Updated May 2008
This document contains the most frequently asked questions about the Fellowship submission process. It is intended to serve as a supplement to the submission instructions and will be updated periodically. Additional questions may be directed to honorsawards@aia.org .

ELIGIBILITY

Who is eligible?

Architect members who are in good standing in the Institute and in their assigned components, and who have been in good standing as an Architect member for not less than ten years (by the Fellowship submission deadline) may be nominated for Fellowship.
The ten-year requirement is based on cumulative not consecutive years of membership.
Years as an Associate AIA do not count towards the ten year requirement for Fellowship.
Members Emeritus are eligible to be nominated for Fellowship.

What is the definition of "a member in good standing" for Fellowship?

Members who have paid all dues and other obligations due to the Institute and to the component organizations to which they are assigned.
Members must be current in their Continuing Education (CE) requirements.
A member Emeritus is not required to pay dues nor meet the CE requirements.
Members under suspension for violation of the Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct are not in good standing.

What are the roles of a nominator and a sponsor?

Each candidate must be nominated by either their assigned component or by a petition signed by any 5 Fellows in good standing or any 10 AIA members in good standing.
The component nomination requires only that the component president or secretary signs the nomination statement ; no formal letter is required.
If nominated by petition, each member in good standing must print and sign their name on the petition form and print their member number. In addition, the nominee's component must be notified of the petition nomination.
The nomination provides an indication to the jury that a body or group of members feels confident that the candidate meets the criteria for Fellowship.
In addition, each candidate must be sponsored by either an FAIA or AIA member in good standing. Associate members and Honorary members cannot serve as a sponsor. The sponsor provides a one-page letter of introduction to the jury that includes specific reasons why the candidate deserves to be a Fellow.

JURY PROCESS

Who are the members serving on this year's jury?

The 2009 Jury of Fellows is comprised of the following Fellows:

Chair, Walter Schamu, FAIA (Baltimore)
Henry Alexander, FAIA (Coral Gables, Fla.)
Phillip H. Gerou, FAIA (Evergreen, Colo.)
Allan W. Kehrt, FAIA (Princeton, N.J.)
Paula Loomis, FAIA (Virginia Beach)
Robert Loversidge, FAIA (Columbus, Ohio)
Jim W. Sealy, FAIA (Dallas)

When will the jury meet?

The Jury of Fellows will meet at Institute headquarters from January 25 – January 29, 2009.

When will I know the jury's decision?

All Fellowship candidates and their sponsors will be notified by mail of the jury’s decisions no later than February 6, 2009. The national AIA Board of Directors, College of Fellows Executive Committee, College of Fellows Regional Representatives, and component executives will be notified after the candidates and sponsors have been notified.

Why does it take so long between the submission deadline and notification date?

Once the Fellowship submittals are uploaded on the Web site, the Honors and Awards staff must verify that each candidate, sponsor, and all AIA member reference writers are members in good standing. Staff then must file all of the reference letters into the appropriate candidates' file (approximately 5,000-7,000 letters are filed each year).
Upon completion of the administrative check-in procedures, a list of all of the eligible Fellowship candidates is compiled and distributed to the AIA National Board of Directors and to the College of Fellows Executive Committee. Although these two groups are prohibited from serving as a sponsor or reference for any Fellowship candidate while they are in office, they may, if they wish, write an unsolicited letter of support on behalf of any candidate whose name appears on the candidate list. These letters are usually due back to the Institute in the first week of December. The letters are then filed in the appropriate candidates' file.
The list of candidates are then distributed to the jury by mid-December. The jury has from mid-December to mid-January to complete their review just prior to the jury meeting at the end of January/first of February. Notification to sponsors and candidates is mailed no later than one week following the jury deliberations.

How does the jury work?

