Leadership & Governance
Council of Fellows Rules for the Conduct of Operations
Article 1. General
101. There shall be a Council of Fellows (COF) comprised of Fellows of the Society.
102. The primary purpose of the Council shall be the creation of new Fellows and the announcement of such awards at the time of the Annual Meeting of the Society. The Council may also make such recommendations to the Board of Trustees as the Council may deem appropriate.
103. The officers of the Council shall be a Chair, Chair-elect, Secretary, and Immediate Past Chair.
104. The Council shall have an Executive Committee comprised of the officers of the Council and one Fellow appointed by the Chair. The President of the Society shall be an ex-officio member.
105. The Council shall be governed by the Members of the Council and administered by the Executive Committee.
106. Funds for the operation of the Council shall be as provided by the operating budget of the Society.
107. The business address of the Council shall be the address of the headquarters of the Society.
Article 2. Advancement to Fellowship
201. The categories of excellence for advancement to Fellowship given in the Society's Bylaws shall be described as follows:
201.1 Works—Nomination materials should document mastery of design in significant works of landscape planning or design which has advanced the art, stewardship, and social responsibility of landscape architecture. Works may include small or large, public or private, or local, regional, national, or international landscapes; and range from conception represented by reports, plans, or other illustrations, to built works.
201.2 Leadership/Management—Nomination materials should document exemplary leadership, administrative and managerial ability of people, projects, policy, and programs that have had a significant effect on advancing the practice of landscape architecture or a significant effect on public recognition of issues that are significant to the design, planning, or management of the land. Leadership abilities may occur in public, private, non-profit, and academic practice settings.
201.3 Knowledge—Nomination materials should document creation of significant new knowledge that advances landscape architecture or the communication of knowledge to others with exceptional effect. Creation of new knowledge may be in the form of research or scholarly inquiry that has been recognized by peers as worthy of publication. Communication of knowledge may be in the form of teaching or mentoring* in either the university or the workplace that has been recognized as outstanding by students, graduates and peers. Communication of knowledge may also be in the form of published works or other media (film, software, CDs, etc.) that conveyed important ideas about landscape architecture with appropriate critical acclaim. This category is not specifically designated for educators, but includes the broader vision of knowledge within the profession.
* Mentoring as defined here is the mentor-protégé relationship that involves a mentor giving a protégé direct assistance with career and professional development. The relationship is characterized by counseling, guiding, role modeling and sponsoring.
201.4 Service—Nomination materials should document service activities sustained over an extended period of time that have significantly advanced the profession and landscape architecture in the eyes of the public, and serves as an example for other local, regional, national, or international efforts.
An ASLA member may be nominated to become a Fellow in any of the four categories. One person may be nominated for up to two categories, but supporting materials must be produced separately for each category.
202. By action of a Chapter Executive Committee, the Executive Committee of the Society, or the Executive Committee of the Council, qualified Members may be nominated for Fellowship. Any such nomination shall be made on the form and in the manner prescribed by the Council Executive Committee and shall be based on recent detailed information obtained directly from the nominee. Nominees not selected for advancement to Fellowship may be re-nominated in succeeding years
203. The Executive Committee of the Council shall prepare a standard form to be completed in making nominations for advancement to Fellowship. This form, accompanied by instructions for completing the form, shall be mailed to each Chapter President, Chapter Secretary, and Chapter Trustee and to the President of the Society not later than six months prior to the Annual Meeting of the Society.
204. All nominations must be received by the Secretary on or before a date fixed annually by the Council Executive Committee, which shall be not later than four months prior to the Society's Annual Meeting. The Secretary shall screen nominations for conformance with the requirements of the Society's Constitution and may correspond with the Chapter to obtain additional information. A Member listed in the current roll of the Society as a member of a certain year shall be eligible for Fellowship upon completion of ten contiguous years as a full Member without consideration of the specific day and month of the beginning of full Membership.
205. Copies of the screened forms shall be sent to the members of the Jury of Fellows for preliminary inspection at least 30 days prior to the scheduled session of the Jury. If members of the Jury require further information about any nominee, the request shall be made to the Foreman of Jury.
206. The Jury of Fellows shall meet and consider all eligible nominations in executive session and select a slate of new Fellows-elect.
207. Upon completion of the new list of Fellows-elect, the Foreman of the Jury of Fellows shall present the list in confidence to the President of the Society and to the Chair of the Council. The President of the Society shall thereupon immediately notify the Fellows-elect of their selection.
208. The Secretary shall give written notice to the Fellows-elect, indicating that acceptance of the Fellowship requires each Fellow-elect to:
208.1 Provide the Secretary with personal professional information for the Council's biographical archives.
208.2 To be present for investment at the Fellow's Investiture Ceremony and at the Annual Meeting of the Council. An exception to the foregoing requirements is allowable in special extenuating circumstances approved by the Council Executive Committee.
