I. The Executive Office and the Board of Directors
I. A. Executive Office
Relationship to Institution Hosting the Executive Office
The Society negotiates a contract with the institution hosting the Executive Office. (Currently, the host institution is the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.) By negotiating an annually renewed contract like those written with granting agencies and foundations, the funds of the Society may be channeled through the University’s financial structure. The Society’s operations may then be recognized by the larger community as a part of the operation of the host educational institution. At most universities such contracts contain provisions for fringe benefits and overhead. Fringe benefits provided to the persons who work for the Society are the same as those provided to other employees of similar status in the host institution. From the standpoint of the federal and state governments, the Society has no employees. The Society contracts with the host institution for the purpose of securing time and talent of employees of the host institution to manage the affairs of the Society. The provision of fringe benefits in this fashion saves the Society from having to deal with negotiating separate contracts with health insurance providers, pension providers and related fringe benefits. In addition, since the employees are paid through the host institution, the Society does not have to keep financial records on Social Security payments or withhold federal income tax. The host institution does this when it pays the employee. Under the current contract, the Society provides a half-time, 12-month assistantship to the host institution at a rate set annually by the Board of Directors (currently $19,000.) The host institution provides a tuition and fee waiver for the student receiving the assistantship. The Executive Officer and the Administrative Officer interview interested candidates from among those students in good standing with the graduate school at the host institution. The selection is made from among those interviewed.
Overhead is a negotiable item given the non-profit nature of the Society. The current contract waives overhead costs, currently 24%. The University provides us with operation space, a tuition waiver for the Graduate Research Associate, and utilities without charge. As a further incentive for bringing the Society to the host institution, the host institution agreed to provide office furniture and a laser printer when the Office moved to its current location.
This type of contractual arrangement with a larger host institution makes it possible for the Society to benefit from services provided to academic departments such as service contracts on equipment and access to mainframe computer facilities. Charges to the Society are comparable to charges made to the host academic unit (currently, the Department of Sociology). Sharing facilities can benefit both the host academic unit and the Society. Copying materials costs less since the Society does not have to maintain its own copy machine, but purchases copies from the Department of Sociology. The purchase of equipment and supplies are sometimes made through the University at substantial savings.
Administrative Officer
The Administrative Officer is the only full time employee of the Society through the host institution. The Administrative Officer is responsible for the day to day oversight of the work of the Graduate Research Associate and interacts directly with the officers, committee members, and the division chairs. Since 1993, the Administrative Officer has contracted with the Society to act as the Meeting Manager. The Administrative Officer keeps the financial records of the Society according to instructions of the Budget, Finance, and Audit Committee, the auditors of the Society’s books, and the Executive Officer. The Administrative Officer maintains records on the current activities of the Society, and sends historical material (records more than 5 years) to the Society’s archive in Special Collections at Brooklyn College. The Administrative Officer orders supplies and sees to the maintenance of the office equipment used by the staff of the Executive Office. The Administrative Officer provides administrative support to the Executive Officer. If a separate Meeting Manager is employed, the Administrative Officer will serve as the key coordination point between activities of the Executive Office and the Meeting Manager in preparing for the meeting.
Membership Matters
The Executive Office is responsible for maintaining current membership records gathered from the initial membership application or renewal forms. The current data base contains: membership year, record type, ID number, name, address, region, country, special problems division memberships, dues category, home, mobile, fax, and work phone number, email address, ethnicity, gender, type of affiliation, brochures requested, distribution, contributions to various awards/funds, dues amount, extra division fee, mail fee, willingness to serve on various committees, method of payment, total payment, payment date, and the date created.
The Executive Office is responsible for contacting last year members and urging them to renew their membership. In October, the first renewal is sent via email to all last year members. After three weeks, a renewal form is mailed to those who have not renewed. A duplicating business form is used so that the member can keep a record of their renewal. Contributions to various funds, brochure requests, and committee membership can be designated on the form. The Executive Office sends additional renewal notices in January and May. The membership renewal notices include a letter from the President.
