ASSOCIATION FOR ACCREDITATION OF ARCHITECTURAL EDUCATION (MiAK) CHARTER
(Approval: 19.09.2019 Association Establishment, Amendment: 19.11.2022 2nd Ordinary General Assembly)
ARTICLE 1: Name and Center of the Association
The name of the association is the "ASSOCIATION FOR ACCREDITATION OF ARCHITECTURAL EDUCATION". The short name of the association is “MiAK” and it is mentioned with its short name in the next articles of the Charter. The headquarters of the association is in Istanbul and has no branches.
This charter consists of 27 articles.
ARTICLE 2: Purpose and Fields of Activity of the Association
a. The main objective of MiAK is to contribute to the improvement of the quality of architectural education by conducting accreditation, external quality assessment, and information studies for architectural education programs. Thus, it aims to improve social welfare and the quality of the natural and built environment by increasing the quality of architectural services. MiAK aims to ensure the development of the architectural profession through education and to develop architectural education through competency studies by cooperating with official institutions related to education and developing recommendations.
MiAK aims to ensure inclusivity and participation by including the broad representation of stakeholders such as educators, academicians, students, graduates, employers, and professional organizations in the formation of its members, administrativestaff, all boards and teams, and/or in the realization of its activities.
MiAK aims to increase the quality of education by contributing to the accreditation of other design-related education programs (interior architecture, industrial product design, city and regional planning, etc.) as well as architecture programs under its institutional structure.
b. While realizing its purpose, MiAK takes the following national/international texts as upper framework documents:
1. ESG-Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area (2015)
2. UNESCO-UIA Charter for Architectural Education 2004 (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization-International Union of Architects Charter for Architectural Education, 2004)
3. UNESCO-UIA Validation System for Architectural Education (22. UIA Berlin General Assembly, July 2002)
4. The UNESCO-UIA Validation System Procedures Manual for Study Programmes and Systems (revised 2017)
5. Higher Education Quality Assurance Regulation (RGS: 29423; RGMT: July 23, 2015)
6. Directive on the Authorization of External Evaluation and Accreditation Bodies Operating in the Field of Higher Education (Decision of the Council of Higher Education dated 07.09.2016)
c. On the basis of the documents referred to in Article 2 (b), MiAK carries out the following activities:
1. To prepare, update, and publish documents such as processes, conditions, institutional quality policy, visiting team guide, etc. related to the accreditation of architectural education programs,
2. To assess and accredit the programs upon the application of the institutions providing architectural education on the basis of other current national and international documents defined in Article 2 (b),
3. To carry out the selection and training of the evaluators who will take part in the accreditation studies,
4. To inform and train program managers and faculty members about program evaluation,
5. To continuously monitor the current and future needs of the stakeholders of architecture programs, to determine the program evaluation criteria, to review and renew the evaluation criteria and
processes, when necessary,
6. To organize meetings such as courses, seminars, conferences, panels, workshops, etc. at national and international levels in order to realize its objectives and to support the studies within this scope,
7. To communicate, carry out joint projects, cooperate with national and international associations, professional organizations, and accreditation bodies related to education, evaluation, and accreditation,
8. To conclude international mutual and multilateral recognition agreements,
9. To be a member of relevant national and international organizations,
10. To carry out investigations and research for the activation and development of its activities, to have them done,
11. To obtain all kinds of information, letters, documents, and publications necessary to achieve its objectives, to establish a documentation center, to create a web page, to publish newspapers,
magazines, books, etc. in line with its aims, to publish study and information bulletins to distribute to its members, to prepare printed, audio-visual materials related to the work area, to disseminate them
by mail and e-mail,
12. To provide a healthy working environment in order to realize its objectives, to provide all kinds of technical tools and equipment, fixtures and stationery materials,
13. To carry out charity collection activities in accordance with the procedures specified in the Charity Collection Law No. 2860 and provided that the necessary permissions are obtained and to accept
donations from within the country and abroad,
14. To establish and operate economic, commercial and industrial enterprises or to be a partner in enterprises with similar purposes in order to obtain the income they need to achieve their goals,
15. To buy, sell, lease, lease out movable and immovable property needed for activities and to establish the right in kind over the immovables,
16. To establish a federation or to join an established federation if deemed necessary for the realization of the purpose, to establish facilities that associations can establish with permission by obtaining the necessary permission, to establish foundation associations with a part of their property,
17. If deemed necessary to realize its objectives, to carry out joint projects with public institutions and organizations on the subjects within their field of duty, subject to the provisions of Law No. 5072 on the Relations of Associations and Foundations with Public Institutions and Organizations,
18. To create platforms to achieve a common goal with other associations, foundations, unions, corporations, etc., in areas related to their purpose and not prohibited by law,
19. To establish sub-committees-commissions for the evaluation of accreditation applications of other design educations (interior architecture, industrial product design, city, and regional planning, etc.) as well as architecture programs under the MiAK institutional structure upon request.
