Governance

Bylaws

Date Approved by Council: April 14, 2020
Date Ratified by Members: May 27, 2020

In the following text, "Society" and “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; and "Annual Meeting" shall signify the principal meeting held once a year by the Forum.

ARTICLE I - NAME

This Forum of the American Physical Society shall be called the Forum for Early Career Scientists (FECS) and shall be referred to in the following text as "the Forum" or as "FECS".

ARTICLE II - OBJECTIVE

The objective of the Forum is to enhance the Society's ability to meet the needs of early-career scientists, to offer them support services, and to provide them with an opportunity for increased inclusion and participation in the activities and decision-making of the physics community.

ARTICLE III - ENABLING CONSTITUTIONAL PROVISION

Article VIII of the Constitution & Bylaws of the Society and the associated Policies & Procedures of the Society, in current or subsequently revised form, are incorporated in these Bylaws by reference.

ARTICLE IV - MEMBERSHIP

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

ARTICLE V - EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

  1. Governance. The FECS shall be governed by an Executive Committee, which shall have general charge of the affairs of the Forum.
  2. Composition. The Executive Committee shall consist of the Officers of the Forum, the most recent Past Chair, the Forum Councilor, if any, and four Members-at-Large, elected to staggered two-year terms. At least one member of the Executive Committee shall be an early career member of APS.
  3. Executive Committee Meetings. The Executive Committee shall meet at least once a year. A majority of voting members, including at least two Officers, shall constitute a quorum.


ARTICLE VI - OFFICERS AND FORUM COUNCILOR

  1. Officers. The Officers of the Forum shall be a Chair, a Chair-Elect, a Secretary, a Treasurer, a Communications Officer, and an International Affairs Officer all of whom must be members of the Forum.
  2. Duties of the Chair. The Chair shall have overall responsibility for the operation of the Forum and shall preside at all meetings of the Executive Committee at which his or her attendance is possible. The Chair, in consultation with the Forum Secretary, shall prepare the agenda of Executive Committee meetings.
  3. Duties of the Chair-Elect. The Chair-Elect shall serve as the Chair of the Program Committee. In addition, the Chair-Elect shall assume the duties of the Chair whenever the Chair is unable to perform them.
  4. Duties of the Secretary. The Secretary shall maintain the records of the Forum including minutes of Executive Committee meetings. The Secretary shall distribute the minutes to each member of the Executive Committee within six weeks after each meeting; The Secretary shall work with the Communications Officer to ensure that the minutes are posted on the Forum Website within eight weeks. The Secretary shall notify the Chair of matters requiring Executive Committee action. The Secretary shall arrange for announcing, distributing, receiving and counting the annual election ballots from the membership, and for informing the APS Corporate Secretary, candidates, and Forum membership of election results.
  5. Duties of the Treasurer. The Treasurer shall have responsibility for all funds in the custody of or placed at the disposal of the FECS, and, in consultation with the Chair, shall authorize disbursements from these funds for FECS expenses, in a manner that is consistent with the general policies of the Society. Financial records shall be kept on an annual basis consistent with the fiscal policies of the Society. The Treasurer shall present a financial report and an annual budget at the meeting of the Executive Committee.
  6. Duties of the Communications Officer. The Communications Officer shall have responsibility for all direct communication from the Forum. The Communications Officer shall act as the webmaster or nominate someone to act as the Forum webmaster. The Communications Officer shall be responsible for producing all electronic communications and promotional materials, in consultation with the APS Unit Coordinator and at the discretion of the APS Director of Communications. The Communications Officer shall work closely with the chair line and the Treasurer to set annual budgets for these activities.
  7. Duties of the International Affairs Officer. The International Affairs Officer will develop activities at the International level that promote early career scientists globally. The International Affairs Officer shall work in consultation with and at the discretion of the APS Director of International Affairs on these activities. The International Affairs Officer shall work with the chair line and the rest of the executive officers to set a budget for such activities.
  8. Duties of the Past Chair. The Past Chair shall serve as the Chair of the Nominating Committee.
  9. Duties of the Forum Councilor.
    1. The Forum Councilor shall serve as a liaison between the Council and the Executive Committee of the Forum. Following each Council meeting, the Forum Councilor shall report to the Executive Committee of the Forum regarding actions taken by the Council that affect the status and operations of the Forum.
    2. Assigned Councilor. Until the requirements for appointment of a voting member of the Council are achieved, a member of the Council shall be appointed as an ex officio member of the Executive Committee to provide liaison with the Council, serving as the Assigned Councilor.


ARTICLE VII - ELECTION AND TENURE OF THE OFFICERS AND OTHER EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEMBERS

Qualifications. Officers, Members-at-Large, and the Forum Councilor must be members of the Forum.

