourage members to recognize and fulfill their obligation to nurture fellow professionals as they progress through all stages of their career, beginning with professional education in the academy, progressing through internship and continuing throughout their career.
(Note: Copies of the revised 2004 Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct will be
available by contacting Legal Coordinator Glenda Johnson (gjohnson@aia.org) in
the AIA General Counsel’s office.

Recommendations of the Practice Specialty Certification Task Group
The Board of Directors tabled discussion on recommendations of the Practice Specialty Certification Task Group until the Board’s meeting in December.

Refining the Restrictions on Intern Compensation
The AIA Rules of the Board currently require that candidates for Fellowship, candidates for national office, and persons appointed to office by the Institute’s president sign a declaration stating that neither they nor their firms employ unpaid intern architects, including “working students.” A similar requirement applies under the Governance Policies as to architects engaged as speakers at AIA events, recipients of AIA awards, and authors or subjects of books published by the Institute. This has resulted in an anomalous situation when students seek internships at firms for academic credit, but are barred by their schools from doing so if they also receive compensation from the firms. With this in mind, the Board of Directors directed that the AIA Rules of the Board and AIA Governance Policies be amended to define “working students” (as discussed above) to exclude any individual satisfying the following conditions:
• The individual is enrolled in a regular course of study calculated to lead to the award of a degree in architecture or other design-related discipline from an accredited educational institution; and
• The individual is undertaking the unpaid internship for academic credit; and
• The educational institution specifies that, in order to receive such academic credit, the individual is permitted to receive no (or only nominal) compensation in connection with the internship; and
• Such arrangement is consistent with the applicable laws and regulations of the jurisdiction (whether federal, state or other) governing the arrangement.

Amendment of the Institute Budget
The Board of Directors recognized that, based on year-to-date performance and yearend projections, the Institute’s actual net revenue is now anticipated to substantially exceed that originally budgeted (and subsequently amended) for 2004. Accordingly, the Board delegated to the Executive Committee the authority to approve, after consultation with the Finance and Audit Committee, the expenditure of funds, as actual conditions warrant, not to exceed the total amount of $635,000 for the following purposes:
Participation in the development of education/training modules to foster successful implementation of CSI MasterFormat 2004 among architects and other stakeholders;
Collaboration with the Enterprise Foundation in developing sustainability criteria for construction of substantial quantities of low-income housing;
Annual operational support grant to the Academy of Neuroscience for Architecture;
Initial phase of consulting services to define an effective AIA e-Knowledge system;
Seed money for the commissioning of prescribed knowledge research by qualified research entities;
Currently needed preparation for events, publications, and other items and activities (including historic research, marketing and graphics) in connection with the 150th Anniversary of the founding of the AIA;
Additional staff for the final months of 2004 (to continue into 2005) for the following positions:
• One (1) full-time staff member for prospect research and proposal preparation in connection with the AIA’s grants and development operations;
• One (1) full-time staff member for administrative support, devoting approximately half of his or her time to international affairs and half to grants administration;
• One (1) full-time staff member or consultant position to manage administration of detailed planning for events connected with the AIA’s 150th Anniversary;
A consultant for development of a comprehensive strategic plan for AIA
Continuing Education;
Consultants to support AIA efforts to define effective AIA responses to influence building information model (BIM);
Design of “teaching firm” and/or “practice academy” models for pilot program implementation, seeking alternative venues for intern experience;
Enhancement of the TIMSS system to accommodate total component member and firm records/history (replacing “Profile”);
Emergency disaster operations center;
Contribution to the College of Fellows;
Consultant for development of comprehensive strategic plan for Emerging Professionals; and
Continued outside counsel for representation on federal tax bill and transportation legislation.

The Board further directed that, to the degree required by the Institute’s Bylaws, the Institute’s operating budget for the 2004 fiscal year shall be deemed as amended to reflect the actions authorized by this motion.

Approval of Minutes
The Board approved the minutes of its June 7–8, 2004, meeting, as distributed. The Board also approved the minutes of the annual business meeting of the Institute on June 12, 2004, as distributed. Those approved minutes are posted to the members-only section of the AIA Web site as directed by previous Board action.

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