Updated Articles of Association as of 3/9/22
ARTICLES OF ASSOCIATION OF THE ICA
THE INSTITUTE OF COMBINATORICS AND ITS APPLICATIONS
The Institute of
Combinatorics and its Applications is a professional society whose mission is
to promote the development of combinatorics and to encourage publications and
conferences in the field of combinatorics.
Contents
Corporate and Institutional Members
Nominations, Elections, and Transfers
By-laws, Entrance Fees, and Subscriptions
Resignation and Removal of Names from the Register
Proceedings at General Meetings
General
The first draft of these articles was modelled on those of
the British professional society The
Institute of Mathematics and its Applications. Consequently, they are quite
involved and probably cover a lot of contingencies that will never arise. They
have been examined by Council, and Council has approved them as a suitable set
of initial articles. If and when revisions become necessary, the Articles can
be revised by a General Meeting of the Institute. The members are associated in the society
according to the following ARTICLES OF ASSOCIATION.
1. If not inconsistent with the subject or context, certain
words have specific meaning as given below:
WORDS MEANINGS
These presents These
articles of Association, and the current regulations of the Institute.
The Institute The
Institute of Combinatorics and its Applications.
The Council The
Council of Management for the time being of the Institute.
Voting Member A Fellow or
Associate Fellow of the Institute.
The Office The
registered office of the Institute, housed at FAU starting in 2017
The Seal The
common seal of the Institute.
Month Calendar
month.
In writing Written
or printed including analog and digital means of communication.
Executive The
Executive Committee or Officers of the Council shall be comprised of the
President, Vice-President(s), and Secretary, as elected in Article 50.
These articles use the gender neutral “they” when referring
to persons.
2. The Institute is established for the purpose of promoting
the development of combinatorics and of encouraging publications and
conferences in combinatorics and its applications.
Membership
3. The Council may from time to time decide on the size of
the membership of the association.
4. Every duly elected/nominated member of the Institute
shall assume the rights and responsibilities of these articles upon paying
dues.
5. The Founding Fellows of the Institute and such other
persons as the Council shall admit to membership in accordance with the
provisions hereinafter contained shall be members of the Institute.
The Foundation Fellows of the Institute are those who were
invited and joined the ICA during the period from May 1, 1990 to May 1, 1991.
6. The classes of membership are: Fellow, Honorary Fellow,
Associate Fellow, Companion Member, Student Member, Corporate Member,
Institutional Member.
7. Fellows and Associate Fellows only shall be Voting
Members.
Fellows
8. The Council shall have power (but shall not be bound) to
elect to Fellowship any person, duly nominated as hereinafter provided, who has
complied with one of the following conditions:
(i) They shall be an Associate Fellow of the Institute or
shall have obtained a degree or diploma of a standard acceptable to the
Council. They shall, moreover, have had experience either for not less than
seven years of responsible research work in combinatorics or its applications
which in the opinion of the Council has constituted a valuable contribution to
the subject or for not less than ten years in responsible work which in the
opinion of the Council demands a sufficient knowledge of combinatorics or its
applications to justify their election; or (ii) They shall have made such
outstanding contributions either to combinatorics or its applications as shall
make it desirable in the opinion of the Council that they become a Fellow of
the Institute.
Honorary Fellows
9. The Council may elect to Honorary Fellowship any person
who has made pre-eminent contributions to combinatorics or its applications.
The number of Honorary Fellows at any time shall not exceed ten.
10. Proposals for election to Honorary Fellowship shall be
made in writing by at least three Fellows and submitted to the Secretary and shall
contain the name, address, occupation, and qualifications of the person
proposed together with a statement of the contributions made by such person as
aforesaid.
11. Such election shall be valid only if at least
three-quarters of the members of the Council approve the proposal in a duly
constituted ballot.
12. Honorary Fellows shall be entitled to the ordinary
privileges of membership but they shall not be required to contribute to the
funds of the Institute, and shall not be eligible to vote, and shall not be
eligible for the Hall, Kirkman, or Euler medals.
