PIA Membership
Sponsors
Fellow Elevations
The Planning Institute has three 'Invitational' grades of membership to which admission is gained is only through recognition by the PIA Board. These are:
- Fellows: Existing Full Members of PIA who are considered to have made an conspicuous contribution to the planning profession and/or PIA over more than ten years. Fellows are entitled to use the post nominal FPIA.
- Life Fellows: Existing Fellows of PIA who are considered to have made an exceptional contribution to the planning profession and/or to PIA over a significant period of time (not less than ten years). Life Fellows are entitled to use the post nominal LFPIA.
- Honorary Fellows: Individuals who are considered to have made a distinguished contribution to the planning profession and/or to PIA, but who do not meet the requirements for membership. Honorary Fellows are entitled to use the post nominal MPIA (Hon Fellow).
Nominations for admission or elevation to one of the invitational grades may be put before the PIA Board at any time, however regular rounds of elevations take place in each division in the second half of each calendar year - usually in conjunction with the Divisions’ Awards for Excellence in Planning.
Nominations
To allow the PIA Board to make an informed decision about whether to offer a candidate a place in one of the invitational grades, it is vital that nominations include adequate information to allow the candidate’s achievements to be understood and considered by Board members from across the Institute.
A citation, prepared by the nominator, is the most important element of a nomination. Supporting documentation may be provided, however the citation should – on its own – summarise the nominee’s experience and achievements. It is the responsibility of the nominator to ensure that the citation includes sufficient information for Board members to make an informed decision.
The following should be kept in mind when making a nomination or recommendation to the PIA Board regarding any potential Fellow, Life Fellow or Honorary Fellow:
a) How has the candidate made an exceptional contribution to the planning profession?
This can have been achieved in a number of different ways:
- through the promotion of the profession, whether the profession as a whole or a particular planning discipline, to the wider community;
- through active involvement with PIA, LGPA or kindred associations;
- through contributions to planning education; or
- by representation of the profession in government, non-government or community bodies or forums.
b) Over what period has the person been involved in the profession?
For the grade of Fellow this should be at least ten years, for Life Fellows this is usually expected to have been the bulk of their career.
c) Over what period has the person been part of PIA or a relevant professional association?
For the grade of Fellow, this should be at least ten years. For the grade of Life Fellow, in most cases, a number of years will have passed since admission to the grade of Fellow.
Nominations for Fellow and Life Fellow
Nominations must demonstrate to Board that the individual has sufficient experience in, and through that has made a significant contribution to the profession. In addition to a completed nomination form (as linked below), citations should include:
- A curriculum vitae - which should briefly indicate the candidate's professional experience to give the Board a ‘feel’ for the their background. It should provide enough information to demonstrate to Board that the experience requirements set in the By-Laws have been met.
- Summary of contribution to the planning profession - this should demonstrate that the candidate has been more than just competent in their work, and may require local context.
- Length of membership (and time in each corporate grade);
- Contact name and phone number of nominator or endorser.
Nominations must demonstrate to Board that the candidate has “rendered distinguished service to one or more of the disciplines of the Institute”. Such service is outstanding and generally performed by a person considered eminent and superior in reputation as a planner. The Life Fellow status is more likely to be considered for a person approaching retirement after a long distinguished career.
Nominations for Honorary Fellows
The Honorary Fellow designation is a selective and unique category of membership and it is not considered appropriate to issue prescriptive guidelines. Any nomination should clearly set out the contribution of the candidate to the planning profession or its profile, and how this is meritorious.
Forms and further enquiries
Nominations should be submitted directly to PIA division offices for consideration.
Enquiries about eligibility criteria or the nomination process may be addressed to the PIA National Office at 02 6262 5933 or membership@planning.org.au.