Governance

Date of Council Approval: April 22, 2017

Date of Member Ratification: October 18, 2017

In the following text "Society or APS" 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 the 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 Physics of Beams (DPB).

Article II - Objective

The objective of the Division shall be the advancement and diffusion of knowledge regarding the nature and behavior of particle beams and the instruments for their production and use. It provides to its members, and to all members of the Society, an opportunity for coordination and a forum for discussion and communication. In addition, the Division shall:

• Promote research and development in the physics and technology of accelerators and beams;
• Promote applications of the science of beams (the use of beams themselves in the study of the properties of nuclei, condensed matter, etc. is not proposed to be the principal interest of the Division);
• Encourage scholarly publication;
• Promote education in the physics and technology of accelerators and beams;
• Enhance the professional standing of its members; and
• Strongly endorse the APS Policy on Equal Professional Opportunity.

Article III - Enabling Constitutional Provision

Article VIII of the Constitution and Bylaws of the Society and the associated Policies and Procedures of the Society, as said documents may be subsequently revised or amended, is 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 Council and the Board 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 Division Councilor, six Members-at-Large elected to staggered three-year terms, and two Early Career Members-at-Large elected to staggered two-year terms.

3. Executive Committee Meetings: The Executive Committee shall meet at least twice each year. One meeting shall be held during the Regular Meeting of the Division, and the other shall be held approximately halfway between Regular Meetings. Any member of the Executive Committee unable to attend a meeting may name a nonvoting alternate who is a Division member in good standing to represent him or her, subject to the approval of the Chair. A majority of the voting members, including at least two Officers, shall constitute a quorum.

4. Nonvoting Members: Two members of the Particle Accelerator Conferences (PAC) Organizing Committee (the Conference Chair and the Conference NPSS/IEEE Representative) shall be nonvoting members of the Executive Committee. The Editor of the APS-DPB Newsletter, appointed by the APS-DPB Executive Committee for a three year term, shall be a nonvoting member of the Executive Committee. The chairs of appointed committees, as outlined in Article VIII of these Bylaws, shall be nonvoting members of the Executive Committee. If any nonvoting member is also an elected member of the Executive Committee, such member shall be a voting member of the Executive Committee.

Article VI - Officers and Division Councilor

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 shall have overall responsibility for the operations of the Division and shall preside at all meetings of the Executive Committee and Business Sessions of the Division at which his or her attendance is possible.

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.

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.

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. The Secretary-Treasurer shall notify the Executive Committee of matters requiring the decision of said Committee and shall, 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 Corporate Secretary within four weeks after 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 coordination with the Division Councilor, shall keep the Council of the Society 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, in consultation with the Chair, shall 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 present a financial report at each meeting of the Executive Committee and at the annual Business Session of the Division.

6. Duties of the Division Councilor: The Division Councilor shall serve as liaison between the Council of the Society and the Executive Committee of the Division. Following each Council meeting, the Division Councilor shall report to the Chair and the Secretary-Treasurer regarding Council actions that affect the status and operations of the Division. Reports shall be made to the entire Executive Committee during their regularly scheduled meetings.

Article VII - Election and Tenure of The Officers, Executive Committee Members, and Division Councilor

1. Qualifications: Officers, Division Councilor, and Members-at-Large of the Executive Committee must be members of the Division for at least two years prior to nomination.

2. Ballot: The Vice-Chair, Secretary-Treasurer, Division Councilor, and Members-at-Large of the Executive Committee shall be elected by ballots cast electronically or by mail as hereinafter provided.

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 and Division Councilor during the final year of the term of the current Secretary-Treasurer and Division Councilor, and for open positions of Members-at-Large of the Executive Committee. The Nominating Committee shall consult with the Chair before approving the nomination of any candidate for a consecutive term. The Nominating Committee shall deliver to the Secretary-Treasurer a slate of candidates for these positions prior to the Annual Business Session. Not later than one month from this time, the Secretary-Treasurer shall announce the upcoming election to the Division membership, and shall invite Division members to nominate by Petition candidates for the various offices and Executive Committee positions. A person named in a validly-submitted Petition shall be considered nominated for the position, and shall appear on the ballot along with the slate provided by the Nominating Committee. To be valid, a Petition must be signed by at least 5% of the Division members, based on a membership list compiled as of June 30th of the year prior to the election to be held. Petitions must be submitted to the Secretary-Treasurer at least one month prior to the date ballots are to be distributed to the membership. The Nominating Committee Chair shall ascertain that all nominated individuals would be willing to serve in the office they are nominated for. In the event that a nominee requests that his name not be put into nomination, and that as a result an insufficient number of names would appear on the ballot (a "sufficient" number of candidates shall be at least one more than the number of positions to be filled for each office), the Chair of the Executive Committee, in consultation with the Executive Committee, shall nominate candidates to complete the election ballot.