In mid-December, each juror is given a list for one-seventh of the Fellowship candidates to review in-depth in advance of the jury meeting (usually about 33-35 candidates each). In addition, each juror can view the Section 1 Summary in its entirety for each Fellowship candidate (usually about 225-250 candidates each year) which provides a brief overview of every candidate that will be reviewed in January/February.
The candidates are divided randomly among the jurors. No juror will review any candidate from their region, whether they know the candidate or not. No juror will review any candidate who is related to them or from their firm (in fact they cannot even be in the jury room when the discussion and voting takes place). No juror will review the same candidate more than once. This means that if a candidate is submitting in consecutive years, each year they will be individually reviewed by a different juror.
At the jury meeting, each candidate is presented in alphabetical order in depth by the juror who reviewed their submittal until all candidates have been reviewed. While the juror is making the presentation, the other jurors are viewing their submittal.
The presenting juror will draw the jurors'attention to things that either support or do not support the claims of achievement made in the sponsor's letter or in the candidate's Section 1 Summary statement. They will point out if reference letters are exceptionally good, whether they are on point and supportive of the achievements, if they are general and not specific in nature, or if there are any letters missing. Once the presentation is made, the presenting juror will accept questions from the jury, and then make a recommendation to the jury as to whether the candidate should be elevated to Fellow. The jury will then have a discussion and vote on the candidate.
Although the jury often agrees with the presenting juror's recommendation, there is no guarantee that the recommendation will be accepted by the jury. There have been instances when a juror recommended elevation and the jury did not agree, and there have been instances when a juror recommended that a candidate not be elevated and the remaining jurors overruled that recommendation.
The entire presentation and discussion process usually takes about 10 minutes per candidate. Therefore, it is critical that the candidate's presentation be succinct, clear, and concise and that all claims of achievement made in the sponsor letter and in Section 1 Summary are substantiated somewhere in the submission with supporting documentation, evidence, or letters of reference.

What does the jury look for when reviewing a candidate?

Generally, the jury is looking for acknowledgement that a candidate's achievements have affected or influenced the profession on a broad scale. This form of acknowledgement may be shown in different ways depending on the candidate's category of nomination, including, but not limited to the examples noted below.

Category One — Design, Urban Design, or Preservation
-Documentation that the nominee has been Largely Responsible for Design of the work displayed in the Section 3 Exhibits.
-Strong support of the nominee's contributions in the sponsor letter.
-Award recognition of nominee's work—national, regional, state, and local awards. Of particular interest are AIA awards and awards from other design-focus organizations depending on the nominee's design focus (interior design, urban design, preservation) and other industry awards.
-Publication of nominee's work—of particular interest are architectural journals, related design publications, and recognition beyond nominee's immediate locale.
-Sharing of nominee's expertise through design juries, teaching, lecturing, speaking, writing, national media coverage.
-AIA activities—committees chaired and offices held.
-Civic/community involvement—leadership roles held.
-Reference letters that are from geographic area beyond nominee's area, speak specifically to nominee's contributions, and are from other recognized design peers/experts in the same field as nominee.

Category Two — Education, Research, Literature, or Practice
-Strong support of the nominee's contributions in the sponsor letter.
-Appropriate award recognition of nominee's work—national, regional, state, and local awards. Of particular interest are awards related to the candidate's particular focus. For instance, for education the jury would expect to see higher education institution teaching awards; other applicable national awards from AIA, ACSA, AIAS; grants received, etc. For research, national, regional, and local award recognition for research leadership or research awards or grants received would be of interest to the jury. For literature, appropriate literature awards and national, regional, and local awards and recognition of the nominee's literature strengths. For practice, the jury would expect to see national, regional, and local awards and recognition of the nominee's strengths in firm management, specific project type expertise, etc.
-Publication of nominee's work —of particular interest are architectural journals, publications directly related to their field of expertise, and recognition beyond nominee's immediate locale.
-Sharing of nominee's expertise through juries, teaching, lecturing, speaking, writing, national media coverage. For practice in particular, jury members are looking for ways in which the nominee has shared his/her expertise beyond the firm.
-AIA activities—committees chaired and offices held.
-Civic/community involvement —leadership roles held.
-Reference letters that are from geographic area beyond nominee's area, speak specifically to nominee's contributions, and are from other recognized peers/experts in the same field as nominee.

