Members Discussion Forum: AHA Constitution Changes
In the September issue of Perspectives we introduced a number of proposed changes in the constitution that Council approved at its June, 2007, meeting. An identical version of the proposed changes appeared here from October 1 through 15, with an invitation for comments from members.
The comments received from members pointed out a few editing and formatting errors, and others reflected a need for further information about the changes. Perhaps most significantly, a number of members expressed concerns about the petition required to place items before the business meeting. We should have noted that this requirement currently appears in the Association's by-laws, so this was not a new requirement. This was intended to enshrine the opportunity for petition in the constitution, while raising the threshold for petitions. Given the ease with which petitions can be circulated on the Internet, we initially thought it made sense to raise the bar a bit, from 25 members to one percent of the membership. In light of the concerns expressed about this provision and with Council's approval, the 1 percent requirement has now been deleted. So the requirement reverts back to 25 members described in the bylaws.
Article IV: Officers
Existing Text With Mark UpSection 1: The elected officers shall be: the president, the president-elect, the immediate past-president, and three vice-presidents. The appointed officers shall be: the executive director, Section 2: The president shall be elected for a one-year term. It shall be his or her duty to preside at meetings of the Council and at the business meeting and to formulate policies and projects for presentation to the Council to fulfill the chartered obligations and purposes of the Association. After his or her term the president shall become the immediate past-president for a one-year term. Section 3: The president-elect shall be elected for a one-year term. He or she shall be a member of the Council. If the office of president shall, through any cause, become vacant, the president-elect shall thereupon become president. Section 4: Section
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Proposed Revised TextSection 1: The elected officers shall be: the president, the president-elect, the immediate past-president, and three vice-presidents. The appointed officers shall be: the executive director, the editor of the American Historical Review, the controller, and such other officers as the Council considers necessary from time to time for the proper operation of the Association. Section 2: The president shall be elected for a one-year term. It shall be his or her duty to preside at meetings of the Council and at the business meeting and to formulate policies and projects for presentation to the Council to fulfill the chartered obligations and purposes of the Association. After his or her term the president shall become the immediate past-president for a one-year term. Section 3: The president-elect shall be elected for a one-year term. He or she shall be a member of the Council. If the office of president shall, through any cause, become vacant, the president-elect shall thereupon become president. Section 4: The vice-presidents shall be elected for staggered three-year terms. Each shall serve as a member of the Council and as chair of a division of the Council (as described in Article VI). It shall be the duty of each vice-president, under the direction of the Council and with the assistance of the executive director, to formulate policies and projects for submission to the Council on behalf of his or her respective Division. Section 5: The executive director shall be the chief administrative officer of the Association. It shall be his or her duty, under the direction of the Council, to oversee the affairs of the Association, to have responsibility for the continuing operations of the Association, to supervise the work of its committees, to assist in the formulation of policies and projects for submission to the Council, to execute instructions of the Council, and to perform such other duties as the Council may direct. Section 6: The appointed officers shall be designated by the Council for specified terms of office not to exceed five years and shall be eligible for reappointment. They shall receive such compensation as the Council may determine. |
Explanatory NotesSection 1 and 5: The one substantive change in this section is the deletion of the deputy executive director as a Council appointed position. |
AHA Member's Comments on Article IV: Officers |
4 members have commented |
Art. IV. Should AHA Allow Open-Ended Appointed Officers?
As I read them, proposed Art. IV, Secs. 1 and 6 would allow the Council to create, at will, new appointed-officer positions, and then name persons that it wants at salaries that it designates, without oversight of AHA membership. While this may facilitate flexibility in a nationwide group with a large membership, it also invites uncontrolled enlargement of administrative staff at the cost of dues-paying members. This proposed change is too open-ended. I propose that the potential appointed-officer positions remain specifically listed in the AHA Constitution. If new positions really are needed, they can be added by the amendment process in which everyone knows the cost.
—Mr. Donald W. Rogers , Posted: November 12, 2007 2:18 PM
Section 1
For some reason the proposed changes to section 1 make me uneasy. Sounds like the Council can appoint ad hoc members at will. Am I misreading this? Is there any reason this would become necessary? If the Council wants to hear from additional members can they not just be invited to attend instead of be appointed?
—Ms. Kristin Bundesen , Posted: October 15, 2007 9:53 AM
Absent Executive Director
Is there any provision for which person or persons is/are responsible for assuming the duties of the Executive Director in the interim in the absence of an Executive Director due to death, illness, retirement or resignation?
—Mr. Joseph J. Ferreira Jr., Posted: October 15, 2007 9:00 AM
Article IV: Officers
I am a bit uneasy with the designation of "controller". Could we substitute this designation with something that sounds less technocratic and more academic or professional?
—Mr. Narasingha Prosad Sil , Posted: October 13, 2007 6:10 PM
The period for discussion is now past. However, additional revisions are being prepared, and will be posted for further commentary on or about October 19th.
Article I: Name
Article II: Purpose
Article III Membership 12 Comments | Last Comment Posted: 2:59 PM Nov 02, 2007
Article IV: Officers 4 Comments | Last Comment Posted: 2:18 PM Nov 12, 2007
Article V: Council 3 Comments | Last Comment Posted: 2:13 PM Nov 01, 2007
Article VI: Divisions 4 Comments | Last Comment Posted: 4:17 PM Nov 08, 2007
Article VII: Business Meeting 4 Comments | Last Comment Posted: 1:24 PM Oct 15, 2007
Article VIII: Committees 2 Comments | Last Comment Posted: 12:43 PM Oct 14, 2007
Article IX: Elections 7 Comments | Last Comment Posted: 9:40 PM Nov 06, 2007
Article X: Amendments 3 Comments | Last Comment Posted: 7:06 PM Nov 01, 2007
Article XI: Bylaws
Article XII: Interim Procedures
