Constitution

(Last revised by vote of the ASEE membership April 2008)

ARTICLE I: NAME AND PURPOSE

Section 1.
The name of this organization shall be the American Society for Engineering Education, hereafter referred to as ASEE.

Section 2.
The purpose of this Society shall be the advancement of education in all of its functions which pertain to engineering and allied branches of science and technology, including the processes of teaching and learning, counseling, research, extension services and public relations. In furtherance of this purpose, the Society shall serve its members as a common agency of stimulation and guidance in:

1. the formulation of the general goals and responsibilities of engineering education for the service of individuals, and the advancement of the general welfare;
2. the adjustment of curricula and educational processes to changing conditions; methods of personnel practices, and of administrative usages;
3. the development of effective teachers, counselors and administrators;
4. the improvement of instructional materials and methods of personnel practices, and of administrative usages;
5. the enhancement of professional ideals and standards;
6. the fostering of research as a function collateral to teaching;
7. the coordination of institutional aims and programs, both among schools and colleges and in their joint relations with professional, educational and public bodies;
8. the cultivation of a kindred spirit among teachers, counselors, researchers, administrators, practitioners and corporate and government representatives.

ARTICLE II: MEMBERSHIP

Membership of the Society shall be of two classes, individual and institutional. The specific qualifications, dues, obligations, prerogatives, transfer, and the causes for termination of membership shall be as fixed by the Bylaws, Article I.

ARTICLE III: ORGANIZATION AND OFFICERS

Section 1.
The Society shall have a Board of Directors composed as follows: President, President-Elect, Most Immediate Past President, Vice President Finance, Chair of each Professional Interest Council, Chair of each Institutional Council, Chair of each Geographic Zone Council, Vice President Member Affairs, Vice President External Relations, and Executive Director (ex officio, without vote).

Section 2.
The Board of Directors shall have the authority and responsibility to conduct the affairs of ASEE in conformance with this Constitution and shall be responsible for the Bylaws of ASEE.

Section 3.
The Society shall have the following officers: President, President-Elect, Most Immediate Past President, Vice President Finance, Vice President Professional Interest Councils, Vice President Member Affairs, Vice President Institutional Councils, Vice President External Relations, and Executive Director.

Section 4.
Geographic, Professional Interest and Institutional Councils, as established, are to be designated in the Bylaws. The Board of Directors may, by a three fourths vote of all members of the Board, establish new councils or disestablish existing councils. In case of proposed disestablishment of any council, the officers of such council shall be given six months' notification, and shall have the right to be heard at the Board of Directors meeting where such consideration is scheduled.

Section 5.
Each council shall operate under a set of bylaws determined by itself, but consistent with the Constitution and the Bylaws of ASEE.

Section 6.
The councils may structure their respective organizations from individual and institutional members of ASEE according to their bylaws.

Section 7.
The bylaws of each council shall provide for a chair with a two-year term of office, a secretary, and such other officers as the council bylaws may set forth. The Board of Directors shall designate which councils shall elect chairs or chairs-elect in odd numbered and even numbered calendar years.

Section 8.
The institutional member councils shall each nominate and elect a chair by vote of their respective institutional representatives, the geographical councils by vote of their respective individual zone membership, and the professional interest councils by vote of the individual members of the Society.

Section 9.
The elected chair of each council shall automatically become a director of ASEE responsible for the respective council. The term of office as chair of a council and director of ASEE shall begin concurrently with the beginning of the Society year.

Section 10.
Each council shall provide in its bylaws for an order of succession to the position of chair in any case when the chair cannot act or is unable to attend a meeting. The successor to the chair automatically assumes the chair's position as a director of ASEE for the period of the chair's disability.

Section 11.
Two Vice Presidents shall be elected by the Board of Directors, one from among the Chairs of the Professional Interest Councils and the other from among the Chairs of the Institutional Councils. A First Vice President shall be elected by the Board of Directors from among the Vice President Member Affairs, Vice President Professional Interest Councils, Vice President External Relations and Vice President Institutional Councils.

Section 12.
The Vice President Member Affairs shall be elected in even numbered years for a two year term by the membership at large from among one or more nominees presented by the Nominating Committee of the Society. To be eligible for nomination, a candidate must have completed one full term as Zone Chair prior to the time when the term as Vice President Member Affairs would begin.