Category Three — Led the Institute, Led a Related Organization
-Strong support of the nominee's contributions in the sponsor letter.
-AIA activities—committees chaired, offices held, initiatives originated and led by nominee; results of leadership and offices held. Or, if nominee is leading a related organization the jury needs to know not only what the nominee accomplished for the other organization but how their contribution affected the architecture profession and benefited AIA members.
-Appropriate award recognition of nominee's work —national, regional, state, and local certificates of appreciation, service, and commendation awards. Of particular interest are awards or other documentation that reflect the nominee's leadership skills and widespread results.
-Publication of nominee's work—of particular interest are national, regional, and local publications of the nominee's efforts/results in leading the Institute or related organization and benefits to AIA members.
-Sharing of nominee's expertise through teaching, lecturing, speaking (particularly at other AIA components, conventions, or committees), writing, national media coverage.
-Civic/community involvement—leadership roles held.
-Reference letters that are from geographic area beyond nominee's area, speak specifically to nominee's contributions, and are from other recognized leaders qualified to verify the nominee's significant contributions in leading the Institute, the related organization and how AIA members benefited.

Category Four—Public Service, Government Industry or Organization
-Strong support of the nominee's contributions in the sponsor letter.
-National, regional, and local recognition of the nominee's efforts in Public Service or work in Government or Industry Organization through initiatives originated and led by nominee; results of leadership and offices/positions held. The nominee must also demonstrate that their achievements were beyond the normal expectations of their job. The benefit to the AIA must be documented.
-Appropriate award recognition of nominee's work—national, regional, state, and local certificates of appreciation, service, and commendation awards. Of particular interest are awards or other documentation that reflect the nominee's leadership skills and widespread results.
-Publication of nominee's work—of particular interest are national, regional, and local publications highlighting the nominee's efforts/results in the public service or government/industry organization and benefits to the profession or AIA members.
-Sharing of nominee's expertise through teaching, lecturing, speaking, writing, national media coverage.
-AIA activities—committees chaired and offices held.
-Civic/community involvement—leadership roles held and results achieved.
-Reference letters that are from geographic area beyond nominee's area, speak specifically to nominee¡¦s contributions, and are from other recognized leaders qualified to verify the nominee's significant contributions in the public service or government/industry organization.

Category Five—Alternative Career, Volunteer Work with Organizations Not Directly Connected with the Built Environment, or Service to Society
-Strong support of the nominee's contributions in the sponsor letter.
-Documentation that the nominee is a nationally recognized leader in the alternative career and how the contributions affect or influence the profession. If nominee is contributing through volunteer work, it must be made evident to the jury how the nominee's contributions are important because the nominee is an architect as opposed to a volunteer who's a banker, businessman, etc., and it must be clear that the nominee is truly volunteering architectural expertise and not gaining commissions through the volunteer service.
-Appropriate award recognition of nominee's work—national, regional, state, and local certificates of appreciation, service, and commendation awards. Of particular interest are awards or other documentation that reflect the nominee's leadership skills and widespread results in the alternative career or volunteer work.
-Publication of nominee's work—of particular interest are national, regional, and local publications of the nominee's efforts/results in the alternative career or volunteer organization and benefits to the AIA and/or its members.
-Sharing of nominee's expertise through teaching, lecturing, speaking, writing, national media coverage.
-AIA activities—committees chaired and offices held.
-Civic/community involvement—leadership roles held.
-Reference letters that are from geographic area beyond nominee's area, speak specifically to nominee's contributions, and are from other recognized leaders qualified to verify the nominee's significant contributions in the alternative career or the volunteer organization.

How many votes are required to be elevated to Fellow?

It takes a minimum of four positive votes in favor of the candidate to become a Fellow.
There are seven jurors but only six jurors vote for each candidate. There is always one juror who sits out on the discussion and voting. This is either the juror from the region or firm of the candidate being reviewed, or it is the juror scheduled to present the next candidate.
If there is a tie vote on a candidate, that candidate¡¦s submission is put aside and discussed again at the end of the jury deliberations along with any other tie votes. If after another discussion the vote does not change to at least four positive votes in favor of the candidate, then that candidate is not elevated to Fellowship.

Are there quotas?

There are no quotas that must be met.
The jury may elevate all, some, or none of the candidates presented in any category, from any component, or from any state or region.
There are no limits as to how many Fellows may be elevated in any given year or in any category.

GENERAL FORMAT

Must a candidate lay out the presentation exactly as provided on the forms?

