CONSTITUTION OF
THE INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY FOR IRANIAN STUDIES
Article I. Name
This Society shall be known as the International Society
for Iranian Studies.
Article II. Objectives
The purposes of this Society is
— to encourage the study of Iranian culture and society, including the
history, languages, literatures, the arts, as well as Iran’s contemporary
social, economic, and political situation;
— to provide unrestricted opportunities in its publications and forums
for the presentation of scientific findings on Iran from all perspectives;
— to work to safeguard freedom of inquiry and expression for its members
and other scholars in Iranian studies.
Article III. Membership
1. Categories of Membership. There shall be
four categories of members: Regular Members, Student Members,
Honorary Members, and Institutional Members.
a. Regular Members. Regular Membership shall
be open to persons who have demonstrated a commitment to
the advancement of Iranian studies through scholarly research,
teaching, doctoral work in the field, or through other
appropriate accomplishments. Applicants shall
be admitted to regular membership by approval of the Executive
Committee.
b. Student Members. The Executive Council
may admit as Student Members registered graduate and undergraduate
students interested in Iranian studies who meet such qualifications
as may be established by the Council.
c. Honorary Members. Honorary Membership shall
be limited to outstanding, internationally recognized scholars
who have made major contributions to the field of Iranian
studies. Honorary Membership may be proposed at the Council
meeting by a voting member of the Council and shall be bestowed
by the vote of a two-thirds majority of voting members of
the Council. Each Honorary Member shall retain that status
until his or her resignation or death. Honorary Members
shall be entitled to all rights of Members, but shall not
pay dues. There shall be no more than five Honorary Members
at any one time.
d. Institutional Members. The Executive Committee
may elect as Institutional Members institutions interested
in the study of Iran and who meet such qualifications as
may be established by the Council.
2. Privileges of Members. All members shall be
entitled to attend the public meetings of the Society. Each
member, other than the second Family Member, shall be entitled
to a copy of each number of the Society’s publication(s)
issued during his or her membership. Only Regular Members,
Honorary Members, and Student Members in good standing shall
be eligible to vote and to serve on committees and to be officers
and to serve on the Council.
3. Dues. Members will be required to pay such
membership dues as may be set by the Council from time to
time.
Article IV. Programs
The programs of the Society shall consist of:
— sponsorship of conferences on Iranian studies;
— publication of a journal;
— publication of a newsletter on the Society’s activities; and
- encouragement, sponsorship, and publication of research
on all facets of Iranian culture and society.
Article V. The Council
1. The Council shall be the governing body of the
Society and have general charge and supervision of its business
and interests in accordance with this Constitution. The
Council shall meet once a year before the annual business
meeting, and more often at the discretion of Council members
or of the Executive Director. A majority of members
shall constitute a quorum and a majority vote of the members
in attendance shall decide.
2. Members of the Council. The Council
shall consist of twelve voting persons: the President, the
President-Elect, the immediate past President, the Executive
Director, ex officio, six regular members, and two student
members.
3. Terms of Office. Regular members of
the Council shall be elected for three-year terms, staggered
so that one-third of the regular members are elected every
year. Student members shall be elected for two-year
terms, also staggered. Council members shall serve
no more than two consecutive terms, but may be re-elected
after a period of no less than three years.
4. Vacancies. The Council shall fill
any vacancy in its membership by a majority vote of the remaining
Council members. The new member shall serve the
remainder of the vacating member’s term.
5. Other Duties of the Council. The
Council may call special meetings of the Society. It
may establish other offices, boards and committees, define
their tasks and powers and fix their terms and methods
of appointment, as the business of the Society may require.
Article VI. Officers
1. The highest authority for deciding the policies
and managing the affairs of the Society is the membership
of the Society.
2. Officers of the Society. The Officers
of the Society shall be a President, a President-Elect, an
Executive Director, a Treasurer and the Editor(s) of the Society’s
publications, all of whom, with the exception of the President
and the President-Elect, shall be appointed by the Council
for three-year terms. One person may not hold more than one
of the aforesaid offices at the same time except those of
Executive Director and Treasurer.
3. Additional Officers. At any meeting,
the Council may appoint by resolution such additional officers
and such agents and employees, and determine their terms of
office and compensation if any, as it may deem advisable. The
Council may delegate to any officer or committee to appoint
such subordinate officers or agents and to determine their
terms of office and compensattion if any. Such additional
officers will not be members of the Council unless so specified
by the Council.
All individuals serving on any committees or boards or other
units of the Society must be members in good standing at the
time of their election or appointment.
4. Removal of Officers. Any officer may be removed
at any time, with or without cause and with or without notice,
by a majority of the body electing him or her.
