• Forum on Education & Forum on Outreach & Engaging the Public
  MUTUAL AMENDMENTS TO BYLAWS
• Presently-Active Bylaws of the Forum on Education

Forum on Education & Forum on Outreach & Engaging the Public
MUTUAL AMENDMENTS TO BYLAWS

With the establishment of the new Forum on Outreach & Engaging the Public (FOEP), the Forum on Education, FEd has expressed an interest in ensuring mutual corporation and coordination by amending their bylaws to include representation from FOEP on their Program Committee. In turn, FOEP has also written into their bylaws that there should be FEd representation on their Program Committee.

Below is a short modification to the relevant paragraph of the FEd bylaws with the suggested changes:

Bylaws of the Forum on Education
Article VIII – Appointed Committees

2. Program Committee. The Program Committee shall consist of the Chair-Elect and up to 9 members appointed by the Chair, upon recommendation of the Chair-Elect, to staggered three-year terms, and shall also include mutual representation with the Forum on Outreach and Engaging the Public. The Chair-Elect shall serve as the Chair of the Program Committee. The Program Committee shall have the responsibility of assisting the Executive Secretary, or his or her designee, in arranging the meetings of the Society. This activity shall include the scheduling of contributed papers within the areas of interest of this Forum, as well as the arranging, in cooperation with the Executive Officer or his or her designee, of symposia and sessions of invited papers sponsored by the Forum for a meeting. The Program Committee shall be responsible for the solicitation and selection of invited and review papers and for the arrangement of the meeting programs for sessions of the Forum.

Bylaws of the Forum on Outreach & Engaging the Public
Article VIII – Appointed Committees

2. Program Committee. The Program Committee shall consist of six members appointed by the Chair to staggered two-year terms, the Chair-Elect, who shall chair the Program Committee, and shall also include mutual representation with the Forum on Education. The Program Committee shall assist the Executive Officer in arranging sessions of invited papers sponsored by the Forum at meetings of the Society. It may cooperate with the Program Committee of any unit of the Society in arranging invited papers at meetings of these units.

Presently-Active Bylaws of the Forum on Education

ARTICLE I — NAME

This Forum of The American Physical Society shall be called the "Forum on Education."

ARTICLE II — OBJECTIVE

The objective of the Forum shall be the advancement and diffusion of knowledge regarding the inter-relation of physics, physicists and education. The Forum shall provide for all members of the Society an opportunity for discussion of and involvement with matters of physics education.

ARTICLE III — ENABLING CONSTITUTIONAL PROVISIONS

Article VIII of the Constitution of the Society, as said Article may be subsequently revised or amended, is hereby incorporated in these Bylaws by reference.

ARTICLE IV — MEMBERSHIP

1. The members of the Forum shall consist of members [see 1a] of the Society who have made application to the Secretary-Treasurer of the Forum, or who have otherwise indicated in accordance with the procedures established by Council and the Bylaws of the Forum, their desire to join the Forum. The membership shall be maintained from year to year by the payment of the designated dues, provided continuing membership in the Society is maintained. Any member of the Forum may resign upon notice to the Secretary-Treasurer.

a. For purposes of paragraph 1, the term "members" may include Associate Members with privileges to be defined.

b. The privilege of voting in elections of the Forum shall be limited to members of the Society whose application for membership in the Forum has been received at least thirty days prior to the date the voter ballots are mailed.

ARTICLE V — EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

1. Governance. The Forum on Education shall be governed by an Executive Committee, which shall have general charge of the affairs of the Forum.

2. Composition. The voting members of the Executive Committee shall be the five officers of the Forum, six At-Large-Members elected by membership of the Forum, and a Forum Councillor, if any. The non-voting members of the Executive Committee shall be the Chair of the APS Committee on Education, the Editor of the Forum Newsletter, a member of the APS Executive Board appointed by the President of the APS and a member from the AAPT Executive Board appointed by the President of the AAPT. All members of the Executive Committee (voting and non-voting) shall be member of the Forum. The Executive Committee may establish Liaisons with AIP, AIP member societies and other professional organizations.

