|
Position Statement: Certification and Membership Categories
Membership Committee, March 2007
Co-existence of PA/Fellow Categories and Certification
Preface
Certification is a measure of one’s competence as a conservator, whereas the membership categories of Professional Associate and Fellow are a measure and recognition of one’s commitment to the profession of conservation.
Committee Charge
For the past 8 years the Board of Directors has been either asking the Membership Committee (MC) for its opinion on the potential impact of certification on the membership categories, or it has charged the committee to establish a position on the impact of certification and to advise the Board of that position. This has become increasingly important since 2002 when the membership overwhelmingly passed a vote for a committee to establish a certification protocol to be developed and presented for membership approval. To meet that end the Certification Development Committee also charged the MC to evaluate the impact of certification on the categories. For the past three years the MC has strived to articulate its position on this matter.
Introduction
As the committee articulated this position statement on the future impact of certification on the membership categories we realized that this actually underscores the need to address the issues raised in a proposal to change the membership category nomenclature. As stated in that proposal (submitted to the Bylaws Committee in March 2007) at this time AIC technically does not have a membership because individuals who join the organization are either an Associate or Fellow. If anything, the only true members are the Honorary Members, who do not pay dues and have been recognized for extraordinary contributions to the field and AIC, contributions that apparently go far beyond “exemplary”. The proposal requests a change of the membership nomenclature from Associate to Member and Professional Associate to Professional Member.
Under the present nomenclature and structure, the Professional Associate and Fellow categories imply a de facto “certification”, primarily because of the requirement of proof of compliance with minimum levels of professional procedures and practices. As AIC has grown in numbers and stature, and matured as an organization representing a comparatively young but now well-established profession, it has been recognized that this is an inappropriate use of membership categories.
Certification, on the other hand, is by nature a deliberate process by which the conservator demonstrates the possession of essential competencies and understanding of professional goals, standards of practice, and skills. Although the original goal was to keep certification as a separate issue from the membership categories, it has become clear that by the very nature of the purpose of certification the two are inextricably linked. Once this connection was recognized and accepted, the MC decided that it was necessary to define the link and establish a pathway that would create an environment in which the two can co-exist in a mutually beneficial manner.
The committee concluded that certification and the membership categories are directly linked by examining the ramifications of keeping them separated, and assessing the current PA/Fellow application process. The most obvious scenario stems from the two processes and how they would be administered. At the present time the PA applicant must pay a very modest processing fee of $15.00, whereas whatever the fee is charged for certification it is understood that it will be substantially more than $15.00. During the last few years it has become quite clear that those who are taking the time to apply for PA or Fellow are taking this step very seriously. With very few exceptions, the applications have been carefully and meticulously prepared, reinforcing the committee’s belief that it is paramount that not only must we also take the evaluations equally seriously, also we must ensure that as certification comes to pass, the Professional and Fellow categories are protected and maintained. Without acknowledging, if not deliberately establishing a direct link between certification and professional standing in AIC, it is inevitable that the two will siphon off of one another to the extent that one will be relegated to irrelevancy. It is the committee’s opinion that the PA and Fellow programs are too important to be left to wither away and that the certification program, when approved, will not need competition from what could be seen as a low cost alterative.
The Membership Committee has long been uncomfortable with the contradictory nature of using the membership categories as an unofficial but acknowledged poor substitute for real certification, and simultaneously acknowledging that in fact this is an inappropriate use of membership categories, and does not really constitute a meaningful measure of competence. In fact, the current PA application process serves only to establish proof of compliance with the AIC Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice, and thereby an identifiable commitment to the ideals for which AIC was established and represents. The Fellow application process represents a significantly higher level of commitment to AIC and contributions to the conservation profession.
Certification & Professional Standing: The Link and Pathway
The Membership Committee has been deliberating over the potential impact of certification on the membership categories for eight years, and at the last in-person meeting at the AIC offices on January 26th, 2007, it was unanimously decided that upon the adoption and implementation of certification it will become highly desired that members see certification as a useful prerequisite for applying for Professional status within AIC. This will clean up the highly unsatisfactory process of using membership categories as a faux certification, and will elevate professional status to representing commitment to the profession. Because certification will be focused on demonstrating competence as a conservator, the professional status application process will remain a separate undertaking with the emphasis placed on commitment to the profession. It was also decided that becoming a professional member should earn points that will be applied toward recertification. Because certification will be voluntary, it was decided that a waiver for certification will be available, but the professional application process will be substantially more difficult and will have to include a demonstration of a minimum level of competence in order for it to be in balance with a certified professional. All current Professional Associates will have the option of remaining uncertified or pursuing certification.
To facilitate this desired outcome, the Membership Committee recommends that the current Professional Associate application process to be simplified for certified candidates. The Committee proposes the following recommendations to take effect after the implementation of an AIC certification program.
The committee also decided that after adoption and implementation of a certification program, Fellow would remain a self-nominating category. In order to maintain the attribute of representing a degree of seniority in the profession and exemplary contributions to the field and AIC, it may be appropriate to raise the minimum years of experience from the current 10 years to 15. This change can be done incrementally as it has been in the past.
It is the committee’s opinion that it is in the best interest of AIC to make a Bylaws change to the membership nomenclature from Associate to Member and Professional Associate to Professional Member. In addition to clarifying our membership categories, this could help certification come into effect in a seamless manner.
For the Membership Committee this Position Statement is respectfully submitted to the AIC Board of Directors by
—Thomas M. Edmondson
Chair, AIC Membership Committee
March 1, 2007
|