In addition to membership renewal, the Executive Office works with the Membership Committee and the publisher of Social Problems to promote membership in the Society. The main tool for membership promotion is the membership brochure. The brochure design and contents are completed by the Executive Office in cooperation with the publisher of Social Problems and the Membership Committee Chair. The distribution of brochures to potential members has been accomplished in a variety of ways. These include: direct mail with a cover letter signed by the Membership Committee Chair or President to membership lists purchased from other professional associations, lists exchanged with other organizations, or lists provided by members. Brochures are available upon request for members to distribute at other social science organizations annual meetings. This method has occurred most frequently with regional societies. Brochures have been mailed to Departments that have graduate degree programs in Sociology and to all members with a request that they pass them onto a potential member. Direct contact between a member and a potential member has been shown to be most effective in securing new members.
In 2008, the Executive Office designed a promotional flyer. The flyer is used to promote the Society at other social science organizations annual meeting and upon request by members.
The Executive Office emails our mailing list to the press that publishes Social Problems shortly before each issue is distributed. This allows the Executive Office to control who gets the journal as directed in the bylaws. Persons who have not renewed their membership for the current year remain voting members with all rights, except the receipt of Social Problems, until the Annual Meeting. They may receive the first issue of the current volume year only, and then they are removed from eligibility until dues for the current year are paid. New members begin receiving the current volume year at the time of application.
We receive a number of requests for our membership list from publishers of books and journals. Unless the member has requested that their name not be distributed, we provide our mailing list to the firm for a fee, on a one-time use basis.
The Executive Office maintains the Membership Directory. Only current members and members in the immediate past year can access the Directory from the Society’s web site. Each member has their own password to access the Directory and can make changes directly to his or her listing. The Directory includes: the name, mailing address, division memberships, home, fax, and office telephone numbers and email addresses.
Every year, following the Annual Meeting, the Executive Office produces a roster of Officers, Committees, and Division Chairpersons. The roster is distributed to those listed in it and to other members upon request. The roster is a valuable tool for working with the core leadership of the Society.
Mailings
The following mailings are processed by the Executive Office: division elections, Social Problems Forum: The SSSP Newsletter, the Society-wide election, special mailings requested by the President or Board of Directors, the Call for Papers, the student paper competition flyer, pre-registration materials for program participants, and the preliminary program for the Annual Meeting.
The Society uses the bulk mailing permit of the current printer. Bulk mailings cannot be used for foreign addresses. This increased cost is reflected in the mailing fee charged to members outside of the U.S.
Financial Matters
The financial records of the organization are kept by the Administrative Officer, and reviewed by the Executive Officer monthly, by the Budget, Finance, and Audit Committee and the Board of Directors quarterly. An annual audit of the financial records is conducted by an independent accounting firm in April. The accounting firm prepares the tax returns and advises us as to changes in tax laws pertaining to our operation. The audit is completed so that the results may be reviewed with the auditor by the Budget, Finance, and Audit Committee during its annual spring meeting. Fees for the accounting services as well as maintenance of the accounting software are included in the annual budget for the Executive Office.
The financial year of the Society runs from January 1 to December 31. The books for the preceding year are closed by March 1 of the current year. The Society uses the accrual accounting method and Open Systems accounting software to maintain the records of income and expenditures. The Society’s budget operates with accounts set to correspond to the major functions of the organization. Subdivisions within these major categories are added as needed in consultation with the accounting firm and the Budget, Finance, and Audit Committee. Major sources of income are: Membership Dues, Journal and Publications, Annual Meeting, Contributions, Investment Income, and Other Income. Major expenditures are: Executive Office, Journal and Publications, Annual Meeting, Committees, Special Problems Divisions, Board Governance, Investment Gains and Losses, and Board Restricted Expenses.
Investment decisions of the Society’s reserves are made and executed by the Executive Officer. The convention has been for the Executive Officer to consult with the Treasurer and the Budget, Finance, and Audit Committee Chair before making short-term investments. Long-term investment decisions are made by the Budget, Finance, and Audit Committee and held directly by the Society. All investment decisions are subject to review and are guided by a stated investment policy adopted by the Board of Directors.
