Members Encouraged to Support Constitutional Changes
The 2020 Election Ballot will contain six changes to the Society’s Constitution in addition to nominations to fill seats on the Board of Directors, candidates’ statements, and biographies. All the amendments were approved by the Board at its June 2019 meeting.
In summary, the amendments:
- Article I, Section 2: Update language on the scope of ASEE’s membership and work to align with the activities being performed by the Society and its members.
- Article III, Section 7: Remove a reference that allows the Board to determine the years in which council chairs are elected, since such is actually specified elsewhere in the Constitution.
- Article III, Section 15: Include all Vice Presidents as full members of the Finance Committee with the right to vote, since all Vice Presidents now attend finance committee meetings.
- Article III, Section 19: Allow the Board to appoint commissions, in addition to task forces and committees, with a broader set of responsibilities.
- Article IV, Section 2: Adjust the timing of annual elections to better accommodate modern electronic voting.
- Article IV, Section 11: Add a policy for removal of Board members for ethical violations.
The full text of the revised Constitution, with changes and additions highlighted, can be found at this link:
https://files.asee.org/data/public/3cb6cf3601a834c0.php
Explanatory text for Article I, Section 2:
The proposed new language in this section clarifies the Society’s role as encompassing engineering education “from P-12 through the graduate level and continuing education,” as well as ASEE’s responsibilities of “fostering and dissemination of engineering education research and best practices culled from that research.” These proposed revisions will bring the Constitution into alignment with the activities that are actually being performed by the Society and its membership. In particular, the emphasis on the full engineering education pathway from P-12 to graduate school and beyond reflects the growing recognition of the importance of engineering education outside of traditional undergraduate settings. Similarly, the increased emphasis on high-quality engineering education research (and the best practices it can be used to identify) have become increasingly central to the Society’s mission over the past two decades.
Explanatory Text for Article III, Section 7
Article III of the Constitution of ASEE outlines organizational procedures, as well as the leadership of ASEE. The Constitution presently includes language regarding the Board of Directors’ responsibility to determine the election cycle of council chairs or chairs-elect.
The proposed change to the Society’s Constitution removes the statement “The Board of Directors shall designate which councils shall elect chairs or chairs-elect in odd numbered and even numbered calendar years,” since election cycle details are described in the Constitution (Article IV, Section 2). Thus, this statement is redundant.
Explanatory text for Article III, Section 15
For the past year, all five ASEE vice presidents have been asked to attend all meetings of the Finance Committee in order to ensure that they are knowledgeable and aware of the financial aspects of the organization’s operations. The Vice President of Finance and the Vice President of External Relations are the only two of the five vice presidents who are official members of the Finance Committee (along with the President, President-Elect, Most Immediate Past President, Executive Director, and two outside financial experts).
As a result, the Vice President of Member Affairs, Vice President of Professional Interest Councils, and Vice President of Institutional Councils, who are not currently official members of the Finance Committee, are asked to attend these meetings without the opportunity to vote on issues that appear before the committee. The members filling these positions are well-informed about financial issues facing the Society, and they offer unique perspectives on how the Society should manage its resources. For these reasons, it is proposed that these three vice presidents be given full membership on the Finance Committee, including the right to vote on issues that come before it.
Explanatory Text for Article III, Section 19
Article III of the Constitution of ASEE outlines organizational procedures, as well as the leadership of ASEE. Article III also describes the President’s ability to create and appoint standing and special ad hoc committee in service to ASEE. The Constitution presently lacks language to clarify the nature and scope of such committees.
The proposed change to the Society’s Constitution describes more succinctly the types of standing and special ad hoc committees that can be created to achieve the Society’s goals. These include: task forces, committees, and commissions. Each of the aforementioned entities suggest different purposes, durations, and reporting responsibilities. For example, a task force will focus on one particular aspect of the Society’s work and have a finite life, whereas a committee or commission will have a broader scope and be ongoing.