  1. Nomination and election of the Chair-Elect, Secretary, Treasurer, Communications Officer, International Affairs Officer, Forum Councilor and Members-at-Large of the Executive Committee. Each year the Nominating Committee shall select at least two candidates for the office of Chair-Elect, and four candidates for the two openings for Members-at-Large. Every other year, the Nominating Committee shall also select two candidates each for the offices of Secretary, Treasurer, and Communications Officer during the final year of the term of the current officer. At least two candidates for Councilor and International Affairs Officer should be put forward for election during the final year of the term of the current Councilor and/or International Affairs Officer. In the case of nomination of any candidate for a second term, the Nominating Committee, in consultation with the Chair, will determine if the re-election is appropriate. In the case of an election when the Secretary is a candidate for a second term, the election shall be administered by a process determined by the Executive Committee.
  2. Balloting. The Chair-Elect, Secretary, Treasurer, Forum Councilor, and Members-At-Large shall be elected by mail or electronic ballot by the Forum membership. Election notification and voting procedures shall be sent to all members by the Secretary by July 1 and all votes cast and counted by the Secretary by October 1. Election shall be decided by a plurality of those voting. In the event of a tie, the current members of the Executive Committee shall determine the winner by ballot, conducted by email. The Chair shall not vote except in the case of a tie.
  3. Terms of Office.
    1. The Chair-Elect shall be elected to a one-year term, followed by a one-year term as Chair, and a final year on the Executive Committee as Past Chair.
    2. The four Members-At-Large shall serve staggered, two-year terms with two Members-at-Large elected each year.
    3. The Secretary, Treasurer, and Communications Officer shall be elected by the membership for a term of two years.
    4. The International Affairs Officer shall be elected by the membership for a term of three years.
    5. The Forum Councilor shall serve a four-year term.
    6. All terms of office shall coincide with the calendar year.
  4. Vacancies in Offices. If a vacancy occurs in the office of Chair, the Chair-Elect shall succeed and complete the term of the Chair and serve as Chair the following year. If the Chair-Elect succeeds to Chair due to a vacancy, the position of Chair-Elect shall remain vacant for the remainder of the term until the next regular election. If a vacancy occurs in the offices of both the Chair and the Chair-Elect, the Executive Committee shall appoint one of their members to serve the remaining term as Chair, and both of the offices shall be filled during the next regular election. If a vacancy occurs in any office, other than the Chair, the position shall remain vacant until the next regular election, at the discretion of the chair.
  5. Official Year. The Official Year of the Forum shall coincide with the Calendar Year.


ARTICLE VIII – STATUTORY COMMITTEES, APPOINTED COMMITTEES, AND POSITIONS

  1. Statutory Committees
    There shall be two statutory committees of the FECS:
    1. The Nominating Committee. The Nominating Committee shall be chaired by the Past Chair of the Forum and shall also include four members of the Forum appointed by the Chair to staggered two-year terms, and one member appointed to a one-year term by the APS. The Forum Chair shall contact the APS Corporate Secretary for the identity of this member. The Nominating Committee shall solicit suggestions from the membership of qualified members, from which to select a slate of candidates for elected positions. The Nominating Committee shall also advise the Forum Chair on suitable candidates for Society offices and committees.
    2. Program Committee. The Program Committee shall consist of the Chair-Elect and four members appointed by the Forum Chair to staggered two-year terms. The Chair-Elect shall serve as the Chair of the Program Committee. The Program Committee shall assist the Society Director of Meetings or his or her designate in arranging sessions, including symposia of invited and contributed papers sponsored by the Forum at meetings of the Society. The Program Committee shall cooperate with the Program Committee of any other unit of the Society that is interested in sponsoring sessions or symposia in areas of interest to the Forum, in cooperation with the Society Director of Meetings.
    3. Ad hoc Committees. The Chair may appoint other ad hoc committees, which shall serve only during his or her term as Chair. The terms of committee members appointed or recommended by an incoming Chair shall commence at the beginning of the year in which he or she assumes office.
  2. Appointed Positions
    The Executive Committee shall appoint the following position:
    1. The Newsletter Editor. The Executive Committee shall appoint an Editor of the Newsletter to a two-year term. The Newsletter Editor shall be responsible for collecting and reporting on issues and events in the interest of Forum members and producing at least one newsletter each year. Election and balloting information shall be included in one newsletter each year. The Newsletter Editor will work closely with the Communications Officer to ensure the newsletter is distributed to Forum members.

ARTICLE IX - AMENDMENT OF BYLAWS

Proposals for amendments to these bylaws may be made by the Council, by the Society’s Governance Committee, by the Forum Executive Committee, or by petition to the Forum Chair signed by not fewer than ten percent of the members of the Forum. However initiated, Forum amendments must be reviewed by the Society’s Governance Committee and approved by Council before further action is taken. Following Council approval, the Secretary shall distribute copies of the proposed amendment to all members of the Forum. Voting on the proposed amendment shall be carried out by electronic ballot as specified by the Secretary. Adoption of an amendment shall require the affirmative vote of not less than two-thirds of the members who voted.