Governance

Bylaws

In the following text, "Society" shall signify the American Physical Society; "Council" and " Board" shall signify the Council of Representatives and the Board of Directors of the Society, respectively; "CEO" shall signify that Chief Executive Officer of the Society; and "Regular Meeting" shall signify the principal meeting held once a year by the Division.

Article I - Name

This Division of the American Physical Society shall be called the Division of Condensed Matter Physics with the acronym DCMP.

Article II - Objective

The object of this Division shall be the advancement and diffusion of knowledge of the physics of condensed matter, the diverse nature of which is best illustrated by the topics of the contributed sessions at the Regular Meeting.

Article III - Enabling Constitutional Provision

Article VIII of the Constitution and Bylaws of the Society and associated Policies & Procedures as said governing documents may be subsequently revised or amended are hereby incorporated in these Bylaws by reference.

Article IV - Membership

The members of the Division shall consist of members of the Society who have indicated in accordance with procedures established by the Board and Council their desire to join the Division and who retain membership from year to year by the payment of designated dues or by other method established by the Board.

Article V - Executive Committee

1. Governance: The Division shall be governed by an Executive Committee which shall have general charge of the affairs of the Division.

2. Composition: The Executive Committee shall consist of the Officers of the Division, the most recent Past Chair, the Divisional Councilor, and nine Members-at-Large elected to staggered three-year terms. The past Secretary-Treasurer shall be a non-voting member of the Executive Committee during the year following his or her elected term.

3. Executive Committee Meetings: The Executive Committee shall meet at least twice each year. At least one meeting must be face-to-face but the other may be via teleconference. One meeting shall be held during the Regular Meeting of the Division, and the other shall be held approximately halfway between Regular Meetings in accordance with the Divisional Operating Procedures. A majority of the voting members, including at least two Officers, shall constitute a quorum.

Article VI - Officers and Divisional Councillor 

1. Officers: The Officers of the Division shall be a Chair, a Chair-Elect, a Vice-Chair, and a Secretary-Treasurer.

2. Duties of the Chair: The Chair has overall responsibility for the operations of the Division and shall preside at all meetings of the Executive Committee and Business Sessions of the Division. The Chair shall perform such other functions as may be explicitly provided in the Bylaws or Operating Procedures of the Division.

3. Duties of the Chair-Elect: The Chair-Elect shall act in place of the Chair if the latter is unable to perform his or her duties. The Chair-Elect shall perform such other functions as may be explicitly provided in the Bylaws or the Operating Procedures of the Division.

4. Duties of the Vice-Chair: The Vice-Chair shall act in place of the Chair-Elect if the latter is unable to perform his or her duties. The Vice-Chair shall perform such other functions as may be explicitly provided in the Bylaws or the Operating Procedures of the Division.

5. Duties of the Secretary-Treasurer: The Secretary-Treasurer shall maintain the records of the Division including minutes of Executive Committee meetings and Business Sessions, Division activities, and membership lists. The Secretary-Treasurer shall notify the Executive Committee of matters requiring the decision of said Committee and shall, in collaboration with the Chair, prepare the agenda of Executive Committee meetings and Business Sessions. The Secretary-Treasurer shall prepare minutes of Executive Committee meetings and Business Sessions and shall submit these minutes to each member of the Executive Committee and to the Society Corporate Secretary within four weeks of each meeting. Following elections, such minutes are to include the results of the election and a roster of the current Executive Committee membership.

   The Secretary-Treasurer, in collaboration with the Division Councilor shall keep the Council informed of the activities and needs of the Division.

   The Secretary-Treasurer shall have responsibility for all funds in the custody of or placed at the disposal of the Division and shall, in collaboration with the Chair, authorize disbursements from such funds for expenses in a manner that is consistent with the general policies of the Society and the Division. Financial records shall be kept on an annual basis consistent with the fiscal policies of the Society. The Secretary-Treasurer shall prepare a financial report for each meeting of the Executive Committee and for the annual Business Session of the Division.

6. Duties of the Divisional Councilor: The Divisional Councilor shall serve as liaison between the Council of the Society and the Executive Committee of the Division. Further duties are specified in the Operating Procedures of the Division.

Article VII - Election and Tenure of The Officers, Executive Committee Members, and Divisional Councillor

1. Qualifications: Officers, Divisional Councilor, and Members-at-Large of the Executive Committee must be members of the Division at the time of nomination and during the period of office.

2. Ballot: The Vice-Chair, Secretary-Treasurer, Divisional Councilor, and Members at-Large of the Executive Committee shall be selected by a ballot distributed to all division members.

3. Nomination and Election of the Vice-Chair, Secretary-Treasurer, and Executive Committee Members: Each year the Nominating Committee shall nominate at least two candidates for the office of Vice-Chair, for Secretary-Treasurer during the final year of the term of the current Secretary-Treasurer, and for open positions of Members-at-Large and of Divisional Councilor. Further duties of the Nominating Committee are in Divisional Operating Procedures.

   The Secretary-Treasurer shall conduct the election; further details are in Divisional Operating Procedures. In the case of an election when the Secretary-Treasurer is a candidate for a consecutive term, the election shall be administered by a process determined by the Executive Committee. Upon completion of an election, the Secretary-Treasurer will notify the Society Corporate Secretary with the election results and a list of current Executive Committee members.

4. Vice-Chair, Chair-Elect, and Chair: The member elected as Vice-Chair shall serve in that office for one year, then for one year as Chair-Elect, and then for one year as Chair. The Chair shall not be eligible for the office of Vice-Chair in the year following his or her term in office.

