NAGT > NAGT Organization > Constitution

NAGT Constitution

Approved October, 1998

As amended April 1, 1953; March 28, 1955; October 28, 1958; December 1962; April 1, 1966; November 1968;November 1969; November 1971, November 1976; November 1978; September 1982; August 196[8]3;November 1987; October 1990; October 1991; October 1993, October 1995, and October 1998.


Article I - Name

The name of the organization shall be the National Association of Geoscience Teachers, Inc.*, hereinafter referred to as the Association.
*Prior to October 1995, known as National Association of Geology Teachers.


Article II - Purposes

The purposes of this Association shall be, 1) to foster improvements in the teaching of the earth sciences at all levels of formal and informal instruction, 2) to emphasize the relevance and cultural significance of the earth sciences and 3) to disseminate knowledge in this field to educators and the general public.


Article III - Organization


Section 1 - General

The affairs of the Association shall be carried out by elected officers who shall have the authority to hold general meetings, to issue publications, to collect dues, and to take other action as may fulfill the general purposes of the Association.

Section 2 - Regional Sections

Association members may propose to organize a section to represent a specific geographic area in which they reside. Upon petition of 20% of membership of the proposed section, and affirmative action by the Executive Committee, such a Regional Section shall be organized. Each section shall operate under the Constitution of the Association, but may adopt its own bylaws so long as they are compatible with the Constitution and Bylaws of the Association. Section officers, chosen by vote of the members of the section, are President and Treasurer and other appropriate officers, such as Vice-President, Secretary and Editor, according to the individual needs of each section. Section meetings and other activities are arranged independently of the national organization. Section dues, as provided in the Association Bylaws (Bylaw II, Section I) are retained by the Section Treasurer. The National President of the Association may appoint an Acting Section President, if for any reason the office becomes vacant, until an election can be held and a new president elected.


Article IV - Membership


Section 1 - Active Members

Active Members shall be persons who are or have been engaged in some aspect of teaching of the geosciences or who are or have been engaged in the gathering and dissemination of geoscience information. Active members will automatically be affiliated with the regional section in which they reside unless they request transfer to another section or request not to affiliate with any section.

Section 2 - Student Members

Student Members shall be persons whose primary enterprise is studying toward any degree in the geosciences, or those whose primary employment is as a teaching assistant or fellow in a graduate geoscience program.

Section 3 - Honorary Members

Honorary Members shall be members of long standing in the Association or other distinguished individuals whom the Association wishes to honor. Honorary members may be nominated by any active or honorary member, and are elected for life by unanimous vote by of the Executive Committee, except for recipients of the Neil Miner Award, whose honorary membership shall be automatic. Honorary members shall have all the rights and privileges of active members, but are not required to pay dues. The total number of honorary members, not including recipients of the Neil Miner Award, shall not normally exceed 1% of the total membership.

Section 4 - Retired Members

Retired Members shall be those members who have retired from their primary career. Such members are entitled to reduced dues.


Article V - Officers


Section 1 - Officers

The Officers of the Association shall be President, Vice-President, Second Vice-President, Secretary/treasurer, Editor, Executive Director, Executive Representative, and six Councilors-at-Large.

Section 2 - President

The President shall be the Chief Executive Officer of the Association and shall preside at all business meetings of the Association and the Executive Committee. He, or she, shall be an ex officio member of all committees.

Section 3 - Vice-President

The Vice-President shall be the President-Elect, the succession to President being automatic. The Vice-President shall assume the duties of the President in the event of the absence or disability of the President. The Vice-President shall also be an ex officio member of all committees and shall be responsible for arranging the program of the Annual Meeting.

Section 4 - Second Vice-President

The Second Vice-President shall be Vice-President Elect and shall assist the Vice-President. The Second Vice-President shall assume the duties of the Vice-President in the event of absence or disability of the Vice-President, and shall assume the duties of the President in the event both the President and Vice-President are absent or disabled. The Second Vice-President will assist the Vice-President in the arrangements for the Annual Meeting and should conduct advanced planning for the program when he/she becomes Vice-President. The Second Vice-President shall also be an ex officio member of all committees.

