Committee Member Responsibilities

Volunteers become members of a committee in various ways, most by appointment by the APS President-elect, some by Council election, and some by statute. Regardless of how one becomes a member of a committee, there are some responsibilities and duties all members have in common.

The first and foremost responsibility of a committee member is to try to attend all meetings. After appointment to a committee, it is important for each new member to become familiar with the charge, history, current agenda, and the other members of the committee. In this Guide there are a number of links to committee annual reports and current committee members for all standing committees. Each committee has an APS committee administrator and a senior staff liaison. If you have any questions, feel free to contact either of these people.

The location of committee meetings is determined by the Chair with input from the committee. Most committees meet at the APS Headquarters in College Park, Maryland where excellent facilities exist. Meeting attendance is important and meetings are scheduled in advance to accommodate members' schedule. Despite our best efforts to find a date and time convenient for everyone, it is sometimes impossible. In this case, it is often possible to arrange for a committee member to participate in the meeting via conference call.

Generally, the committee administrator will work with the committee chair to prepare and distribute an agenda and supporting material a week or two before a scheduled meeting. Committee meetings are much more productive when committee members read the agenda briefing material before the meeting.

Committee members are expected to keep the APS and particularly the committee administrators up-to-date with their current contact information, including regular mail address, telephone, fax and E-mail addresses. This can be done by calling the APS Membership Department (301) 209-3280, E-mailing the Membership Department (Membership@aps.org) or change it directly online through the Membership section of the APS website.