{"id":16719,"date":"2026-01-14T11:12:05","date_gmt":"2026-01-14T16:12:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.acvs.org\/?p=16719"},"modified":"2026-01-14T11:12:05","modified_gmt":"2026-01-14T16:12:05","slug":"strengthening-the-membership-section-of-the-bylaws","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.acvs.org\/es\/news\/strengthening-the-membership-section-of-the-bylaws\/","title":{"rendered":"Strengthening the membership section of the bylaws"},"content":{"rendered":"

Over the last few months,\u00a0ACVS\u00a0has\u00a0highlighted\u00a0necessary and suggested Constitution and Bylaws amendments that support the proposed governance change.\u00a0The following\u00a0proposed updates and additions to the\u00a0membership\u00a0section of the bylaws\u00a0facilitate\u00a0the separation of certification from membership and\u00a0aim to\u00a0provide\u00a0additional\u00a0operational flexibility\u00a0in the new governance structure.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Defining membership eligibility<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As part of the proposed bylaws,\u00a0ACVS\u00a0is taking a streamlined and consistent approach to defining membership eligibility. The intent is to make the\u00a0definitions\u00a0as\u00a0clear and straightforward as possible, while aligning\u00a0voting\u00a0membership categories directly with certification status.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Under the proposed bylaws, eligibility for Diplomate\u00a0or Emeritus\u00a0Diplomate\u00a0membership is defined\u00a0simply\u00a0by\u00a0meeting\u00a0the\u00a0certification\u00a0requirements for Diplomate\u00a0or\u00a0Emeritus Diplomate\u00a0status.\u00a0Rather than restating detailed certification criteria within the membership bylaws, this approach relies on the established certification standards that already govern Diplomate\u00a0or\u00a0Emeritus\u00a0Diplomate\u00a0status.\u00a0This ensures clarity\u00a0and\u00a0reduces\u00a0redundancy.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Removing the annual dues\u00a0cap<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As mentioned in\u00a0previous\u00a0communications, in addition to defining certification independent of membership, ACVS must also separate\u00a0certification-related fees\u00a0from membership dues. As membership dues are redefined, a proposed amendment would remove the current\u00a03.5\u00a0percent\u00a0annual dues increase cap. The removal is intended to support\u00a0ACVS\u2019s\u00a0long-term financial stability by giving the Board of Regents\u00a0(BOR)\u00a0greater flexibility to align membership dues with actual operating costs.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In the new governance structure, the\u00a03.5\u00a0percent\u00a0annual cap could limit the\u00a0BOR\u2019s\u00a0ability to respond to evolving organizational needs. This change does not\u00a0reduce transparency, but instead allows for more responsible, data-informed financial planning. It also supports the broader governance transition\u00a0of\u00a0separating certification functions and membership activities, helping ensure\u00a0ACVS\u00a0remains\u00a0sustainable and well-positioned for the future.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Allowing the\u00a0board\u00a0to create non-voting membership categories<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As part of the broader governance updates, new recommended content\u00a0would\u00a0grant the\u00a0BOR\u00a0the\u00a0authority to\u00a0establish\u00a0non-voting membership categories. This change reflects an important\u00a0structural\u00a0shift for\u00a0ACVS: with the separation of certification and membership, the College now has the flexibility to think more expansively about who can engage with our professional community\u2014beyond those who hold certification.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Historically, membership\u00a0has been\u00a0synonymous\u00a0with\u00a0Diplomate\u00a0or\u00a0Emeritus\u00a0Diplomate\u00a0certification status. While that model\u00a0has\u00a0served the College well, it limits\u00a0ACVS\u00a0formally including\u00a0individuals who are actively\u00a0taking part\u00a0in the profession but are not yet eligible for certification. Allowing the\u00a0BOR\u00a0to create non-voting membership categories creates a clear,\u00a0appropriate pathway\u00a0to welcome these individuals without altering governance, voting rights, or the role of Diplomates in leading the College.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A\u00a0<\/span>resident membership<\/span><\/b>\u00a0option\u00a0is an excellent\u00a0example. Residents are future Diplomates who\u00a0would\u00a0benefit\u00a0greatly\u00a0from\u00a0increased\u00a0connection to\u00a0ACVS\u00a0and\u00a0access to educational resources, professional development, and community engagement. A non-voting resident membership\u00a0category\u00a0would\u00a0provide\u00a0a\u00a0more robust\u00a0opportunity for\u00a0residents\u00a0to\u00a0participate\u00a0in\u00a0ACVS\u00a0activities while preserving voting and governance authority for\u00a0Diplomate\u00a0members.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Importantly, this bylaw change does not create new membership categories on its own. It simply provides the governance framework needed for the\u00a0BOR\u00a0to thoughtfully evaluate, design, and implement non-voting membership options when they align with the College\u2019s mission and long-term goals. This flexibility positions\u00a0ACVS\u00a0to support the profession across the full career continuum while\u00a0maintaining\u00a0a clear and consistent governance structure.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Overall, these changes help make the bylaws easier to understand, easier to\u00a0maintain, and better suited to support ACVS\u2019s long-term governance needs.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

ACVS will continue to provide regular updates as the College moves through the governance change process. Diplomates are encouraged to visit the governance change<\/a> page on the website to stay informed. Questions and comments are encouraged and should be sent to ACVS Membership Director Adam Seery at <\/span>aseery@acvs.org<\/span><\/a>\u00a0or posted in the new Governance Updates and Questions discussion group in\u00a0<\/span>ACVS Connect<\/span><\/a>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Over the last few months,\u00a0ACVS\u00a0has\u00a0highlighted\u00a0necessary and suggested Constitution and Bylaws amendments that support the proposed governance change.\u00a0The following\u00a0proposed updates and additions to the\u00a0membership\u00a0section of the bylaws\u00a0facilitate\u00a0the separation of certification from membership and\u00a0aim to\u00a0provide\u00a0additional\u00a0operational flexibility\u00a0in the new governance structure.\u00a0 Defining membership eligibility\u00a0 As part of the proposed bylaws,\u00a0ACVS\u00a0is taking a streamlined and consistent approach to defining […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_members_access_role":[],"_members_access_error":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-16719","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-diplomate"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.acvs.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16719","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.acvs.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.acvs.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.acvs.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/14"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.acvs.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16719"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.acvs.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16719\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16724,"href":"https:\/\/www.acvs.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16719\/revisions\/16724"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.acvs.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16719"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.acvs.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16719"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.acvs.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16719"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}