Adopted June 1985
Revised June 1988
Revised June 1989
Approved by the membership August, 2007

A. Name

The name of this Division shall be the Biological and Agricultural Engineering Division of the American Society for Engineering Education.

B. Objectives

The purposes of this Division are identical with those of the Society as stated in Article 1 of the Constitution of ASEE but with special emphasis on those objectives as they pertain to the field of Biological and Agricultural Engineering.

C. Membership

Membership of this Division shall consist of those members of the Society who are listed in the Society records as having an interest in Biological and Agricultural Engineering and who pay the annual Division dues of $5.00.

D. Organization

The Division shall be administered by an Executive Committee composed of the Division Chair, the Vice-Chair, Treasurer, Secretary, and Immediate Past-Chair.

The Division Chair shall represent the Division on the Council Board of the Professional Interest Council (PIC) to which the Division has been assigned by the Society.

E. Officers

1. The Division's officers shall be:

a. Chair — serving a term of one year and succeeding to the position of Immediate Past-Chair.

b. Vice-Chair — serving a term of one year and succeeding to the position of Chair.  The Vice-Chair shall also fulfill the duties of Program Chair.

c. Secretary — serving a term of one year and succeeding to the position of Vice-Chair.

d. Treasurer — serving a term of one year.

e. Immediate Past-Chair – serving a term of one year.

2. The Chair and other elected officers shall assume their duties at the close of the Division's business meeting conducted at the annual meeting of the Society. Appointed officers shall assume their duties upon appointment.

3. In the event of the resignation or death of one of the members of the Executive Committee, the vacated office shall be filled for the duration of the unexpired term by a person to be appointed by vote of the Executive Committee, except that:

a. in the event of the resignation or death of the Chair, the Vice-Chair shall take office as Chair immediately, serving out the duration of the unexpired term followed by the term to which he/she was elected;

b. in the event of the resignation or death of the Vice-Chair, a special election shall be conducted within 30 days to elect a new Chair Elect or the Executive Committee may, at its discretion, appoint a person to fulfill the duties of the Chair Elect until the position is filled by election;

c. in the event of the resignation or death of the Immediate Past Chair, the vacated office shall not be filled for the duration of the unexpired term.

F.  Duties of Officers

1. The Chair shall:

a. Have administrative responsibility for the conduct of all functions of the Division in accordance with these By-Laws and the policies and procedures established by the Executive Committee.

b. Schedule, organize and conduct annual business meetings of the Division and all meetings of the Executive Committee.

c. Appoint committees in accordance with the By-Laws.

d. Compile an annual report of the activities of the Division as requested by the Secretary of the Society.

e. Assure that official cash disbursement signatures are on file at Society headquarters and approve all expenditures of Society funds.

2. The Vice-Chair shall:

a. Serve as the Division Program Chair.  In this capacity, the Vice-Chair shall: 

i. arrange and coordinate the Division's activities at the Society's annual meeting;

ii. work with the Executive Committee to develop technical programs in accordance with the Division's objectives;

iii. Coordinate sessions within the time frame set by ASEE headquarters for inviting speakers, notifying headquarters of logistical needs, etc., as set forth in the "Program Chair Guidelines" available from the ASEE Conferences department

iv. work with ASEE Conferences department staff in the on-site management of sessions.

b. Act for the Chair at business meetings of the Division and Executive Committee in the event of the Chair's absence from these meetings.

c. Succeed the Chair upon completion of his/her term in office.

d. Take office as Chair, as specified above, in the event of the resignation or death of the Chair before his/her term is completed.

3. The Secretary shall:

a. Record the minutes of Executive Committee meetings and the annual business meeting, and distribute copies of the minutes to appropriate Division and Society officers.

b. Be responsible for the official records of the Executive Committee and the Division, and ensure that the files of the Division are passed along to his/her successor.

c. Tabulate, verify, and communicate the results of Division elections and other ballots.

4. The Treasurer shall:

a. Oversee and maintain the financial records of the Division and regularly report on financial status to the Executive Committee.

b. Collect Division income, if any, and disburse monies authorized by the Division Chair.

c. Keep records of all the Division's outstanding receivables and payables.

d. Ensure that all the Division's financial activities conform to the standards and procedures set forth in the ASEE Financial Policy Manual.