The Society is incorporated as a non-profit corporation in the state of Indiana and reports annually to that state office. Accordingly, the Executive Office must file forms each year with the appropriate state agencies in Indiana, reporting on the activity of the corporation. The Society is recognized by the U.S. Government as a non-profit corporation and has 501 c 3 status with the Internal Revenue Service. Appropriate tax forms detailing the financial activities of the Society must be filed each year. The accounting firm conducting the annual audit prepares these forms as well as those required by the state of Indiana. The Society is also exempt from sales tax in the state of Tennessee.
Processing Checks and Credit Card Transactions
The Graduate Research Associate opens the mail, codes each check, photocopies the checks, and prepares the deposit slip. The Administrative Officer verifies the coding of each check and prepares a spreadsheet containing the name, check #, amount of check, and breakdown of each item. The Executive Officer makes the deposit. The Executive Officer documents who prepared the deposit, date of the deposit, and name of the bank teller making the deposit.
The Graduate Research Associate processes credit cards received via USPS. Online credit card transactions are processed through Authorize.net. Authorize.net closes and settles each batch daily. The Administrative Officer verifies each transaction and prepares a spreadsheet containing the name, credit card type, transaction amount and breakdown of each item.
The Society’s Disaster Recovery Plan Specific to the Accounting Functions
The current accounting programs are in the same version as the Society’s. As a result, only the data required physically copying to the recovery system. The existing data was moved and the Society’s data placed on the system. All mission-critical functions were tested, including General Ledger transaction entry, reporting, and accessing of all prior years of history (1994-2007). Additionally, trial balance reporting and financial statement reporting were also tested. The Accounts Payable invoice entry, posting, and check processing functions were all tested. All tests were successful with no issues.
Should an actual situation occur where disaster recovery was in place, the data would be copied to the recovery system as well as 3 printer-related files that would ease the transition from one printer to another and maintain the Society’s special printer configurations. These files are contained within the folders that you back up when performing the osas7 (entire folder) backup.
The actual recovery time (time required for you to begin processing) should be less than one hour, depending upon the amount of data files being copied to the recovery system and any printer tweaking that might be involved.
In addition, the Society purchased two flash drives. This enables the backup of the majority of the mission critical programs and data including the accounting programs and data. The flash drives are rotated and are always maintained in separate locations should the Administrative Officer be out of town (i.e., one with the Administrative Officer and one in the Administrative Officer’s office). The Administrative Officer’s flash drive was successfully tested by a consultant on April 3, 2007.
I. B. Annual Meeting
I. B. 1. Management of the Annual Meeting
One of the largest responsibilities confronting the Society each year is the task of managing the Annual Meeting. This task had become so time consuming and specialists in conference management existed at the time the Executive Office was moved to its current location, it was agreed that a Meeting Manager would be secured. Prior Executive Officers had tried having an outside firm or person manage the book exhibit. The firm helped with registration and small aspects of on-site conference management during the Annual Meeting. In general, these prior experiences had not proven very successful.
Since moving the office to the University of Tennessee, three different techniques of managing the meetings have been used. The first was to contract with a firm that provided meeting management services located in the same city as the Executive Office. This contract was negotiated with a firm that had managed a book exhibit for the Society for several years. They offered a bid, but a Knoxville firm offered a better one. After an initial agreement with the Knoxville company, the firm withdrew from the contract and the Society contracted with a former employee of the firm who had been working with the Society on the Annual Meeting. This proved satisfactory for the first year, but some inexperience with running various aspects of the conference and relationships with the hotel were less than satisfactory.
Next the Society tried contracting with a firm in the same city as the conference location. In this instance, the Society found an individual who had been a member of the Society, who had substantial contacts with social action organizations in the city in question. This individual helped organize a profitable workshop, both intellectually and monetarily, for the Society. This person served as Local Arrangements Chair and helped the Society to move forward. Since this individual was so successful, the Society employed him and his firm again the following year but for a conference location at a distance from both the Meeting Manager and the Executive Office. This did not work as well and the staff of the Executive Office felt that coordination problems and communication problems emerged.