Associate Fellows
13. The Council shall have power (but not be bound) to elect
to Associate Fellowship any person, duly nominated as hereinafter provided, who
has complied with either conditions (i), (ii), and (iii) below, or condition
(iv) below.
(i) They shall have received a general education approved by
the Council.
(ii) They shall have obtained a degree or diploma acceptable
to the Council.
(iii) They shall have had experience for at least three
years
or (iv) They shall have made such contributions either to
combinatorics or to its applications or shall have had such experience as is
desirable in the opinion of the Council that they become an Associate Fellow of
the Institute.
Companion Members
14. Companion members shall be persons who desire to
participate in the activities of the Institute and to receive the privileges of
membership but who do not, in the opinion of the Council, comply with the conditions
for election as Associate Fellows. The Council, if satisfied that a candidate,
duly nominated as hereinafter provided, has sufficient interest in combinatorics
or its applications to be likely to profit from participation in the activities
of the Institute, shall have power (but shall not be bound) to elect them to
Companion Membership.
Student Members
16. The Council shall have power (but shall not be bound) to
elect to Student Membership any person, duly nominated as hereinafter provided,
who is studying to acquire the qualifications appropriate to the class of
Associate Fellow..
Corporate and Institutional Members
17. The Council may admit to regular, senior, or sponsoring
Corporate Membership, any business or corporation interested in the promotion,
encouragement, or development of combinatorics and its applications.
The Council may admit to Institutional Membership any group
of persons or any educational organization that is desirous of participating in
the encouragement, promotion, or development of combinatorics and its applications. Universities as Institutional members will be
charged $500/year and will be awarded 4 complimentary student memberships.
Corporate and Institutional Members shall receive a copy of
the BICA, but may not vote in general elections, and may not be elected to
Council.
Nominations, Elections, and Transfers
18. (1) Prospective members will send an email to office@the-ica.net,
including a CV along with a request for membership at a specified level. (2)
The Office reviews the CV. If there are any potential issues, the office emails
the Executive Committee. (3) If the application is sufficient the applicant is
invoiced. (4) Every three months, the
Executive Committee will ask Council to ratify the list of new members. The
Office will keep digital copies of applications and attached CV until at least
the Council has fully ratified the new member.
19. The Council may in its absolute discretion and without
assigning any reason, refuse to admit any person to membership or to allow them
to transfer to another class of membership.
By-laws, Entrance Fees, and Subscriptions
20. The Council shall have power to make, vary, and repeal
by-laws, provided that any by-laws made, varied, or repealed shall not be effective
until approved by a General Meeting of the Institute.
21. (A) Subject to any variations that may from time to time
be made and approved in accordance by the membership at a General meeting, the
entrance fee and subscription payable by applicants for membership and the
subscriptions for persons who are already members of the Institute shall be the
following amounts, quoted in US dollars:
Subscription
FTICA One Year:
$85 (Fellow)
FTICA Two Years: $155
FTICA Three Years: $205
AFTICA One Year: $65
(Associate Fellow)
MTICA One Year: $45
(Companion, Student)
Institutional Members: $500
Corporate Members: $500
Senior Corporate Members: $1000
Sponsoring Corporate Members: $2500
Lifetime FTICA membership: $1000
Discounts:
Retired: 50% discount of lifetime membership, assumes 10
years of membership prior to retiring
Retired: 50% discount of annual membership, does not require 10 years prior.
(B) Members paying the annual subscription mentioned in sub-clause (A)
of this article as varied from time to time shall be entitled to copies of the
BICA.
(C) If the Council admits the applicant, they shall be
notified by email at the address in their application but they shall not become
a Member until they have paid the annual dues. All subsequent payments of
subscription shall fall due on the anniversary of the date of admission to the
Institute
(D) Any member transferring to another class of membership
at a higher rate of subscription shall pay the subscription for the current
year of the class to which they are transferred and the subscription already
paid shall be treated as part payment thereof but no further entrance fee shall
be required.
22. Every member shall furnish particulars of their address
and of any change thereof from time to time to the Secretary and Registrar.
Rights of Members
23. Fellows and Associate Fellows of the Institute shall be
entitled to use the initials FTICA and AFTICA respectively after their names.