ARTICLE 3: Membership Conditions and Admission to Membership
Legal entities subject to public and private law and real persons graduated from architectural undergraduate programs who will support the objectives of MiAK with their aims and activities can become founding members at the establishment stage and MiAK members with the decision of the Board of Directors after establishment.
Member real persons and member legal entity representatives are expected to be Turkish citizens and have at least 10 years of professional experience, as well as to have previously worked in national/international accreditation processes (assessed institutions and/or MiAK bodies, visiting teams).
ARTICLE 4: Freezing Membership
The membership of those who cannot fulfill the membership conditions due to force majeure (disaster, migration, disability that will cause incapacity, illness, old age, etc.) is frozen by the Board of Directors upon request. Those whose memberships are frozen cannot exercise any membership rights related to MiAK, cannot serve on MiAK boards, and do not pay annual dues.
ARTICLE 5: Unsubscribing Membership
Each member may withdraw from the MiAK membership at any time by resigning. However, the unsubscribing must be in writing. As soon as the unsubscribing petition of the member reaches the Board of Directors, leaving procedures are deemed to have been finalized. Withdrawal from membership does not terminate the accumulated debts of the member to the Association. In case of ending up in the membership due to death, debt follow-up is not performed.
ARTICLE 6: Removal from Membership
Members who lose the conditions required by the laws and these charters are removed from MiAK membership by the decision of the Board of Directors. The conditions that require removal from MiAK membership are listed below:
a. To act contrary to the MiAK Charter,
b. To constantly avoid the assigned duties,
c. Failure to pay the membership fee within six (6) months despite written warnings,
d. Failure to comply with the decisions made by MiAK organs,
e. To lose the terms of membership.
ARTICLE 7: Organs
MiAK organs are listed below:
a. General Assembly (MiAK-GK),
b. Board of Directors (MiAK-YK),
c. Auditing Board (MiAK-DEK),
With the proposal of the Board of Directors and the approval of the General Assembly, new boards may be established for the purpose of carrying out the activities of MiAK.
ARTICLE 8: General Assembly
The General Assembly is the most authoritative decision-making body of the MiAK and consists of the members registered with the MiAK. The Ordinary General Assembly convenes every two (2) years
on the day, place and time to be determined by the Board of Directors. Legal entities that are members of the Association shall notify the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Association before the
date of the General Assembly meeting by whom they will be represented at the General Assembly meeting together with the necessary authorization documents. The Ordinary General Assembly is held
every two (2) years in November.
ARTICLE 9: Call to the General Assembly and Quorum for the Meeting
a. The Board of Directors prepares the list of members entitled to participate in the General Assembly. Members who have the right to participate in the General Assembly are called to a meeting by the Board of Directors at least fifteen (15) days in advance, by announcing the day, time, place, and agenda in printed form or by notification in writing or by electronic mail. In this call, if the meeting cannot be held due to the failure to provide a quorum (more than one-half of the Members entitled to participate in the General Assembly), the day, time, and place of the second meeting shall be indicated. The period between the first meeting and the second meeting shall not be less than seven (7) days nor more than sixty (60) days.
b. If the meeting is postponed for any reason other than the reason for not being able to provide a quorum, this situation shall be announced to the members in accordance with the call made for the first meeting and the call for the second meeting shall be made by specifying the reasons for the postponement. The second meeting must be held no later than six (6) months from the date of postponement. The General Assembly meeting cannot be postponed more than once.
c. The General Assembly convenes with the participation of more than one-half of the members entitled to participate and two-thirds (2/3) in case of amendment of the Charter and dissolution of the MiAK; if the meeting is postponed due to the lack of quorum, a quorum is not required in the second meeting. However, the number of members attending this meeting cannot be less than two (2) times the total number of the original members of the Board of Directors and Auditing Boards.