During the second year the workshop was not as profitable although substance and reaction remained strong. In addition, it became clear that having a person who could understand the needs of the Society on-site to help with local arrangements was an important advantage. It became equally clear that such a person would have enough demands on their time to merit some compensation for their work. Further, although sympathetic to the idea that workshops for training people in the area were a reasonable use of teaching skills and knowledge, the Society had a problem with adequately promoting the workshop as promotion required many local contacts.
The Administrative Officer hired in 1992 had experience in working with conferences. She offered her services as Meeting Manager at an attractive fee. Currently, the management of the Annual Meeting is under contract to the Administrative Officer at a separate fee.
The Society recognized that the task of Local Arrangements Chair required time and effort beyond that required of other volunteers. As a result, compensation was proposed for this person. The Local Arrangements Chair serves as a liaison for the Meeting Manager between various firms located in the host city with which the Society must do business in arranging the conference.
Registration Staff at the Annual Meeting
For several years, the Society has been utilizing graduate students as registration staff at the Annual Meeting. In return for their services, the students are provided a complimentary shared room for three nights. They are expected to pay conference registration fees and be a current member. In return for these benefits, students are expected to work 12 hours at registration. Duties include preparation of packets for registrants, taking attendance at sessions, or other tasks assigned by the Meeting Manager or Executive Officer. The Administrative Officer, Executive Officer, and Graduate Research Associate are responsible for all money received at the Annual Meeting. The Administrative Officer keeps a financial record of the daily receipts from registration and other conference sales.
In connection with the Annual Meeting, the Executive Office handles all tasks associated with pre-registration, onsite registration, and the preparation of the preliminary program and final program. The Executive Office is responsible for negotiating a contract with a travel agency that will offer special discounted fares to the meeting site and a contract with a rental car agency that will offer special rental car rates. The Executive Office is responsible for management of registration, including registration workers. The Administrative Officer is in charge of organizing the registration staff. The Executive Officer and Administrative Officer work together to determine the complimentary rooming list and other amenities. The Executive Officer has oversight responsibilities of the performance of all staff and must report to the Board of Directors in that regard.
The cost of the Annual Meeting runs far above the receipts for that activity. One area which causes cost overruns is the rental of audio-visual equipment. Currently, the Society pays for an overhead projector to be placed in each meeting room. In addition, the Society has purchased an LCD projector. Any additional audio-visual equipment must be paid for by the meeting participant. Another area of concern is reduced registration. The Society provides reduced registration rates to students and low-income members. As it stands, regular registration is not enough to subsidize the cost.
Clearly, one area of expense that must be noted is the stipend for the Meeting Manager and the honorarium for the Local Arrangements Chair. If more of these functions could be performed by volunteers, costs could be reduced. For example, the Program Chair for the Southern Sociological Society is responsible for assembling the final program in camera ready condition to the printer. To accomplish this, a software program has been developed and is passed from Program Chair to Program Chair to assist in laying out the various sections.
If the responsibilities of the Program Committee were increased to include the layout and preparation of the preliminary and final programs in a non-conflicting schedule, the Administrative Officer could take on some of the meeting management functions instead of spending much time with assuring the accuracy and checking for conflicts in the program. An innovation that has been introduced in recent years has been the preparation of a room/day/time schedule for printing as a pull out section of the final program. This has been done by the Executive Officer and Administrative Officer as they work out the schedule. If the Program Committee increased its responsibilities, they would take over this function.
Currently, the Executive Office has to spend much time in follow-up with persons who do not pre-register in a timely fashion. We have an organizational policy that allows us to eliminate all persons from the final program who have not registered by one month before the Annual Meeting.
Workshops
Workshops targeted at persons who work in social problems related organizations were held at the Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Miami, and Los Angeles meetings. Topics varied. In Cincinnati, workshops were conducted on gangs and homelessness. In Pittsburgh and Miami, workshops were held on violence against women. In Los Angeles, a workshop was held on children’s issues. These workshops were uniform in one respect. All members involved agreed that the content of the workshops was excellent.
