AACTE Board is Working Hard to Advance Your Association
As we settle in to a new academic year, it’s a particularly opportune time to update you on the work the Board of Directors has been doing on your behalf.
I am fortunate to collaborate with an exceptional group of leaders on the AACTE Board of Directors. They serve the Association in so many ways: as ambassadors for AACTE and for our profession, as liaisons to our Standing Committees, as officers on the Executive Committee, and as chairs and members of Board task forces addressing key issues, among many other activities. I want to thank each and every one of them for their hard work and dedication.
Already this year, the Board has taken a number of significant steps. In June, the Board approved new vision, mission, and core value statements for the Association as part of an ongoing board-led, member-informed strategic planning process. This plan reinforces the Association’s role in serving to promote advancement and innovation in educator preparation. Special thanks to Michael Dantley, who led this work, and to the members of the Strategic Planning Task Force for engaging in this process.
The Board also addressed the status of AACTE’s Washington, DC-based National Office; AACTE has occupied one floor of a co-owned building since 1998 with three other higher education associations, AASCU, APLU, and CASE. The building is quite dated, in need of substantial refurbishing, and does not provide workspaces that align with our current staffing and needs. After careful analysis, the Board instructed President and CEO Lynn M. Gangone and the AACTE staff to pursue the sale of the building along with the other co-owners. This sale will enable AACTE’s staff to relocate to more modern, efficient space in the same area while realizing substantial savings for the Association.
The Board has closely followed the work of a special Task Force, chaired by Monika Williams Shealey, to examine our Holmes Program. This group has developed recommendations for the Board to ensure that AACTE’s efforts reap the greatest possible gains in the diversity of our profession, and reaffirm the focus of this program on cultivating future faculty of color for educator preparation programs and related professions.
Finally, a Board Task Force co-chaired by my predecessor Wanda J. Blanchett and Robert Floden embarked on a review of the Board’s size and composition, as well as the Association’s bylaws; an organization’s bylaws are typically updated every five years and it is time for AACTE’s bylaws to undergo review and revision.
The Board will meet later this month at the Atlanta Marriott Marquis, site of our 72nd Annual Meeting. Our agenda reflects the breadth and depth of issues that the board is addressing. Topics include the following:
- A review of strategic priorities, goals, and objectives that will round out the strategic plan and guide the Association’s activities for 2020-2023 and beyond
- An update on the National Office sale and discussion of next steps to identify and acquire new space for the National Office
- Evaluation of a systematic review of the Association’s Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws to ensure that they are in compliance with relevant statutes and in alignment with recognized best/latest practices in non-profit governance
- Consideration of requests to endorse a proposed model code of ethics for educators and a statement on internationalization of teacher education
- Review and approval of a slate of candidates for upcoming board vacancies and for appointment to standing committees
- Oversight of key financial documents, including the organization’s 2018 audit and Form 990
As you can see, the Board—and the exceptional AACTE staff—are working hard on your behalf. Board members, President Gangone, and yours truly will be back in touch after the board meeting to update you on the actions we take on these important topics.
You also have an important role to play. Later this fall, you will be called on to vote for new members of the AACTE Board and, pending board approval, on whether to approve the revised Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws. AACTE can only stay strong with the active engagement of its members. So when the online election is announced, please take a moment to vote. It is a simple and easy process, and it means so much to the ongoing strength and vitality of your Association.
Finally, please be in touch with me or the other members of the Board about any issues or topics that you’d like to see AACTE address. This is YOUR association and we want to be responsive to your needs.
Tags: AACTE governance, membership, strategic plan
