Constitution and Bylaws
of the
Georgia Association of Historians
Constitution of the Georgia Association of Historians
Article I. Name
The name of the association shall be “The Georgia Association of Historians,” organized as a nonprofit corporation according to the laws of the state of Georgia.
Article II. Purpose
The purpose of the association shall be to strengthen the historical profession and to enhance the professional lives of historians in Georgia by any of all of the following:
Article III. Membership
Membership in the association shall be open to professional historians and historiansin training upon payment of the current dues to the Treasurer. “Professional historians” is understood to be persons who, as enunciated in W. Stull Holt, The Historical Profession in the United States (New York, 1963), (1) have a knowledge of history acquired by systematic study, (2) have been admitted to the historical profession after a specialized program of education or training, (3) practice the historical profession, and (4) are recognized as members of the historical profession by members of the group and by the public.
Article IV. Officers
Section 1. The officers of the association shall be a president, a president-elect, a secretary, a treasurer, an executive secretary-treasurer, and an archivist.
Section 2. The president shall serve a term of one year. A retired president is eligible for the office of president-elect after the expiration of two years. The president shall:
Section 3. The president-elect shall be elected at the association’s annual meeting, shall serve a term of one year, and shall success to the office of president without election. The duties of the president-elect shall be to:
Section 4. The secretary shall be elected at the association’s annual meeting, shall serve a term of three years, and may be re-elected. The duties of the secretary shall be to:
Section 5. The treasurer shall be elected at the association’s annual meeting, shall serve a term of three years and may be re-elected. The duties of the treasurer shall be to:
Section 6. The executive secretary-treasurer of the association shall be elected by the Executive Council with the recommendation of the institution hosting the association and shall serve a term of three years and may be re-elected. The executive secretary-treasurer shall be recognized as an officer of the association and shall serve as a member of the Executive Council. The duties of the executive secretary-treasurer shall be to:
Section 7. The archivist of the association shall be elected by the Executive Council with the recommendation of the institution housing the archives and shall serve for a one-year renewable term. The archivist shall be recognized as an officer of the association and shall serve as a member of the Executive Council. The duties of the archivist shall be to:
Article V. Committees
The standing committees of the association shall be an Executive Council, a Program Committee, a Local Arrangements Committee, a Membership Committee, a Nominating Committee, a Committee for the Promotion of History, an Honors and Awards Committee, and a Committee on Teaching. Members of the Executive Council, with the exception of the immediate past president, the editors of the Journal of the Georgia Association of Historians, the executive secretary-treasurer, and the archivist, shall be elected by the membership at the annual meeting. Chairs of the standing committees shall be appointed by the president and serve as ex-officio members of the Executive Council. All officers, committee chairs, and committee members must be members in good standing of the association.
Section 2. The Executive Council shall be composed of the officers, the immediate past president ex-officio, the standing committee chairs ex-officio, the editors of the Journal of the Georgia Association of Historians, and six additional members at large for terms of three years; provided, however, that at the first regular election one member shall be elected for a term of one year, one for a term of two years, and one for a term of three years. Elected members shall be eligible for re-election after the expiration of two years. At least one at large member shall represent a nonwestern field, one a European field, and one the public history field. The Executive Council shall meet at the call of the president, and eight members shall constitute a quorum. The duties of the Executive Council shall be to:
Section 3. The Program Committee shall plan and carry out the program of the annual meeting. The president-elect shall serve as chairperson and may appoint members of the committee.
Section 4. The Membership Committee shall seek to maintain and increase membership in the association. The chairperson of the Membership Committee shall serve a three year term renewable annually. The members of the committee will be appointed by the committee chairperson. The committee has the responsibility of encouraging membership renewals and new memberships and notifying members of expired memberships.
Section 5. The Nominating Committee shall consist of three members, one of whom shall be the immediate past president. That person shall serve a second year as chair of the committee. The third member shall be appointed by the president of the Executive Council. One or more nominations for each office and vacancy on the Executive Council shall be made by the Nominating Committee, and further nominations may be made from the floor by any members.
Section 6. The Committee for the Promotion of History shall seek to discover and publicize careers for young historians in fields other than teaching and shall serve as the affiliate in Georgia for the National Coordinating Committee. The committee shall also pursue activities that promote the field of history to the public and to appropriate governmental bodies. The chair of the committee shall be appointed by the president and committee members shall be appointed by the chair of the committee.
Section 7. The Committee on Teaching shall study and disseminate ideas and methods for the improvement of history teaching. The chair of the committee shall be appointed by the president.
