Revised bylaws for The Society for General Psychology

ARTICLE I - Name and Purpose

The name of this organization shall be the Society for General Psychology, a Division of the American Psychological Association.

The Society for General Psychology (APA Div 1) promotes the creation of coherence among psychology's diverse specialties by encouraging members to incorporate multiple perspectives from psychology's sub-disciplines into their research, theory, and practice. Division One welcomes membership from students of psychology, academics, researchers, professional practitioners, and public interest psychologists.

ARTICLE II – Membership

1. Individuals in each of the classes of membership that APA recognizes such as Fellow, Member, Student Affiliate, etc. are welcome to join the Society. Persons who meet the qualifications for APA even though they are not members of APA may apply to the Society as Professional Affiliates or Students. Individuals become members of the Society after stating their interest in the Society's goals stated in Article I.2 and payment of the Society dues, with the exception of the class of Fellows, to which one must be elected as per Article II.2.
2. Fellows must have made a significant contribution to one of the concerns of the Society as stated in Article I.2, must have been a Member of the Society for at least one year, and must meet the minimum standards set by APA Bylaws for Fellow status. See also Article VII.4 of these Bylaws.
3. Election as Fellow of the Society:
   1. Members of the Society who are not Fellows of APA may be nominated to the APA as Fellows by the Executive Committee on recommendation of the Fellows Chair. If such Members are nominated by three APA Fellows and also qualify for Fellowship under Article II.2 of these Bylaws, subsequent election of such persons as Fellows by the Council of Representatives of the APA shall also constitute election as Fellows of the Society. See also Article VII.4 of these Bylaws.
   2. Members of the Society who are Fellows of APA but not Fellows of the Society may be elected as Fellows of the Society by the Executive Committee if such Members qualify for Fellowship under Article II.2 of these Bylaws, and are recommended by the Fellows Chair.
4. Members eligible to vote are the Fellows, Members, and Affiliates of the Society. Except when otherwise specified in these Bylaws, all decisions on matters calling for action by the membership of the Society shall be by majority vote of the voting members at the Annual Business Meeting or by mail or electronic ballot of such members. Voting by proxy shall not be allowed (except as indicated in Article IV.6 of these Bylaws).

ARTICLE III – Officers

1. The Officers of the organization shall be a President, a President-Elect, a Past President, (a) Representative(s) to the APA Council of Representatives, three Members-at-Large, a Secretary, a Treasurer, an Awards Coordinator [approved 8.6.11], an Historian, the Editor of the Society's Journal, Review of General Psychology , the Editor of the Society's Newsletter, The General Psychologist , a Student Representative, and an Early Career representative. Terms of office of all Officers begin at the end of the Annual Business Meeting following their election or appointment with the exception of the Treasurer and the APA Council Representative[s], whose terms begin on January 1st of the year following their election.
2. The Secretary shall be appointed by the Executive Committee for a renewable term of three years.
3. The Treasurer shall be appointed by the Executive Committee for a renewable term of three years.
4. It shall be the duty of the President to preside at all meetings of the Society; to be Chair of the Executive Committee, to exercise supervision over the affairs of the Society with the approval of the Executive Committee; and to serve on the Nominations and Elections Committee. The President will work closely with the Fellows, Membership, and Program Chairs and will perform such other duties as are incident to the office or as may properly be required of the President by vote of the Executive Committee. The outgoing President shall appoint for the ensuing year [approved 8.6.11] an Awards Coordinator, one to assist the Fellows Chair, and one to assist the Membership Chair. With the consent of the Executive Committee, the President may appoint task forces and special committees.
5. It shall be the duty of the Secretary to issue calls and notices of meetings; to keep records of the Society; to cooperate with the Executive Officer of the APA; and to serve as Secretary and member of the Executive Committee.
6. It shall be the duty of the Treasurer to have custody and oversight of all funds and property of the Society; to monitor receipt of membership dues; to collect any special dues that may be voted in accordance with Article VIII.1 of these bylaws; to make disbursements as authorized by the Executive Committee; to serve on the Executive Committee (and to work closely with the Fellows Chair, the Membership Chair, and the Program Chair), and to work with the Central Office of the APA. Unanticipated costs which arise between meetings shall be handled by consultation with the members of the Executive Committee and explained to the Society members at the next Business meeting.
7. It shall be the duty of the President-Elect to serve as a member of the Executive Committee of the Society, and to perform the duties of the President in the event of the absence or incapacity of the latter. The President-Elect shall automatically become President one year after assumption of office as President-Elect. Upon assuming office the President-Elect shall designate a Program Chair-Elect who, at the end of a year, will become Chair of that Committee.
8. It shall be the duty of the Past President to serve as a member of the Executive Committee, and to perform the duties of the President in the event of the absence or incapacity of the latter and of the President-Elect. The President shall automatically become Past-President one year after assumption of office as President. The Past President shall serve as Chair of the Nominations and Elections Committee.
9. It shall be the duty of each Society Representative to the APA Council of Representatives to perform the duties and accept the responsibilities specified in the APA Bylaws and Association Rules. The Representative(s) shall also serve as voting member(s) of the Executive Committee.
10. An Historian and an Editor of the Society's Newsletter, The General Psychologist , each are appointed to three-year renewable terms by the Executive Committee. An Early Career (EC) Representative also is appointed to a three-year term with the stipulation that they must meet the APA definition of EC for their entire term of service. A Student Representative is appointed by the Executive Committee to a two-year term of service.
11. An Editor of the Society's Journal, Review of General Psychology , shall be nominated by the President and elected by the Executive Committee.
12. It is the responsibility of each named Officer to insure that the responsibilities of his/her Office are carried out in a timely manner and that written reports are prepared for the annual (and midwinter, when held) meetings of the Executive Committee and of the Division, i.e. the Annual Business Meeting. Failure in this duty shall result in replacement by appointment or election, as appropriate, given the immediate needs of the society and the schedules for APA elections.
13. In case of the death, incapacity, or resignation of any of these officers excepting the Society President, the Executive Committee shall appoint a successor to serve until the end of the Annual Business Meeting following the next election of the Society.