ARTICLE 10: Principles of the General Assembly Meeting
a. Members who will participate in the General Assembly may join the meeting by signing their names in front of the ‘General Assembly Members Schedule' organized by the Board of Directors.
b. If a quorum is provided for the meeting, the situation shall be determined by a minute and the meeting shall be opened by the Chairman of the Board of Directors or one of the members of the Board of Directors to be appointed. If the quorum for the meeting cannot be achieved, a minute shall be prepared by the Board of Directors.
c. After the opening, the Chairman of the Committee, a Deputy Chairman and a Secretary of the Committee are elected to manage the meeting, and a Chairing Committee of three people is formed.
d. The duty of managing the meeting and ensuring its security rests with the Chairman of the Committee. The draft agenda of the General Assembly is prepared by the Board of Directors. The Chairman of the Committee shall open the draft agenda for discussion and shall vote and finalize it, taking into account the proposals for amendments received from the members of the General Assembly. Only the items on the agenda are discussed at the General Assembly meeting. However, it is obligatory to include on the agenda the issues that are requested in writing to be discussed by at least one tenth (1/10) of the members present at the meeting.
e. Each natural or legal person representative member has one (1) vote right in the General Assembly
f. In the General Assembly, the elections of the members of the Board of Directors and the Auditing Board shall be held by secret ballot, and the decisions on other issues shall be made by open voting unless otherwise decided. Secret ballots are the ballots collected by the Chairman of the Committee by throwing sealed papers or ballot papers into a hollow container or box after they have been duly cast by the members and are determined by open casting after the end of voting. In the case of an open vote, the method to be specified by the Chairman of the Committee shall be applied.
g. The issues discussed at the meeting and the decisions taken shall be recorded in a minute and signed jointly by the Chairing Committee. At the end of the meeting, the minutes and other documents are submitted to the Chairman of the Board of Directors. The Chairman of the Board of Directors is responsible for maintaining these documents and submitting them to the newly elected Board of Directors within seven (7) days.
ARTICLE 11: Extraordinary General Assembly
a. When deemed necessary by the Board of Directors or the Auditing Board, or upon the written request of one-fifth (1/5) of the members of MiAK, the General Assembly shall be called to an extraordinary meeting by the Board of Directors within thirty days.
b. If, despite the written request of one-fifth of the members of the MiAK, the Board of Directors does not call the General Assembly to an extraordinary meeting within thirty (30) days, upon the application of one of the members, the Magistrate Judge shall appoint three (3) members to call the General Assembly to a meeting.
c. At the Extraordinary General Assembly meeting, only the issue giving rise to the meeting is discussed and decided; a proposal to add an item to the agenda cannot be made during the meeting.
ARTICLE 12: Duties and Powers of the General Assembly
The duties and powers of the General Assembly are listed below. The General Assembly takes its decisions with more than half of the number of participants.
a. To take decisions in line with the provisions of laws and charters,
b. To discuss and approve the work program for the next working period and the budget, income, and expenditure schedules,
c. To determine the amount of entrance fee and annual dues to be received from the members,
d. To discuss and approve the work report of the Board of Directors, the balance sheet and income-expense charts, and the report of the Auditing Board for the previous working period; To acquit the Board of Directors,
e. To elect the permanent and substitute members of the Board of Directors and Auditing Boards for the next working period by secret ballot,
f. To discuss and decide on the proposal of the Board of Directors regarding the amendment of the charter,
g. To take decisions on the documents prepared by the Board of Directors or prepared by other bodies and proposed to the Board of Directors and the boards proposed to be formed,
h. To authorize the Board of Directors to purchase the immovable properties required for MiAK or to sell the existing immovable properties,
i. To take decisions on the recommendations made by the Board of Directors for MiAK to carry out international studies, to become a member of national and international organizations or to withdraw from the membership of these organizations, to cooperate with them and to authorize the Board of Directors in these matters,
j. To decide on the establishment of partnerships, economic, commercial, and industrial enterprises, funds, and foundations or to participate in those established or to be established,
k. To determine the principles to be used in the determination of all kinds of allowances, wages, and compensations and the daily and travel amounts to be given to the members of the Board of Directors to be appointed for MiAK services by the Board of Directors,
l. To decide on the dissolution of MiAK and the distribution of its assets,
m. To examine and decide on other proposals proposed by the Board of Directors and to decide on the necessary issues.