Section 5 - Secretary/Treasurer

The Secretary/treasurer will be entrusted with the financial welfare of the association. The Executive Director will send periodic reports to the Secretary/treasurer. With the assistance of the Executive Director, the secretary/treasurer will prepare and present the financial report and the proposed budget for the following year at the annual meeting. He/she will engage in fund-raising activities, as designated by the Executive Committee. The Secretary/treasurer is also responsible for taking and distributing minutes for all regularly scheduled meetings of the NAGT Council and Executive Committee.

Section 6 - Executive Director

The Executive Director shall be appointed by the Executive Committee for a five-year term. The term may be extended or reduced by a 2/3 vote of the Executive Committee. He/she shall keep the official business and financial records of the Association and will handle all matters pertaining to membership. The Executive Director will be the primary contact person with the regional sections and provide logistical assistance as needed. He/she will prepare the annual report and perform other duties as directed by the Executive Committee. Compensation and benefits shall be determined by the Executive Committee. The Executive Director will be a non-voting member of the Executive Committee.

Section 7 - Executive Representative

The Executive Representative shall be a former NAGT president appointed by the Executive Committee for a four-year term. He/she shall serve as the Member Society Representative to AGI and will represent NAGT to other geoscience societies and organizations involved with similar educational activities. If necessary, the Executive Representative may designate other persons as liaisons to certain organizations, or as alternates to attend a meeting in his/her place. The Executive Representative is expected to attend all regularly scheduled meetings of the Executive Committee as a non-voting member.

Section 8 - Editor

The Editor shall be appointed by the Executive Committee for a five-year term coinciding with the editing of five complete volumes of the Journal of Geoscience Education. He/she may be re-appointed for additional terms without limit. The Editor shall be responsible for all formal publications sponsored by the Association. An associate editor and/or editorial board may be nominated by the Editor and confirmed by the Executive Committee to assist the Editor in carrying out the duties of this office.

Section 9 - Councilors-At-Large

Six Councilors-at-Large normally bring a variety of expertise and professional backgrounds to the Executive Committee. Councilors shall attend all Executive Committee meetings and be responsible for specific administrative tasks mutually agreed upon in the Executive Committee.

Section 10 - Elections
  1. Elections shall be held annually by mail ballot at least forty (40) days prior to the Annual Meeting. At least (60) sixty days prior to the Annual Meeting of the Association, the Nominating Committee shall present to the Executive Director a list of nominations to be mailed to the membership of the Association. The ballots shall indicate one nomination for President (incumbent Vice-President), Vice-President (incumbent Second Vice-President), Second Vice-President, Secretary/treasurer (every third year), and Councilors-at-Large. There will be write-in privileges for all offices except President and First Vice-President. The Executive Director shall serve as teller and report the results of the ballots at the Annual Meeting.
  2. The President and First Vice-President shall serve one-year terms. A person who serves a full term as President, or Vice-President , or Second Vice-President, may not succeed himself/herself in that office. If necessary, an Acting Second Vice-President may be appointed by the President with the consent of the Executive Committee.
  3. The Secretary/treasurer shall be elected for a three-year term, and may be re-elected to one additional consecutive three-year term. If necessary, the President, with the consent of the Executive Committee, may appoint an Acting Secretary/treasurer.
  4. The Councilors-at-Large shall be elected for a one-time renewable, three-year staggered terms. Two of the six Councilors-at-Large shall be elected each year, with concern for providing balanced representation of the membership. In the event that a position is vacated during the term, the President may appoint a member in good standing to fill it until the next annual election.
  5. Elected Officers shall serve from the Annual Meeting following their election to the beginning of the Annual Meeting occurring at the end of their elected term of Office.

Article VI - Executive Committee


Section 1.

The National Officers of the Association and the immediate Past-President of the Association shall constitute the Executive Committee.

Section 2.

The Executive Committee shall have authority to expend funds and take other fiscal actions on behalf of the association membership provided that no financial obligations are incurred that exceed the resources of the Association available during the current fiscal year. The Executive Committee will be responsible for such other actions as are delegated to it under the Articles of the Constitution and the Bylaws of the Association. The Executive Committee shall meet at least once a year.


Article VII - Council


Section 1.

The National Officers of the Association and the immediate Past-President (i.e. the Executive Committee), the President (or his representative) from each regional section, Official Representatives to other geoscience associations, and the Chairpersons of standing committees shall constitute the Council of the Association.

