Mission
Welcome to the site of the Georgia Political Science Association (GPSA). We provide the site for members and visitors to learn about GPSA and promote the enjoyment of the organization and the conference. The conference is held in November and information is provided on this site as it is available. Founded in 1968, the GPSA is the professional association for political science practitioners and educators in Georgia. Membership is drawn from the public, private and academic sectors. We welcome members, attendees, participants, and students from around the world.
Bylaws of the Georgia Political Science Association
Article I
The responsibilities of officers are as follows:
Section 1. The President shall preside at all meetings and shall serve as the chief executive officer of the Association. The President shall faithfully execute the policies of the Association and shall make emergency decisions when the membership is not in session, pending approval of the Board of Directors. In the event of the President’s absence, resignation, or death, the duties of the office shall devolve upon the immediate past-President or, if declined, upon any member of the Association appointed by the Board of Directors. This person shall exercise all powers of the office and shall serve in an interim capacity until the next annual convention.
Section 2. The Vice President shall assist the President in fulfillment of his or her duties and make plans to succeed the President after a one-year term.
Section 3. The Treasurer shall be responsible for maintaining all finances and records of the Association. The Treasurer shall collect the annual dues and registration fees. These funds shall only be disbursed in a manner approved by the Board of Directors. A financial report shall be presented by the Treasurer at the annual convention and at the mid-year meeting of the Board of Directors.
Section 4. The Secretary shall be responsible for maintaining and distributing the minutes of all meetings to the membership and for maintaining and updating the Association’s Constitution.
Section 5. The Director of Communications shall be responsible for maintaining and distributing information about the Association and facilitating communication among the members of the Association.
Section 6. The Immediate Past President shall chair the Nominating Committee which shall recommend a slate of candidates to fill vacancies on the Board of Directors. This committee shall be composed of three current members of the Association appointed by the immediate past- President.
Section 7. The Editor(s) of Questions in Politics shall be responsible for ensuring the effective management of the association’s journal.
Section 8. The Development Coordinator shall be responsible for acting as the association’s official fundraising liaison with textbook publishers and other relevant organizations.
Section 9. The Teaching and Learning Coordinator organizes and chairs both the Teaching and Learning panel(s) and the Teaching Awards Committee at the association’s annual conference.
Section 10. The Social Media Coordinator shall be responsible for maintaining an active online presence through a variety of online social media platforms throughout the year, advertising the organization and the conference.
Section 11. The Program Chair of the annual convention shall issue a call for proposals to the members of the association. He or she shall organize panels, speakers, and poster sessions. He or she also will organize event logistics.
Article II
The Association confers the following awards annually, based on the named criteria:
Service Awards
The Raymond Chambers Award is presented for continued and dedicated service to the Georgia Political Science Association.
The Wells Award is awarded each year to the outgoing past president for completion of the executive rotation (vice-president, president, and immediate past president).
The James T. LaPlant Award recognizes exemplary student mentors at either the undergraduate or graduate level.
Paper Awards
The McBrayer Award is awarded in years when a paper of outstanding scholarship within the discipline is presented in its entirety on the GPSA annual meeting program and subsequently recognized as such at the discretion of the Editorial Board and Editor(s) of Questions in Politics, the scholarly journal of the GPSA.
The Roger N. Pajari Award is awarded annually to the best undergraduate paper presented by an undergraduate student as part of the Pajari Undergraduate Research Panel at the annual conference. Professors may nominate undergraduate students for inclusion on the panel or students may submit papers directly. Group papers are acceptable; however, faculty members may not be co-authors. Nominations should be sent to the GPSA Immediate Past President who chairs the selection committee. The awards committee selects the best paper from those submitted each year. All papers must be formatted as an MS Word or PDF document file. The file then must be sent via email attachment to the Immediate Past President and the Program Chair. The winner(s) will be posted on the GPSA site each year.
The Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) Award is given annually to the best paper presented on the SoTL panel. Nominations should be sent to the GPSA Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Coordinator who chairs the selection committee. The committee selects the best paper from those submitted each year. All papers must be formatted as an MS Word or PDF document file. The file then must be sent via email attachment to the SoTL Coordinator and the Program Chair. The winner(s) will be posted on the GPSA site each year.
Article III
The Board of Directors may, if necessary, conduct a vote electronically at times other than the semiannual meetings. In these cases, the president may pose a question to the board, and the question must remain open for at least two full business days. The normal rules for quorums and passage thresholds will apply as if the vote were conducted during a meeting.
Created at the 2019 annual convention.
Constitution
Constitution of the Georgia Political Science Association
Article I
The organization shall be known as the Georgia Political Science Association, Inc.
Article II
The purpose of the Association shall be to encourage understanding of and to improve instruction in Political Science through discussion and research and to foster better relations among members of the faculties of Georgia universities, colleges, and secondary schools, and between government officials and teachers of Political Science.
Article III
Any person interested in the Association’s purposes and programs may become a member by paying the current membership dues. Equal voting privileges shall belong to all dues paying members. The rate and apportionment of dues shall be set by proposal of the Board of Directors and approval by the voting membership at a called meeting.