209. Upon receipt of written confirmation of each Fellow-elect's intention to attend the Annual Meeting in accordance with Section 208, the Secretary shall furnish their names to the Society's headquarters for publication.
210. The Secretary shall notify the Presidents of those Chapters submitting nominations for Fellowship whether or not their nominees were elected to Fellowship.
211. The Secretary shall give proper notice to those nominees who were not selected for Fellowship by the Jury.
Article 3. Executive Committee
301. The Council Executive Committee shall consider and report upon all business to be acted upon by the Council; shall conduct the operation of the election of Fellows in accordance with Article 2 of the Rules of the Council; shall put into effect the votes of the Council; and shall perform such other functions as are customary to an executive committee.
302. The Council Executive Committee shall meet at least once a year at the time of the Annual Meeting of the Society and prior to the Council Annual Meeting. A special meeting of the Council Executive Committee may be called as deemed necessary by the Chair of the Council.
Article 4. Election of Officers
401. The officers and the appointed Fellow on the Executive Committee shall serve two-year terms. All terms shall begin, and end, at the conclusion of the Annual Meeting of the Council in odd-numbered years. The Chair shall not serve a successive term except that the Chair-elect, when filling a vacancy in the office of Chair, shall complete the remainder of the term before beginning and serving a full two-year term.
402. The Chair shall appoint a Nominating Committee of three Fellows. In odd-numbered years or before a special election to select a Chair-elect, the Nominating Committee shall recommend two nominees for each office to be filled. For a general election the chair of the Nominating Committee shall submit the recommended nominees to the Chair of the Meeting. An official ballot listing the nominees for each office, including spaces for write-in votes shall be prepared and sent to each Fellow about six months before the Annual Meeting. The ballots shall be returned to the Secretary of the Council by a specified date about four weeks later. If a special election is required to fill a vacancy in the office of Chair-elect, the Nominating Committee shall submit its recommendations and the election shall be conducted with all dispatch.
403. The Secretary, with two other Fellows, shall tabulate the ballots. The Secretary shall fix the date, time and place for the tally; shall notify all nominees of the results of the election; and announce the results in the next mailing to the Fellows.
404. A vacancy occurring in the office of Secretary shall be filled by a majority vote of the Council Executive Committee for the unexpired balance of the term. If a vacancy occurs in the office of Chair, the Chair-elect shall assume that office, and a new Chair-elect shall be elected by the Members of the Council for the unexpired balance of the term.
Article 5. Duties of Officers
501. The Chair shall call and preside at all meetings of the Council; shall assist the President of the Society with the Investiture of Fellows; shall be responsible, after consultation with and the concurrence of appropriate persons in charge of the Annual Meeting of the Society, for the arrangements for the Investiture Ceremony and the Annual Meeting of the Council; shall submit a written report on the activities of the Council for the current year to the ASLA President and Executive Committee prior to its brief presentation at the Annual Fellows Meeting; and shall perform such duties as are customary to that office.
502. The Chair-elect, in the absence of the Chair, shall call and preside at meetings of the Council, perform the duties of the Chair in the Investiture of Fellows, and accomplish such duties as are customary to the office or as may be assigned by the Council Executive Committee.
503. The Secretary shall keep a record of all proceedings of the Council; shall issue all notices including the presentation of questions for mail ballot; shall act in relation the advancement of Fellowship as heretofore described; shall be responsible for the disbursement of funds of the Council; and shall perform such other duties as are customary to the office or as may be assigned by the Council Executive Committee.
Article 6. Jury of Fellows
601. There shall be a Jury of Fellows, five in number, serving 3-year, overlapping terms. The Jurors shall be appointed by the President of the Society from nominations by the Council Executive Committee.
Article 7. Meetings
701. There shall be two regular meetings of the Council during the Annual Meeting of the Society. The Chair shall schedule both meetings after consultation with and the concurrence of appropriate persons in charge of the Annual Meeting of the Society.
702. The first of the two regular meetings shall be the Annual Meeting of the Council, at which the regular Business of the Council is transacted. The Fellows-elect shall attend this meeting as set forth in Section 208 of the Rules.
703. The second of the two regular meetings shall be the public Investiture of Fellows at which the investment ceremony shall be held.
Article 8. Amendments
801. Amendments to these Rules of the Council shall be approved by majority vote of the Council Executive Committee followed by an affirmative vote by a majority of Fellows present at the Annual Meeting of the Council or voting by mail ballot and shall be subject to the approval of the Board of Trustees of the Society.
COF Rules for the Conduct of Operations: 1997; R2008