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DUTIES OF THE EXECUTIVE NCPSA COUNCIL

I. THE PRESIDENT
The President has a one-year term.

The President presides at all business meetings of the Association and the Executive Council. Typically, there is a fall meeting of the council in late August or early September, a winter meeting in January, and a spring meeting on the morning of the first day of the Association’s annual meeting.

The President represents the Association in all functions and activities. (In recent years the SPSA at its annual meeting has been hosting a breakfast for state association presidents.)

The President appoints members to all Association committees. The President selects the members of the Nominating Committee to recommend a slate of officers for the Association for the upcoming year. The committee is often made up of past Association presidents and generally has three members. The immediate past President of the Association has generally been a member of this committee and often chairs it. The President also selects a committee for judging the undergraduate student paper competition. The committee has typically had three members. The President may wish to appoint additional committees to explore ways to better achieve the purposes of the Association.

The President has the authority to name a member to fill a vacancy on the Executive Council. The person appointed will serve until the next annual meeting at which an election of new officers takes place.

The President may call special meetings of the Association with the approval of a majority of the Executive Council. The President will call a special meeting within 30 days if requested by a majority of the Executive Council or by written request of one-fourth of the voting membership of the Association.

The President will need to coordinate the activities of the program chair, the secretary, the treasurer, and the representative of the school hosting the annual meeting. Traditionally, at the annual meeting’s banquet, the President in concluding the banquet presents a gavel to the President-Elect, signifying the transition. The President is responsible for purchasing a gavel and having it inscribed.

The President will recommend a candidate to receive the annual Public Service Award. The President will select two at-large council members to aid in the determination of an award recipient.

CALENDAR OF PRESIDENT’S DUTIES

Summer

  • Schedule Fall Executive Council Meeting.
  • Select date for meeting (usually held in September).
  • Discuss annual meeting program ideas.
  • Appoint committee on undergraduate research competition.
  • Appoint other committees.
  • Notify for publication of list of officers and dates of annual meeting.
  • Notify for publication of list of officers and dates of annual meeting.

    November

  • Schedule Winter Executive Council Meeting.
  • Select date for meeting (usually held in January).
  • Discuss progress on program, banquet speaker.
  • Discuss local arrangements for meeting (hotel, meals, banquet,etc).
  • Organize membership recruitment program to include individuals and institutions.
  • Identify candidate for Public Service Award with the help of at-large members.
  • Confirm date of annual meeting.

    February

  • Confirm the schedule of the annual meeting and Spring Executive Council meeting.
  • Confirm date for Spring Executive Council Mtg. (usually held in March or April)
  • Prepare and distribute agenda for meeting.

    March

  • Get selections of undergraduate paper competition, checks, and certificates, invite recipients to banquet.
  • Write to recipients of awards—students and faculty.
  • Get Nominations Committee report.
  • Write thanks to committee members.
  • Write officers to thank for service.
  • Get gavel for upcoming President (have inscribed).
  • Check with officers on arrangements for meeting.
  • Prepare agenda for Annual Business Meeting.
  • Recommend and agree upon a Public Service award recipient.
  • Annual Conference
  • Preside at Council Meeting.
  • Preside at Business Meeting.
  • Preside at Banquet.

    After Meeting

  • Write Mrs. Oral Parks about contribution to Association.
  • Transfer appropriate materials to the Association archives at Appalachian State University.

    Throughout the year

  • Be in touch with other officers to provide assistance and direction as needed.
  • Keep aware of developments at Politics & Policy, as they impact on the Association’s Budget.

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    II. PRESIDENT ELECT
    Serves as a member of the Executive Council and participates in the Council’s deliberations.

    The President Elect becomes the Association’s President upon completion of the President’s one year term. The President Elect has no other formal responsibilities. Indeed, in the event of the President’s absence or resignation, the Association’s Vice President is to assume the duties of the President until such time as the President Elect takes office.

    The President may ask the President Elect to perform a task or assignment for the Association.

    The President Elect, with the aid of select volunteers, is responsible for determining the best paper presented at the annual meeting for the Oral Parks Memorial Award.

    The President Elect has the task of establishing contact with a prospective speaker for the Annual banquet. The President Elect will need to determine issues of honorarium, lodging and travel expenses, etc.. The Executive Council will give guidance to the President Elect on prospective speakers. The earlier contact can be established with the prospective speaker, the more likely the first person designated as a prospective speaker by the Executive Council will be able to come.

    Suggested Activities

  • Work on membership recruitment.
  • Select Faculty Conference Paper Award Recipient.
  • Assist the Vice President in arranging program for annual meeting.
  • Select speaker for banquet.

