Over the years, tensions have frequently arisen between the educational and other professional aims of the American Psychoanalytic Association. These have tended to divide the governing bodies and compromise the productivity of the Association. Numerous committees and task forces have grappled with these problems but failed to develop a plan that would be agreeable to all.
The Ad Hoc Joint Task Force on Education and Membership grew out of a review by the Executive Committee of the two most recent proposals coming from a task force from Council, chaired by Jonah Schein, and a committee from BOPS, chaired by Mort Reiser. When representatives from the two committees met with the Executive Committee, all participants were impressed by the degree of consensus and the potential for broad and meaningful change. Bob Pyles and Donald Rosenblitt appointed the current Ad Hoc Joint Task Force. This task force is unprecedented in the depth of leadership and experience it represents. Surprisingly effective deliberations ensued in the new task force, and within a period of about six months a comprehensive plan was developed.
At the May meeting in Chicago, the Joint Task Force released its groundbreaking set of virtually unanimous recommendations. The proposed new governance plan completely de-links member voting and eligibility to hold office (except in BOPS) from certification, gives affiliate members full voting rights, and protects the autonomy of the educational functions of the Board.
The report creates a plan of governance that will allow the organization to more effectively carry out its dual and complementary mission as a membership organization and an educational organization.
Rosenblitt, presenting the findings of the Joint Task Force to the Board, and Pyles, presenting the report to Council, emphasized that the task force's recommendations should be considered as an integrated plan. Individual provisions should only be considered in the larger context of the entire proposal. Taken together, the proposal creates a set of checks and balances. Its key provisions:
All active members in good standing can vote on all matters, serve as executive councilors, and hold all national offices except those of BOPS.
Full voting rights are to be extended to affiliate members.
The Executive Council and BOPS stand in a reciprocal advisory relationship with one another for those situations in which they do not have joint responsibility.
The Executive Council and BOPS share legislative authority for matters that have a bearing on educational standards, other than specific delineated aspects of BOPS functioning and standards.
In the rare instances when the Executive Committee is unable to resolve some matter between Board and Council, a joint reconciliation committee will be convened to resolve the issue. This committee must reach a two-thirds majority or return to a default position in which both Board and Council share jurisdiction over the particular matter.
To protect the public interest and to assure excellence of education and academic freedom, BOPS is guaranteed certain levels of autonomy. Elected officers of the Association will continue to serve as ex officio members of BOPS but will be non-voting. Similarly, the chairman and secretary of BOPS will be
non-voting members of the Executive Council. The secretary of BOPS will be a full voting member of the Executive Committee.
Candidates for the chair of BOPS will announce their prospective secretary before the election so that the vote by BOPS will be for the entire leadership slate.
BOPS will have its own financial officer, who will chair a BOPS Finance Committee. This committee will prepare a budget package to be submitted to the Association's Budget and Finance Committee, which will propose a block funding package for all of BOPS's committees. Overall fiduciary responsibility will be maintained by the Executive Council and overseen by its Budget and Finance Committee. BOPS will be provided with at least sufficient funding to fulfill its function of protecting the public interest.
This is the first time in the history of APsaA that representatives of the Board, Council, and Executive Committee have been able to agree on a sweeping plan of reorganization. The new plan is expected to go a long way toward making our Association more effective, efficient, and democratic. Some initial reactions to the governance proposal are contained in the reports on the Board and Council in this issue of TAP (see pages 38 and 34, respectively).