5. Duties of the Officers
a. The President. The President shall be a member
of all committees ex officio, and shall serve as Chair of
the Council. The President shall preside at the Annual
General Meetings of the Society, the Council, and the Executive
Committee. He or she shall have general supervision
of the affairs and property of the society and over its several
officers, and shall represent the Society in the public
arena. He or she shall generally do and perform
all acts incident to the office of President, and shall have
such additional powers and duties as may from time to time
be assigned to him or her by the Council. When authorized
by the Council, the President may sign and execute, in the
name of the Society, deeds, mortgages, bonds, contracts or
other instruments authorized by the Council, except in cases
where the signing and execution thereof shall be expressly
delegated by the Council or by this Constitution to some other
officer or agent of the Society. When authorized by
the Council, the President shall play a key role in the planning
and execution of any stand-alone Society conferences and shall
be in charge of fund-raising for the Society and of writing
and submitting grant proposals to granting agencies and foundations,
except in cases where such tasks shall be expressly delegated by
the Council to some other officer or agent of the Society.
The President begins his or her term one year after being
elected President-Elect, and he or she takes office following
the Annual General Meeting.
b. The President-Elect. The President-Elect,
at the request of the President, or in the President’s
absence or disability, shall perform all the duties of the
President subject to all the restrictions upon the President. When
authorized by the Council, the President-Elect may also sign
and execute, in the name of the Society, deeds, mortgages,
bonds, contracts or other instruments authorized by the Council,
except in cases where the signing and execution thereof shall
be expressly delegated by the Council or by this Constitution
to some other office or agent of the Society. The President-Elect
shall perform such other duties as from time to time may be
assigned to him or her by the Council or the President. The
President-Elect serves for one year as the President-Elect,
beginning after the Annual General Meeting which follows his
or her election.
c. The Executive Director. The Executive
Director shall be in charge of the day-to-day business of
the Society. He or she shall have charge of the central
office of the Society. Except as otherwise provided,
the Executive Director shall, with the approval of the Executive
Committee, appoint all committees of the Society. The
Executive Director shall advise and assist all appointive
committees in their work. The Executive Director shall
present a report on the state of the Society at each Annual
General Meeting.
d. The Treasurer. The Treasurer shall
review and approve the arrangements for the receipt, custody
and disbursement of the Society’s funds, and for the
keeping of the Society’s accounts. The Treasurer
shall arrange for the annual audit, and present the auditor’s
report to the Council. The Treasurer shall report the Society’s
financial condition to the membership at the Annual General
Meeting and shall provide at that meeting a list of all contributions
received during the year. The Treasurer shall review
the Society’s investment policy to the Council and shall
seek to advance the interests of the Society by adding to
its financial resources. The Treasurer shall present
to the Council a written report on the Society’s finances
no less than twice a year.
e. The Editor (s). The Editor(s) of the
Society shall edit and publish its periodical(s) with the
advice and assistance of an Editorial Board. The Editor(s)
shall report to the membership on the Society’s publications
at the Annual General Meeting. The Editor(s) shall present
a written report on the publication schedule of the Society’s
journal to the Council at least twice a year.
Article VII. The Executive Committee
1. Composition. The Executive Committee
of the Society shall consist of the President, the President-Elect,
the Executive Director, the Treasurer, and the Editor(s).
2. Duties. Within the limits prescribed,
by the Council, the Executive Committee may exercise the powers
of the Council (except that of appointing Council members
and officers and approving budgets) when the Council or
Annual General Meeting is not in session. The Committee
shall convene at the discretion of the Executive Director,
and he or she shall report the Committee’s actions to
the Council in a timely fashion. The Executive Committee
shall meet, physically or electronically, at least once between
Annual General Meetings.
Article VIII. Elections
Nominating Committee. The Nominating Committee shall
be constituted of two members appointed bv the Council
and two members selected by the membership at the Annual General
Meeting. The Nominating Committee shall formulate
a slate of candidates itself, but may also take nominations
from the floor. Ample time shall be given to the
membership to communicate with the nominating committee as
it formulates its slate. The members of the nominating
committee may communicate bv any appropriate means. Each
year the Nominating Committee shall decide upon four nominees
for two places on the Council, two nominees for President-Elect,
and two nominees for one student place on the Council. The
Executive Director or a person or persons appointed for this
purpose by the Executive Committee shall conduct the ballot
by mail. Ballots shall be sent out in sufficient time
so that they may be returned by a deadline before the Annual
General Meeting. A plurality of votes cast shall be required
for election. Only the ballots of members in good standing
shall be counted.
Article IX. Conference Participation
Individuals presenting papers to conferences sponsored by
the Society must officially register at such conferences prior
to making their presentations.
Article X. Resolutions
1. All resolutions shall be referred to the Council
for its recommendations before submission to the vote of the
membership.
2. Any petition supported by at least one-tenth of
the Society’s membership shall be put to the vote of
the membership.
Article XI. Audits
There shall be an annual audit of the Society’s accounts
that shall be presented to the Council.
Article XII. Amendments
Amendments to the Constitution shall be proposed by the Council
and adopted by a two-thirds majority of the membership voting
on any proposed amendments. Any group of members of
the Society, comprising no less than one-tenth of the membership,
may propose amendments to the Constitution. Such proposed
amendments shall be referred to the Council for consideration,
and by it shall be put to the vote of me membership, with
such recommendations as the Council may see fit to make.
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