Several problems involving workshop organization, follow-up and promotion were evident. First, workshops have the advantage of increasing awareness of the Society among a non-academic population who are sympathetic to the purposes of our organization. Second, they give something back to the host community where our Annual Meeting is located. Third, they can increase attendance at the meeting, increase our room pickup at the hotel and bring money to the Annual Meeting. On the negative side, the Program Committee does not think in terms of what a useful topic might be to social problems related organizations. As a result there may be tension between the program theme and the workshop(s) offered. A list of persons or agencies within travel distance of the Annual Meeting must be compiled. Publicity must be initiated in an effort to reach potential attendees in a timely manner. Workshop information needs to be in the hands of community organizations at least three months in advance of the workshop. Given this lead time, this means that the workshop format and workshop leaders must be in place no later than six months in advance of the workshop to give adequate time for the preparation of publicity. This means that recruiting of the leaders and planning of the workshop must start no later than one year in advance of the proposed workshop.
A budget for the workshop must be prepared at this time. Often workshop leaders must be compensated through travel money and/or honoraria. Frequently, members of the Society speaking in their own areas of expertise will donate their services to promote the work of the Society.
Complimentary Rooms
The Society receives some complimentary rooms on the basis of the number of room nights reserved by members. (Currently, 1 complimentary room per 40 room nights booked.) These rooms are allocated to persons who must attend the Annual Meeting to fulfill their commitments to the Society. If additional complimentary room nights are available, they are allocated to defray the costs of running the Annual Meeting. The traditional list for receiving complimentary rooms during the Annual Meeting is: President, President-elect, Secretary, Treasurer, Editor of Social Problems, Executive Officer, Administrative Officer, and the Graduate Research Associate.
I. B. 2. Duties of the Meeting Manager
Hotel
• Arrange room set-up requirements for all sessions and catered events. Secure reservation information from the hotel.
• Plan menus and coordinate catered events for: Board of Directors Meetings, Board of Directors Dinner, Committee Meetings, Editorial Board Luncheon, Past Presidents Reception, President’s Private Party, Business Meeting, Presidential Address, AIDS Fundraiser and the Graduate Student and New Members Reception, and any additional food service functions.
• Review the master account with the hotel Credit Manager and the Executive Officer to determine compliance with contract provisions, and make sure that all charges belong to the Society and secure adjustments when appropriate.
• Arrange with the Reservations Manager for hotel reservations for officers and VIP’s.
• Design and implement a Roommate Matching Service.
Pre-Registration/On-Site Registration
• Recruit volunteers to work during on-site registration.
• Provide Executive Officer with copies of all requests to disburse funds. Executive Officer will authorize cash distribution of funds apart from petty cash.
• Compile materials that will appear in registration packets. (Final Program, Annual Meeting Evaluation and Business Meeting Agenda)
Program
• Review the overall design for the program and front cover. Prepare front matter describing conference site, activities and special events for the preliminary and final program. Special events will include: book exhibit, film exhibit, banquet, child-care information, information on plane reservations and major driving routes and special features of the meeting site.
Banquet
• Coordinate the menu, room set-up and audio-visual needs.
• Secure plaques or certificates for award winners.
• Review the final bill for accuracy.
Other
• Work closely with the Local Arrangements Chair. Provide guidance and expertise when appropriate.
• Report on the management of the meeting and assessment of the hotel performance to the Board of Directors
• Provide on-site coordination of member requests and hotel services to insure a quality meeting.
I. B. 3. Duties of the Local Arrangements Chair
According to the motion of the Board of Directors, the Local Arrangements Chair’s tasks are to assist the Meeting Manager. A $2,300 stipend for use as an honorarium or release time is given to the Local Arrangements Chair. A $500 budget is provided for any expenses that the chair incurs. Receipts must be sent to the Administrative Officer before reimbursement will be issued. The stipend can be paid on a monthly basis (January - August) or in one payment at the Annual Meeting.
Hotel
• Serve as liaison between the Executive Office and the conference hotel. Review the location of the registration area, meeting rooms, book exhibit area and special events prior to the site visit, if needed.
• Assist the Administrative Officer with contacting the Center for Independent Living to ensure the hotel/meeting space is accessible.
