|
1 |
GOVERNANCE OF THE ASSOCIATION |
|
1.1 |
Board of Directors. The Association for Business
Communication (hereinafter called "the Association")
shall be governed by a Board of Directors (hereinafter
called "the Board"). |
|
1.1.1 |
The Board shall be composed of 12 members at large;
a vice president from each region; the immediate past
president, a president, a first vice president, a second
vice president, and the Executive Director of the Association. |
| 1.1.2 |
At-large
members of the board shall be elected to four-year, staggered
terms by the membership of the Association. A Director's
term of office shall begin immediately after the annual
convention of the Association following his or her election
to office and shall end immediately following the annual
convention four years later unless terminated earlier
by resignation, removal from office, incapacitating illness,
or death. |
| 1.1.3 |
Members
of the Board are responsible for meeting at least once
a year at the annual convention of the Association to
formulate policy, to approve the budget, to set dues,
and to make decisions affecting the Association. |
| 1.1.4 |
The Board
shall be responsible for evaluating Association activities,
for approving Operational Guidelines, and for recommending
courses of action to the Executive Committee and the Executive
Director. |
| 1.1.5 |
The Board
may conduct business by mail or other channels specified
in the Operational Guidelines at the request of a Board
member and upon unanimous consent of the Executive Committee
or on petition of a majority of Board members. |
| 1.1.6 |
The Board
may hold a special meeting when a majority of the Directors
deem such a meeting necessary. The President or the Executive
Director may request a special meeting by sending registered
letters to members of the Board at least 30 days in advance
stating the purpose, time, and place of the proposed meeting
and providing a ballot for Board approval of that meeting.
|
| 1.1.7 |
A quorum
of a simple majority is required for Board action, both
for regular and special meetings of the Board and for
votes by mail or other channels specified in the Operational
Guidelines. |
| 1.1.8 |
All meetings
of the Board shall be conducted according to Robert's
Rules of Order, as specified in a current edition. Business
conducted by mail or another channel specified in the
Operational Guidelines shall adhere to the spirit and
purpose of Robert's Rules of Order. |
| 1.1.9 |
The
Executive Director shall ensure that minutes of all meetings
of the Board and records of special ballots conducted
according to the Operational Guidelines shall be kept
and made available to the membership.
|
|
1.2 |
Membership.
Any individual who subscribes to the purposes of the
Association as defined in the Articles of Incorporation
and who pays the appropriate dues for his or her classification
of membership shall be considered a member. |
| 1.2.1 |
Special
memberships shall be sustaining, corporate sponsor, student,
retired, and honorary. |
| 1.2.1.1 |
A sustaining
member is one who contributes an amount, set by the
Board, above the dues assessed a regular member. |
| 1.2.1.2 |
A corporate
sponsor is an approved company paying membership dues
set by the Board. Corporate sponsors receive two copies
of the periodicals and are entitled to two voting memberships
and three nonvoting memberships. Academic institutions
do not qualify as corporate sponsors. |
| 1.2.1.3 |
A student
member is one who pays a reduced membership fee and
is sponsored by an academic advisor. |
| 1.2.1.4 |
A retired
member is one who is no longer regularly employed. Dues
assessed retired members shall be set by the Board as
required to cover the cost of official publications. |
| 1.2.1.5 |
An honorary member is
one who has been nominated by dues-paying members for
membership for one year without dues being assessed. Continuing
honorary memberships are nominated by the Executive Director
and approved by the Board. |
|
1.3 |
Regions and Regional Representation on the Board.
|
| 1.3.1 |
To
further the objectives of the Association, regions shall
be established to facilitate communication among members
and between the membership and the Board of Directors. |
| 1.3.2 |
The
Board may create regions by specifying geographical
areas and giving those areas names. The Board may eliminate
regions or redefine regions by specifying new geographical
boundaries and, when logical to do so, renaming affected
areas. |
| 1.3.3 |
Members
residing within a designated geographical region shall
be deemed members of that region. |
| 1.3.4 |
Regional
Vice Presidents shall be elected to four-year terms
from and by the members of each region by a ballot conducted
by mail or by another channel specified in the Operational
Guidelines. |
| 1.3.5 |
Should
a regional vice president be unable to complete his
or her term of office or cease to be a member of the
region from which he or she was elected, a special election
shall be held to elect a new vice president from that
region to serve a new four-year term.
|
|
1.4 |
Election
of Directors and Officers. A Nominating Committee
shall oversee the election of Directors and Officers
of the Board and manage the process of selecting recipients
for Association awards specified in the Operational
Guidelines. |
| 1.4.1 |
The
Nominating Committee shall consist of the three previous
Past Presidents and the Executive Director, who shall
be an ex-officio, nonvoting member. The immediate Past
President shall chair the Committee. If any of the three
Past Presidents are unavailable to serve, the current
President shall select another Past President to serve. |
| 1.4.2 |
Any
member is eligible to serve on the Board, and any such
member may submit his or her name and/or the name of
another Association member for consideration by the
Nominating Committee. |
| 1.4.3 |
Each
year, the Nominating Committee shall be responsible
for soliciting recommendations to fill elected offices
and Association awards. The Nominating Committee shall
poll, in writing, the members of the Executive Committee,
the Regional Vice Presidents, the Directors, and the
committee chairs for recommendations, and gather biographical
and other materials required to consider candidates
for office and awards. |
| 1.4.4 |
The
Nominating Committee shall nominate members necessary
to fill the at-large positions (usually three a year),
at least two nominees to stand for each region in a
year the regional vice president is elected, members
to stand for the publications board and web board, and
two nominees for second vice president. The nominees
for second vice president shall be Directors of the
Association at the time of their nomination. |
| 1.4.5 |
In
making recommendations to the Board, the Nominating
Committee will consider previous service to the Association,
regional affiliation, and service, teaching, research,
and/or practice in business communication. |
| 1.4.6 |
Directors
or members may propose additional nominations at the
annual meeting of the Board. Robert's Rules of Order
notwithstanding, the Board shall consider each name
individually and approve a list of candidates, who principal
qualifications will be submitted to the membership along
with the election ballot. |
| 1.4.7 |
A ballot
containing the names of the candidates and appropriate
election materials and voting instructions shall be
distributed to the entire membership at least three months
before the annual convention. Members may return their
ballots as specified in the
Operational Guidelines. |
| 1.4.8 |
The
Executive Director shall appoint tellers who shall be
responsible for the official count. The candidates receiving
the highest number of votes shall be elected to fill
known vacancies on the Board. In the event of a tie,
the Board of Directors will decide the vote by an additional ballot. |
| 1.4.9 |
The
names of the persons elected shall appear in an official
publication of the Association within 90 days of their
election. |
|
As amended and ratified by the membership, Spring 1995;
Not Bylaws 3.3.1, 3.3.2, and 3.3.3 contain changes approved
by the Board of Directors on November 2, 1994, and November
1, 1995, and sent to the membership for ratification
in Spring 1996. Bylaw 3.6 is a new Bylaw changes approved
by the Board of Directors on October 18, 2000, which
will be sent to the membership for ratification in Spring
2001. |