Section 8. The Editorial Board of the Journal of the Georgia Association of Historians shall be responsible for the publication of the association’s refereed journal. The editorial board shall consist of nine members representing different fields of historical scholarship. The nine members shall serve staggered three-year terms renewable annually. Members of the Editorial Board may be reappointed to additional terms at the discretion of the president.
Section 9. The Honors and Awards Committee shall submit nominees for honors and awards to the Executive Council for approval. The chair shall be appointed by the president for a one year renewable term. Committee members shall be appointed by the chair of the committee.
Section 10. The Local Arrangements Committee shall be responsible for local arrangements for the annual meeting and shall work closely with the Program Committee. The chair shall be appointed for a one year term by the president of the Executive Council.
Section 11. The President may appoint such other non-standing committees as deemed necessary for carrying out the functions of the association.
Article VI. Meetings
Section 1. The association shall hold an annual meeting at a time and place to be determined by the Executive Council.
Section 2. The association shall hold a business meeting during the annual meeting. The treasurer shall present a financial report, and the secretary shall take minutes of the meeting and disperse them to the membership within a reasonable time.
Section 3. Special meetings of the Association may be called in either of two ways: (1) by the Executive Council, or (2) by petition of twenty per cent of the membership, whichever is smaller. Calls for special meetings shall be issued by the Executive Council in writing at least thirty days in advance.
Article VII. Amendments
Amendments to this Constitution may be proposed in either of two ways: (1) by the Executive Council, or (2) by ten members, or ten percent of the membership, whichever is smaller. Proposed amendments shall be circulated to the membership at least fourteen days prior to the meeting at which they will be considered. Amendments shall go into effect upon ratification by a two-thirds majority of the members present and voting at any official business meeting of the Association.
The name of the association shall be “The Georgia Association of Historians,” organized as a nonprofit corporation according to the laws of the state of Georgia.
Article II. Purpose
The purpose of the association shall be to strengthen the historical profession and to enhance the professional lives of historians in Georgia by any of all of the following:
- Holding meetings, conferences, seminars, or symposia concerned with historical topics.
- Encouraging and promoting historical research, preservation, record keeping, and publication.
- Publishing journals or magazines devoted to history.
- Encouraging and promoting high standards in the teaching of history.
- Sponsoring the appearance in Georgia of outstanding historians.
- Recognizing excellence in historical research and publication, in service to theprofession, and in teaching of history by appropriate awards or prizes.
- Encouraging and promoting public history.
- Fostering professional and social communication among historians.
- Encouraging and promoting historians in training.
- Engaging in other appropriate activities which are in keeping with the purpose of the association.
Article III. Membership
Membership in the association shall be open to professional historians and historiansin training upon payment of the current dues to the Treasurer. “Professional historians” is understood to be persons who, as enunciated in W. Stull Holt, The Historical Profession in the United States (New York, 1963), (1) have a knowledge of history acquired by systematic study, (2) have been admitted to the historical profession after a specialized program of education or training, (3) practice the historical profession, and (4) are recognized as members of the historical profession by members of the group and by the public.
Article IV. Officers
Section 1. The officers of the association shall be a president, a president-elect, a secretary, a treasurer, an executive secretary-treasurer, and an archivist.
Section 2. The president shall serve a term of one year. A retired president is eligible for the office of president-elect after the expiration of two years. The president shall:
- Be the executive head of the association and shall be responsible for carrying out its policies and functions. In the event of the absence, resignation, or death of a president, the duties of the office shall devolve successively upon the president-elect, the secretary, and the treasurer, and the elected members of the council in order of their election.
- Chair the Executive Council and preside at all meetings of the association.
Section 3. The president-elect shall be elected at the association’s annual meeting, shall serve a term of one year, and shall success to the office of president without election. The duties of the president-elect shall be to:
- Serve as ex-officio chairperson of the Program Committee.
Section 4. The secretary shall be elected at the association’s annual meeting, shall serve a term of three years, and may be re-elected. The duties of the secretary shall be to:
- Take the minutes of the annual meeting and all other meetings and disseminate them to the Executive Council and the membership within a reasonable time.
- Serve as secretary of the Executive Council.
Section 5. The treasurer shall be elected at the association’s annual meeting, shall serve a term of three years and may be re-elected. The duties of the treasurer shall be to:
- Oversee the collection of all dues and other funds for the association.
- Oversee the maintenance and disbursement of all funds for the association, maintaining records to document receipts and disbursements.
- Manage finances for all grants received by the association.