   The Secretary-Treasurer shall prepare and distribute ballots to the membership either electronically or by mail, by mid-August, informing the membership that the closing date for the election will be September 15th. Ballots shall be returned to and counted by the Secretary-Treasurer or his or her designate. In the case of elections when the Secretary-Treasurer is a candidate for a consecutive term, the election shall be administered by a process determined by the Executive Committee. Election shall be decided by a plurality of those voting. The Secretary-Treasurer shall communicate the results of the election to the Chair of the Executive Committee and to the Corporate Secretary no later than October 1st. In the event of a tie, the Chair shall call for a vote of the Executive Committee to break the tie, the Chair voting only in the event of a tie in the Executive Committee voting. Upon completion of this process, the Chair shall declare the election valid, and the Secretary-Treasurer shall publish the results in a manner designated for official announcements. This publication shall occur on or before October 15th.

4. Official Year: The official year shall extend from the beginning of a calendar year to the end of that year.

5. 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, then for one year as Chair, and then for one year as Past Chair. The Chair shall not be eligible for the office of Vice-Chair in the year following his or her term of office.

6. Terms of Office: The terms of office of the Officers and Members-at-Large of the Executive Committee shall begin on the first day of the year following election. A new Secretary-Treasurer is elected initially for a four-year term, with normally the first year serving as Deputy Secretary-Treasurer, being trained in duties and responsibilities of the position by the present Secretary-Treasurer. The Executive Committee can decide to renew the Secretary-Treasurer term for another two-year term at the end of any term. If, when two years remain in any term, and the Secretary-Treasurer gives notice that this will be their last term or the Executive Committee decides that this will be the last term for the Secretary-Treasurer, then an election for a new Secretary-Treasurer will be held the following year, allowing for one year of overlap. If the Secretary-Treasurer office is vacated for some reason, then the Executive Committee will appoint a non-voting Secretary-Treasurer to act in this role until an early as possible election for a new Secretary-Treasurer can be held. The tenure of a Member-at-Large of the Executive Committee shall terminate in the event of his or her assumption of a post as an elected Officer of the Division, and the unexpired portion of his or her term shall be filled as hereinafter provided for a vacancy. The term of office of the Division Councilor shall begin at the beginning of the calendar year following his or her 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.

7. Vacancies in Offices: If a vacancy occurs in the office of Chair, the Chair-Elect shall succeed and complete the term and shall serve as Chair also 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 other than through advancement to Chair, 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 Chair-Elect and Vice-Chair 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) by 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 consist of the Past Chair of the DPB Executive Committee, who serves as Chair, six members appointed by the Chair to staggered two-year terms and one member appointed by the CEO for a one-year term. The Chair shall ascertain through the Chief Executive Officer the identity of this member. The Nominating Committee shall prepare a slate of candidates for the positions of Vice-Chair, Secretary-Treasurer, Division Councilor, and Members-at-Large of the Executive Committee according to Article VII.3 of these Bylaws. The Nominating Committee shall advise the Chair on suitable candidates for Society committees including relevant Society Prize and Award committees, and on candidates for Society offices. The Nominating Committee shall perform such other duties as described in the Bylaws.

2. Program Committee: The Program Committee shall have responsibilities, as described below, in formulating the scientific programs for the Regular Meetings of the Division. The Chair-Elect serves as Chair of the Program Committee for the DPB portion of the April (and possibly March) APS meeting(s) for the year in which they are Chair-Elect. In years in which a North American PAC (NA-PAC) is held or an International PAC (IPAC) is held in the Americas, the Chair-Elect also serves as Deputy Scientific Program Chair of the conference. The Program Committee members shall be selected by the Program Committee Chair, so as to ensure appropriate balance and coverage of the fields of interest to the Division. This selection shall be done in consultation with the Executive Committee Chair. The Program Committee shall assist the APS Director of Meetings, or his or her designate, in arranging the relevant portions of meetings of the Society. This activity shall include the scheduling of contributed papers within the areas of interest of this Division, as well as the arranging in cooperation with the APS Director of Meetings or his or her designate, of symposia and sessions of invited papers sponsored by the Division for such meetings. The Program Committee shall be responsible for the solicitation and selection of invited and review papers and for the arrangement of the programs of such meetings.