Section 13.
The Vice President Public Affairs shall be elected in odd numbered years for a two-year term by the membership at large from among one or more nominees presented by the Nominating Committee of the Society. Eligibility for the office of Vice President External Relations shall be limited to those members of the Society who have served at least two years on the Projects Board.

Section 14.
The Society shall have a Projects Board named by the Board of Directors. The Vice President External Relations shall serve as the Chair of the Projects Board. The terms of the members of the Projects Board shall be at the discretion of the Board of Directors. The bylaws of the Projects Board shall be provided by the Board of Directors.

Section 15.
The Society shall have a Finance Committee composed of the President, President-Elect, Vice President External Relations, Executive Director, and the Vice President Finance with the latter serving as Chair. The Finance Committee shall review budgets and make decisions on financial matters consistent with Board directives.

Section 16.
The Society shall have a Long Range Planning Committee, the chair of which shall be elected by the Board of Directors. The chair's term of office shall be at the discretion of the Board.

Section 17.
The Society shall have an Executive Committee composed as follows: President, President-Elect, Most Immediate Past President, Vice President Finance, Vice President Member Affairs, Vice President External Relations, Vice President Professional Interest Councils, Vice President Institutional Councils, and Executive Director (exofficio, without vote). The Executive Committee will act on and conduct such business of the Board of Directors as may be necessary between meetings of the Board and any other business which is delegated to it by the Board. All actions of the Executive Committee shall be reported to the Board of Directors at its next meeting.

Section 18.
Standing and special ad hoc committees of the Society shall be appointed by the President and will report to the Board of Directors through a designated member of the Board.

Section 19.
The Executive Director shall be appointed by and serve at the pleasure of the Board of Directors. The Executive Director shall serve as secretary to the Executive Committee and Board of Directors.

ARTICLE IV: ELECTION AND SUCCESSION OF OFFICERS

Section 1.
There shall be a Nominating Committee of ASEE composed of one representative from each of the councils, chosen as specified in the ASEE bylaws, and the two immediate living Past Presidents of ASEE. The senior in time of office of the Past Presidents of ASEE shall serve as chair. Members of the Society Nominating Committee shall not be eligible for nomination for elective office by the Nominating Committee during their two years of service on the Committee. Members start service on the Nominating Committee at the beginning of the Annual Conference immediately preceding the Society Year in which the nominations are made.

Section 2.
Each year, the Nominating Committee of the Society shall nominate one or more candidates for President-Elect and one or more candidates for each of the appropriate (Art. III, Section 7) Professional Interest Councils; each odd numbered year, it will nominate one or more candidates for Vice President Member Affairs for election in each even numbered calendar year; and each even numbered year, it will nominate one or more candidates for Vice President External Relations and Vice President Finance for election in each odd numbered calendar year.

The Chairs of Professional Interest Council I, IV, and V, Engineering Technology Council, Engineering Research Council, and the Chairs-Elect of Council of Sections, Zone I and III shall be elected in even numbered calendar years; and the Chairs of Professional Interest Councils II and III, Engineering Deans Council, the Corporate Member Council and the Chairs-Elect of the Council of Sections, Zone II and IV shall be elected in odd numbered calendar years.

All nominees for these positions must be individual members or institutional member representatives of ASEE at the time of nomination, and must maintain their ASEE membership during their term of office.

These nominations shall be furnished to the Executive Director by September 1 of the year preceding the election. The Executive Director shall cause the nominations to be published in November in the official ASEE journal or mailed to each individual member by November 30. Additional nominations of eligible candidates may be made by petitions of not less than two hundred (200) individual members. Nominees so proposed must indicate willingness to serve before their names are placed on the ballot. Such petitions and agreements to serve must be presented to the Executive Director by January 1. Ballots shall be furnished to each individual member or institutional member representative of the Society by March 1 of each year, and those ballots returned to the Executive Director by March 31 shall determine by a simple plurality vote the election of officers as of April 1.

Section 3.
The nominees for President-Elect shall be from active members who have previously served on the Board of Directors or from the present members of the Board of Directors. A President-Elect can serve only one elected term.