3. Executive Committee Meetings.

a. The Executive Committee shall meet at least once each year at a meeting called the Annual Meeting of the Executive Committee . The Annual Meeting of the Executive Committee may be scheduled independently of the Business Session the Forum.

b. If at least four voting members of the Executive Committee submit a request in writing to the Chair to convoke a meeting, the Chair must do so within sixty days. A quorum shall consist of six voting members of the Executive Committee, two of whom shall be Officers.

4. Proposals for Funding by the Forum. When outside support for Forum activities is sought, the Executive Committee shall consult with the Committee on Education and then submit a proposal to the Executive Officer for funds in accordance with APS Bylaws, Article V.4, which is hereby incorporated in these Bylaws by reference.

ARTICLE VI — OFFICERS

1. Officers. The Officers of the Forum shall be a Chair, Chair-Elect, Vice-Chair, immediate past Chair and a Secretary-Treasurer, all of whom must be members of the Forum.

2. Duties of the Chair. The Chair shall preside at all meetings of the Executive Committee at which his or her attendance is possible. After consultation with the Executive Committee, the Chair shall make all appointments necessary to conduct the affairs of the Forum and shall serve as a voting member of any committee other than the Nominating Committee. The Chair shall prepare a yearly report of the activities of the Forum to be presented at the Annual Meeting and to be made available to the Council and members of the Forum.

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 serve as Chair of the Program Committee.

4. Duties of the Vice-Chair. The Vice-Chair shall act in the place of the Chair-Elect if the latter is unable to perform his or her duties. The Vice-Chair shall serve as Chair of the Nominating Committee.

5. Duty of the Past Chair. The Past Chair shall serve as Fellowship Committee.

6. Duties of the Secretary-Treasurer. The Secretary-Treasurer shall keep the Council and APS Executive Officer informed of the current activities and needs of the Forum. The Secretary-Treasurer shall notify the Forum's Executive Committee of matters requiring its attention; shall notify all members of the Forum of the Forum Business Meeting before each such session; and shall prepare minutes of each meeting of the Executive Committee and of each Business Meeting of the Forum, and submit these minutes to each member of the Executive Committee, and to the APS Executive Officer in a timely fashion.

The Secretary-Treasurer shall keep available a current and official list of the membership and of applications for membership of the Forum.

The Secretary-Treasurer shall have responsibility for all funds in the custody of, or placed at the disposal of, the Forum, and shall make disbursements from such funds in a manner established by the Council. He or she shall make an annual financial report to the Executive Committee. The report shall be submitted to the Council after examination by auditors appointed by the Chair.

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

ARTICLE VII — NOMINATION, ELECTION AND TENURE OF OFFICERS, FORUM COUNCILLOR, AND MEMBERS AT-LARGE

1. Qualifications. Officers, the Forum Councillor, and Members-at-Large must be members of the Forum on Education.

2. Nomination and Election Procedures For Vice-Chair, Secretary-Treasurer, Forum Councillor, and Member-at-Large.

a. Nomination Procedure . Not less than six months before the Annual Meeting, the Secretary-Treasurer shall invite all Forum members to suggest to the Nominating Committee candidates for election for Vice-Chair, Secretary- Treasurer during the final year of the term of the current Secretary-Treasurer, and for open positions of Members-At-Large of the Executive Committee. Any member proposed as a candidate for a post on the Executive Committee by at least twenty-five members of the Forum, or 1% of the Membership, whichever is larger, not later than eighteen weeks before the Annual Meeting shall be considered to be formally nominated to that post.

Not later than fourteen weeks before the Annual Meeting of the Executive Committee, the Nominating Committee shall submit to the Secretary-Treasurer nominations of at least two candidates for each post to be filled on the Executive Committee.

b. Balloting Procedure. The Secretary-Treasurer shall distribute election ballots to all members not later than ten weeks before the Annual Meeting of the Executive Committee, stating a closing date at least four weeks prior to the Annual Meeting. Ballots shall be returned to and counted by the Secretary- Treasurer or his or her designee. The election shall be decided by a plurality of those voting. If there is a tie, the Executive Committee shall decide the election, with the Chair voting only in the case of a tie among the other Executive Committee members. The Secretary-Treasurer shall communicate the results of the election to the Chair at least two weeks prior to the Annual Meeting and shall publish the results in a manner designated for the official announcements.

