ACHA Constitution and Bylaws

As approved by the Executive Council on Thursday, January 6, 2012, at its meeting held in Chicago, and approved by the General Membership attending the 2012 Annual Conference on Friday, January 7, 2012, the ACHA Constitution and By-laws have been amended.  The nominating process, terms of office, and election procedures as well as other organizational changes were clarified, defined, or initiated with these revisions. These are the first changes to the ACHA Constitution since 2008.

The name of this organization shall be the American Catholic Historical Association, hereafter referred to as the Association.

Article II:  Purpose

The purpose of this Association shall be to promote study and research of the history of Catholicism broadly conceived and to encourage professional and personal contacts among students of this history.

Article III: Membership

III.1 Any person involved or interested in the study and research of the history of Catholicism may become a member.

III.2  Prospective members shall make application to the Secretary. The Executive Council may designate various levels of membership as described in the Bylaws.

III.3 Each dues-paying member shall be entitled to receive a copy of the Catholic Historical Review.

Article IV: Officers and Executive Council

IV.1 The Officers of the Association shall be a President, a Vice-President, an Executive Secretary, and a Treasurer. The Executive Secretary and Treasurer may, at the discretion of the Executive Council, be combined into one position.

IV. 2.1 There shall be constituted an Executive Council of this Association.

IV. 2.2 The Executive Council shall consist of the officers of the Association, six at-large members as provided for in Section 3 of Article 5, the immediate past president (for one year only), and the editor of The Catholic Historical Review (ex officio), with voice but not vote. Past presidents of the Association shall be consulting members of the Executive Council with voice but not vote. The President may invite the chairs of standing committees to attend meetings of the Executive Council with voice but not vote.

IV.2.3 The Executive Council shall be vested with the management of the Association. It shall be charged with pursuing the purpose of the Association, furthering its general interests by the exercise of powers granted in this Constitution and according to the duties stipulated in the accompanying bylaws.  Six members of the Council shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business.

IV.2.4 The property of the Association shall be vested in the Executive Council, which will be responsible for conducting the business and legal affairs of the Association. The Executive Council may not bind the Association to an obligation in excess of its current net assets.

IV.2.5 Should the President be unable to perform his duties, the Vice-President shall succeed to that office. A vacancy in the office of the Secretary or Treasurer shall be filled by the Executive Council for the remainder of the year in which the vacancy occurs. If more than three vacancies on the Executive Council occur in any one year, the Council may fill such vacancies for the remainder of the year.

IV.2.6 The Executive Council sets the policies governing the investment portfolio of the Association, with the advice of the Finance Committee, and oversees the office of Treasurer.

IV.2.7 The Executive Council accepts or declines invitations from institutions offering to sponsor spring meetings.

IV.2.8 A summary of the meetings of the Executive Council will be published in the

Catholic Historical Review.

Article V: Elections

V.1 Active members alone will be eligible to vote and to hold office. Election to an office shall be by a simple majority of the members choosing to vote.

V.2 The President serves for only one year. The Vice-President shall be elected annually by the members of the Association.  He or she serves a term of one year and automatically succeeds to the Presidency after that one year.  One can be elected to the Presidency only once. The current past president shall serve on the Executive Council for one year only.

V.3 Two of the six at-large members of the Executive Council shall be elected each year for a term of three years by members of the Association. An at-large member shall be eligible to be elected an officer of the Association. An at-large member who has served a full term of three years shall be eligible for re-election only after one year has elapsed. An at-large member elected to complete an unexpired term may be re-elected to a full term immediately if serving less than a majority of the unexpired term.

V.4 Elections shall be held no earlier than one hundred and twenty days before the annual meeting and no later than ninety days.  Results shall be certified by the Elections Board within one week of the conclusion of balloting.

V.5 The presidential  and vice presidential terms end at the conclusion of the annual Executive Council meeting.  Members of the Executive Council take office one week after election results are announced and certified by the Elections Board and the Executive Secretary of the Association.  Committee assignments terminate at the conclusion of the annual meeting.

V.6 The Executive Secretary and the Treasurer of the Association shall be elected by the Executive Council for renewable terms of three years.

Article VI: Meetings

VI.1 The Association shall meet at least once annually for scholarly exchange and business at a time and place determined by the Executive Council. Normally, the annual meeting will be held in conjunction with the annual meeting of the American Historical Association.

VI.2 An electronic version of the Annual Conference Program will be posted on the ACHA web site and made available to all members once the Program Committee has approved and finalized all proposals and panels.

VI.3 The Executive Council shall meet at least once each year, usually at the annual meeting of the Association. It may meet at other times of the year as it or the President determines necessary.