ARTICLE IV – Executive Committee

1. There shall be an Executive Committee of the Society consisting of the President, the President-Elect, the Past President, the Secretary, the Treasurer, the Society Representative(s) on the APA Council of Representatives, and three Members-at-Large. The Historian, the Awards Coordinator [approved 8/6/11], the Editor of the Society's Journal, Review of General Psychology ; the Editor of the Society's Newsletter, The General Psychologist , an appointed Student Representative, and an Early Career Representative also are members of the Executive Committee.
2. There will be as many Society Representatives on the Council of Representatives as are provided for by the Bylaws of the APA. The Society Representative(s) to the APA Council will report to the Executive Committee on matters of concern for the Society that are on the agenda of the Council and will seek counsel from the Executive Committee with respect to those matters. Representatives will report back to the Executive Committee the results of Council actions that affect the Society.
3. The Members-at-Large shall serve for terms of three years each, with elections so arranged that there is one new Member-at-Large elected each year. The seat of a Member-at-Large shall be deemed vacant if the incumbent is elected to another office holding a seat on the Executive Committee. In that case, or in the case of resignation or incapacity, the President shall recommend and the Executive Committee shall elect a candidate to fill the remainder of the term.
4. The Executive Committee shall have general supervision over the affairs of the Society, performing the duties and abiding by the limitations specified in these Bylaws.
5. All decisions of the Executive Committee shall be made by majority vote of the Committee Members in synchronous meetings, whether in person or virtual. APA rules stipulate that decisions made through e-mail ballots must be the unanimous decision of all voting EC members.
6. When an Executive Committee member is present at the Annual Convention of the APA but is unable to attend the Committee meeting because of membership on either an Executive Committee of another APA Division or the APA Board of Directors meeting at the same time, a written proxy vote on one or more issues before the Committee may be given to either the Society President or the Secretary to be recorded.

ARTICLE V – Nominations and Elections

1. The President-Elect, the Representative(s) to the APA Council of Representatives and the Members-at-Large of the Executive Committee shall be elected by a preferential vote of the Society Fellows, Members, Associates and Affiliates who are members of APA on a secret mail ballot.
2. The Chair of the Nominations and Elections Committee shall arrange to issue a call for nominations for the office of President-Elect, for the offices of Representatives to the APA Council of Representatives in those years when a term of office expires or additional Representatives have been assigned to the Society, and for Members-at-Large
3. of the Executive Committee, in accordance with the procedures established by the APA Election Committee. The nomination ballot shall include at least two nominees for each office.
4. The nominees for a given office shall be identified by the Nominations and Elections Committee from among those persons receiving the largest number of nominations and who have indicated to the Nominations and Elections Committee their willingness to serve if elected. The Nominations and Elections Committee shall determine the number of nominees to be nominated for each office. In the event that an insufficient number of candidates for a slate receive nominations, the Nominations and Elections Committee may supplement the list with additional names.
5. The Nominations and Elections Committee of the Society shall issue calls for nominations of Officers and Member-at-Large of the Executive Committee, or arrange with the APA Central Office for the issuing of such announcements, count the nomination ballots, and report a slate of names of the persons nominated for each office, and willing to serve, to the Central Office for inclusion in the election ballot issued by the APA, in accordance with the established APA procedures. Only members who are also members of APA may vote for officers and Members-at-Large.
6. The preferential count of the votes for each office shall be obtained by the Chair of the Nominations and Elections Committee from the Election Committee of the APA, and these counts shall be referred to the Society. The Chair of the Nominations and Elections Committee shall indicate to all candidates the result of the election, and the Nominations and Elections Committee shall announce the election results at the Annual Business Meeting of the Society.