- Present a report of the association’s finances at the annual meeting and periodic reports at the meetings of the Executive Council.
Section 6. The executive secretary-treasurer of the association shall be elected by the Executive Council with the recommendation of the institution hosting the association and shall serve a term of three years and may be re-elected. The executive secretary-treasurer shall be recognized as an officer of the association and shall serve as a member of the Executive Council. The duties of the executive secretary-treasurer shall be to:
- Oversee the day-to-day operations of the association.
- Coordinate with officers, committee chairs, and executive council members.
- Maintain the association’s website.
- Assemble and design two newsletters every year to be posted to the website and emailed out to members.
Section 7. The archivist of the association shall be elected by the Executive Council with the recommendation of the institution housing the archives and shall serve for a one-year renewable term. The archivist shall be recognized as an officer of the association and shall serve as a member of the Executive Council. The duties of the archivist shall be to:
- Provide for the preservation of the permanent records of the association.
Article V. Committees
The standing committees of the association shall be an Executive Council, a Program Committee, a Local Arrangements Committee, a Membership Committee, a Nominating Committee, a Committee for the Promotion of History, an Honors and Awards Committee, and a Committee on Teaching. Members of the Executive Council, with the exception of the immediate past president, the editors of the Journal of the Georgia Association of Historians, the executive secretary-treasurer, and the archivist, shall be elected by the membership at the annual meeting. Chairs of the standing committees shall be appointed by the president and serve as ex-officio members of the Executive Council. All officers, committee chairs, and committee members must be members in good standing of the association.
Section 2. The Executive Council shall be composed of the officers, the immediate past president ex-officio, the standing committee chairs ex-officio, the editors of the Journal of the Georgia Association of Historians, and six additional members at large for terms of three years; provided, however, that at the first regular election one member shall be elected for a term of one year, one for a term of two years, and one for a term of three years. Elected members shall be eligible for re-election after the expiration of two years. At least one at large member shall represent a nonwestern field, one a European field, and one the public history field. The Executive Council shall meet at the call of the president, and eight members shall constitute a quorum. The duties of the Executive Council shall be to:
- Generally direct the activities of the association.
- Set the time and place for the annual meeting and such special meetings as may be called.
- Fill vacancies that may occur in any office or committee chair between annual meetings.
- Formulate and propose to the association plans for putting its purposes into effect.
Section 3. The Program Committee shall plan and carry out the program of the annual meeting. The president-elect shall serve as chairperson and may appoint members of the committee.
Section 4. The Membership Committee shall seek to maintain and increase membership in the association. The chairperson of the Membership Committee shall serve a three year term renewable annually. The members of the committee will be appointed by the committee chairperson. The committee has the responsibility of encouraging membership renewals and new memberships and notifying members of expired memberships.
Section 5. The Nominating Committee shall consist of three members, one of whom shall be the immediate past president. That person shall serve a second year as chair of the committee. The third member shall be appointed by the president of the Executive Council. One or more nominations for each office and vacancy on the Executive Council shall be made by the Nominating Committee, and further nominations may be made from the floor by any members.
Section 6. The Committee for the Promotion of History shall seek to discover and publicize careers for young historians in fields other than teaching and shall serve as the affiliate in Georgia for the National Coordinating Committee. The committee shall also pursue activities that promote the field of history to the public and to appropriate governmental bodies. The chair of the committee shall be appointed by the president and committee members shall be appointed by the chair of the committee.
Section 7. The Committee on Teaching shall study and disseminate ideas and methods for the improvement of history teaching. The chair of the committee shall be appointed by the president.
Section 8. The Editorial Board of the Journal of the Georgia Association of Historians shall be responsible for the publication of the association’s refereed journal. The editorial board shall consist of nine members representing different fields of historical scholarship. The nine members shall serve staggered three-year terms renewable annually. Members of the Editorial Board may be reappointed to additional terms at the discretion of the president.
Section 9. The Honors and Awards Committee shall submit nominees for honors and awards to the Executive Council for approval. The chair shall be appointed by the president for a one year renewable term. Committee members shall be appointed by the chair of the committee.
Section 10. The Local Arrangements Committee shall be responsible for local arrangements for the annual meeting and shall work closely with the Program Committee. The chair shall be appointed for a one year term by the president of the Executive Council.
Section 11. The President may appoint such other non-standing committees as deemed necessary for carrying out the functions of the association.
Article VI. Meetings
Section 1. The association shall hold an annual meeting at a time and place to be determined by the Executive Council.