Companion Members, and Student Members shall be entitled to use the initials
MTICA after their names.
All members of the Institute shall receive a diploma of
membership signed by four members of the Council and bearing the Seal of the
Institute to the effect that the member has been admitted to the Institute in
the grade indicated.
Resignation and Removal of Names from the Register
25. Any member, provided they are under no liability to the
Institute shall be entitled to resign on giving notice in writing of their
intention to do so.
28. Any person who has resigned or otherwise ceased to be a
member shall be entitled to apply for re-admission as a member. Such a person
shall comply with the by-laws of the Institute and such other terms and
conditions, including the payment of any entrance fee, as the Council may
require.
29. The Council shall on being notified of the death of any
Member cause their name to be removed from the Register.
30. Any member who has in the opinion of the Council duly
expressed by a resolution thereof, been guilty of conduct which renders them
unfit in their opinion to retain their membership shall, on a resolution to
that effect passed by the Council at a meeting duly convened with notice of
intention to consider the case, at which not less than one-third of the members
of the Council are present, have their name struck off the Register of Members
and shall cease to be a member accordingly, provided that no member shall be
deprived of their membership for any other reason than to pay their annual
subscription without at least fourteen days' notice thereof and an opportunity
to be heard, either in person or by another in their defence, at a meeting of
the Council specially convened for that purpose. A person who has been deprived
of their membership under any of the provisions of this Article may be
readmitted by the Council at any time upon such conditions as it may determine.
General Meetings
31. The Institute shall hold an Annual General Meeting every
calendar year.
32. Only Voting Members have the right to receive notices of
and to vote at General Meetings. Members have the right to attend but not to
vote. By decision of Council, General Meetings may be held by mail or by
electronic mail.
34. Notice of a meeting shall normally be given by
publication in the Bulletin of the Institute.
35. The accidental omission to give notice of a meeting to,
or the non-receipt of such notice by, any person entitled to receive notice
thereof shall not invalidate any resolution passed, or proceeding had, at any
meeting.
Proceedings at General Meetings
38. Seven Voting Members personally present shall be a
quorum.
40. The President or in their absence a Vice-President (to
be selected from the elected present by the meeting) shall preside as Chair at
every General Meeting.
42. Save for the election of members of the Council when
there are more candidates than vacancies (in which case election shall be by
email or online), a resolution put to the vote at any General Meeting shall be
decided on a show of hands of the members present in person and entitled to
vote, unless a poll is, before or upon the declaration of the result of the
show of hands, demanded:
(A) by the Chair; or
(B) by at least three Voting Members.
43. Email balloting should be made as secure as is
reasonably possible.
45. In the case of an equality of votes, whether on a show
of hands or on a poll, the Chair of the meeting shall be entitled to a second
or casting vote.
Votes of Members
47. At all General Meetings of the Institute, there will be
no proxy or absentee voting. If an issue
requiring a vote is considered disputable by one-third of the members present,
its vote may be held by email within a 30 day period.
48. Voting may take
place in person at an Annual General Meeting, or by email within a 30 day
period after the vote is announced. Late
votes will be considered invalid.
50. The officers of the ICA shall be a President, three
Vice-Presidents, Secretary, and Council Members. They are to be elected by the voting members
of the ICA. Only ICA voting members can
be elected to any of the above offices.
Officers will serve until their successors have been elected and assume
office. The Council shall serve as the
advisory body to the President and other officials. Past Presidents, if able
and willing to serve, and if they are still Voting Members of the Institute
shall be ex-officio members of Council.
51. The Secretary shall be responsible to the Council for
administration and for co-ordination of the affairs of the Institute generally.
They shall be responsible to the Council for the administration of the
financial affairs of the Institute and for ensuring that proper accounts are
kept.
52. Following the adoption of this Article and until
otherwise resolved in General Meeting, the Council shall consist of the Past
Presidents (ex-officio unless elected) able and willing to serve together with
the Founding Fellows (ex-officio unless elected) and with not less than
twenty-four and not more than thirty other members (including the officers,
twenty elected members, and not more than six co-opted members).
