Bylaws
Note: The bylaws are being revised to bring them into conformity with the revisions to the AHA Constitution approved January 2008. These are the current bylaws, but they are being modified.
1. Bylaws pursuant to Article IV, Section 3: Whenever the president-elect shall have succeeded to the office of president in accordance with the provisions of Article IV, Section 3, the ensuing term as president shall expire at the close of the next annual meeting of the Association. But when a succession to the office of president in accordance with the provision shall have occurred after the Nominating Committee completes its regular annual session, the president shall be eligible to succeed to the following term, in accordance with Bylaw 10(3), pursuant to Article VIII, Section 2. (Amended by Council, June 7, 1997.)
2. Bylaw pursuant to Article IV, Section 6: Unless the Council specifies otherwise, the executive director shall serve as an ex officio member, without vote, of all committees of the Association.
3. Bylaws pursuant to Article IV, Section 7:
(1) The Council shall, by majority vote, appoint the executive director, the editor of the American Historical Review, and the controller, and shall specify the term, not to exceed five years, for which each appointee hereunder shall hold office. But notwithstanding the duration of any such term, any such officer shall be removable on a two-thirds vote of the membership of the Council.
(2) The Council shall undertake a review of the work of the executive director no later than the year preceding the last year of a term, or more often if it determines that circumstances warrant, through a review committee consisting of four persons: the president-elect (chair), a current member of Council, an officer of the Association at the time of the incumbent's appointment, and a member of the Association resident in the Washington D.C. area. The Council's Executive Committee will designate the members of the review committee to assist Council in deciding whether to renew the appointment of an Executive Director seeking a further term, or to guide the search committee charged with nominating a replacement. The review committee will assess the attainments and anticipated performance of the Executive Director within the terms specified in the Association's "Job Description" and "Appointment and Review Procedures" for the position. The Association's General Counsel holds the official record of proceedings under this Bylaw. (Approved by Council, December 27, 1986; amended by Council, October 9, 1997.)
(3) The Research Division committee shall evaluate the editor of the American Historical Review every five years, during the first half of the fourth year of the editor's service. The evaluation committee shall report to the Research Division. Among its members shall be: the vice-president for Research or other representative of the Research Division, a former member of the Board of Editors who has served during the tenure of the current editor (selected by the president of the Association after consulting informally with the editor on who should not be on the evaluation committee), and a member of the Association designated by the host institution's history department. The total composition of the committee should reflect the varied membership and interests of the Association. The evaluation committee shall report to the next regularly scheduled meeting of the Research Division committee, which in turn shall make appropriate recommendations to the Council. In reaching its assessment of the editor, the evaluation committee shall consider the editor's editorial policies and practices, the journal's standing in the profession, the editor's relationship with the Association, and any other factors relevant to the editor's performance. (Approved by Council, December 27, 1987; amended by Council, January 5, 1995.)
4. Bylaw pursuant to Article IV, Section 7: The Council shall, on nomination by the editor in consultation with the executive director, appoint an advisory Board of Editors of the American Historical Review to assist the editor. The advisory Board shall consist of twelve members appointed for staggered terms of three years. The executive director shall, ex officio, be a member of the advisory Board without vote. (Amended by Council, January 2, 1997.)
5. Bylaw pursuant to Article V, Section 1 (b) and Article XI: The Council may fill any vacancy in its membership or in the membership of any elected committee by designating any member of the Association to serve as a member ad interim until the close of the next annual meeting for vacancies that develop between December 31 and August 1, or until the close of the second next annual meeting for vacancies that develop between August 1 and December 30. (Council amendment, December 27, 1979.)
6. Bylaw pursuant to Article V, Sections 3 and 4: Whenever any vacancy shall occur in the membership of the Executive Committee or of the Finance Committee, the president may, at his discretion, designate a member of the Council to serve ad interim as a member of the committee in question.
7. Bylaw pursuant to Article V, Section 4: The ex officio members of the Finance Committee shall include the executive director, the controller, and the AHR editor. (Adopted by Council, May 6–7, 1995.)
8. Bylaw pursuant to Article VI, Sections 1–5: The Research Division, the Teaching Division, and the Professional Division shall operate under the general supervision and direction of the Council. In pursuance thereto the Council shall define the jurisdiction of each Division, shall determine its budget, and shall decide its basic policy and procedures.
9. Bylaws pursuant to Article VII, Sections 1–6:
(1) The Council shall prepare the agenda for the annual business meeting, which shall be available for distribution to the membership of the Association at the annual meeting.
(2) The president shall preside at the business meeting. In rulings from the chair the president shall be guided by the provisions of the constitution and bylaws, and, where not in conflict with these, by Robert's Rules of Order. Official minutes of the business meeting shall be prepared, which shall include a record of all motions and their disposition, together with the votes cast thereon, when recorded.
(3) The Council may, at its discretion, appoint an official parliamentarian who shall hold office for a term of one year. The parliamentarian shall advise and assist the president in the conduct of the business meeting, and shall perform such additional duties as are appropriate to the office.