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    III. THE VICE PRESIDENT
    The Vice President has a term of one year and is eligible for re-election.

    The Vice President is a member of the Executive Council, and in the event of absence or resignation of the President, assumes the duties of the President until such time as the President Elect takes office.

    The key job of the Vice President is to serve as the Chair of the Program Committee.

    At the Executive Council’s fall meeting, the Vice President can share with the Council members his or her early and tentative thinking about the program and, in turn, receive valuable suggestions and recommendations from Council members regarding theme, panels, and banquet speakers. The immediate past program chair is a valuable reference source. A call for papers should be distributed to Association members after the fall Council meeting. The call shall be printed in the fall newsletter. The panels will be nearly in place by the Council’s winter meeting. The program shall be available for inclusion in the Spring Newsletter, along with registration and banquet cost, and motel accommodations. The program chair will need to work closely with the representative of the school hosting the annual meeting.

    CALENDAR OF VICE PRESIDENT’S DUTIES

    Within the first 2 or 3 weeks after the annual meeting
    Send out a questionnaire to all of those who attended the meeting asking for suggestions for the program for the next annual meeting. These suggestions would cover titles for panels, round-tables, names of persons who might serve as chairs (including the respondents to the questionnaire), memberships of panels, round-tables and other events. One might note special events such as student legislatures, mock trials, students in a simulation of a meeting of the Security Council of the United Nations, and other student activities as possible meeting panels.

    Summer
    Generally, summer is a time when faculty are away from the campus. Some planning for the next program, however, can be conducted. Returns from the questionnaire should enable the Vice President to determine nearly all events, along with a considerable number of chairs of the events for the upcoming meeting. Having this preliminary program will enable the Vice President to approach the planning for the program in the fall with considerable confidence.

    The Vice President will wish to consult PS and other sources to establish a prospective date for the next annual meeting which will conflict with as few as possible of the meeting dates of other organizations attracting political scientists. The meeting date must be determined with agreement of the host institution representative.

    September to November
    In this period, the Vice President will decide upon the main features and details of the program. These would include titles of events and chairs. It is suggested that chairs select the memberships of their events. There is no reason, of course, why the Vice President could not suggest prospective members to the chairs.

    The secretary of the NCPSA will need to know the tentative program for the next annual meeting so that he or she can publish it in the fall newsletter. Along with the tentative program the Vice President will no doubt wish to issue an invitation to all members to participate in the program. It is suggested that prospective members contact the already designated chairs or the Vice President regarding participation. The fall newsletter is usually published about the middle of November.

    At its September meeting, the Executive Council usually determines the tentative date for the Spring annual meeting. The Vice President must make a survey of Spring meeting dates in order to arrive at an array of dates from which the Executive Council may choose. The host institution is instrumental in this decision as well.

    In the Fall and Winter, the Vice President will wish to be in consultation with the person in charge of local arrangements for the annual meeting in order to make room assignments for all of the events. The Vice President will also wish to arrive at a schedule of events. The program will usually have two sessions of events on Friday afternoon and two sessions of events on Saturday morning. A banquet will occur on Friday evening after the business meeting.

    January
    The Secretary of the NCPSA will need final details of the program for publication in the Spring Newsletter. It is usually published around the end of January or in early February (or just after the winter executive council meeting.)

    Arrangements with printer. All information should be ready for printing the program about the middle of February. Discussion will be necessary with a printer as to details of printing, along with arriving at the costs of printing.

    Miscellaneous Details Of The Program

  • The Vice President should designate a time for the meeting of the Executive Council. This meeting is usually at ten a.m. on Friday.
  • A time should be set for the annual business meeting of the Association. This is usually from five p.m. to six p.m. on Friday.
  • The Vice President will need to consult with the person in charge of local arrangements to designate time and place of the banquet and social hour.
  • The Vice President is responsible for the design of the program. It should include current executive council names and institutions as well as a list of past Association Presidents and dates.

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    IV. THE TREASURER
    The Treasurer has a term of one year and is eligible for re-election.

    The Treasurer:

  • Is a member of the Executive Council.
  • Keeps record of the names, addresses, and such data pertaining to membership.
  • Keeps record of all monies received, deposited, and disbursed in the name of the Association. A Treasurer’s report is made at the meetings of the Executive Council and the annual business meeting.
  • Endorses orders drawn on the funds of the Association.
  • Collects membership dues, registration fees, and banquet fees at the annual meeting. The host school will generally provide student assistants to aid in the registration process.
  • Attempts to attract members not attending the annual meeting to renew membership.