5. Terms of Office: The terms of office of the Officers and Members-at-Large of the Executive Committee shall begin at the close of the Regular Meeting of the Division following their election. The Secretary-Treasurer shall serve for a term of four years and may not serve more than two consecutive terms. The three-year tenure of a Member-at-Large of the Executive Committee shall terminate in the event of the assumption of a post as an elected officer of the Division and the unexpired portion of the term shall be filled as hereinafter provided for a vacancy.

   The term of office of the Divisional Councilor shall begin on the January 1 subsequent to the election. The Divisional Councilor shall serve for a term of four years and may not serve more than two consecutive terms unless otherwise specified by Council.

6. Vacancies in Offices: If a vacancy occurs in the office of Chair, the Chair-Elect shall succeed and complete the term and shall continue to serve as Chair in the following year.

   The Vice-Chair shall serve simultaneously as Chair-Elect during the remainder of the term and shall continue to serve as Chair-Elect in the following term.

   If a vacancy occurs in the office of Chair-Elect, the Vice-Chair shall become Chair-Elect. In this case, and also if the office of Vice-Chair becomes vacant for other reasons, the office of Vice-Chair shall remain vacant for the remainder of the term. In the next scheduled election, candidates for both Vice-Chair and Chair-Elect shall be nominated.

   If vacancies occur in the offices of both the Chair and the Chair-Elect, the Vice-Chair shall become Chair and shall complete the term. In this case a special election shall be held to fill the offices of Chair-Elect and Vice-Chair. The members so elected shall continue to serve as officers in the normal succession order.

   Vacancies in any other elected office shall be filled or left unfilled at the discretion of the Executive Committee until such time as the vacancy can be filled by regular election procedures.

Article VIII - Appointed Committees

1. Nominating Committee: The Nominating Committee shall function as specified in Divisional Operating Procedures. The Nominating Committee shall consult with the Chair before approving the nomination of any candidate for a consecutive term.

2. Program Committee: The Program Committee shall function as specified in Divisional Operating Procedures.

3. Fellowship Committee: The Fellowship Committee shall function as specified in Divisional Operating Procedures.

4. Other Committees: The Executive Committee can appoint other committees.

5. Terms of Office of Appointed Committee Members: The terms of committee members appointed or recommended by an incoming Chair shall commence immediately and lapse at the close of the next Regular Meeting, unless otherwise specified.

6. Ad Hoc Committees: The Chair shall appoint other ad hoc committees as necessary, which shall serve only during his or her term as Chair, unless otherwise specified.

Article IX - Meetings

1. Regular Meeting: One meeting of the Division, to be known as the Regular Meeting, shall be held annually at such time and place as shall be ordered by the Executive Committee, subject to coordination with the Society Director of Meetings. Whenever it shall be feasible and not to the disadvantage of the members of the Division, the Executive Committee may order this or any other meeting to be held conjointly with a Meeting of the Society or of another society, conference, or group, so long as such joint meeting does not conflict importantly with the schedule of Meetings of the Society as determined by the Society Director of Meetings. The registration fee for the Regular Meeting, when not held jointly with a Meeting of the Society, shall be fixed after consultation with the Society Director of Meetings. Non-members of the Society shall pay a surcharge to be set each year by the Board.

2. Annual Business Session: Each year the Division shall hold a Business Session which shall be a session of the Regular Meeting. This Business Session shall be devoted exclusively to the reports of the officers and committees, election results, and the transaction of business affairs. No scientific program of the Division shall be presented simultaneously with the Business Session. A majority vote of those Division members present at the Business Session shall be sufficient for approval of actions.

3. Other Meetings: Meetings of the Division, other than the Regular Meeting, may be initiated by the Executive Committee or by petition of twenty percent of the members of the Division, subject to coordination with the Society Director of Meetings. Special conferences may be sponsored in whole or in part by the Division, subject to the rules and regulations specified in the Society Constitution and Bylaws, and associated Policies & Procedures.

4. Papers at Meetings: Programs of meetings of the Division may provide for the inclusion of both invited and contributed papers. When a meeting of the Division is held in conjunction with a meeting of the Society, the rules of the Society shall apply to submitted papers. When a meeting of the Division is not held in conjunction with a meeting of the Society, the Executive Committee shall prescribe the subject and character of the meeting, which may include limitations on the subject matter of submitted papers. The Secretary-Treasurer shall fix the deadline date for receipt of titles and abstracts in consultation with the Society Director of Meetings and shall designate the place to which they should be sent. The amount of time to be allowed for the presentation of a paper at the Regular Meeting shall be determined by the Program Committee, except as otherwise directed by the Executive Committee. The allotments of time shall be consistent with the Constitution and Bylaws of the Society and with Policies & Procedures of the Council.

Article X - Dues

Dues for maintenance of membership in the Division shall be established by the Board.

Article XI - Newsletter

The Division may have a newsletter.

Article XII - Official Announcements

Official announcements shall be made in the APS News of the American Physical Society (at the discretion of the APS News Editor), on the Division web page, and in such other publications as the Executive Committee may direct.

Article XIII - Amendment of Bylaws

Proposal of an Amendment to these Bylaws may be made by the Council, by the Executive Committee, by the Society Governance Committee, or by a petition to the Chair signed by not fewer than five percent of the members of the Division. However an amendment or revision is initiated, it must be approved by Council before further action may be taken. Following Council approval, the Secretary-Treasurer shall distribute copies of the proposed Amendment to members of the Division not less than three weeks before the Regular Meeting. Opportunity shall be given for discussion during the Business Session. If a special election is not immediately held to consider the proposed Amendments, the Secretary-Treasurer shall again distribute to all members of the Division copies of the proposed Amendment, accompanied by ballot forms in conjunction with a regularly scheduled election and a vote on the proposed Amendments taken at that time. Adoption of the Amendment shall require a two-thirds vote of those voting.

Amended 2001, 2007, and 2017 by votes of the DCMP Membership