VI.4 There shall be a business meeting of the Association at the annual meeting at which the reports of the Executive Council, the Elections Board, other committees, and the Secretary-Treasurer are given to the membership. At the business meeting of the Association the active members present will constitute a quorum.  The membership may raise issues from the floor.

VI.5. There shall normally be a Spring Meeting of the Association at a host institution.

(See Bylaws, Article III.)

Article VII: Committees

VII.1 The President shall have the power to appoint committees as the general welfare of the Association demands. These committees shall be at all times responsible to the Executive Council.

VII.2 Elections Board.  There shall be an Elections Board comprised of five members: a Convener and four Elections Officials (EO), who shall oversee the nomination and election process of all elected offices as prescribed in the Constitution and Bylaws.

Officers of the Election Board.  The Convener of the Elections Board (EBC) is elected by the general membership for a three-year term and serves as chair at the Elections Board meetings.  By virtue of office, the vice president and the secretary of the ACHA are Elections Officials.  The two remaining EO positions will be filled by a second-year and third-year member of the Executive Council (EC), serving a two-year and one-year term, respectively.  The EC members will be appointed by the president in consultation with the voting members of the Elections Board.

The President shall appoint the first Convener to serve a three-year term.  Upon completion of that individual’s term in office, the regular election process will be followed (i.e., the Convener will be elected by the general membership of the Association).  Former members of the Nominating Committee are not eligible to run for this office.

VII.3 The President shall appoint a Finance Committee consisting of three members for staggered terms of three years each. With the assistance of the Finance Committee, the Treasurer shall present an annual report to the Executive Council and to the membership at large in the annual business meeting and publish it in the Association’s journal.

Article VIII: Publications

VIII.1 The Catholic Historical Review is the official organ of the Association.

VIII.2 The Association may publish books or pamphlets as determined by the Executive Council.

Article IX: Dissolution

Upon dissolution of the corporation, the Executive Council shall, after paying or making provision for the payment of all of the liabilities of the corporation, dispose of all the assets of the corporation exclusively for the purposes of the corporation in such manner, or to such organization or organizations organized and operated exclusively for charitable, educational, religious, or scientific purposes as shall at the time qualify as an exempt organization or organizations under Section 501 (c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954 (or the corresponding provision of any future United States Revenue Law), as the Executive Council shall determine.  Any such assets not so disposed of shall be disposed of by the Superior Court of the District of Columbia,  exclusively for such purposes or to such organization or organizations, as such court shall determine, which are organized and operated exclusively for such purposes.  (Passed unanimously at the business meeting of the Association in New York on December 28, 1985)

Article X: Amendments

This Constitution may be amended by a two-thirds vote at any regular business meeting, provided that the proposed amendment has been approved by the Executive Council and distributed to the membership.

Bylaws

Article I: Duties of Officers

I.1 President.  Duties of the President shall include but not be limited to the following:

a. preside at meetings of the Association and of the Executive Council

b. appoint the chair of the program committee for the annual meeting for the year following his term

c. appoint special committees as needed

d. represent the Association faithfully

e. give the Presidential Address at the annual meeting

f. serve on the Executive Council for one year after serving as President

g. work directly with the Executive Secretary in matters related to the Association

h. make a report at the annual meeting of the activities of the Executive Council..

I.2 Vice-President.  Duties of the Vice-President shall include but not be limited to the following:

a. preside in the absence of the President at meetings of the Association and of the

Executive Council

b. preside at the session of the annual meeting at which the Presidential Address is delivered

c. in the absence of the President, work directly with the Executive Secretary in matters related to the Association.

I.4 Executive Secretary.  Duties of the Executive Secretary include but need not be

limited to the following:

a. in consultation with the President prepare the agenda for the meetings of the Executive Council and the Business Meeting, and keeps the minutes

b. oversee the maintenance of the membership records and welcome new members by signing their certificates of membership

c. determine the times for sending notices and reminders of dues payments

d. maintain contact with the President and Vice-President and assist in any initiatives that the President or Executive Council may undertake

e. recommend to the President members who can be appointed to the prize committees and delegates to functions at which the Association is invited to be represented

f. receive from the chairman of the Committee on the Program the data for the annual meeting, arranges the data in proper form for submission to the convention manager of the American Historical Association, and request room space for all the functions.

g. prepare the program of the annual meeting for posting on the Association’s website; prepare other materials to be posted with the program; and oversee the posting of the slate of candidates for office, which he receives from the Convener of the Elections Board.

h. make arrangements for the social hour and presidential luncheon with the catering office of the hotel where the annual meeting will be held

i. obtain from the convention manager of the AHA the assignment of a suitable location for the registration desk at the annual meeting and oversee its functioning.

j. receive the decisions of the committees on the book, dissertation, and articles prizes, notify the winning authors and other applicants, and write and distribute news releases.

