Dear colleagues

You may remember that this year we intended to  consider a more formal basis for our Network. I’m pleased to say that we now have a formal draft constitution for your consideration, as current members of the Network. I hope this is attached (though I cannot guarantee the technology!).

This has been drawn up and agreed by a small subcommittee led by myself and consisting of Kirsi Rinne, Hugo Vercauteren, Adam Ganz and Jill Nelmes. I then forwarded draft 2 to those colleagues who form our current Steering Group (around 35), and received a small amount of feedback which I incorporated in the draft. This is draft 3, for consideration by the whole Network.

I intend to wait until Friday 13th July for any further suggestions, and then issue a formal Call to Membership via the Network to adopt this constitution. I hope we can therefore meet in Sydney with a constitution already agreed by the membership. If not, I hope we will have time between July and September to amend it appropriately. The intention is to call an AGM in Sydney, and involve other non-attending members via email.

May I draw your attention to the following:

1.	This is based on a constitution previously used for the Association of Media Practice Educators in the UK (now part of MeCCSA).  We therefore know it is workable.
2.	We are an international network, working most often via email. We are unlikely to be able to conduct business fully at an annual general meeting, so we propose to use an email Call to Members for major items that the Executive Council cannot deal with themselves.
3.	The exec Council is deliberately proposed as a small team of 5. One suggestion was for 7, but others felt even this was becoming unworkable if we were to remain truly international and work mostly by email.
4.	We have provision to introduce subscriptions, but there is no intention to do so.
5.	We are an inclusive organisation, meaning open to all. The aims are listed at (2), and are intended to include both academics and practitioners, where they support these aims. That’s why we have individual membership, though also with provision for us to create categories of membership like associate membership or patron membership.
6.	The hope is that formalising this network will allow us to formally support research and other project applications, where members need such support. This may help lever funds for worthy projects.

 If you have any concerns or questions about this, please let me know within the next four weeks. If concerns are major, or a significant number object, I’ll return the draft to the steering committee for re-consideration.

Many thanks

Ian