Unification Discussions Begin – AANS Executive Committee Meeting Highlights

The AANS Executive Committee met
Sept. 28, 2001, in San Diego during the CNS Annual Meeting. The highlights are
summarized here.

• Center for Advanced Technical Training.
  AANS is pursuing plans to establish a neurosurgical training center. The center would be a place for neurosurgeons to learn the latest neurosurgical techniques.
  
  
• AANS Forms International Advisory Committee.
  This committee was developed to increase international involvement of neurosurgeons on every level.
  
  
• Neurosurgical Leadership Conference.
  The conference will be held in July 2002.
  
  
• Unification Discussions.
  The AANS and CNS have agreed to begin discussions on models of unification. The President of each association, the attorney for each association and a third party mediator /negotiator will meet and commence discussion. They will report to the governing bodies in 12 months.
  
  
• Financial Report.
  The AANS Executive Committee expressed gratitude to staff members for a clear presentation of the AANS budget and their efforts at achieving the goal of reducing the general and administrative portion by 10 percent.
  
  

Seven CSNS Resolutions
A total of seven resolutions were submitted, debated and voted upon at the Council of State Neurosurgical Societies Meeting, Sept. 28- 29, 2001. (See the CSNS report for a summary of resolutions.)

September 25, 2001

PROPOSAL FOR UNIFICATION DISCUSSIONS BETWEEN
THE AANS AND CNS

To benefit the respective members of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS), the Congress of Neurological Surgeons (CNS) and the specialty of neurosurgery, we propose to embark on serious discussion of models of unification of the two organizations. Any proposal of unity would maintain the integrity, cultures, and philosophy of the two parent organizations (AANS and CNS), and would explore establishing a third entity owned, shared, and governed equally by the AANS and CNS. We request the authority from the AANS Board and the CNS Executive Committee for the president of each organization or his designee, along with the general counsels of each organization to work with a mutually selected third party-professional mediator/negotiator, to examine the range of options acceptable to both groups. We would return to the governing bodies of both organizations within 12 months with a report on these discussions.

Respectfully,