Nominees may reformat the pages but must provide the information requested in the exact order that it is requested on the submission forms.
If nominees want ideas as to different ways to present their credentials, samples of successful submissions (our Best Examples) may be ordered through the AIA Library and Archives at nhadley@aia.org.

SPONSORS

Who can and cannot serve as a sponsor?

Sponsors must be FAIA or AIA members in good standing.
Members Emeritus can serve as a sponsor.
Current members of the National AIA Board of Directors or the College of Fellows Executive Committee cannot serve as sponsors. Current members of the Jury of Fellows or those who served on the Jury of Fellows within the last three years cannot serve as sponsors nor can national or component staff.

Can the sponsor be from the candidate's firm?

Yes, but if you select a sponsor that is from your firm, then it is best if you do not have anyone else from your firm serving as a reference writer.

Is it better if the sponsor is an FAIA member?

Fellowship support is important. However, even more important is to select a sponsor that knows you and your accomplishments well. It will do you no good to have an FAIA serve as your sponsor if they cannot speak directly and specifically to your achievements and the impact you have had on the profession.

Does the sponsor have to be from your component?

No, but you should select someone who will be able to meet with you and review your submission on a regular basis. The internet does make it possible for sponsors to receive documents and critique submission materials from afar, but if you use this method, please make sure that the sponsor receives a copy of the entire submission for review before you submit it to the jury. At least one cover-to-cover review will make it possible for the sponsor and/or the candidate to notice any discrepancies throughout the submission.

Can a member serve as a sponsor for more than one candidate?

Yes, but you should be sure that the sponsor will have the time necessary to devote to assisting you with your submission in addition to any other candidate(s).

Does the sponsor have to write a new letter each year?

No, the sponsor letter is good for three consecutive submissions. If you do make changes to your submission, however, it is wise to review the sponsor letter to ensure that it still contains accurate statements that support the claims made in the submission.

Can a second or third year candidate change sponsors?

Yes, candidates may change sponsors but they would also have to make changes on their Section 1 Summary Page and have it newly signed by the chapter president. If the new sponsor was originally one of the reference writers, second year candidates may secure a different reference writer and on the reference list where the original name was listed, they would insert after the new person's name "replaces (name) who is now serving as sponsor". This is the ONLY time a reference writer can be replaced. Reference letters from the original letter writer can be updated and substituted in the candidates file for 2nd and 3rd year candidates. (See Reference Section.)

SECTION 3: EXHIBITS

Are original photographs necessary or are digital prints acceptable?

In 2007, the fellowship applications will be submitted online which means that only digital images are acceptable. The image upload information can be found on the submission site. Unclear images do not help any candidate's case but high resolution photos will not be permitted.

Can more than one photo be shown on a page?

Photo collage exhibits are acceptable but it is important that there are not too many images on a page or images that are too small for the jury to discern important details.

Can a multi-page news article or document be submitted as one exhibit?

A multi-page document should be summarized (with proper credit) and then uploaded as one exhibit. Candidates must provide a synopsis of the article or document on the descriptive data sheet. Candidates may submit no more than three publications to substantiate claims made in their submittal. These should be mailed to the AIA c/o the Jury of Fellows, 1735 New York Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20006

If a candidate is not submitting in the design category, do they still need to show project images?

All candidates are expected to show some project work, whether their own, their firm¡¦s or in the case of educators who do not practice, their students' work. However, the important thing to remember is that most of the exhibits for categories 2-5 should be relevant to the category of nomination and provide supportive documentation of the candidate's achievements as it relates to the category of nomination. All exhibits should substantiate the results that have been claimed in the sponsor letter or in the candidate's Section 1 Summary statements.

I want to submit an article as an exhibit. Do I need to include a Declaration of Responsibility?

If the article is clearly identified as being written by a particular individual then no declaration statement is needed as it would already be clear as to the individual's role.

Can a multi-phase project count as two projects in the exhibit section or one?

A multi-phase project should only be considered as more than one exhibit if the separate buildings have been recognized separately for their design achievements. However, if the entire project is recognized as one singular project, despite the multiple buildings, then breaking it into more than one exhibit would weaken the submission.

Can I use a project that is still under construction as an exhibit?

A candidate must exhibit no fewer than 5 completed projects and may exhibit a project under construction if they have already met the built requirements. However, an unbuilt project as an exhibit would only be recommended if it is illustrating a type of progression/innovation in the candidate’s work.