Section 2. The association shall hold a business meeting during the annual meeting. The treasurer shall present a financial report, and the secretary shall take minutes of the meeting and disperse them to the membership within a reasonable time.
Section 3. Special meetings of the Association may be called in either of two ways: (1) by the Executive Council, or (2) by petition of twenty per cent of the membership, whichever is smaller. Calls for special meetings shall be issued by the Executive Council in writing at least thirty days in advance.
Article VII. Amendments
Amendments to this Constitution may be proposed in either of two ways: (1) by the Executive Council, or (2) by ten members, or ten percent of the membership, whichever is smaller. Proposed amendments shall be circulated to the membership at least fourteen days prior to the meeting at which they will be considered. Amendments shall go into effect upon ratification by a two-thirds majority of the members present and voting at any official business meeting of the Association.
Bylaws of the Georgia Association of Historians
Annual dues of the Association shall be $10.00 for regular members and $7.00 for graduate students. Life membership may be purchased by regular members for $100.00. The membership year shall extend from regular annual meeting to regular annual meeting.
Robert’s Rules of Order shall be the guide to the conduct of business meeting of the association. The president may, if deemed necessary, appoint a parliamentarian from the membership.
Terms of office for officers and committee members shall begin on the first of the month following election.
The Executive Council shall have the power to audit all accounts and to require a bond of the treasurer, cost of the bond to be borne by the association.
A quorum of the association shall consist of twenty members, or twenty percent of the membership, whichever is smaller.
The officers and committee members of the association shall perform the duties customarily attached to their offices and committee memberships, whether or not they are enumerated in the Constitution.
The By-Laws may be amended by vote of a majority of those present and voting at any official business meeting of the association.
The Hugh McCall Award shall be given in recognition of scholarly attainment, excellence in teaching, and/or encouragement of the study of history. The award shall be given no more than once every three years. Nominations for the award shall be recommended to the Executive Council by the Honors and Awards Committee. (every third year beginning 2003)
The Linda Piper Distinguished Service Award shall be given in recognition of service which promotes the awareness and appreciation of history in Georgia. The award shall be given no more than once every three years and shall not be awarded in the same year that the Association bestows other awards. Nominations for the award shall be recommended to the Executive Council by the Honors and Awards Committee. (every third year beginning 2002)
The Warren Spencer Award shall be given once every three years for the best article appearing in the Journal of the Georgia Association of Historians over a three-year period beginning in 1995. This award is given in honor and memory of historian Warren Spencer, professor at the University of Georgia and long-time supporter of the association.
(The Constitution and By-Laws of the Georgia Association of Historians was adopted November 9, 1973 and revised October 14, 1983, and amended April 7, 1984; April 13, 1985; April 5, 1986; April 1994; April 3, 2004; April 7, 2007; and February 8, 2020.)
Robert’s Rules of Order shall be the guide to the conduct of business meeting of the association. The president may, if deemed necessary, appoint a parliamentarian from the membership.
Terms of office for officers and committee members shall begin on the first of the month following election.
The Executive Council shall have the power to audit all accounts and to require a bond of the treasurer, cost of the bond to be borne by the association.
A quorum of the association shall consist of twenty members, or twenty percent of the membership, whichever is smaller.
The officers and committee members of the association shall perform the duties customarily attached to their offices and committee memberships, whether or not they are enumerated in the Constitution.
The By-Laws may be amended by vote of a majority of those present and voting at any official business meeting of the association.
The Hugh McCall Award shall be given in recognition of scholarly attainment, excellence in teaching, and/or encouragement of the study of history. The award shall be given no more than once every three years. Nominations for the award shall be recommended to the Executive Council by the Honors and Awards Committee. (every third year beginning 2003)
The Linda Piper Distinguished Service Award shall be given in recognition of service which promotes the awareness and appreciation of history in Georgia. The award shall be given no more than once every three years and shall not be awarded in the same year that the Association bestows other awards. Nominations for the award shall be recommended to the Executive Council by the Honors and Awards Committee. (every third year beginning 2002)
The Warren Spencer Award shall be given once every three years for the best article appearing in the Journal of the Georgia Association of Historians over a three-year period beginning in 1995. This award is given in honor and memory of historian Warren Spencer, professor at the University of Georgia and long-time supporter of the association.
(The Constitution and By-Laws of the Georgia Association of Historians was adopted November 9, 1973 and revised October 14, 1983, and amended April 7, 1984; April 13, 1985; April 5, 1986; April 1994; April 3, 2004; April 7, 2007; and February 8, 2020.)