5. The Immediate Past-Chair shall:

a. Serve on the Division Executive Committee and chair the Nominating and Division Award Selection Committees.

G. Election of Officers

1. The Nominating Committee shall annually nominate two or more candidates for the offices of Division Treasurer and Secretary for which the term is due to expire at the next annual business meeting.  The incumbent Treasurer may be re-nominated.  Officers to be elected by vote of the Division members are Secretary and Treasurer.

2. Additional nominations for any elective office may be made at the annual meeting by presentation of such nominations in writing with the signatures of at least two Division members who are present at the meeting. These additional nominees shall be voted on along with the nominees selected by the Nominating Committee.

3. Except in the case of a special election necessitated by the resignation or death of the Chair-Elect, as required in [E-3-b] above, election of officers shall be conducted by written ballot among those members of the Division actually present at the annual business meeting. Special elections may be conducted by e-mail, providing that those members of the Division who do not have e-mail addresses on record have the opportunity to vote by either mail or fax.

H. Committees

1. The Executive Committee shall establish such standing and ad hoc committees as it deems necessary to carry out the purposes of the Division.

2. At least two standing committees shall be maintained: the Nominating Committee and the Awards Selection Committee.

3. The Nominating Committee shall be composed of the Immediate Past Chair of the Division as Chair and two Division members with the advice and consent of the Executive Committee.

4. The Division Awards Selection Committee shall consist of the past three Chairs of the Division.

I.  Meetings and Activities

1. An annual business meeting of the Division shall be held during the annual conference of the Society.  Those members present at the meeting shall constitute a quorum.  The business meeting shall include at least:

a. Reports from the incumbent officers on the Division's activities for the preceding year, membership, and finances.

b. Election of officers for the following year.

c. Presentation of Division awards, unless the Division schedules a separate function for that purpose.

2. The Executive Committee may hold regular meetings during the annual conference of the Society and special meetings throughout the year as called by the Chair. Those members of the Executive Committee present at meetings of the Executive Committee shall constitute a quorum.

3. The Executive Committee may establish such other activities as deemed desirable to promote the objectives of the Division.

4. All meetings of the Division are open to all interested persons.  Only members of the Executive Committee, however, are eligible to vote on Executive Committee matters and only members of the Division are eligible to vote on Division-wide matters, including the election of officers.

J. Publications

1. The Division shall sponsor, produce and circulate such publications as the Executive Committee may determine to be appropriate.

2. In accordance with Article VIII of the ASEE Constitution, papers and discussions presented at meetings of ASEE and the councils or groups therein shall become the property of ASEE and may be published as ASEE series, miscellaneous or occasional publications if authorized by the Board of Directors or its delegated representative.  The ASEE Board of Directors, through its delegated representative, may grant permission to publish such papers and discussions elsewhere on condition that ASEE receive proper credit or may waive any property right ASEE may have in the paper or discussion.  Papers not accepted for publication shall be returned to the authors and shall no longer be considered the property of the Society.

K. Amendments

1. Amendments to these by-laws may be made at the annual business meeting of the Division, or by mail or email ballot at any time during the year, upon affirmative vote by two-thirds of the members who vote. If email balloting is used, those members who do not have email addresses on their membership records shall be provided the opportunity to cast their vote by mail or fax. Only members of the Division may vote on proposed amendments to the by-laws.

2. Proposed amendments to these by-laws shall be prepared by a committee of three Division members appointed by the Division Chair.  Proposed amendments shall be sent to the full membership of the Division by letter or in the publications of the Division not less than 30 days before they are to be voted upon.  Proposed amendments may also be sent to members by email, providing that they are also sent by mail to those members who do not have an email address on their membership records.

3. Amendments approved by the Division membership shall be submitted through the Chair of the Professional Interest Council (PIC) to which the Division belongs for approval by majority vote of the ASEE Board of Directors and shall take effect only upon such approval.

L. Other Provisions

1. Any provision of these by-laws shall be deemed invalid if it contravenes the Constitution and By-Laws of the Society or of the Professional Interest Council (PIC) to which the Division belongs.

2. The rules contained in Robert's Rules of Order, latest edition, shall govern this Division in all matters of parliamentary authority to which they are applicable and in which they are consistent with the Constitution and By-Laws of the Society and the By-Laws of this Division.  In all other matters, the Constitution of the Society shall govern.

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