Council of Representatives (Archived 2024)

(As approved by Council of Representatives on November 11, 2017 and adopted by the Board of Directors on November 12, 2017.)

Preamble: Note that all provisions of the Constitution and Bylaws of the Society are hereby incorporated into these Policies and Procedures by reference. Note also that in the following text, "Society" shall signify the American Physical Society, "Council" and “Board” signifies the Council of Representatives and the Board of Directors of the Society, respectively; "CEO" signifies the Chief Executive Officer of the Society; “EIC” Editor in Chief of the Society; and “Member” signifies Member of the Society.  “Units” signify the Divisions, Topical Groups, Forum, and Sections of the Society.

C1. Membership of Council:

C1.1 The Council will consist of General Councilors, International Councilors, the Presidential Line, the Treasurer and Councilors representing the Divisions, Forums and Sections as specified in Article V of the Constitution and Bylaws. In addition, the Chair of the Nominating Committee is a voting member of Council.  The Chair of the Panel on Public Affairs, the CEO and the EIC are non-voting members of Council. The number of Councilors representing Divisions, Forums and Sections is specified in Section C4 below.

C2. Governance:

C2.1 Election and Tenure of Speaker: At the annual Election Meeting, a Speaker-Elect will be chosen from among the Councilors completing their 2nd year. The Speaker-Elect serves one year, then serves as Speaker in the following year, and serves an additional year as Past Speaker (non-voting). If the Speaker-Elect is not a member of the Board, the Speaker-Elect attends the Board meetings as an observer during their term as Speaker-Elect.

C2.2 Steering Committee: The Council is led by a Steering Committee consisting of the Speaker, the Speaker-Elect, the Past Speaker (non-voting), the President-Elect, the CEO (non-voting) and four (4) Members-at-Large elected from among the Councilors to staggered two-year terms. The Members-at-Large are elected at the end of their 2nd year on the Council.

C2.3 Council Election Procedures: The Elections Meeting is held at a date determined by Council between the 15th of October and the 15th of December. Prior to the Elections Meeting of the Council, the Corporate Secretary distributes a list of the names of all Counselors eligible for election as Speaker-Elect or as a member of the Board of Directors or the Steering Committee. The Corporate Secretary also distributes the reports of the Nominating Committee and the Committee on Committees concerning nominations required by the Constitution and Bylaws for each position filled by Council election. These lists include a short vita of each candidate. Nominations by a Councilor from the floor for any elective position of Council are permitted if 1) seconded by a Councilor, if 2) the Councilor making the nomination has previously ascertained the willingness of the candidate to run and 3) if the nominator has provided Council members with a vita of the candidate no later than the beginning of the Elections Meeting. The names of nominees, together with the source of each nomination, are distributed or posted in advance of each vote to every member of Council attending the Elections Meeting. The Speaker-Elect and Directors are elected first, then the members of the Steering Committee, then the other committee positions.

C2.4 Remuneration: Members of the Society who are elected to office either in the Society or in any of the Units or who are appointed to committees either of the Society or of the Units serve as volunteers and receive no compensation or other remuneration other than reasonable reimbursement for travel expenses for attending governance meetings and other official functions. APS staff members elected to office or serving on committees continue to receive compensation for their positions as APS staff.

C3. Council Meetings:

C3.1 The Speaker presides over the Council meetings and the agenda is set by the Steering Committee. At each Council meeting there are reports by the President, CEO and Editor in Chief. Reports from the Standing Committees of the Council or Council and Board should be submitted on a regular basis.

C4. Divisions, Topical Groups, Forums and Sections:

C4.1 Members of the Society may form Units with common scientific or geographic interests. As defined in the Preamble, four classes of Units are currently recognized by the Society. A Division or Topical Group may be formed to advance and diffuse the knowledge of a specific subject or subfield of physics. A Division requires a wider membership than a Topical Group. A Forum may be formed to advance and diffuse knowledge regarding the interrelation of physics with matters not exclusively in physics. A Section may be formed to organize members in any geographical region.

C4.2 Topical Groups: If at least two hundred (200) members wish to advance and diffuse the knowledge of a specific subject or subfield of physics, they may petition the Council to establish a Topical Group. The Council distributes to the Chair and the Secretary-Treasurer of each existing Division and Topical Group a statement of the areas of interest of the proposed Topical Group for review and comment. Following Council approval, the new Topical Group is officially initiated and considered active when at least 200 members have enrolled. This must occur within 18 months. To remain active, a Topical Group must increase its enrollment to at least 300 within three years of approval. If at any time after the initial three-year period membership drops below an enrollment of 300, the Topical Group becomes inactive and may no longer allocate invited sessions at meetings or fellowship slots. If a Topical Group remains inactive for three years, it is automatically terminated.

C4.3 Divisions: Each Division has one Councilor. If the membership of a Division falls below 2.1% for four consecutive years, it reverts to the status of a Topical Group. If the membership of a Topical Group exceeds 3% of the total membership of the Society for two consecutive calendar years, they may petition the Council to establish a Division. Following Council approval, the new Division is officially initiated.