(4) Any member of the Association may, subject to the following rules, present resolutions or other motions that introduce new business to the agenda of the annual business meeting. (Amended by Council, May 6–7, 1995.)
a. Such resolutions must be received in the office of the executive director not later than December 15 prior to the annual meeting. They must be in proper parliamentary form; must be signed by at least twenty-five members of the Association in good standing; must not be more than three hundred words in length including any introductory material; and must deal with a matter of concern to the Association, to the profession of history, or to the academic profession.
b. In general, resolutions will be placed on the agenda for consideration in the order in which they are received. But resolutions received on or before November 1 shall, subject to the discretion of the Council, take precedence, and shall be published in the December newsletter, Perspectives.
c. The Council may, where it deems appropriate, decide on the priority of resolutions on the agenda, without regard to time of receipt. And it may at its discretion associate any resolution offered by a member with any item of business on the agenda.
d. To ensure as far as possible fair and equitable consideration of all member resolutions, the Council in preparing the agenda may, at its discretion, fix the duration of debate on them, and impose rules of cloture, but the business meeting by a two-thirds vote may overrule any rules of cloture.
e. The annual business meeting may by a vote of two-thirds of the members present suspend Bylaw 9(4), except where otherwise provided in the constitution and bylaws of the Association. (Adopted by Council, May 8–9, 1994.)
f. The business meeting, by a majority vote upon a motion by any member of the Association, may instruct the Council to place a subject upon the agenda for the following business meeting. (Adopted by Council, May 6–7, 1995.)
(5) No motion, resolution, or other business shall be passed by a division of the members at the annual business meeting unless there is present a quorum of one hundred members in good standing. A quorum of twenty-five members in good standing shall be sufficient for all other purposes. (Adopted by Council, May 15–16, 1980, amended May 8–9, 1994, June 29–30, 2002.)
10. Bylaws pursuant to Article VIII, Section 2:
(1) The Nominating Committee, in making its annual mail ballot nominations as provided in Article VIII, Section 2, shall, except when the office of the president-elect is vacant, nominate for the office of president the incumbent president-elect and shall make no other nomination for president.
(2) Whenever the office of president-elect shall for any reason have become vacant prior to the completion by the Nominating Committee of its regular annual session, the committee shall nominate two persons for the office of president, neither of whom shall be the incumbent president.
(3) But when the president-elect shall, in accordance with the provisions of Article IV, Section 3, have succeeded to the office of the president subsequent to the completion by the Nominating Committee of its regular annual session, the individual shall retain the prior status as the sole committee nominee for the office of president.
(4) The Nominating Committee, in making its annual mail ballot nominations as provided in Article VIII, Section 2, shall nominate two persons for the office of president-elect, and shall nominate two or more persons for each office of vice-president prospectively vacant, and for each prospective vacancy on the Council, on the Nominating Committee, on the Committee on Committees, and on the Divisional Committees.
(5) Whenever prospective vacancies of one year or more occur in the offices of elected Council members, vice-presidents, members of the Nominating Committee, members of the Committee on Committees, and members of the Divisional Committees, the Nominating Committee shall, at its regular annual session, nominate two or more candidates for the unexpired term of any such office.
11. Bylaws pursuant to Article VIII, Sections 2, 3, and 4:
(1) Annually the executive director shall publish a "Nominations Announcement" in the October newsletter, Perspectives. The announcement shall list all Association positions for which elections are to be held in the forthcoming calendar year, and shall invite all members of the Association to submit to the executive director on or before December 15 any recommendations for nominations thereto.
(2) Immediately after January 1, the executive director shall submit to the Nominating Committee a list of all Association positions for which nominations are forthcoming, together with any instructions the Council may have thereto, and a list of all suggested nominations submitted by Association members on or before the previous December 15.
(3) On or before March 1, the Nominating Committee shall submit to the executive director its nominations for all positions for which elections are forthcoming. Thereafter, the executive director shall cause such nominations to be published in the April newsletter, Perspectives, together with instructions to the Association membership for additional nominations by petition. Such instructions shall include a requirement that all nominations by petition shall be in the hands of the chairman of the Nominating Committee on or before July 1 (Council amendment, May 1984). All nominations must be accompanied by certification of the willingness of the nominee to serve if elected.
(4) On or before October 1, the chair of the Nominating Committee, or the executive director acting on the chair's instructions, shall distribute mail ballots to the membership, together with appropriate biographical material on all nominees. Such ballots shall identify as such all nominations submitted by the Nominating Committee and all nominations submitted by petition. Ballots shall be marked clearly with a "due date" of November 1, and no ballot received after that time shall be counted.
(5) The Nominating Committee, or the executive director acting on its instructions, shall thereafter count and record the election results in such manner as the Nominating Committee may prescribe. The chair of the Nominating Committee, or the executive director acting on the chair's instructions, shall notify all candidates forthwith of the results of the election, and the executive director shall prepare an announcement of such results for the forthcoming annual business meeting.
(6) In the event of a tie in the balloting for any office, the chair of the Nominating Committee, or the executive director acting on the chair's instructions, shall prepare ballots for the annual business meeting listing the tied candidates, and the Council shall make provision on the business meeting agenda for an election to decide between such candidates. The business meeting election, where necessary, shall be conducted by the chairman of the Nominating Committee or his delegate.
(7) All persons elected to Association office in the annual fall election shall assume office at the conclusion of the next annual business meeting.
12. Bylaw pursuant to Article XI: Bylaws established by Council may also be amended by resolution in the annual business meeting. Such bylaws resolutions shall be treated in the same manner as other resolutions according to Bylaw 9(4) of the Association, except that a two-thirds vote shall be required to effect any such amendment.
13. Bylaw pursuant to Article VII, section 5; Article VIII, sections 2-4; and Article X: Mail ballots authorized by the Constitution and Bylaws may be circulated by standard or electronic means.
Most recent change in constitution: January 2008Most recent change in bylaws: June 6, 2004 Last Updated: February 5, 2008 3:18 PM