IEEE Antennas & Propagation Society Constitution

Note: A pdf version is available here.

Article I – Name and Objectives

Section 1: Name

This organization shall be known as the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. (IEEE) Antennas and Propagation Society, hereinafter called the Society.

Section 2: Objectives

The Society’s objectives shall be scientific, literary, and educational in character. The Society shall strive for the advancement of the theory and practice of electrical and electronics engineering and of the allied arts and sciences, and the maintenance of a high professional standing among its members and affiliates, all in consonance with the Constitution and Bylaws of the IEEE, and with special attention to such aims within the field of interest of the Society as are hereinafter defined.

Section 3: Information Exchange

The Society shall aid in promoting close cooperation and exchange of technical information among its members and affiliates. To this end, the Society shall hold and sponsor symposia, conferences, conventions, and topical meetings for the presentation and discussion of papers, and shall support a publications program. Through its committees, the Society shall study and provide for the needs of its members and affiliates.

Article II – Field of Interest

Section 1: Field of Interest

The field of interest of the Society includes the following: antennas, including analysis, design, development, measurement, and testing; radiation, propagation, and the interaction of electromagnetic waves with discrete and continuous media; and applications and systems pertinent to antennas, propagation, and sensing, such as applied optics, millimeter- and sub-millimeter-wave techniques, antenna signal processing and control, radio astronomy, and propagation and radiation aspects of terrestrial and space-based communication, including wireless, mobile, satellite, and telecommunications. Section 2 of the Bylaws provides a detailed field of interest statement.

Section 2: Changes in the Field of Interest

The field of interest of the Society may be enlarged, reduced, or shifted moderately as the needs of the occasion indicate, with the provision that such revisions shall be processed as outlined in the IEEE Technical Activities Board Operations Manual.

Article III – Membership

Section 1: Members

Membership in the Society shall be available to members of the IEEE in any grade, including students, having a professional interest in any portion of the field of interest of the Society.

Section 2: Affiliates

Affiliates may participate in Society activities, as provided by the IEEE Bylaws, and are subject to the applicable IEEE rules and regulations and any additional limitations imposed by the Society Bylaws.

Article IV – Governance

Section 1: Administrative Committee

The Society shall be managed by an Administrative Committee (hereinafter called the AdCom) of members of the Society. The committee composition shall be as follows: the presiding President, the President-Elect, twelve AdCom members elected by the membership at large, and the four most-junior past Presidents. There may also be ex-officio members as prescribed in the Bylaws (Section 4.1). Election procedures for the elected members of the AdCom are prescribed in the Bylaws (Section 5).

Section 2: Terms of Elected Members

The terms of the twelve elected members of the AdCom shall be for three years, with four members elected each year. Two consecutive full terms are permitted, with eligibility restored after a lapse of one year. The President and President-Elect serve one- year terms. The President-Elect is eligible to be re-elected to the position of President-Elect three years after the origination of his/her original term in office.

Section 3: Election of President-Elect

The Society shall annually elect a present or past elected member of the AdCom as President-Elect, whose term shall be one year. The President-Elect shall serve as President the following year. If the President-Elect is unable or unwilling to serve as President, the Society shall elect both a President and President-Elect in the annual election.

Section 4: Term Origination

The newly elected President, President-Elect, and members of the AdCom shall assume office on the first of January immediately following their election or as soon thereafter as practical. They shall continue in office until newly elected replacement members for their seats have been duly elected and have taken office.

Section 5: Voting Rights of President and President-Elect

The President and President-Elect shall be voting members of the AdCom during their terms in office as President or President-Elect.

Section 6: Secretary-Treasurer

The President shall appoint a Secretary-Treasurer annually for a one-year term. The officer need not be a member of the AdCom. He/she may be reappointed.

Section 7: Officer Designation, Duties, and Responsibilities

The officers of the AdCom, designated as the President, the President-Elect, and the Secretary-Treasurer, have duties and responsibilities that are defined in the Bylaws (Section 4.9).

Section 8: Bursar

The AdCom shall use the IEEE as bursar for all Society funds, as provided by the IEEE Bylaws and rules and regulations. If any Society funds are received and deposited separately (as in the case for accounts for symposia and conferences), the terms and conditions shall be in accordance with IEEE policies, and subject to the provisions of the Society Bylaws and to any special limitations imposed by the AdCom.

Section 9: Debts

Neither the Society, nor any AdCom member or representative thereof, shall have any authority to contract debts for, pledge the credit of, or in any way bind the IEEE except within prior approved budgets.

Section 10: Subgroups

Subgroups may be formed within the Society as provided in the IEEE rules and regulations. The nature and designation of the subgroups and supervision of their affairs shall be prescribed in the Bylaws.

Article V – Financial Support

Section 1: Membership Fee

The Society shall collect from its members and affiliates an annual membership fee, in accordance with the IEEE Bylaws and applicable rules and regulations. The amount of the fee shall be as established by the AdCom (Bylaws Section 8.1).

Section 2: Registration Fees

The Society may make registration charges at its meetings, symposia, conferences, and conventions. The registration fee for non-members of the IEEE may be higher than that for IEEE members or affiliates.

Section 3: Other Revenues

The Society may raise revenues by other means, such as advertising, exhibits, requests for contributions, and charges for sending out notices to non-Society members, provided such means are consistent with applicable IEEE rules and regulations, and do not encroach on revenue fields previously established by other Societies.

Article VI – Amendments

Section 1: Amendments to Constitution

Amendments to the Society’s Constitution may be proposed in two ways. Amendments may be proposed by the AdCom or through a petition submitted by at least 100 members of the Society. Two-thirds of the votes legally cast by the AdCom shall be required to move the proposed Amendment(s) forward through the approval process. Proposed amendments are then submitted to the IEEE Technical Activities Board and the Executive Committee of the IEEE for approval. After such approval, the proposed amendment(s) shall be published in at least one of the Society’s publications or otherwise publicized by direct mailing to the membership, with notice that the changes will go into effect unless ten percent of the Society members object within 30 days. If such objections are received, a copy of the proposed amendment(s) shall be mailed with a ballot to all members of the Society at least 30 days before the date appointed for return of the ballots. The ballots shall carry a statement of the time limit for their return to the IEEE office. When a mail vote of the entire Society membership is made necessary, approval of the amendment(s) by at least two thirds of the ballots legally cast shall be necessary for individual amendment adoption.

Section 2: Bylaws and Amendments Thereto

Bylaws may be adopted or changed by a two-thirds vote legally cast by the AdCom members present at a regular or special meeting, provided that notice of the proposed Bylaw or Bylaw Amendment has been mailed (via first-class, express delivery service, or electronic means in accordance with IEEE policy) to each Officer and each AdCom member at least three weeks prior to such a meeting. A Bylaw or Amendments thereto may also be adopted by a two-thirds vote (conducted by first-class mail, express delivery service, or electronic means in accordance with IEEE policy) of the members of the AdCom provided a 30-day period is provided for such responses. In either event, the proposed Bylaw or Amendment thereto shall be published in at least one of the Society’s publications.

Section 3: Effective Date

Unless a later date has been specified at the time a vote is taken, all amendments to the Constitution and Bylaws shall become effective 30 days after all of the following have occurred: the affirmative vote of the appropriate Society body; publication of the changes in at least one Society publication; submission of a copy of the changes to the secretary of the Technical Activities Board (TAB) of the IEEE; and all required approvals have been obtained from the TAB and the IEEE Executive Director.