<Not to say that they were the same, but the bottom of the AIIM Awards
continuum if you will, which spans from the Distinguished Service Award,
to
MIT, to LIT, to Fellow (although none of the previous are requirements
to
enter the Company of Fellows), to the Order of Merit, the highest award
AIIM
bestows and which requires five years as a Fellow to be considered.>

<In the AIIM world, MIT and LIT are valued, while they are of limited
recognition and value outside it, just as FAI means nothing by itself to
anyone who is not an ARMA member.>

Jesse explains this well, though I don't think I had yet earned the AIIM
Distinguished Service Award when I received my MIT (but I may be wrong -
I have "senior" gaps in my memory from time to time).  I do know that
there are differences in the two Company of Fellows, though both honor
one's professional endeavors and achievements.  

Nomination to the ARMA Company of Fellows can be made by any three
members of ARMA.  When one is honored to be a member, one is allowed to
use the designation of FAI and receives a unique Fellow "number", but
receives no other perks or special consideration within the association.
There are some ARMA Fellows activities at the annual conference.

Nomination to the AIIM Company of Fellows must be made by a Fellow and
supported by other AIIM members.  When one is honored to be a member,
one receives a unique Fellow "number" and lifetime membership in AIIM,
but there is no designation to use after one's name. There are some ARMA
Fellows activities at the annual conference.

I think honors for one's achievements in the profession is just that -
honors (and I am very proud and honored for each one I have been
awarded).  Certification and, possibly, hierarchical designations of
professional work, continuing education in professional issues, and
continuing professional development is a whole other arena.

Ginny Jones
(Virginia A. Jones, CRM, FAI)
Records Manager
Information Technology Division
Newport News Dept. of Public Utilities
Newport News, VA
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