3. Fellowship Committee: The Fellowship Committee shall consist of the Vice-Chair of the DPB Executive Committee, who serves as Chair, and six other members appointed by the Executive Committee, upon recommendation of the Chair, to staggered two-year terms, all of whom should be APS Fellows. The Vice-Chair shall serve as Chair of the Fellowship Committee. The Fellowship Committee shall promote the nomination of candidates for Fellowship, shall review the qualifications of such candidates, and shall report its recommendations to the Executive Committee for approval before submission is made to the Honors Program Director of the Society.

4. Publications Committee: The Publications Committee shall consist of three members appointed by the Chair to staggered three-year terms. The Chair shall appoint the Chair of the Publications Committee from among the members. The Publications Committee will also include representatives from Editorial Boards of each of the Society publications in which Division membership traditionally publishes. The Publications Committee shall solicit articles for Physics News, shall interact with the editors of the Physical Review and Physical Review Letters on matters of interest to the Division, and shall serve as the Divisional interface with editors and publications for the popular press, in consultation with the APS Office of Public Affairs.

5. Terms of Office of Appointed Committee Members: The terms of committee members appointed or recommended by an incoming Chair shall commence at the beginning of the calendar year in which the incoming Chair assumes office.

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.

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. 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 APS 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 APS Director of Meetings. Unless otherwise ordered by the Executive Committee, the Regular Meeting of the Division shall be held conjointly with a Spring Meeting of the American Physical Society or conjointly with the NA-PAC or the IPAC held in the Americas.

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 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; the Secretary-Treasurer shall notify the Division members of the agenda for the Business Session no later than three weeks prior to the Regular Meeting.

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 consultation with the APS 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 and 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 Program Committee Chair shall fix the deadline date for receipt of titles and abstracts in consultation with the APS 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. These allotments of time shall be consistent with the Constitution and Bylaws of the Society and associated Policies and Procedures.

5. Regular Meeting Finances: In the years when the Regular Meeting of the Division is held conjointly with the APS Spring Meeting the meeting finances shall be in accordance with the rules and regulations set by the Society for such meetings. In the years when the Regular Meeting of the Division is held conjointly with the NA-PAC or the IPAC held in the Americas, unless otherwise ordered by the Executive Committee and approved by the Society, Division income from this meeting shall be in accordance with the co-sponsoring agreement on meeting finances between the Society and the IEEE, and approved by the Particle Accelerator Conferences Organizing Committee and the Division's Executive Committee.

Article X - Dues

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

Article XI - Newsletter

The Beam Physics Newsletter shall be available to the membership of the Division prior to the Annual Meeting. Other communications shall occur during the year as required, either in printed or electronic form. The Secretary-Treasurer shall have responsibility for timely publication of all required communications.

Article XII - Official Announcements

Official announcements shall be made in the APS News at the discretion of the APS News editor, in the Beam Physics Newsletter, and in such other publications or venues as the Executive Committee may direct.

Article XIII - Procedure of Amendment of Bylaws

Proposal of an Amendment to these Bylaws may be made by the Council, by the Society’s Governance Committee, by the Executive Committee, or by a petition to the Chair signed by not fewer than ten percent of the members of the Division. However initiated, proposed amendments must be reviewed by the Society’s Governance Committee and approved by Council before further action can be taken. Following Council approval the Secretary-Treasurer shall distribute copies of the proposed Amendment to all members of the Division not less than three weeks before the Regular Meeting and opportunity shall be given for discussion during the Business Session. If a special election is not held for a membership vote on the Bylaws Amendment, the Secretary-Treasurer shall again distribute copies of the proposed Amendment, accompanied by ballot forms for a membership vote during the next regularly scheduled election. Adoption of the Amendment shall require a two-thirds vote by those voting.