Can a current member of the AIA National Board of Directors sign off on an exhibit?

There is nothing that prohibits Board members, component staff, or College of Fellows Executive Committee members from signing a Declaration of Responsibility. In some instances, they would be the only individual who would have the inside information to verify the candidate’s claims.

Can I use a letter that is not one of my references as part of an exhibit?

Candidates should not include letters in the exhibit section.

SECTION 4: REFERENCES

Who can and cannot serve as a reference?

Members Emeritus can serve as a reference.
Any FAIA, AIA, Associate AIA, Honorary FAIA, and Honorary AIA member in good standing can serve as a reference EXCEPT:
-Current Officers, Officers-elect, and Regional Directors of the National AIA Board of Directors or current members of the College of Fellows Executive Committee cannot serve as references (see information below about unsolicited letters of support). Members of the current Fellows Jury, the Institute Secretary, and Institute Secretary-elect may not be a reference for three years after completion of their terms of service.
-National or Component staff cannot serve as references even if they are FAIA, AIA, Associate AIA, Honorary FAIA or Honorary AIA members.

Can an individual be a reference for more than one candidate?

Yes, but it is best if they are not already writing for several candidates, especially candidates who are in the same category of nomination. Otherwise, if they write for too many candidates, their word becomes less valued if they are writing to say that everyone is great, or an exceptional leader, etc.

Can you include more than the required number of references on your Section 4 Reference list to ensure that you end up with the required number of letters for your submission?

NO. In the first year you must have exactly seven references, no more, no less. If you list eight or nine thinking if one of the first seven does not send a letter you can use one of the others, you will be wrong. The jury will only review the first seven names on the list. The same goes for the second- and third-year candidates. List only the number of references that you are allowed (Total of 7 references for first year; 10 for second year; 13 for third year).

Are additional or unsolicited letters of support allowed?

Unsolicited letters of support will be accepted only from Current Officers, Officers-elect, and Regional Directors of the National AIA Board of Directors or the College of Fellows Executive Committee. They will receive a list of all Fellowship candidates, which will identify the candidate's component and category of nomination, and they may write on behalf of as many candidates as they choose. These are unsolicited letters and candidates should NOT ask these members to write on their behalf.
The Institute Secretary and Secretary-elect are not eligible to write unsolicited letters of support.
All other letters received from individuals not listed on the reference list will not be filed in the candidate's nomination materials nor reviewed by the jury.

Will a late, two-page, or missing reference letter automatically disqualify a candidate for Fellowship?

A late, two-page, or missing reference letter, in and of itself, will not automatically disqualify or prevent a candidate from receiving a full jury review nor prevent them from being elevated to Fellowship. If, however, the jury has questions about a candidate's qualifications, or a claimed achievement that has not been substantiated, the jury may argue that the missing reference letter might have contained the documentation that the jury needed to complete its evaluation. In that event, the jury could deny someone from being elevated to Fellowship in that year.

In a consecutive resubmission, can a reference writer submit an updated reference letter?

A reference may rewrite an original reference letter for 2nd and 3rd year candidates. The reference writer should indicate in the subject line that this is a replacement letter so the staff will know to replace the old letter from the previous year with the new one.

To whom should reference letters be addressed?

This year’s reference letters should be addressed to Walter Schamu, FAIA, Chair, Jury of Fellows. The one page reference letter is to be written on company letterhead, signed and electronically submitted to the AIA at honorsawards@aia.org no later than October 17, 2008 at midnight, eastern time.

It is helpful if the candidate's full name is identified in a reference line before the salutation as shown below:

Re: Candidate Name

Dear Mr. Schamu (or Walter):

Text of letter

Closing and signature

How long are reference letters kept on file?

Reference letters are confidential . They are kept on file for the next consecutive year along with the three new reference letters but only if the candidate submits in a consecutive year. Any remaining letters on file once that year's candidate reference letters have been filed will be destroyed if the candidate does not resubmit in the consecutive year.
Candidates who decide to sit out one or more years before resubmitting must start over as a first-year candidate and must secure seven new reference letters. Candidates may retain the same individuals as reference writers but the references must submit new letters dated with the current year of nomination.