Section 2

The Council is advisory in function. It shall make recommendations regarding policy, and shall review activities of the Association at least once a year. The Council shall normally convene prior to the Annual Meeting of the Association.


Article VIII - Bylaws


Section 1.

The Executive Committee shall establish such Bylaws and Amendments to the Bylaws as may be needed to accomplish the purposes set forth in this Constitution.

Section 2.

Bylaws and Amendments to the Bylaws shall be submitted to and acted upon by the members in writing, in the same way as Amendments to the Constitution. They shall go into effect immediately after approval unless another effective date is stipulated.


Article IX - Meetings


There shall be one Business Meeting of the Association each year, called the Annual Meeting, to be held normally in conjunction with the Annual Meeting of the Geological Society of America. The agenda of the Annual Meeting shall include current business of the Association, matters of association policy, reports of committees, and the announcement of the mail ballot count on the election of officers. Sections shall normally meet at least one time each year to conduct current business and elect officers. Sections are encouraged to hold additional meetings, field trips, symposia, and other events each year.


Article X - Publications


The Journal of Geoscience Education* is the official publication of the Association. The Association may sponsor other publications in the field of teaching of earth sciences as circumstances and resources justify and permit.
* Prior to October 1995, known as Journal of Geological Education.


Article XI - Amendments


Amendments to this Constitution may be proposed by the Executive Committee or submitted to the Executive Director in writing by at least 25 association members in good standing. In either case, the Executive Committee shall submit such proposed amendments to the members, in writing, within one year of the date of the original petition, together with a mail ballot which must indicate the closing date for voting. The results of the vote shall be tabulated and announced in the issue of the Journal of Geoscience Education following the closing date for voting. An amendment shall be considered adopted if favored by the majority of those voting, provided that such majority constitutes at least 1/5 of the entire membership of the Association.


Article XII - Dissolution


Should the Association dissolve, its assets shall be distributed to the American Geological Institute.



Bylaws


Bylaw I - Fiscal Year

The fiscal year of the Association shall extend from September 1 to August 31.

Bylaw II - Dues and Subscriptions

Section 1.
The dues of the Association shall be established by Executive Committee action, according to the needs of the Association, with appropriate notice to be published in the Journal of Geoscience Education. For each paid member of a section which has been designated by the Executive Committee as active and which has filed an annual financial report with the Executive Director, the Association will remit a sum of money to the section for carrying out its functions. For purposes of this remission, a Section shall be declared "active" if, during the previous year, the Section has done at least one of the following:

Section 2.
Dues are to be paid by December 31 and cover the succeeding year; they become delinquent January 1 with suspension of the Journal beginning with the next issue. All members of the Association, whether affiliated or unaffiliated with a regional section, will pay the annual dues directly to the Association Business Office.

Section 3.
The Executive Committee may, in response to an appeal from a new or small section, authorize small grants to such section to supplement section dues.

Section 4.
The subscription price for the Journal of Geoscience Education for non-members shall be established by the Executive Committee, according to the needs of the Association.

Section 5.
Members in good standing who have retired from their primary career shall be, upon their request to the Secretary/Treasurer, entitled to all the rights and privileges of active members, and these (retired) members shall pay dues at a reduced rate set by the Executive Committee.


Bylaw III - Organizational Representation

Section 1.
All the Association's organizational representatives shall be appointed by the Executive Representative, subject to approval by the Executive Committee. No terms of office shall be designated except those specified by the reciprocal organization.


Bylaw IV - Standing Committees

Section 1. Outreach Committee
The function of the Outreach Committee is to foster interest in the aims and purposes of the Association among teachers of geoscience and those engaged in dissemination of geoscience related information. The Committee is composed of a Chair, appointed by the Executive Committee, and three other members recommended by the Committee on Committees and confirmed by the Executive Committee. Term of office is two years. The Outreach Committee shall nominate Honorary Members.

Section 2. Neil Miner Award Committee
This Committee administers the selection of the recipient of the annual Neil Miner Award for "exceptional contributions to the stimulation of interest in the geosciences". The Committee is composed of the President of the Association, who serves as Chair, the immediate Past-President; the Secretary/treasurer; and two members recommended by the Committee on Committees and confirmed by the Executive Committee. No one may serve as an appointed member for more than two years in succession. The Committee shall select the recipient of the Neil Miner Award. The Executive Director shall see to the preparation of the award for presentation, and arrange for the presentation ceremony, in conjunction with the Annual Meeting, to be conducted by the President.

