Bylaws

Bylaws

BYLAWS of the
Association of Chairs of Operations Research Departments (ACORD)
FORUM
of the
INSTITUTE for OPERATIONS RESEARCH and the MANAGEMENT SCIENCES

ARTICLE I – NAME

The name of this organization shall be the Association of Chairs of Operations Research Departments (ACORD) of the Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences (INFORMS or the Institute).

ARTICLE II – PURPOSE

  1. To encourage interest in the field of operations research and the management sciences;
  2. To encourage discussion and interaction among individuals who serve as chairs, directors and heads of academic programs in operations research and the management sciences;
  3. To advise the INFORMS Board on aspects of the academic environment for operations research and the management sciences and to keep the INFORMS Board apprised of developments in this area.

ARTICLE III – MEMBERSHIP

  1. Any person who is in an academic leadership position of a program in operations research and/or the management sciences is eligible for membership in this forum upon completing a membership application and submitting it with the correct forum dues. If an academic institution does not have a formal leadership position in OR/MS, then the leader of the unit responsible for OR/MS may designate a nominee who is responsible for OR/MS courses in that department. Non-members of the Institute may become ACORD members by paying the special fee for non-members of the Institute. Each ACORD member is required to submit with his/her application the name of the program and institution where he/she is head or chair.
  2. All members shall have equal rights, duties and privileges. Membership and participation shall be free from discrimination on any basis.

ARTICLE IV – OFFICERS

  1. The officers of the forum shall be a President and Secretary/Treasurer.
  2. The President shall be the chief administrative officer of the forum and shall be responsible for the development and execution of the forum’s program. He/she shall (a) call and organize meetings of the forum, (b) appoint ad hoc committees as required, (c) appoint chairs and members of standing committees, (d) manage the affairs of the forum between meetings, and (e) preside at forum meetings. Normally the Secretary/Treasurer shall assume the role of President upon completion of his/her term as Secretary/Treasurer.
  3. The Secretary/Treasurer shall conduct the correspondence of the forum, keep the minutes and records of the forum, maintain contact with the Institute, receive reports of activities from those forum committees that may be established, conduct the annual election of officers for the forum, make arrangements for the orderly transfer of all forum records to the Secretary/Treasurer succeeding him/her, and perform other duties usual to the office of an organization’s secretary. The Secretary/Treasurer shall be responsible for the administration and disbursement of the forum funds as agreed in consultation with the President, prepare and distribute reports of the financial condition of the forum, help prepare the annual budget of the forum for submission to the Institute, make arrangements for the orderly transfer of all the forum’s financial records to the Secretary/Treasurer succeeding him/her, and perform other duties of the office of the organization’s treasurer.
  4. Any forum member accepting nomination for elective office in the forum is understood to have agreed to perform the duties of that office if elected, and in particular to attend the regular forum meetings during his/her tenure, except as his/her attendance is prevented by unusual circumstances.
  5. Terms of Office: The terms of each office shall be two years, with a four-year total rotation through the office of Secretary/Treasurer to President. Normally officers shall be installed at the annual meeting. At least two weeks before the annual meeting the officers shall nominate at least one candidate for the position of Secretary/Treasurer. Additional nominations may be made via correspondence with the President or at a forum meeting. Nominees for the positions of elected officers must be members in good standing of INFORMS and of ACORD.
  6. Elected officers shall normally be elected at the annual meeting by secret ballot. At the discretion of the President and Secretary/Treasurer, officers may be elected by mail, email or internal ballot, using approval voting. If voting is done by mail, email or internal ballot, the voting period shall be no less than two weeks, and officers’ terms commence upon installation at the annual business meeting. The winning candidate for each position shall be the candidate receiving the largest number of votes. Ties shall be resolved by means of fair random processes. Each election year the Secretary/Treasurer shall prepare a ballot with all nominees listed alphabetically by office, and the ballots shall be tabulated by a disinterested person.

ARTICLE V – MEETINGS

  1. The forum will hold at least one meeting per year. The time, place and agenda of each meeting shall be set by the officers and announced in advance by the Secretary/Treasurer.

ARTICLE VI – RESPONSIBILITIES TO INFORMS

  1. The forum shall operate in accordance with the Constitution and Bylaws of the Institute. Each year a forum report will be submitted to the Institute setting forth the accomplishments and activities of the forum during the previous year and outlining a rationale for the budget projections for the following year. Additional reports shall be submitted to the Institute upon request.
  2. In the event of dissolution of the forum, its assets shall become the property of the Institute.

ARTICLE VII – AMENDMENTS

Amendments to the bylaws may be made in any meeting following announcement in a previous meeting or by the Secretary/Treasurer. The Secretary/Treasurer, no later than seven days before the next meeting, shall submit in writing the proposed amendment to all members of the forum and the vote will occur at the next meeting. The amendment must be approved by two-thirds of the members present. Following approval by the forum, the amendment must be sent to the Chair of the Fora Subcommittee, who will present the amendment to the Subdivisions Council, who will present it to the INFORMS Board. The amendment becomes effective when approved by the INFORMS Board.

Last update 2002