53. Council members shall serve three year terms, and one
third of the council shall be voted into office each year.
54. Election of
elected members of the Council shall be as follows:
Candidates will be solicited by email to the existing membership
and each solicitation announcement should be broadcast at least twice. Candidate names will be distributed during
the AGM to the membership (by overhead projector or equivalent). The Chair of the meeting will seek a majority
vote.
55. The Council may co-opt any Member of the Institute to be
a member of the Council; at any time the total number of co-opted members shall
not exceed six.
56. The Council may at any time appoint or co-opt any
eligible person to be an officer or member of the Council to fill a casual
vacancy.
57. If the Council shall at any time be reduced to less than
twenty (including the officers), the continuing members may act as the Council
for the purpose of filling vacancies or for summoning a General Meeting but for
no other purpose.
58. The office of an officer or a member of the Council
shall be vacated:
(A) If a receiving order is made
against them or they make any arrangement or composition with their creditors.
(B) If they become of unsound
mind.
(C) If they cease to be a member
of the Institute.
(D) If by notice in writing to
the Institute they resign their office.
Powers of the Council
59. The Council may pay all such expenses of, and
preliminary and incidental to, the promotion, formation, establishment and registration
of the Institute as it thinks fit, and may exercise all powers of the
Institute, and do on behalf of the Institute all such acts as may be exercised
and done by the Institute, and as are not by these presents required to be
exercised or done by the Institute in General Meeting, subject nevertheless to
regulations or provisions as may be prescribed by the Institute in General
Meeting, but no regulation made by the Institute in General Meeting shall
invalidate any prior acts of the Council which would have been valid if such
regulation had not been made.
60. The Council may exercise all the powers of the Institute
to borrow money, and to mortgage or charge its undertaking and property, or any
part thereof.
61. All cheques and other negotiable instruments, and all
receipts for moneys paid to the Institute, shall be signed, drawn, accepted,
endorsed, or otherwise executed, in such manner as the Council shall from time
to time determine.
Proceedings of the Council
62. The Council may meet in person or online for the
dispatch of business, adjourn and otherwise regulate its meetings as it thinks
fit, and determine the quorum necessary for the transaction of business. Unless
otherwise determined, seven shall be a quorum. Questions arising at any meeting
shall be decided by a majority of votes. In case of an equality of votes, the
Chair shall have a second or casting vote.
63. A meeting of the
Council may be called by the President, Secretary, or any two members of the
Council.
64. The President, or failing them, a Vice-President, shall
chair all meetings of Council
65. A meeting of the Council at which a quorum is present
shall be competent to exercise all the authorities, powers, and discretions by
or under the regulations of the Institute for the time being vested in the
Council generally.
66. The Council may at any time set up committees consisting
of members of the Institute for a specific purpose, and may regulate their
procedure, quorum, and membership, and may, if it deems advisable, appoint to
any committee thus set up persons possessing specialised knowledge whether from
among the members of the Institute or not. The Council may dissolve any such
committee at any time. The Council may delegate to any such committee the power
to act for the Council subject to such limitations as may be imposed. Except in
so far as the power to act is expressly delegated, no resolution of a committee
shall be of any unless it is subsequently confirmed by a resolution of the
Council.
67. The Council shall cause proper minutes to be made of all
proceedings of all meetings of the Institute and of the Council and of
committees of the Council, and all business transacted at such meetings, and
any such minutes of any meeting, if signed by the Chair of such meeting, or by
the Chair of the next succeeding meeting of the Institute, Council, or as the
case may be, shall be sufficient evidence, without further proof, of the facts
therein stated.
Registrar
70. The Council shall have the power to appoint an executive
officer to be called The Registrar, who shall be the general executive officer
of the Institute, and such other executive officers and servants as the Council
may think fit. The Council shall have power to determine their powers and
duties and to make such arrangements and enter into such agreements with them,
or any of them, as the Council shall think fit, and to pay them such salaries
and wages, and such remuneration by way of pensions, gratuities or otherwise,
and to make such provision for and grant such pensions and gratuities to them
after their retirement from the service of the Institute as the Council may
think proper. The Registrar shall be responsible to the Executive. The
Registrar shall be an ex officio member of the Council.