Explanatory Text for Article IV, Section 2
The proposed new language in Article VI, Section 2 intends to adjust the timing of annual elections to better accommodate modern electronic voting. This language proposes that the due date for nominations change from the current date of September 1 to the date of July 1. It also proposes that voting by members shall be open for 30 days. This 30-day voting window would replace the current fixed voting period, which ends on March 31. Establishing a voting period, rather than a fixed end date, takes advantage of flexibility available through modern electronic voting.
Explanatory Text for Article IV, Section 11
Article IV of the Constitution of ASEE clarifies procedures for the election of officers who serve on the ASEE Board of Directors and the succession of officers should an officer no longer be able to perform the duties of their office. Members of the ASEE Board of Directors occupy positions of significant authority that are accompanied by significant ethical responsibilities. All ASEE members are bound to the ASEE Code of Ethics. However, should ethical violations occur, the Constitution presently lacks language to clarify either the procedure for removal of a member of the ASEE Board of Directors or the succession of officers following such a removal action. These proposed changes to the Society’s Constitution clarify both of these procedures. Examples of behaviors that may lead to removal of a Board member include violation of the ASEE Code of Ethics or violation of criminal law. Should a case arise in which the confidence in any member of the ASEE Board were challenged, a two-thirds majority vote of all Board members would facilitate removal of that Board member from office. Succession of officers to fill the position would be as previously described in the Constitution in Article IV, Sections 7-10.
The ASEE Code of Ethics and ASEE Statement on Diversity can be accessed at the following URL:
https://www.asee.org/about-us/the-organization/our-board-of-directors/asee-board-of-directors-statements
Call for Board Candidates
The ASEE Nominating Committee, chaired by Immediate Past President Stephanie Farrell, requests member participation in nominating candidates for the 2021 ASEE Board election. Board positions to be nominated are: President-Elect; Vice President, External Relations; and Chairs of the Council of Sections for Zones II and IV.
- All nominees must be individual members or institutional member representatives of ASEE at the time of nomination and must maintain ASEE membership during their term of office. Nominating Committee members are not eligible for nomination.
- Candidates for President-Elect and for Vice President of External Relations must be active members who have served or are serving on the Board of Directors. Because ASEE is a Department of Defense contractor, candidates for President-Elect must currently be U.S. citizens and undergo a security clearance.
- Candidates for Chair-Elect for Zone II and Zone IV will be selected by members of their respective sections, as the ASEE Constitution stipulates. Each proposed candidate for a Society-wide office should submit a first-person biographical sketch of fewer than 400 words that documents career contributions, ASEE offices held, awards and recognitions received, and educational background. Include comments on leadership qualities, ability to collaborate with others to achieve objectives, and willingness to serve if elected. Self-nominations are accepted. For nominations for the office of President-Elect, please include a statement summarizing why you think your nominee is a good candidate for the position. A listing of members who meet constitutional eligibility requirements for the offices of President-Elect and Vice President, External Relations is available from the executive director’s office at ASEE headquarters.
Nominations will be accepted electronically at s.nguyen-fawley@asee.org. Please include a subject line that begins with the words “2021 Nomination” so that it can be forwarded to the Nominating Committee. Please be assured that your nominations are confidential and will be seen only by the assistant Board secretary and members of the Nominating Committee. The deadline to submit nominations is June 1, 2020.
Nominations postmarked by June 1, 2020, will also be accepted by mail. Please mark the envelope CONFIDENTIAL and address it to Stephanie Farrell, Chair, ASEE Nominating Committee, ASEE, 1818 N Street, N.W., Suite 600, Washington, DC 20036.
White House Honoree
Howard Kimmel, professor emeritus of chemical engineering at the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) and life member of ASEE, received a Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Mentoring (PAESMEM) at a ceremony in Washington, D.C., October 17. Begun in 1995, PAESMEM “recognizes the critical roles mentors play outside the traditional classroom setting in the academic and professional development of the future STEM workforce,” the White House said in announcing the award. Kimmel, one of 15 recipients nationwide, co-founded NJIT’s Center for Pre-College Programs, which increases access to scientific and technological fields among traditionally underrepresented populations and works to improve science and math teaching in K-12 schools. (Editor’s note: Kimmel was inadvertently omitted from a list of PAESMEM awardees in the November Prism.)