Audio-visual Needs
• Assist the Administrative Officer in securing a contract for audio-visual equipment by competitive bidding by March 1. (Two bids must be secured.)
Restaurant Guides
• Contact the American Sociological Association (ASA) to find out who will be coordinating the restaurant guide. The Society purchases the guides from ASA.
Program
• Provide advice to the Program Committee, Executive Officer, and the Administrative Officer on the development of the preliminary and final program. Write a brief “Welcome to the City” to be included in the preliminary and final programs by March 1. Have a graduate student committee member write a brief “Welcome to the City-The Graduate Student Edition” to be included in the preliminary and final programs by March 1. Provide walking directions from the SSSP conference hotel to the ASA conference hotels by March 1. Offer suggestions about special activities in the host city. Proof the preliminary and final programs before they go to press.
• Assist the President, Program Committee, Executive Officer, and the Administrative Officer in planning special activities such as tours of local sites of sociological interest, if needed.
Local Promotion
• Special efforts need to be made to encourage attendance from local colleges and universities within the area. A list including the name and address of a contact person from each institution should be forwarded to the Executive Office by mid-November. The Executive Office will mail the Call for Papers, preliminary program, and other meeting related announcements to each contact person.
• Ideas on how to encourage students and faculty from local institutions to attend the meetings will be appreciated.
Media
• Notify the local newspapers, radio, television, and magazines at least three months prior to the Annual Meeting. Obtain the name of the contact person who will be covering the meetings, if possible. Include the list of contacts that you made in your report to the Board of Directors.
• Prepare general press release in advance of the meeting (at least 3-4 weeks prior) to be circulated to all area media and area colleges and universities. The President, Executive Officer, and Administrative Officer must approve the press release before it is circulated.
Transportation to the ASA Hotel
• Transportation may be needed to and from the Society’s conference hotel and the ASA’s conference hotels. Through competitive bidding (at least two providers) secure a contract for transportation, if needed.
Book Exhibit
• Receive books and promotional materials from various publishers. The Scholar’s Choice will manage the book exhibit.
Other
• Provide the President and Administrative Officer with a list of five AIDS organizations in the area by March 1. The President will select an organization to be the recipient of our AIDS Fundraiser.
• Receive and store advance materials for the Annual Meeting. These could include: registration materials, bags, books, final programs, restaurant guides, and materials for the book/film exhibit.
• Coordinate transfer of the materials to the conference hotel with the Administrative Officer.
• Prepare and present a report to the Board of Directors outlining your activities during the past year.
• Coordinate and attend the Board of Directors’ Dinner. The restaurant needs to be in close proximity to the hotel (walking distance preferably.) The cost per person should not exceed $40. Approximately, 18 people will attend. Negotiate the menu (include vegetarian options). The Administrative Officer will be available for consulting. Have suggested restaurant sites ready for review at the site visit.
• Arrange music for the AIDS Fundraiser/Graduate Student and New Member Reception. Have suggestions ready for discussion at the site visit. Coordinate the live/silent auction for the AIDS Fundraiser.
• If the Reception Honoring our Past Presidents and the Awards Banquet are held offsite, you will work with the Administrative Officer to find a suitable location.
I. C. Board of Directors
Introduction
The duties of the Board of Directors are to manage the affairs of the Society. The President, Vice-President, President-Elect, Vice-President Elect, Immediate-Past-President, seven executive members, the Secretary, the Treasurer, and the Chairperson of the Council of the Special Problems Divisions are voting members of the Board of Directors. The two Student Board Members share one vote on the Board of Directors. All actions of the Board of Directors will be reported promptly to the membership by mail bulletins or through publication in periodical newsletters. The membership reviews the actions of the Board of Directors at the regular Annual Business Meeting.
The Board of Directors is the only body of the Society to authorize official statements in the name of the Society. When such statements are thought controversial, they are first submitted to the membership for authorization at the Annual Meeting or by mail ballot. All statements not authorized are subject to critical review after issuance by the Society’s Annual Meeting.
The current Board of Directors will meet the day preceding the Annual Meeting and the first day of the Annual Meeting. The current Board and the newly elected Board of Directors will meet the last day of the Annual Meeting.
