At the ACHE Board Meeting in Nashville, we charged the Constitution and Bylaws Committee with reviewing the Constitution and Bylaws for updates and changes due to the recent mergers of regions and the conversion from region numbers to regional names. Regis Gilman and Marthann Shulte took this charge and ran with it. At the same time, the ACHE Board has been having discussions about the various categories of ACHE membership and the benefits and responsibilities at each level. The Board has been asked to consider a student membership in the past, for example. Because membership criteria are defined in our Constitution and Bylaws, any changes would have to be reflected in that document. The Board approved changes in membership categories and those were sent to the Constitution and Bylaws Committee for review.
This month, I will be sending each of you the proposed changes for your consideration, review, and feedback. They will be presented for approval at the Business Meeting at the Annual Conference and Meeting in Philadelphia. However, only the Institutional Representative for each Institutional Member college or university will vote on the acceptance or rejection of these changes. You should share your feelings on these changes with your Institutional Representative. Of course, you can do the same with me.
The changes fall into two parts: Editorial and Membership. The editorial changes clean up verbiage and the make the format consistent with Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised - 10th edition (RONR) and the National Association of Parliamentarians (NAP). These are needed and, I hope, not controversial. The membership changes are a bit more substantive.
Basically, we are expanding the categories of membership with the goals of inclusivity and outreach. We are (1) expanding Institutional Membership to include international colleges and universities, (2) changing the Affiliate Membership to Organizational Membership, (3) opening the path to leadership for Organizational and Professional Members, and (4) ) adding a Student and Retiree member category. I will outline and justify the changes below.
Currently, an Institutional Member must be an institution of higher learning that is regionally accredited. Only Institutional Members can currently hold the office of President, President-Elect, Vice President, or Executive Vice President. As President, this has been troubling to me since we like to call ourselves an international association, yet international colleges and universities cannot become Institutional Members. The proposed change would allow international institutions to become Institutional Members; instead of holding regional accreditation, which only applies to institutions in the United States, an institution holding the “international equivalent” of regional accreditation would be also be eligible for Institutional Membership.
We are proposing changing the Affiliate Membership to Organizational Membership. This category is for non-higher education organizations. The other changes in this category (in addition to the name change) include (1) allowing the Organization Representative to vote on matters of the Constitution and Bylaws and (2) allowing an Organizational Member to hold any office in the organization including President, President-Elect, Vice President, or Executive Vice President. This is a change that would allow, for example, an Organizational Member who does not work at a college or university to become President of ACHE. Candidates, however, will continue to be vetted by the Nomination Committee and would, of course, be voted on by the membership.
We are proposing a similar change to the Professional Membership. If approved, Professional Members will be able to hold any office in the organization including President, President-Elect, Vice President, or Executive Vice President. While we have concern that a Professional Member might not have the institutional support necessary to become President, we felt that it was important to open the path to leadership. As with Organizational Members above, candidates for President who hold Professional Membership will be vetted by the Nomination Committee and voted on by the membership.
We propose adding a Student Membership. A Student Membership is open to any full or part-time student pursuing a graduate degree in a field related to continuing higher education. The student must have an advisor’s signature on the application for Student Membership. A Student Membership is renewable annually for up to three years. This member has online access to ACHE publications and has voting rights except on matters of Constitution and Bylaws. A Student Member may not hold office.
We propose adding a Retiree Membership. A Retiree Membership is open to any former ACHE member upon his or her retirement. This member has online access to ACHE publication and has voting rights except on matters of Constitution and Bylaws. A Retiree Member may not hold office.
If approved, we will have a Constitution and Bylaws ready to take ACHE forward. These changes make us a more inclusive organization, one where leadership and direction can emerge from a greater pool of members. I ask for your support for these changes.
Peter F. Drucker wrote that “The greatest challenge to organizations is the balance between continuity and change. You need both. Organizations have to have continuity, and yet if there is not enough new challenge, not enough change, they become empty bureaucracies, awfully fast.“ ACHE is proud to be an organization that responds to the needs of members. Where this requires change, we have changed. Recently, we’ve had a series of discussions about expanding opportunities for membership and leadership in ACHE. We hope to act on those discussions, and that action will require help and advice from you. 