    CALENDAR FOR TREASURER’S DUTIES

    September

  • Send institutional membership billing and invitations to all department chairs of Political Science Departments in North Carolina.

    September/October

  • Send check for subsidy to Politics and POlicy.
  • Fall Executive Council Meeting
  • Prepare and present report on current finances.

    Spring, Spring Executive Council Meeting

  • Prepare and present a report on finances since Fall Executive Council Meeting.

    Spring Annual Meeting

  • Collect Registration, Banquet, and Membership fees for next fiscal year.
  • Pay bills for meeting, including preparation of checks before meeting for paper awards and banquet speaker.
  • Prepare and present report of finances since last annual meeting.

    Immediately after Spring Meeting

  • Send list of names and addresses of all paid members for next fiscal year to Politics & Policy along with check to cover subscriptions @ $10 per member.
  • Get signature card for bank checking account (Treasurer, President) to be signed by Treasurer.

    Miscellaneous Details for the Year

  • Balance checkbook each month after bank statement arrives.
  • Receive membership dues from those who did not pay at the annual meeting and acknowledgment with receipt.
  • Send $10 along with name and address of new members of Politics and POlicy for subscription to journal.
  • Pay bills submitted by other officers.

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    V. THE SECRETARY
    The Secretary has a term of one year and is eligible for re-election. The Secretary:

    Is a member of the Executive Council.

    Records and sends to all executive council members the minutes of the Executive Council meetings, the Annual Meeting’s business session and any special meetings.

    In addition to recording the minutes, the Secretary’s major responsibility is preparing two newsletters for the Association’s members. The newsletters are usually issued in the fall (late October to early November) and spring (early to mid-March). The newsletters contain information about the activities of the Association, its members, and the annual meeting. The Secretary sends out a request for information about departments and members to departmental chairs several weeks before the planned publication date of the newsletter.

    CALENDAR FOR SECRETARY’S DUTIES

    Fall

  • Attend Executive Council Meeting, take minutes.
  • Contact Department heads and faculty for information about department programs to be published in the newsletter.
  • Newsletter mailed in October.

    Winter

  • Attend Winter Executive Council Meeting.
  • Get information about program and Department news.
  • Newsletter: Late January or early to mid-February.

    Miscellaneous Details for the Year

    Maintain and update mailing list.

    The responsibilities begin at the business meeting and at the annual meeting. The new secretary should take the minutes of the business meeting and present them for approval at the fall meeting of the Executive Council.

    The secretary is expected to attend all Executive Council meetings, take minutes and present them for adoption at the upcoming Council meeting.

    The secretary writes and distributes the fall and spring newsletters. The fall newsletter should be mailed in October and include a brief discussion of the annual meeting along with news from numerous Political Science Departments in the state. Collecting departmental news requires the secretary to contact departmental chairs and request that they send information about their faculty and programs. The spring newsletter is primarily a detailed outline of the program for the annual meeting. The timing for mailing the spring newsletter depends upon when the annual meeting will be held. Generally, the spring newsletter should be mailed by late January or early to mid-February.

    Since the secretary is responsible for distributing the newsletter, he or she keeps the mailing list for the Association. The secretary should update the mailing list periodically.

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    VI. THE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL

    The President, President Elect, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, three executive committee persons ( the three members-at-large), and the Association’s representative to the Editorial Board of Politics & Policy constitute the Executive Council of the Association.

    The three executive committee persons (the members-at-large) serve staggered three year terms. One member is elected each year.

    A majority of the Executive Council shall constitute a quorum and a majority of those present at a council meeting, provided a quorum is present, can transact the business of the Association as directed by the members.

    At the annual meeting of the Association, the Executive Council shall hold a business session and receive reports from the officers of the Association. The Council will hold fall and winter meetings. A majority of the Council may have the President call a special meeting within 30 days.

    The Council may:

  • Recommend dues to the annual or special meetings.
  • Create additional committees of the Association.
  • Propose by-laws or amendments to by-laws by majority vote for adoption by a majority vote of the Association’s members present and voting at the annual meeting.

    The Council must approve by majority vote a call by the President for special meetings.

    VII. IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT
    Serves as a member and often the Chair of the Nominating Committee named by the President to recommend a slate of officers for the Association for the upcoming year. The Nominating Committee is formed and begins its work after the winter meeting of the Executive Council and completes its work before the Executive Council’s spring meeting.

    Provides advice and counsel to the President and Executive Council.

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