Management of the Affairs of the Society
Executive Officer and Administrative Officer
The Board of Directors determines if it is desirable to have an Executive Officer and/or an Administrative Officer. Such persons report to the Board of Directors or to those persons or offices that the Board designates. These positions have been utilized by the Board of Directors to carry out the ongoing activities of the Society. They traditionally report annually to the Board of Directors, but could be required to report more frequently. A variety of duties have been delegated to the Executive Officer and Administrative Officer as has been indicated above. These two positions have been compensated by the Board of Directors and, in practice, compensation for the positions has been recommended by the Budget, Finance, and Audit Committee. The bylaws instruct the Permanent Organization and Strategic Planning Committee to serve as the personnel committee for the Society. (In most organizations, an evaluation of performance and a recommendation for a salary increase would first come from the personnel committee and be evaluated by the Budget, Finance, and Audit Committee.) The Permanent Organization and Strategic Planning Committee is given broad instructions on reviewing the performance of volunteer participants as well as the performance of paid staff in the interest of “more efficient achievement of organizational objectives” (see Article VI. Section 14 of the bylaws). Section I. A. of this manual provides a description of the work of the Executive Officer and Administrative Officer. Other sections deal with responsibilities of volunteer officers and committee members.
Officers
Each of the major officers reports annually to the Board of Directors. The President presents a report of activities and responsibilities in the form of specific initiatives for Board approval. The Vice-President reports on resolutions and any other assigned duties. The Secretary provides the minutes and any other assigned duties. The Secretary also prepares the summary of major Board actions for presentation at the Annual Business Meeting. The Treasurer reports on the financial operation of the Society as compared to the budget established by the Board of Directors after reviewing the recommendations of the Budget, Finance, and Audit Committee. The Chairperson of the Council of Division Chairs reports on the activities of the various divisions.
Committees
A large portion of the work of the Society is done by committees. Many of the committees report to the Board of Directors at the Annual Meeting, particularly if their report requires action by the Board. In the event that no action is required, the committee’s report may be reviewed by the Board of Directors before publication on the Society’s web site.
All committees are to provide minutes of their meetings to the Administrative Officer, as well as reports of all of their activities. These minutes and reports should be provided in electronic form so as to be easily stored, accessed, and disseminated. The Administrative Officer will make sure that each committee chair will have a copy of, or easy access to, the previous year’s minutes and reports for their respective committee meeting. The Administrative Officer will develop an electronic data retrieval system that can be accessed from the Society’s web site. This data retrieval system will contain all of the minutes and reports of the Society and will be easily accessible.
Annual Business Meeting
This meeting is a time for direct reporting to the membership on the administration of the Society.
Special Problems Divisions
Divisions vary greatly in strength and activity. The Board of Directors communicates formally with the divisions through the Chair of the Council of Division Chairpersons. Specifically, the Board of Directors needs to be concerned about the continued viability of a division. The Executive Officer will notify the Board and Council on Division Chairpersons when a Special Problems division has repeatedly failed to engage in required division activities during the preceding year such as holding its annual business meeting, holding its bi-annual election, publishing its division newsletter, or if the division experiences membership decline below the required number of 150 members (see Society bylaws). At this time, the Board will consider placing the division on probationary status. Then, if the division requirements are not met by the following year, the Board and Council of Division Chairpersons will vote on whether or not to deactivate the division. As scholarly interests change, the Board of Directors is charged with establishing new divisions as discussed in Article VI, Section 1 of the bylaws. A substantial number of members choose to relate to the Society primarily through the Special Problems Divisions. The Society encourages this specialization by making the divisions responsible for a large share of the program at each Annual Meeting and by giving the Council of Division Chairs responsibility to nominate the major officers of the Society. For more details on divisions, see Section III of this manual.
I. D. Selecting the Executive Office, Executive Officer, and the Administrative Officer
Every two years, commensurate with the site visit of the Permanent Organization and Strategic Planning Committee, the Board of Directors will evaluate the effectiveness and general desirability of maintaining current arrangements relative to the Executive Office, Executive Officer, and the Administrative Officer. This evaluation will take into consideration the site report from the Permanent Organization and Strategic Planning Committee and any other information the Board is able to attain. Should the Board decide a change is needed in any or all of the above office entities, or should there be a vacancy(ies) for other reasons, the following procedure will be followed.
