For Council Vote: November 13, 2011

ARTICLE I — NAME

This Forum of The American Physical Society shall be called the "Forum on Outreach and Engaging the Public."

ARTICLE II — OBJECTIVE

The objective of the Forum is to advance physics outreach and public engagement activities, and to disseminate knowledge of, and strategies for, effective outreach and public engagement ideas and programs in order to spread a passion for physics to the general public. The Forum will provide members of the Society with an opportunity to strengthen the connection between the public and physics.

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 of the Society who have made application to the Forum in accordance with the procedures established by Council and the Bylaws of 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.

2. Any member of the Forum may resign from the Forum in the middle of their Society membership term upon notice to the Secretary-Treasurer. In such cases, the resignee’s dues will not be refunded.

3. 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 and entered into the Society membership database.

ARTICLE V — EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

1. Governance. The Forum on Outreach and Engaging the Public 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, four At-Large-Members elected by the membership of the Forum, and the Forum Councilor. The non-voting members of the Executive Committee shall be the Chair of the APS Committee on Informing the Public, the Editor of the Forum Newsletter, and the Forum Web Master. All members of the Executive Committee (voting and non-voting) shall be members of the Forum. The Executive Committee may establish liaisons and partnerships with 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 of the Forum.

b. The Chair must convoke a meeting within sixty days, if at least four voting members of the Executive Committee submit a request in writing to the Chair.

c. A quorum shall consist of six voting members of the Executive Committee, two of whom shall be Officers.

ARTICLE VI — OFFICERS

1. Officers. The Officers of the Forum shall be the Chair, Chair-elect, vice-Chair, Immediate past Chair and the Secretary-Treasurer, all of whom must be members of the Forum.

2. Duties of the Chair. The Chair shall preside over 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, via the Forum website. The Chair shall be the Executive Committee’s liaison to the Executive Officer.

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 Fellowship Committee. If he or she declines to serve, the Chair of the Forum shall have the power to appoint a replacement.

5. Duty of the Immediate Past Chair. The immediate past Chair shall serve as Chair of the Nominating Committee. If he or she is unable to serve, the Chair of the Forum shall have the power to appoint a replacement.

6. Duties of the Secretary-Treasurer. The Secretary-Treasurer shall record and maintain minutes of Executive Committee and Business meetings and documentation of Forum activities. The Secretary-Treasurer shall notify the Forum's Executive Committee of matters requiring its attention; and shall notify all members of the Forum Business Meeting before each such session.

Minutes of each meeting of the Executive Committee and of each Business Meeting of the Forum shall be submitted to the Executive Committee in a timely fashion. Documentation of Forum activities shall be submitted to the Forum web master 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 according to action by the Executive Committee and in a manner established by the Council. He or she shall make an annual financial report to the Executive Committee.

7. Duties of the Forum Councilor. The Forum Councilor shall serve as liaison between the Council of the Society and the Executive Committee of the Forum. Following each Council meeting, the Forum Councilor shall report to the Executive Committee 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, MEMBERS AT-LARGE, AND FORUM COUNCILOR

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

2. Nomination Procedures For Vice-Chair, Secretary-Treasurer, Members-at-Large, and Forum Councilor.

a. Nomination Procedure For Vice-Chair, Secretary-Treasurer, and Members-at Large.

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. Nomination Procedures for the Forum Councilor.

During the final year of the term of a Forum Councilor, the Secretary-Treasurer shall determine from the Executive Officer if the terminating Forum Councilor position is to continue. Such determination shall be made by the Executive Officer 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 Councilor 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 VII2.a of these Bylaws shall apply.

3. Election Procedures. Using the Society’s accepted method for conducting elections, the Secretary-Treasurer shall distribute election ballots to all members of the Forum 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, and to the APS Executive Officer, at least two weeks prior to the Annual Meeting and shall publish the results in a manner designated for the official announcements.

4. Terms of Office of Executive Committee. The tenure of the members of the Executive Committee shall coincide with the calendar year, beginning January 1 and ending December 31.

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 Immediate past Chair shall not be eligible for the vice-Chair office for four years after service as Immediate 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 consecutive terms.

c. Forum Councilor. The term of office of a Forum Councilor shall begin at the beginning of the calendar year following his or her election. The Forum Councilor 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 four Members-At-Large shall be elected by the membership for two-year staggered terms. 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. Member-At-Large may not serve more than two consecutive terms.

5. 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.

6. Official Year. The official year shall be the calendar year.

ARTICLE VIII — APPOINTED COMMITTEES

1. Nominating Committee. The Nominating Committee shall consist of the immediate past Chair, three members appointed by the Forum Chair, and one member appointed by the Executive Officer. The Chair shall ascertain through the Executive Officer the identity of this member. The immediate past Chair shall serve as the Chair of the Nominating Committee. If the immediate past Chair is unable to serve, the Chair may nominate a member of the Executive Committee as a replacement. All members of the Nominating Committee must be members of the Forum. The term of office for members of the Nominating Committee, except the Chair, shall be two years, with staggered term dates. The Nominating Committee shall prepare a slate of candidates according to Article VII of these Bylaws. The Nominating Committee shall also respond with appropriate names to the Society’s call for nominations for senior Society positions.

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.

3. Fellowship Committee. The Fellowship Committee shall consist of the vice-Chair (or a designated replacement) and up to six other members appointed by the Executive Committee, upon recommendation of the then Chair of the Forum for staggered two-year terms. The vice-Chair (or a designated replacement) 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.

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 but not be limited to the scheduling of invited and contributed papers at meetings of the Society and organizing of Forum-sponsored conferences. The programs of the Forum may be developed in consultation with the Committee on Informing the Public, 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 — DUES

1. 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 APS News, in special mailings or electronic communications to the membership, or in such other publications as the Executive Committee may direct.

2. Newsletter.

a. The Forum shall publish a Newsletter 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 articles, 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 Executive Committee shall review the performance of the Editor of the Newsletter after completion of year-two of his or her three-year term, at which time his or her performance will be assessed.

c. The Editor of the Newsletter shall appoint a Newsletter editorial board, in consultation with the Executive Committee.

3. Web Site.

a. The Forum shall develop and maintain a web site that shall be the electronic repository of Forum records, Newsletters, and other resources developed by the Executive Committee or Forum members that are in keeping with the Forum Objective.

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

c. The Forum Web Master shall appoint a web site editorial board, in consultation with the Executive Committee.

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, the Council must approve the amendment 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. If a special election is not held for membership ratification of the bylaws amendments, the Secretary-Treasurer shall again distribute copies of the proposed Amendment in conjunction with the next regularly scheduled election, accompanied by ballot forms. Adoption of the Amendment shall require a two-thirds affirmative vote by those voting.