k. edit the reports of the committee chairs for publication in the CHR

l. prepare an annual report for presentation at the annual business meeting and for publication in the CHR

m. transmit to the editor of the CHR notices regarding activities of the Association , news about its members, and obituaries of deceased members

n. manage and oversee the Association’s website

o. keep current the Association’s listing in various directories and guides to grants and prizes

p. encourage institutions to sponsor Spring Meetings of the Association, and support the work of the organizing committee

I.5. Treasurer. Duties of the Treasurer include but need not be limited to the following:

a. keep the financial records of the Association, receiving and depositing dues and other income and disbursing funds as directed by the Executive Council

b. serve on the Finance Committee of the Association

c. maintain contact with the client advisor of the Association’s brokerage firm and authorize the purchase and sale of securities according to policies formulated by the Finance Committee and ultimately the Executive Council

d. present, with the assistance of the chairman of the Finance Committee, an annual report with a provisional budget to the Executive Council and to the membership at large in the annual business meeting.

e. make the financial records of the Association available for an annual audit or review as determined by the Executive Council.

f. under the direction of the Executive Council establish and oversee the internal financial procedures of the Association in accord with best financial practices

g. collect and record contributions for the expansion of the Catholic Historical Review, notify the editor of the amount available for each issue, pay the invoices from the publisher, the Catholic University of America Press, and thank the donors

Article 2: Committees

2.1 Elections Board (see Constitutions, VII. 2). Conducting Elections.  Beginning no later than April of each year, the Convener of the Elections Board and the Elections Officials will begin the process of identifying potential candidates for all elected ACHA offices.  Ideally candidates should be drawn from ACHA members in good standing; active members may propose candidates to the Elections Board.  Once identified, the potential nominee is to be contacted, asking if he/she is willing to run for office. At that time, the potential candidate must be informed of the duties and responsibilities of office.

By June 15th, a slate of candidates should be sent to the full Executive Council for final approval. Upon acceptance, the candidates’ names are then sent to the Convener, who will contact the nominees, requesting a vision statement, c.v., and current photograph. If the statement and c.v. are not provided in a timely fashion, the EBC may, in consultation with fellow board members, replace the candidate.

In mid-August, the Convener of the Elections Board will provide the ACHA webmaster with the list of candidates for office, their vision statements, and their c.v.’s. This information should be posted on the ACHA web site the last week in August. The general membership should be informed of this development.

After Labor Day, the EBC will ensure that the general membership is contacted regarding the election process.

On-line voting will begin no later than September 15th and conclude fourteen days later.

For those requesting paper ballots, the EBC will ensure that that material is sent out by the first week in September. Return ballots must be post-marked by September 22nd.

Officers of the Elections Board will certify the returns within one week after the ballots have been tallied. A certification message should be sent to the EC immediately, and the EBC will notify the candidates of the results.

2.2 Finance Committee (see Constitutions VII, 3)

2.3 Program Committee.  The Program Committee shall have at least five members.

2.4 Membership Committee. There shall be a Membership Committee of at least three members responsible for increasing the membership of the Association

2.5. Electronic Media Committee.  There shall be an Electronic Media Committee of at least three members responsible for the oversight of the Association’s website and its presence on the Internet. The Secretary chairs this committee.

2.6 Awards Committees. There shall be Awards Committees for the following awards.  Each shall be constituted of three members appointed for staggered terms of three years.

John Gilmary Shea Prize

Howard R. Marraro Prize

John Tracy Ellis Dissertation Award

Peter Guilday Prize (consisting of the editor and associate editor of the Catholic Historical Review)

2.7 Committee on Corresponding Fellows. This committee is to be composed of three former presidents.

Article 3: Spring Meetings

3.1 A meeting will normally be held in March or April of each year at an institution willing to sponsor it.

3.2 The sponsoring institution chooses the chairman and other members of the organizing committee.

3.3 The sponsoring institution assumes full financial responsibility for the meeting; it sets the registration and other fees; it forwards to the Treasurer of the Association any surplus that it may realize.

Article 4: Corresponding Fellows

4.1 The Corresponding Fellows shall be nominated by the Committee on Corresponding Fellows and appointed by the Executive Council.

4.2 The Corresponding Fellows shall serve at the pleasure of the Executive Council.

4.3 There shall be seven Corresponding Fellows representing different foreign countries (excluding Canada) and different periods or fields of history.

4.4 The Corresponding Fellows shall supply information regarding new historical undertakings in their countries that may be of interest to members of the Association

4.5 The Corresponding Fellows shall receive gratis a subscription to the Catholic Historical Review and other mailings to the members.

Article 5: Seat of the Association. The headquarters of the Association are located at Fordham University, Bronx, New York.

Article 6: Amendments

1. These Bylaws may be amended by the Executive Council at any regular meeting of the Council.