The live question-and-answer session during the recent Diplomates’ town hall session at the Surgery Summit raised several important questions about the proposed new governance structure. Members were particularly interested in how the financial separation between the Certification Council and the Board of Regents would work since the Board of Regents will retain fiduciary responsibility for ACVS, including certification, within the new structure.
Background
Based on the size of the College, both in membership and finances, ACVS plans to establish the Certification Council within ACVS as an autonomous governing body. This creates the necessary separation between membership and certification while maintaining efficient operations and communication across the organization.
It is important to note that communication and coordination between the Board of Regents and the Council is acceptable and encouraged. It is the decisions about certification by the Council that must be independent and free from undue influence by the Board of Regents.
Financial relationship
The draft Certification Council Charter (PDF), shared with Diplomates in September, establishes and defines the purpose, roles, and responsibilities of the Council, and documents the operational framework that will provide the appropriate level of autonomy to the Council. There are three core elements of the financial relationship between the Board of Regents and Certification Council documented in the Charter:
- The Council shall operate within the approved program budget established by the ACVS Board of Regents.
- The ACVS Board of Regents ensures sufficient financial resources are provided for the programs.
- The Council does not have the authority to create a deficit budget, to manage outside of the approved budget, or to approve actions that would have a significant negative financial impact on ACVS without prior approval by the ACVS Board of Regents.
It is through this framework, which has been reviewed by ACVS’s legal counsel, that the Board of Regents retains fiduciary responsibility for ACVS, while granting full autonomy to the Council for all certification-related decision-making.
ACVS will continue to provide regular updates as the College moves through the governance change process. Questions and comments are encouraged and should be sent to ACVS Membership Director Adam Seery at aseery@acvs.org or posted in the new Governance Updates and Questions discussion group in ACVS Connect.