- In the past, it has been assumed that the Executive Office will be at the location of the Executive Officer. The selection of the Executive Officer will simultaneously involve the selection of the Executive Office unless the Board of Directors approves an alternative plan.
- Once it is determined that the Executive Office is to be vacated, and that a replacement is desirable, the President of the Board will solicit nominations and applications for the Executive Officer. Ordinarily, the decision to begin a search will occur at the annual meeting that marks the end of the organizational year--call this Year 1. An invitation will go out to all members and all Sociology Departments and other participating interdisciplinary programs. Advertisements will be run in all SSSP information documents, and an advertisement will also be run in the ASA Footnotes. These advertisements should refer potential applicants to the detailed description of the Executive Officer's position posted on the SSSP web site. Interested SSSP members in good standing may apply by submitting a letter of interest, CV, and a letter of support from the applicant's Department Chair and corresponding Dean of the prospective host institution. The names and complete contact information of three other references must also be provided. The letter of interest should include what support the host institution is willing to provide if selected for the Executive Office site. Institutional support information should be corroborated by the letters from the Dean and/or Department Chair. Under ordinary circumstances, the deadline for submitting applications should be December 15 of Year 1, that is, the year before the annual meeting at which the top 3 applicants will be selected. Applications will be submitted to the Executive Officer, who will distribute them to the Permanent Organization and Strategic Planning Committee (POSPC).
- The POSPC working in consultation with the Board and the Treasurer, will screen applications. This screening will take into consideration the protection/promotion of affirmative action and cultural diversity interests, as well as the qualifications of the applicants and the resources available from the applicants’ institutions. Members of the POSPC may contact applicants and request additional information, including estimated budgets for operating the Executive Office at their institutions.
- Prior to July 1 of Year 2, the POSPC will recommend the names and application files for up to three applicants to the Board for review and approval; at the same time, the Board should be informed of all completed applications. If the Board is not satisfied with the applications presented, they may request that the POSPC reconsider its recommendations, until agreement is reached on a list of up to three finalists. These finalists will be notified by the POSPC that they will be interviewed at the upcoming annual meeting.
- Arrangements will be made by the Administrative Officer and Annual Meeting Manager so that during the Year 2 annual meeting, the POSPC and Board will separately interview the finalists. (The Administrative Officer may be called upon throughout the entire process for assistance in coordinating the various activities.) The POSPC will make its recommendation to the Board and the Board will use that information, as well as the information attained from its own interviews, to make a final selection.
- Once the selection is made, two members of the POSPC and two members of the Board will visit the site to assure that everything is as expected. This visit should occur by November 1 following the annual meeting, that is, during Year 3.
- Final deliberations will be made by the Board and, assuming the site was acceptable, the Board will make the appointment. If the site was not acceptable, the process will be repeated with remaining finalists until an acceptable site is identified. The final selection should occur no later than March 1 of Year 3.
- The President of the Board, Chair of the POSPC, and newly appointed Executive Officer will then commence making arrangements to have the Executive Office moved to its new location. Ordinarily this transition will occur following the Year 3 annual meeting, that is at the beginning of Year 4.
Selecting the Administrative Officer
Although in the past, it was assumed that the Administrative Officer would be located at the same site as the Executive Officer, that assumption is no longer necessary give modern communication capabilities and corresponding working arrangements. The POSPC, working in consultation with the Board and the Treasurer, will develop a recruitment and selection procedure for a new Administrative Officer that is similar to procedures outlined for the Executive Officer position described above. If both the Executive Officer and Administrative Officer positions are being vacated at the same time, then these two selection processes may be run simultaneously or institutionally coupled. However, such coupling is not necessary. If there is an Executive Officer at the time that the Administrative Officer position becomes vacant, the Executive Officer will serve as a temporary non-voting member of the POSPC in order to participate in the search process.