American Institute of Parliamentarians
The American Institute of Parliamentarians (AIP) is a not-for-profit educational organization founded in 1958 for the advancement of parliamentary procedure. From a first-year membership of only 48 members, AlP has grown into a progressive association with active chapters and regions. More than 1,200 members reside in the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Canada, Puerto Rico and throughout the world.
AIP is unique in its use of many parliamentary authorities in its education programs. This diversity allows members and students to be aware of what the common parliamentary procedures are, but also understand the history and theory of why certain procedures exist, and optional procedures that are available to organizations. AIP was involved in the revision of The Standard Code of Parliamentary Procedure and Modern Parliamentary Procedure following the deaths of their authors.
Supposedly the AIP was formed by members of the National Association of Parliamentarians (NAP) unhappy with how that organization was run. Today, many members of AIP are also members of NAP, and the two organization do work together. There are joint NAP/AIP Chapters, they collaborated on a Code of Ethics for Parliamentarians, and have joint conferences. One of the main differences between the two organizations is that NAP focuses virtually exclusively on Robert's Rules of Order, while AIP stresses proficiency and familiarity with a variety on parliamentary authorities.
The objectives of AIP are:
- Promote use of effective, democratic, parliamentary practices
- Promote preparation and use of parliamentary literature
- Promote teaching of Parliamentary procedure
- Promote the training and certification of Parliamentarians
- Promote wider use of Parliamentarians
- Maintain a representative, democratic organization
Levels
- Member - anyone interested in joining completes an application and pays their dues.
- Certified Parliamentarian (CP) - must obtain a grade of 80 or above on a written examination and earn 20 service points in areas such as Parliamentary Education, Service to AIP, and Professional Services There are approximately 50 active (non-retired) CPs worldwide, exclusive of those that have retired. The written examination contains multiple choice, short answer and essay questions on parliamentary procedures covered in Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised, The Standard Code of Parliamentary Procedure, and Cannon's Concise Guide to Rules of Order.
- Certified Professional Parliamentarian (CPP) - must be a Certified Parliamentarian in good standing, must obtain a grade of 90 or above on an oral examination, covering the current editions of Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised, The Standard Code of Parliamentary Procedure, Cannon's Concise Guide to Rules of Order, and Parliamentary Opinions II, Additional suggested reading includes Parliamentary Law, Parliamentary Opinions I, Demeter's Manual of Parliamentary Law and Procedure, and Riddick's Rules of Procedure. In addition to demonstrating a thorough knowledge of these manuals, the examinee must also demonstrate expertise in presiding and accumulate an additional 30 service points. There are approximately 45 active (non-retired) CPPs worldwide. In order to retain CP or CPP status, the member must participate in a continuing education activity at least once every seven years.
- Designated Teacher of Parliamentary Procedure (CP-T or CPP-T) - must complete a teacher education course offered by Education Department of AIP and must show evidence of at least 15 hours of successful teaching experience.
Publications
- Parliamentary Journal - quarterly publication of AIP, devoted to scholarly articles on parliamentary procedure.
- The Communicator - is a quarterly newsletter for AIP, covering news and information on the organization.
AIP publishes a variety of other works on parliamentary procedure. These include Fundamentals of Parliamentary Law and Procedure, Complete Minutes Manual, How to be a Parliamentarian, and more.
See also
External links