ARTICLE VI – Meetings

1. The Annual Business Meeting of the Society shall take place during the Annual Convention of the APA and in the same locality for the transaction of business, the presentation of scholarly papers, and the discussion of questions of interest to general psychology.
2. A quorum shall consist of those Fellows, Members, and Affiliates of the Society attending the announced Annual Business Meeting.
3. The Executive Committee will meet prior to the Annual Business Meeting of the Society and at such other times as are agreed upon by the Executive Committee or are determined by the President.

ARTICLE VII – Chairs and Committees

1. A Nominations and Elections Committee, chaired by the Past President, shall consist of the Past President, the President, and the President-Elect. There shall also be a Fellows Chair, a Membership Chair, and a Program Committee.
2. The Fellows Chair and the Membership Chair shall serve for a term of three years. Each Chair with the concurrence of the President-Elect may solicit additional members to assist in the conduct of the committee's business.
3. The Past President will serve as Chair of the Nominations and Elections Committee. The Fellows and Membership Chairs shall be designated by the President with approval by the Executive Committee. The Fellows Chair must be a Fellow of the Society. The Program Chair–Elect shall be designated by the President-Elect. The Program Committee shall consist of three members: (1) a Chair designated the previous year by the prior President-Elect, (2) a member, who will serve as Chair the following year, and (3) the Past Chair of the Committee.
4. It shall be the duty of the Fellows Chair to receive or initiate nominations for Fellowship, to examine the credentials submitted, and to make recommendations, accompanied by necessary data regarding each applicant, to the Executive Committee in accordance with the requirements set forth in Article II.2 of these Bylaws. The Chair of this Committee shall inform all candidates of their status, once the Executive Committee, the APA Fellows Committee, and the APA Council of Representatives have acted on the recommendations.
5. It shall be the duty of the Program Committee to make arrangements for the program at the Annual Meeting of the Society in accordance with Article VI.1 of these Bylaws, and to coordinate the program with the APA Convention Program Committee.
6. It shall be the duty of the Membership Chair to solicit new members, to oversee membership applications and examine the credentials submitted, and to welcome new members.
7. It shall be the duty of the Nominations and Elections Committee, in cooperation with the APA Election Committee, to conduct and supervise all nominations and elections of the Society, as provided in Article V of these Bylaws.
8. The Chairs shall present oral and written reports, submitted in advance to the Secretary for inclusion in the permanent record of the Society, to the Executive Committee on their activities during the preceding year. Written copies of the report should be submitted to the Society's President and Secretary by the time of the Executive Committee's meeting prior to the Annual Business Meeting of the Society.

ARTICLE VIII – Dues

1. Changes in annual dues and assessments of any special kind shall be recommended by the Executive Committee and shall be voted on at the next Annual Business Meeting or by mail or electronic ballot of voting members.

ARTICLE IX – Amendments

1. The Society at any Annual Business Meeting by a vote of two-thirds of the members present, or by a majority vote of the members of the Society voting by a mail or electronic ballot, may adopt such amendments to these Bylaws as have been (a) presented and read at the preceding Annual Business Meeting, or (b) mailed or electronically-mailed to the last known address of each member or (c) published in the Newsletter of the Society at least one month prior to the final vote on the proposed amendments.

These changes were approved at the midwinter meeting of the Executive Committee.   We are providing links to the revised version and a tracked-changes version showing the changes made. Also, we included the revised version in this newsletter.

As specified in the bylaws, a formal vote on these changes will occur at the annual business meeting of the division.  A majority vote of those eligible to vote attending this meeting is needed for passage.   Proxy votes are not allowed. 

If you have concerns, please let me know.  You can email me or leave comments online.