ARTICLE 13: Board of Directors
The Board of Directors consists of seven (7) originaland seven (7) substitute members elected by the General Assembly from among the members of the Association by secret ballot for a period of two (2) years. Two (2) original and two (2) substitute members of these members are elected from among the candidates recommended by the Central Board of Directors of the Chamber of Architects of Union of Chambers of Turkish Engineers and Architects (TMMOB). In the event of a vacancy from the original memberships, the substitute members shall be called to duty in the order of the votes they received in the election in the General Assembly; in the event of a vacancy from the original memberships proposed by the Chamber of Architects TMMOB, the priority of being called to duty is given to the substitute members proposed by the Chamber.
The members of the Board of Directors work on a voluntary basis; Members of the Board of Directors cannot receive the right to rest for their work within the scope of their job descriptions or for the meetings of the Board of Directors they attend. However, the expenses incurred by the Members of the Board of Directors or other MiAK organs in order to carry out an activity assigned to the Association shall be covered from the budget of the Association by the decision of the Board of Directors.
ARTICLE 14: Operational Principles of the Board of Directors
a. At its first meeting following the election of the Board of Directors, it shall take office by electing a Chairman, a Vice Chairman, a Treasurer, and a Secretary.
b. The Board of Directors convenes at least four (4) times a year and may be called to an extraordinary meeting by the Chairman of the Board of Directors when necessary.
c. Meetings of the Board of Directors shall be opened and maintained with the presence of at least four (4) of the members; decisions are taken by a majority of those present at the meeting.
d. A member who does not attend three (3) consecutive meetings without an apology is deemed to have withdrawn.
e. The Board of Directors may also meet via video-conference or teleconference. The decisions taken in these meetings held without coming together must be made into signed minutes at the next meeting.
ARTICLE 15: Duties and Powers of the Board of Directors
The duties and powers of the Board of Directors are listed below:
a. To carry out the necessary works and transactions in accordance with the provisions of the laws and charters, to take and implement the decisions,
b. To implement the decisions taken by the General Assembly,
c. To prepare the working period work program and budget, income-expenditure charts, to submit them to the approval of the General Assembly and to implement them,
d. To carry out the necessary examinations regarding the removal of the members who require removal from membership, to decide on the removal of real and legal persons from membership,
e. To determine the date, time, place and agenda of the General Assembly meetings and to announce them to the members,
f. To prepare the work report of the last working period and the balance sheet and income-expense charts and submit them to the General Assembly,
g. When deemed necessary, to carry out the studies on the amendment of the MiAK Charter and to submit it to the approval of the General Assembly,
h. In order to carry out the accreditation activities of MiAK, to establish committees and working groups, especially the Quality Assessment Unit (KDB), when necessary, to ensure that these committees work, to examine and distribute the working documents, reports and decisions prepared by these units, to inform and/or publish the relevant persons,
i. To establish the General Secretariat and economic enterprise units that will carry out the administrative and financial affairs of MiAK and to ensure their operation, to appoint personnel and consultants, to determine the remuneration to be paid to them and to terminate their employment when necessary,
j. To plan and implement the collaborations to be made with national and international organizations in accordance with the objectives of MiAK-MAK (Architectural Accreditation Board) together with MiAK,
k. To participate in MiAK-MAK meetings through the Chairman or a Member of the Board of Directors to be appointed,
l. To represent MiAK-MAK when necessary through the Chairman of the Board of Directors,
m. To decide on the appeals related to the procedures of the MiAK organs,
n. To propose to the General Assembly the establishment of sub-committees for the accreditation of other design disciplines upon request.