c. Nomination and Election Procedures for the Forum Councillor. During the final year of the term of a Forum Councillor, the Secretary-Treasurer shall determine from the Executive Officer if the terminating Forum Councillor position is to continue. Such determination shall be made by the Executive Secretary based on Forum membership according to rules specified in the Constitution and Bylaws. If the position is to continue, or whenever the Executive Officer informs the Forum that a Forum Councillor is to be elected, the Nominating Committee shall nominate at least two candidates for the open position. Nominating procedures and time schedules analogous to those of Section V~.2.a of these Bylaws shall apply. The Secretary- Treasurer shall poll the Forum by mail ballot during the year prior to that in which the new Councillor assumes office. Ballots shall be returned to and counted by the Secretary-Treasurer or his or her designee. Election shall be by plurality of those voting. If there is a tie, the Executive Committee shall decide the election, with the Chair voting only in the case of a tie among the other Executive Committee members. The Secretary-Treasurer shall communicate the results of the election to the Chair and to the Executive Secretary during the year prior to that in which the Councillor assumes office and shall publish the results in a manner designated for official announcements.

d. Special Procedures For Member-At-Large. The six Members-At-Large shall be elected by the membership for three-year staggered terms in two equal categories (General-At-Large and APS/AAPT-At-Large) of three members each. The yearly election shall be divided as follows: 1) One General-At- Large Member to be elected from at least two nominees from the Forum membership; and 2) One APS/AAPT-At-Large Member to be elected from at least two nominees from the Forum membership who are also members of AAPT.

3. Terms of Office of Executive Committee. The tenure of the members of the Executive Committee shall begin at the close of the Annual Meeting of the Executive Committee next following their election, except as noted below for the Forum Councillor .

a. Vice-Chair. The Vice-Chair shall be elected by the membership for a one year term and shall successively become Chair-Elect, Chair and immediate past Chair in the following years for a total of four years. The Chair shall not be eligible for the Vice-Chair office for four years after service as Past Chair.

b. Secretary-Treasurer. The Secretary-Treasurer shall be elected by the membership for a term of three years and may not serve more than two successive terms.

c. Forum Councillor. The term of office of a Forum Councillor shall begin at the beginning of the calendar year following his or her election. The Forum Councillor shall serve for a term of four years and may not serve more than two consecutive terms unless otherwise specified by Council.

d. Members At-Large. The six Members-At-Large shall be elected by the membership for three-year staggered terms in two equal categories (General- At-Large and APS/AAPT-At-Large) of three members each. The tenure of a Member-At-Large of the Executive Committee shall terminate in the event of his/her assumption of a post as an elected Officer of the Forum, and the unexpired portion of his or her term shall be filled as hereinafter provided for a vacancy.

4. Vacancies in Office. If a vacancy occurs in the office of Chair, the Chair-Elect will 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 will remain vacant for the remainder of the term until the next regular election. If a vacancy occurs in two offices of the Chair line, the remaining member of the Chair line will be promoted to Chair, the Executive Committee will appoint one of their members to serve the remaining term as Chair elect and the offices of both Chair Elect and Vice Chair will be filled during the next election. If a vacancy occurs among any other position, the Executive Committee may fill the position with a member of the Forum until the next regular election. If a member of the Executive Committee is absent from two consecutive meetings of the Executive Committee, that position shall be declared vacant.

5. Official Year. The official year shall extend from the close of one Annual Executive Committee Meeting to the close of the next Annual Executive Committee Meeting .

ARTICLE VIII — APPOINTED COMMITTEES

1. Nominating Committee.  The Nominating Committee shall consist of the Vice-Chair, and two members appointed by the Forum Chair. The APS Executive Board, and the AAPT Executive Board shall be invited to appoint one member each to the Nominating Committee. The Vice-Chair shall serve as the Chair of the Nominating Committee. All members of the Nominating Committee must be members of the Forum. The term of office for members of the Nominating Committee shall be one year.

