Call for Volunteers: ACSA Committees and Task Forces

The ACSA Board of Directors invites applications from faculty at full, candidate, and affiliate member schools to participate in 2022-2023 ACSA committees, task forces, and other activities. These appointments include ACSA’s three Program Committee (explained below) and three external members on our Nominations Committee.  

Volunteer appointments are initiated by the 2022-2023 ACSA president, Sharon Haar. Appointments are for one year beginning July 1, 2022, and are typically eligible for renewal thereafter. Individuals who responded to last year’s call will remain in the pool of candidates but may also send revised information.

Committees will work primarily through conference calls during the academic year. This year we plan to hold an in-person meeting of Program Committees. (Funding for travel will be provided by ACSA.) Committees have also convened at the Administrators Conference and Annual Meeting.

To apply, please submit the following items in a single PDF in this order:

• Cover sheet confirming you have a My ACSA profile (download here);
• Cover letter that (a) indicates your engagement with, participation with, or contributions to ACSA and (b) addresses your potential to contribute to ACSA’s committees and strategic plan priorities, as outlined below (2 pages maximum);
• Current curriculum vitae highlighting relevant research, teaching, and service (2 pages maximum).

The deadline for candidates is May 18, 2022. Send the application to Abel Chanyalew, ACSA Membership Coordinator, achanyalew@acsa-arch.org, with the subject line ACSA Volunteer Nomination.

We encourage nominations from Black, Indigenous/Native, and people of color, as well as from individuals teaching at minority-serving institutions. ACSA seeks to include members from a range of backgrounds, including race/ethnicity, gender, school type, and teaching and research experience.

About Program Committee Opportunities

The ACSA board relies on three Program Committees to engage members and carry out the goals of the strategic plan through webinars, white papers, surveys, recommendations to the board, etc. Charges for each of the Program Committees are included below.

ACSA’s work is guided by its strategic plan, most recently revised by the board in 2021-22. The new strategic plan elevates ACSA’s commitment to increase racial equity in architectural education and in the ACSA. The plan’s objectives also sharpen the organization’s focus on climate action by calling out the imperative to promote and disseminate more scholarship that contributes to efforts in architecture and design to mitigate the effects of climate change on local communities.

The charges of the three Program Committees are as follows. Members are encouraged to follow the links to review more information on outcomes of this work.

• The Research & Scholarship Committee is charged with leading ACSA’s efforts to support faculty in scholarly endeavors; monitoring and assessing peer-review and recognition programs, and recommending actions to advocate for architectural scholarship. In 2022-23, the committee will strengthen and support architectural scholarship related to the intersection of social equity and climate action.
• The Education Committee is charged with leading ACSA’s efforts to improve the effectiveness of architectural education through best practices and overseeing programs to cultivate and disseminate these best practices. In 2022-23 the committee will continue its work to increase engagement of and partnerships with community colleges and non- and pre-professional architecture programs.
• The Leadership Committee is charged with leading ACSA’s efforts to support the strategic development of architecture programs; identifying and disseminating best-practice models of program leadership and administration, and overseeing ACSA’s efforts to promote awareness of architectural education. In 2022-23 the committee will continue its work to highlight effective inclusion and equity strategies within architecture programs, focusing particularly on leadership and operational changes in architecture programs, such as new administrative positions or structures, committee initiatives, teaching resources, and community engagements.