Section 4.
The nominees for Vice President Finance shall be individual members or institutional member representatives of ASEE. The nominees for Vice President Member Affairs shall be chosen from those who have served as Zone Chairs. The nominees for Vice President External Relations shall be limited to those members of the Society who have served at least two years on the Projects Board (Art. III, Section 13). No Vice President may serve more than two successive terms.

Section 5.
Newly elected Directors and the President, President-Elect and Vice President Finance, Vice President Member Affairs, and Vice President External Relations shall take office concurrent with the beginning of the Society year.

Section 6.
The President-Elect shall succeed to the office of President upon completion of a term of office as President-Elect.

Section 7.
In any case when the President of the Society cannot perform the duties of this office, the order of succession to the Presidency for the conduct of all or immediate business shall be as follows: the First Vice President, Vice President Member Affairs, Vice President External Relations, and the Vice President Finance.
The Board of Directors may determine such incapacity to constitute a permanent vacancy because of death, resignation or other valid reason, to which the order of succession set forth above shall apply.

Section 8.
In any case when the President-Elect cannot perform the duties of this office because of death, resignation or any other valid reason, this office shall remain vacant until an election can be held. In such case the term of office shall be for the balance of the Society year.

Section 9.
In any case when the Vice President, Finance cannot perform the duties of this office because of death, resignation or any other valid reason, a successor will be appointed by the Executive Committee to serve until an election can be held.

Section 10.
In those cases where a procedure to fill a vacancy is unspecified, the Board of Directors has the authority to appoint an individual to serve the unexpired term.

ARTICLE V: DUES

Section 1.
The limits of annual dues for individual members shall be as stated in the Bylaws of the Society. Any change of these limits shall be determined only by a majority letter ballot of the individual members of the Society received within thirty (30) days after mailing by the Executive Director. Changes of dues within the limits shall be determined by a two thirds vote of the Board of Directors.

Section 2.
The dues of the institutional members shall be determined by a two thirds vote of the Board of Directors provided that the opinions of groups representing institutional members are presented at the time of the vote.

ARTICLE VI: SOCIETY YEAR

The Society year shall begin with the adjournment of the last business session of the outgoing Board of Directors, at the time of the Annual Conference of the Society.

ARTICLE VII: MEETINGS

During the Society year at least one general meeting of the Society shall be convened. This Annual Conference shall be held during the month of June each year, unless specific exception is made by unanimous vote of the Board of Directors, at such time and place as the Board of Directors may determine. The Board of Directors is responsible for and has authority over the Annual Conference. This Annual Conference shall include an annual business meeting of the Society. All sessions of committees, councils or groups of the Society held at the place and time of the Annual Conference shall constitute a part of the Annual Conference. The Board of Directors shall meet at least twice during the Society year, one of such meetings to be held at the time of the Annual Conference.

ARTICLE VIII: PUBLICATIONS

Section 1.
The Board of Directors shall authorize and be responsible for all publications of the Society and shall designate the official journal of ASEE.

Section 2.
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 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.

Section 3.
The Board of Directors shall establish policy for publications of the Society and all of its components.

ARTICLE IX: AMENDMENTS

This Constitution may be amended only by a letter ballot of the individual members of ASEE.

Amendments may be proposed by at least a two thirds favorable vote of the Board of Directors, or by a petition in writing to the Executive Director of not less than two hundred (200) individual members. The majority opinion of the Board of Directors on any amendment shall be furnished with a letter ballot to the membership. If more than one quarter of the Board of Directors represents the minority on any amendment, it shall be entitled to equal space to present its opinion with the letter ballot. When the amendment is presented by petition, the Board of Directors shall vote on said amendment and prepare an opinion of the minority when it represents more than one quarter of the Board of Directors, which opinions shall be furnished to the membership of ASEE with a ballot on the amendment. Any constitutional amendments received through the petition process shall be voted upon during the next annual ballot period of ASEE provided that the signed petition is received by September 30. If the petition is received after September 30, it shall be placed before the membership for ballot during the next subsequent Society year's annual ballot.

A proposed amendment is approved if at least two thirds of the ballots received within thirty (30) days after mailing by the Executive Director are favorable.