ARTICLE 16: Auditing Board
a. The Auditing Board consists of three (3) originaland three (3) substitute members elected by the General Assembly by secret ballot for a period of two years.
b. The Auditing Board convenes at least two (2) times a year.
c. A member who is absent from three consecutive meetings without an apology shall be deemed to have withdrawn.
d. In the event of a vacancy from the original memberships, the substitute members shall be called to duty according to the order of votes they received in the election in the General Assembly.
e. The Auditing Board elects its Chairman at its first meeting and notifies the Board of Directors of this in writing.
f. The quorum for the Auditing Board meeting is two (2).
g. The duties and powers of the Auditing Board are listed below:
- To audit whether MiAK operates in line with the objectives set forth in its charter and the work subjects specified to be carried out for the realization of these objectives, whether the books, accounts, and records are kept in accordance with the legislation, at least once a year and to transmit the results of the audit to the Board of Directors in the form of a written report,
- To participate in the meetings of the Board of Directors without the right to vote when deemed necessary or called, to share their opinions and thoughts,
- To submit the results of the audit to the General Assembly in the form of a co-signed report.
MiAK-MAK carries out the necessary studies for the evaluation and accreditation of Architecture Programs. "MiAK-MAK" is used as a short name.
"MiAK-MAK Operational Principles" prepared by MiAK-MAK and describing the definition, purpose, formation, duties, division of duties, functioning, and responsibilities of the Board are proposed to the Board of Directors and adopted by the General Assembly by voting.
"MiAK-MAK Operational Principles" also describes the determination, formation, duties, responsibilities, education, functioning, and relations of the Visiting Team Members and Observers involved in the accreditation processes, the Responsible Persons of the Programs subject to accreditation, and the advisory and/or other sub-committees and commissions established by the Board.
ARTICLE 18: Revenues
MiAK's revenue sources are listed below:
a. Entrance fee to be received from private and legal entity members and annual dues to be determined at the General Assembly,
b. Donations (donations to be made in the form of goods and money for the realization of MiAK objectives),
c. Revenue from deposit interest, repo, treasury bills, and similar securities,
d. Revenue such as rent etc. to be obtained from movable and immovable assets,
e. Revenues from courses, seminars, education, program evaluation, program accreditation, publications, etc., and other MiAK activities,
f. Earnings from economic, commercial, and industrial enterprises that MiAK establishes, operates, and partners in order to provide the revenue it needs to achieve its objectives.
g. Other revenue as permitted by applicable law.
The Board of Directors is authorized for the activities to be carried out to generate revenue for MiAK. These revenues are only collected against the receipts issued in accordance with the principles specified in the Law on Associations. The issuer and collector of the money shall have a clear identity and signature on the receipt. The Board of Directors may authorize one or more of its members individually or jointly with the decision to collect revenues, make expenditures, withdraw money from the bank, etc. This situation does not remove the legal responsibility of other Members of the Board of Directors.
ARTICLE 19: Internal Audit of the Association
In MiAK, internal audits can be carried out by the General Assembly, the Board of Directors, or the Auditing Board, as well as independent audit institutions can be audited. The fact that an audit has been carried out by the General Assembly, the Board of Directors, or independent audit institutions does not relieve the Auditing Board of its obligations.
ARTICLE 20: Borrowing Procedures of the Association
In order to realize its purpose and carry out its activities, MiAK may borrow money upon the decision of the Board of Directors, if needed. This borrowing can be made in cash as well as in the purchase of goods and services with credit. However, this borrowing cannot be made in amounts that cannot be covered by MiAK's income sources and in a way that will cause MiAK to have difficulty in paying, it cannot exceed half (½) of the revenues budget approved by the General Assembly for that year, or it cannot extend to new working periods. The Association may borrow larger amounts on a project basis with the proposal of the Board of Directors and the decision of the General Assembly. However, this amount cannot exceed the revenues budget of the MiAK.
ARTICLE 21: Dissolution of the Association and Form of Liquidation of Assets
MiAK General Assembly can always decide to dissolve MiAK. In order to discuss the issue of dissolution in the General Assembly, a two-thirds (2/3) majority of the members entitled to participate in the General Assembly is required. If the meeting is postponed due to the lack of a majority, the majority is not required in the second meeting. However, the number of members attending this meeting cannot be less than two times the total number of members of the Board of Directors and Auditing Boards.
The majority of the decisions required for the decision to be taken is two-thirds (2/3) of the votes of the members attending the meeting. The decision of dissolution voting is made openly in the General Assembly.