Section 3. Outstanding Earth Science Teacher Award Committee
This is a Committee to administer the annual Outstanding Earth Science Teacher Awards for "exceptional contributions to the stimulation of interest in the earth sciences at the secondary school level", and for excellence in teaching at the secondary level. Candidates for this award are nominated in each section annually. Nominations will be made to the President of each section who will arrange for the Section Selection Committee. This Committee shall then select the recipient of the Award for the particular section. The presentation of the awards to each section recipient will ordinarily be made at a section meeting and/or before an appropriate audience by one of the section officers. In addition, sections may hold individual state competitions to select OEST State Winners. The Chair of the Outstanding Earth Science Teachers Awards Committee shall see to the preparation of all awards. The Chair is appointed by the Executive Committee. Two other members are recommended by the Committee on Committees and confirmed by the Executive Committee. Their term of office is two years. The remainder of the Committee consists of one representative from each section which participates in the OEST program. Section Representatives shall be selected by their section and their term of office shall be specified by their section.

Section 4. Nominating Committee
The Committee shall be composed each year of the five most recent available Past-Presidents of the Association, the immediate Past-President serving as Chair. Tenure will begin each year following the Annual Meeting. Should it become necessary to depart from this committee composition because of emergency or other difficulty, the current President of the Association shall make necessary appointments from the membership. The Chair of the Committee may call for nomination suggestions through a notice in the Journal of Geoscience Education.

Section 5. Committee on Committees
The committee shall be composed of six members, appointed by the Executive Committee, for staggered three year terms. The Executive Committee shall name the chair. The Committee on Committees will provide the Executive Committee with names of candidates (at least two per opening) for appointment to both standing and ad hoc committees. The Committee on Committees will publicize committee openings, recruit nominees, and contact each nominee to determine their willingness to serve. The work of the committee will normally be done in late winter in time for the Executive Committee to fill vacant slots before summer. New committee members will take office at the Annual Meeting.

Section 6 James H. Shea Award Committee
The James H. Shea award is given annually by the Association for exceptional contributions in the form of writing and/or editing of geoscience materials (broadly construed) that are of interest to the general public and/or teachers of geoscience. It is given only for outstanding work. The Committee consists of five members, four of whom are appointed by the Committee on Committees for staggered four-year terms (one new member is appointed each year for a four-year term. The Editor of the Journal of Geoscience Education is an ex officio, voting member of the committee. The senior member of the Committee (that member who is in the last year of his/her term) serves as the Chair of the Committee. The Committee is responsible for reviewing nominations, selecting the awardee, and arranging for a suitably engraved plaque and any other form of appropriate recognition.

Section 7. Fund Raising Committee
The Association offers a variety of scholarships, awards, etc. which require adequate continuing funding sources in order to be successful. The Fund Raising Committee is responsible for coordinating all corporate and other fund raising efforts, including endowment funds, and working closely with the Executive Director to provide regular status reports to the Executive Committee. The Committee is composed of a chair, appointed by the Executive Committee, and three other members recommended by the Committee on Committees and confirmed by the Executive Committee. Term of office is two years.

Section 8. Ad Hoc Committees
The Executive Committee shall establish such Ad Hoc Committees, and appoint their Chair, as may be in the interests of the Association. The specific purpose, number of members, and terms of office shall be specified at the time of the creation of the Ad Hoc Committee. Such stated conditions may be altered only by direct action of the Executive Committee. Committee Members will be recommended by the Committee on Committees and confirmed by the Executive Committee.


Bylaw V.- Regional Section Areas


Bylaw VII. Amendments to Bylaws

See Constitution, Article VIII, Section 2, and Article XI.


This document is the August 1998 version, which was approved by the NAGT Executive Committee and submitted to the membership for ratification with the Fall 1998 ballot mailing. The document is based on the 1986 version with the addition of the revisions passed by the membership on the ballots of 1987, 1990, 1991, 1993 and 1995. It was prepared, August 1998, by John Wagner, NAGT President


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