ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF AAG COUNCILLORS
March 2002
Council Meetings. Council is the policy
making body of the AAG. Councillors participate in the policy-making
deliberations and programmatic development of the AAG that take place
at two meetings each year. A spring meeting is held in conjunction with
the annual meeting of the AAG. Normally, the Council meeting
convenes two days before the start of the annual meeting (opening
session and paper sessions). The fall meeting is typically held in
conjunction with the annual meeting of one of the AAG regional
divisions, or in Washington, DC at the AAG office. This meeting lasts
for 11/2 days and usually takes place on Saturday and Sunday.
Although most of the Council’s business is conducted at these two
meetings, occasionally there is the need to conduct some business by
email. Meeting agendas and materials are circulated to Council members
by the AAG office approximately two weeks prior to the fall and spring
meetings. Councillors should take time to review these materials
prior to the start of the meetings. This preparation will be
beneficial for an efficient and effective Council meeting.
AAG Committee Assignments. Each of the
AAG’s Standing Committees includes at least one Councillor.
Councillors may volunteer for a committee in their area of interest or
they may be assigned to one by the Committee on Committees. National
and Regional Councillors each elect among themselves Chairs of their
respective groups. These selections usually occur during the fall
meeting. The Chair of the National Councillors acts as a liaison
between the Council and the various AAG specialty groups. The Chair of
the Regional Councillors serves as a member of the Committee on
Committees, the group that recommends to Council individuals for
appointment to AAG Committees. The Committee on Committees meets
prior to and during the spring Council meeting to prepare a slate of
nominees for Standing Committees. The other members of the Committee
on Committees are the Secretary and Treasurer, both of whom are elected
by Council from its members. Both National and Regional Councillors
can be helpful in identifying candidates for AAG committees and other
service roles in the Association.
Report on the Status of Departments in the Region.
At each Council meeting, Regional Concillors are asked to report on
the status of departments within their region. These reports are
brief (less than five minutes) and are typically made in oral form.
Problems departments are experiencing can be brought to the attention
of Council, and early intervention strategies can be suggested. Good
news is also welcomed concerning growth in geography departments and
the creation of new geography programs. Some regional divisions have
state representatives that survey programs in the state and provide
important information to the Regional Councillor. Councillors may also
want to contact the President of their division for this information.
Reports to Regional Divisions. As a
Regional Councillor, you are the liaison between your regional division
and the AAG. Therefore, you should take the opportunity to make
reports back to your division concerning activities and issues facing
the AAG. One way to do this is to prepare a short annual report on
Council discussions and actions for publication in your division
newsletter. You might also make an oral report during the business
meeting of the division’s annual meeting. Effort should be made to
maintain close contact with your division president.
Membership Recruitment. An important
responsibility of the Regional Councillor is AAG membership recruitment
and retention. One procedure that is helpful in membership
recruitment is to establish a network of department membership
coordinators within your region. These persons could keep membership
applications on hand and direct prospective members to the AAG
website. A good time for this coordinator to make a “pitch” to
colleagues and students for AAG membership is the start of each
semester. The AAG office can provide a list of current AAG members to
help identify prospective new members. You should also take the
opportunity to promote AAG membership at your annual regional meeting
and arrange for relevant AAG materials (such as careers brochures and
membership applications) to be available.
Oversight of Specialty Groups. National
Councillors have the responsibility of general oversight of the
Association’s specialty groups. These Councillors review the annual
reports submitted by each group President or Secretary, and where
appropriate, recommend changes in policy. The Chair of the National
Councillors hosts a session for specialty group Presidents at each
annual AAG meeting. This session provides a forum for the
dissemination of relevant news from the Council, and for the discussion
of policy changes and proposals. It also serves as a mechanism for
specialty groups to voice concerns to the Council.
Reports on Systematic Trends in Geography and Allied Fields. Paralleling
the charge to Regional Councillors that they monitor and report on the
status of geography departments within their respective regions,
National Councillors are urged to pay special attention to ongoing
systematic trends relevant to the discipline. For example, these may
be concerns of equity or emphasis. They may be happenings inside
academia, in the outside world, or on the relations between the two.
This monitoring function is informal, but potentially important to the
Association.
The Experience. Serving on the AAG Council
will prove to be a great experience. It may take a while to get your
feet wet and understand the workings of the AAG and the Council, but
you will get there. Serving on the Council not only gives you the
opportunity to learn about your professional organization, it also
provides the opportunity to get to know colleagues from other parts of
the country. Furthermore, after serving on the Council, the experience
will make those 1-2 hour departmental meetings seem short. Enjoy the
experience!