Not later than six months before each Annual Meeting of the Executive Committee, the Chair of the Forum shall appoint two members to a Nominating Committee, neither of whom shall be a member of the Executive Committee.

2. Program Committee.  The Program Committee shall consist of the Chair-Elect and up to 9 members appointed by the Chair, upon recommendation of the Chair-Elect, to staggered three-year terms. The Chair-Elect shall serve as the Chair of the Program Committee. The Program Committee shall have the responsibility of assisting the Executive Secretary, or his or her designee, in arranging the meetings of the Society. This activity shall include the scheduling of contributed papers within the areas of interest of this Forum, as well as the arranging, in cooperation with the Executive Officer or his or her designee, of symposia and sessions of invited papers sponsored by the Forum for a meeting. The Program Committee shall be responsible for the solicitation and selection of invited and review papers and for the arrangement of the meeting programs for sessions of the Forum.

3. Fellowship Committee.  The Fellowship Committee shall consist of the past Chair and up to five other members appointed by the Executive Committee, upon recommendation of the then Chair of the Forum for a one-year term. The past Chair shall serve as chair of the Fellowship Committee. This Fellowship Committee shall promote the nomination of candidates for Fellowship, shall review the qualification of such candidates, and shall report its recommendation to the Executive Committee for approval before submission is made to the Executive Officer of the Society.

4. Terms of Office for Appointed Committees. The terms of committee members appointed or recommended by an incoming Chair shall commence at the beginning of the official year in which he or she assumes office.

ARTICLE IX — MEETINGS

1. Regular Meetings. The Meetings of the Forum, shall be held at such times and places as shall be ordered by the Executive Committee after consultation with the Executive Secretary.

2. Annual Business Session. The Forum shall hold each year an annual Business Session at a meeting of the society. This Business Session shall be chaired by the Chair of the Forum and be devoted to affairs of the Forum. All transactions at the Business Session are to be considered as advisory to the Executive Committee. No program sponsored by the Forum shall be presented simultaneously with the Business Session.

ARTICLE X — PROGRAMS AND ACTIVITIES

1. The Program Committee shall work with the Executive Officer, or his or her designee, in arranging the meetings of the Forum. This activity shall include the scheduling of invited and contributed papers at meetings of the Society and organizing of Forum-sponsored conferences. The programs of the Forum shall be developed in consultation with the Committee on Education and AAPT as appropriate.

2. The Chair, with the advice and consent of the Executive Committee, may appoint committees or study groups to conduct studies of subjects of concern to the Forum. The results of such studies when made available to members of the Society, and to the general public, shall be done in a manner compatible with such limitations as may be set by the Council.

ARTICLE XI — FEES AND DUES

1. Fees , if any, for enrollment, and dues for maintenance of membership in the Forum, shall be established from time to time by Regulation of the Council.

ARTICLE XII — PUBLICATIONS

1. Official Announcement.   Official announcements shall be made in an appropriate publication of the society and in such journals as the Executive Committee may direct.

2. Newsletter.

a. The Forum shall publish a Newsletter and distribute it to all members of the Forum and the Council. The Newsletter shall carry the Annual Report of the Chair, and shall provide space for letters and comments from Members of the Forum.

b. The Editor of the Newsletter shall be elected by majority vote of the Executive Committee for a term of three years. The performance of the Editor of the Newsletter shall be reviewed by the Executive Committee after completion of two of his or her three-year term, at which time his or her performance will be assessed.

ARTICLE XIII — PROCEDURE FOR AMENDING THE BYLAWS

Proposal for amendment of these Bylaws may be made by the Council, by the Executive Committee, or by petition to the Chair signed by not fewer than ten percent of the members of the Forum. If the proposed Amendment originates within the Forum, it must be 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 Forum not less than three weeks before the Business Session, and opportunity for discussion shall be given during the Business Session. With the unanimous consent of those members present and voting, the voting on the proposed Amendment may be carried out at the Business Session. Without that consent, the voting on the proposed Amendment shall be as follows: not later than twelve weeks after said Business Session, the Secretary-Treasurer shall again distribute copies of the proposed Amendment, accompanied by ballot forms. Adoption of the Amendment shall require a two-thirds vote by those voting.