C4.4 Forums: If at least two hundred members (200) wish to advance and diffuse knowledge regarding the interrelation of physics with matters not exclusively in physics, they may petition the Council to establish a Forum. The Council distributes to the Chair and the Secretary-Treasurer of each existing Forum a statement of the areas of interest of the proposed Forum for review and comment. If the membership of a Forum exceeds 6% percent of the total membership of the Society for two consecutive years, it qualifies to have a Councilor. If the membership of a Forum falls below 4.2% for four consecutive years, it loses its Councilor. If the membership of a Forum falls below two hundred (200) for four consecutive years, it is automatically dissolved.

C4.5 Sections: If at least two hundred (200) members residing or working in any geographical region wish to organize, they may petition the Council to establish a Section. If the membership of a Section falls below two hundred (200) for four consecutive years, it is automatically dissolved. There are two Councilors representing the Sections. Council establishes a rotation list of existing Sections. When a Section's turn in the rotation occurs, it elects a Councilor representing the Sections. After the entire original rotation is completed once, Council places any newly-formed Sections in the rotation list where it deems appropriate. If a Section is dissolved, it is removed from the rotation list.

C4.6 Membership in a Unit: Any member of the Society may join one or more Units by registering as a member of the Unit and paying any applicable dues. The Director of Membership provides an annual list of members to each Unit’s Secretary-Treasurer as well as to the Board and Council and makes available up-to-date lists upon request.

C4.7 Officers of a Unit. The required officers of each Unit are a Chair, a Chair-Elect, a Vice-Chair and a Secretary-Treasurer, who are elected in accordance with the Bylaws of the Unit. The member elected as Vice-Chair serves in that office for one year, then for one year as Chair-Elect, and then for one year as Chair. There is an Executive Committee of each Unit consisting of the officers and any other Members-at-Large as may be elected by the Unit. If the Unit has a Councilor, the Councilor is also a member of the Unit’s Executive Committee. The Secretary-Treasurer of each Unit keeps the Council and the CEO informed of the activities and needs of the Unit.

C4.8 Nomination and Election of Unit Officers, Executive Committee Members-at-Large and Unit Councilor. Nominations for the Vice-Chair, Executive Committee Members-at-Large and the Secretary-Treasurer are made by the Unit Nominating Committee. The Nominating Committee includes one member of the Unit appointed by the CEO. During the final year of the term of a Division or Forum Councilor, the Unit Nominating Committee nominates at least two candidates for the open position. Similarly, during the final year of the term of a Section Councilor, the Nominating Committee of the next Section in the rotation nominates at least two candidates for the open position. Nominations may also be made by a petition signed by at least five percent of the members of the Unit, provided that such a petition is presented to the Unit Chair at least eighty (80) days before the date for an election. The Secretary-Treasurer polls the Unit by mail or electronic ballot. Election is by a plurality of those voting. If there is a tie, the Executive Committee decides the election, with the Chair voting only in the case of a tie among the other Executive Committee members. The Secretary-Treasurer communicates the results of the election to the Executive Office before 1 January of the year in which the newly elected persons assume office.

C4.9 Removal for Cause: The Council may, by vote of at least two-thirds of the Councilors voting at a meeting at which a quorum is present, remove any individual elected to any position within an APS Unit for cause, as determined by reference to the District of Columbia Nonprofit Corporation Act provisions relating to the removal of Directors.

C4.10 Establishment, Revision or Amendments of the Bylaws of any Unit: Proposal for revision or amendment to a Unit’s Bylaws may be made by the Unit’s Executive Committee, by the Council, by the Governance Committee, or by a petition to the Chair by the members of the Unit. However initiated, it must be reviewed by the Governance Committee and approved by Council before any vote by the members of the Unit can be taken, if required by the Unit’s Bylaws.

C4.11 Meetings: The times and places of the Meetings of a Unit require approval of the APS Director of Meetings.

C4.12 Finances: Funds collected by the Society for Unit membership dues, funds appropriated by the Council in lieu of dues, and funds collected by the Units are kept by the Society in internal accounts in the name of the Unit. The Society deducts from the accounts the itemized expenses incurred by the Society for services requested by these Units and for services rendered them as approved by Council. The Secretary-Treasurer or a designate of a Unit may authorize the disbursement of funds by the Chief Financial Officer of the Society for expenses consistent with the general policies of that Unit. Financial records are kept on an annual basis consistent with the fiscal policies of the Society. Statements of receipts and disbursements for a Unit are submitted at least quarterly by the Chief Financial Officer to the appropriate Secretary-Treasurers. Units may generate income from and incur expenses for activities, such as meetings, that are consistent with the Constitution and Bylaws and the Policies and Procedures of the Society. Petty cash accounts may be maintained by the Secretary-Treasurers of the Units with the authorization of the Chief Financial Officer. Ultimate legal and fiscal responsibilities of Units reside in the Board.

C4.13 Dissolution: Any Unit may be dissolved at the discretion of the Council.