When the decision to dissolve is made by the General Assembly, the liquidation is made by the Liquidation Board, which consists of the last members of the Board of Directors. These procedures shall commence from the date on which the decision of the General Assembly regarding the dissolution is taken or the spontaneous dissolution becomes final. During the liquidation period, the phrase "Architectural Education Accreditation Association in case of liquidation" is used in the name of MiAK in all transactions.
The Liquidation Board is responsible and authorized to complete the liquidation of MiAK's money, property, and rights from beginning to end in accordance with the legislation. This Board first examines the accounts of the Association. During the examination, the books, receipts, expenditure documents, title deeds, bank records, and other documents of the Association are determined and its assets and liabilities are recorded in a report. During the liquidation proceedings, the creditors of the Association are called and their assets, if any, are converted into money and paid to the creditors. In the event that the Association is a creditor, the receivables are collected. All money, property, and rights remaining after the collection of receivables and payment of debts shall be transferred to the legal entity designated at the General Assembly. If the place to be transferred is not determined at the General Assembly, it shall be transferred to the association whose headquarters are located in Istanbul and which is closest to the purpose of MiAK and has the highest number of members on the date of dissolution.
All transactions related to liquidation shall be shown in the liquidation minutes and the liquidation procedures shall be completed within three months, except for the additional periods given by the civil administration authorities on the basis of a justified reason.
Following the completion of the liquidation and transfer of the money, property, and rights of the Association, the Liquidation Board must notify the situation to local administration of the place where the headquarters of the Association is located in writing within seven days and the liquidation report must be attached to this letter.
The last Members of the Board of Directors are responsible for keeping the books and documents of the Association as the Liquidation Board. This duty may also be assigned to a Member of the Board of Directors. The retention period for these books and documents is five years.
ARTICLE 22: Lack of Judgment
In matters not specified in this charter, the provisions of the Law on Associations, the Turkish Civil Code and the Regulation on Associations issued with reference to these Laws and other relevant legislation on associations shall be applied.
ARTICLE 23: Charter Amendment
a. In order to make a charter amendment in the General Assembly, the quorum requirement required for participation in the General Assembly meeting must be met in the case of charter amendments.
b. The majority of the decision required for the amendment of the charter is two-thirds (2/3) of the votes of the members attending the meeting and entitled to vote.
ARTICLE 24: Conflict and/or Clash of Interest
Those who serve as members of MiAK-YK, the Auditing Board, the board, and the commission are obliged to comply with the MiAK code of ethics regarding situations that may lead to conflicts of interest and/or clashes of interest regarding the questioning of the impartiality and reputation of the evaluation process, and all individuals who will represent MiAK sign a "Statement of Confidentiality and Ethics" stating that they will not cause situations that may create a conflict of interest and that they have read and understood these principles.
ARTICLE 25: Confidentiality
a. The information provided by the institutions is used confidentially by MiAK, the board, and the commission members and cannot be disclosed without the written permission of the relevant institution, but the Board of Directors may use the information and documents obtained from the accreditation processes in its reports and presentations without disclosing the identity of the institution.
b. The content of the material distributed for the purpose of evaluation and discussion in the MiAK-YK and board meetings is considered as confidential information.
c. The contents of such documents and accreditation decisions may only be disclosed by persons in charge and under defined conditions.
ARTICLE 26: Transparency and Accountability
MiAK has the responsibility to inform and hold accountable all stakeholders and the public about program evaluation and accreditation activities. For this purpose, the following information and documents are published on the official website:
a. Charters, regulations, and guidelines that determine the objectives and functioning of the MiAK and the boards,
b. National standards used for evaluation and accreditation,
c. Self-assessment report format, evaluation process and method, and similar documents for higher education institutions that will apply to MiAK for program evaluation and accreditation, clearly defining the evaluation and accreditation process and scope,
d. Working reports summarizing MiAK's work, including its evaluation and accreditation activities,
e. List of programs accredited by MiAK and accreditation information.
ARTICLE 27: Retention of Documents Belonging to MiAK, MiAK-MAK and its Commissions
a. The Chairman and Secretary of the Board of Directors shall ensure that documents and reports relating to the work of MiAK and MiAK boards and commissions are regularly archived and kept for ten (10) years.
b. MiAK records the list of accredited programs, the types and validity periods of the accreditations granted.