The Seal
71. The seal of the Institute shall not be affixed to any
instrument except by the authority of the Council, and in the presence of at
least two members of the Council and of the Registrar, and the said members and
the Registrar shall sign every instrument to which the seal shall be so affixed
in their presence, and in favour of any purchaser or person bona fide dealing
with the Institute such signatures shall be conclusive evidence of the fact
that the seal has been affixed.
Accounts
72. The Council shall cause proper books of account to be
kept with respect to:
(A) all sums of money received and expended by the Institute
and the matters in respect of which such receipts and expenditure take place;
(B) all sales and purchases of goods by the Institute and
(C) the assets and liabilities of the Institute.
Proper books shall be deemed to be such books of account as
are necessary to give a true view of the affairs of the Institute and to
explain its transactions.
73. The books of account shall be kept at the office, and
shall be open to inspection by members of the Council.
74. All members, and members of the general public have the
right of inspecting any account or book or document of the Institute .
75. At each Annual General Meeting, the Council shall lay
before the Institute an income and expenditure for the period since the last
preceding account (or in the case of the first account since the incorporation
of the Institute) made up to a date not more than six months before the Annual
General Meeting.
Audit
76. Once at least in every year the accounts of the
Institute shall be examined and the correctness of the income and expenditure
account and balance sheet ascertained by the Audit Subcommittee of Council.
77. The Audit Subcommittee shall be appointed by the
Council.
Medals
82. The ICA shall annually award four medals: The Kirkman,
Hall, Euler, and Stanton.
a) Euler
Medals recognize distinguished lifetime career contributions to combinatorial
research by Fellows of the ICA who are still active in research. Normally, at
most one medal per year is awarded.
b) Hall
Medals recognize extensive quality research with substantial international
impact by Fellows of the ICA in mid-career. Recipients must not have reached
age 41 before the end of the year for which they are nominated. At most two
medals per year are awarded.
c)
Kirkman Medals recognize excellent research by Fellows or Associate Fellows of
the ICA early in their research career, as evidenced by an excellent body of
published research. Recipients must have earned their doctoral degree within
the four years preceding the end of the year for which they are nominated. At
most two medals per year are awarded.
d) Instituted in
2016, Stanton Medal honours significant lifetime
contributions to promoting the discipline of combinatorics through advocacy,
outreach, service, teaching and/or mentoring. Letters of nomination should
establish the significance, duration, and impact of the nominee’s contributions
other than research. At most one medal per year is
to be awarded, typically to a Fellow of the ICA.
83. Nominations for medal recipients: Each nomination for a
medal is to be made by two or more Fellows of the ICA. Nominees for the Stanton
medal must not be current members of the ICA Council. Nominees for an Euler,
Hall, or Kirkman medal must be ICA members in the year for which they are
nominated, and not current members of the ICA Council and not Honorary Fellows.
A nomination must include a complete curriculum vitae and a letter detailing
the extent and importance of the nominee’s contributions, addressing the
selection criteria. Nomination letters should be suitable for inclusion, in
whole or in part, in a citation that may appear in the Bulletin.
84. Selection committee shall be comprised of Fellows, and
the chair of the selection committee shall be a member of the Council.
Policies
85. Policies may be added to this document by petitioning
the Council for inclusion, and receiving a majority vote of the Council. Policies may be edited or removed in the same
way.
86. Policy on Conference support: A conference organizer or
organizing committee consisting of largely ICA membership may petition the
Executive Council for Conference support.
If the Executive Council deems (a) the Conference topic of interest to a
majority of members in the ICA, and (b) the Conference will be attended by a
non-trivial proportion of members of the ICA, and (c) the organizer(s) allow
the ICA to host a business meeting (if needed), and (d) the organizer(s) will
use the ICA logo appropriately in all advertising (print and online), then the
Executive Council will consult the budget for the year and award appropriately.
87. Policy on Program
Review and Accreditation: At this time, the ICA does not accredit programs and
has no formal structure for program review.
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