Article IV
Section 1. The officers and terms shall consist of the following:
1a. President
1b. Vice-President,
1c. Treasurer,
1d. Secretary
1e. Development Coordinator,
1f: Director of Communications,
1g: Teaching and Learning Coordinator,
1h: Program Chair,
1i: and six additional members who shall constitute the Board of Directors. Six members shall be elected from the membership of the Georgia Political Science Association.
1k: The Editor(s) of Questions in Politics and the immediate past president shall serve as ex-officio members of the Board of Directors. All officers shall be current members of the Association and shall be elected by the voting membership at the general business meeting of the annual convention.
1l: The terms of the President, Vice President, and immediate past-President shall be for one year. The President shall be ineligible to serve in that office until the expiration of two years. The Vice President shall ascend to the presidency at the conclusion of the incumbent’s term.
1m: The Treasurer, the Secretary, the Director of Communications, and Teaching and Learning Coordinator shall be chosen for three year terms and shall be eligible for reelection.
1n: The Program Chair of the annual convention shall be chosen for a one-year term and shall be eligible for reelection. The current Program Chairs shall serve as a member of the Board of Directors, and the Program Chair-designate, when applicable, shall serve as an ex officio member of the Board.
1o: The elected members of the Board of Directors shall be selected for two years and have staggered terms so that half shall rotate off each year. Each member assumes and leaves their office at the Conference Business Meeting in November.
Section 2. The responsibilities of officers shall be outlined in the Association’s Bylaws.
Section 3. Any officer of the Association may be removed on petition of one-half of the members present at the general business meeting of the annual convention, when such petition shall be ratified by two-thirds of the members present. Furthermore, an officer of the Association may be removed at other times during the year when two-thirds of the Board of Directors recommends such removal. Vacancies in any office of the Board of Directors shall be filled on an interim basis through appointment by the President.
Article V
Section 1. The Association shall hold at least one meeting each year at a time and place determined by the President and Board of Directors. A mid-year meeting of the Board of Directors shall occur annually and shall require a quorum of officers to conduct business. All meetings shall conform to the most recent edition of Robert’s Rules of Order.
Section 2. The Board of Directors shall conduct an executive session at the annual convention to determine the agenda of the general business meeting. Any member of the Association may submit agenda items to the President which must be received at least one week prior to the convention. Members may likewise forward agenda items to the President a week in advance of the mid-year meeting of the Board of Directors.
Section 3. Special meetings shall be called at the discretion of the President. Moreover, the President shall be required to call such meetings upon a demand of a majority of the officers or upon demand of ten members. The call for special meetings shall be issued by mail or electronic mail at least thirty days in advance of the session.
Article VI
Section 1. The committees of the Association shall consist of a Board of Directors and other committees as the membership shall establish from time to time.
Section 2. The Board of Directors shall be the governing authority of the Association when the membership is not in session. The Board of Directors shall be invested with all powers necessary and proper for the good governance of the Association. Any action of either the President or the Board of Directors shall be subject to challenge at the general business meeting so long as placed on the agenda in a timely fashion. In all matters, the membership shall retain ultimate authority when meeting in a duly constituted fashion. The Board of Directors shall meet at the call of the President or of any two officers. A mid-year meeting of the Board of Directors shall occur annually.
Section 3. The President shall appoint interim committees as needed in the interest of the Association. Any expenditure of funds recommended by an interim committee shall require approval of the Board of Directors.
Article VII
Section 1. The Georgia Political Science Association, Inc. is the sole owner of the journal Questions in Politics.
Section 2. The journal’s Editor shall be a member of the Association and shall serve as an ex officio member of the Board of Directors. The Board of Directors shall nominate an Editor to the Association’s membership for approval. The Editor shall be chosen for a three-year term and shall be eligible for reelection. The Editor shall appoint Associate Editors, an Editorial Board, and other officers of the journal. It is the responsibility of the Editor to inform the Board of Directors of these appointments. The Board of Directors retains the right to reject any appointments. These appointees shall serve at the pleasure of the Editor.
Section 3. It is the responsibility of the Editor to submit a budgetary request for the journal to the President for review by the Board of Directors. The Editor may only expend monies as approved by the Board.
Section 4. The Editor shall be responsible for ensuring the effective management of the journal and shall have discretion over its daily operation. The Editor shall submit only major policy changes, as determined by the officers of the Association, to the Board of Directors for ratification. The Editor shall make a report inclusive of budgetary requirements and appointments at the annual convention and at the mid-year meeting of the Board of Directors.
Article VIII
Section 1. The Georgia Political Science Association, Inc. is the sole owner of the following websites: gpsanet.org, gpsausa.org, and gpsa-online.org
Section 2. The Board of Directors shall be responsible for the management of the websites.
Article IX
Amendments to this Constitution shall be proposed by the officers and the Board of Directors working together or by the petition of ten members, if received by the President one week prior to the annual convention. A three-fifths vote of those attending and voting at the general business meeting of the convention shall be required for ratification of a proposed amendment.
Article X
The Board of Directors may adopt, alter, amend, or repeal Bylaws of the Association. A majority of the current membership of the Board shall be sufficient to perform any of these actions.
Revised with corrections November 8, 2019.