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Bylaws - Presidency
Research Group
Statement of Purpose
The Presidency Research Group (PRG) is the premier association of scholars devoted to the study of the presidency
and executives.
To that end, it welcomes diverse theoretical perspectives, analytical
techniques, and data sources as they contribute to the advancement of
scholarship and teaching. It also invites the contributions and perspectives of
other disciplines. The PRG values the establishment and enhancement of
non-partisan links between scholarship, the real world of presidential and
executive politics, and public policy.
Members of the Group shall consist of all persons with an interest in research on chief executives who indicate a
desire to be members and who pay annual dues.
Section 2. Meetings of Members
Annual meetings of the group will be held in conjunction
with the Annual Meeting of the American Political Science Association.
Announcements of annual meetings will be included in the printed program of the
Association.
Section 3. Annual Dues
Annual dues may be established at the annual meeting of the
Group. The amount of dues shall be recommended by the Steering Committee and
payable at the annual meeting or thereafter by mail for the year beginning September 1st.
A Steering Committee shall be elected at the annual meeting of the Group. Each member shall serve
for a three year term. At least five new
members shall be selected each year. The Steering Committee shall include the
officers of the Group, who will serve on the committee as ex officio members,
without vote, for one year following their term in office. The Steering
Committee shall also include one seat elected from the Group as a graduate
student. Once elected, graduation shall not disqualify the member from
completing the three-year term. The Steering Committee shall receive
nominations from any PRG member for all elective offices, and shall recommend
nominees, by majority vote, to the general membership for approval by majority
vote. Excluding service as an officer, Steering Committee members shall serve
no more than two consecutive three-year terms, excepting that the Committee may
waive this rule by two-thirds vote.
Section 2. Executive Committee
The Executive Committee shall consist of the principal
officers of the Group: President, Vice-President, Secretary-Treasurer, Division Chair,
and the Editor of the newsletter.
The Executive Committee is empowered to act between annual meetings of the Group.
Section 3. President
One of the members of the Presidency Research Group shall
be elected at the first annual meeting of the Group to serve as its President.
The President shall preside at the annual meeting, call meetings of the
Executive Committee and the Steering Committee, be responsible for
implementing and coordinating the programs of the Group, and serve as ex
officio member, without vote, on all committees. The President shall serve
for one year.
Section 4. Vice-President
One of the members of the Presidency Research Group will be
elected Vice-President and will preside in the absence of the President. The
Vice-President will be President-Elect for the succeeding year, and shall serve
for a one-year term.
Section 5. Secretary-Treasurer
One of the members of the Presidency Research Group shall be elected at the
annual meeting of the Group to serve as Secretary-Treasurer. The
Secretary-Treasurer shall maintain minutes of the meetings of the Group and be
responsible for the funds of the Group, and shall serve for a one-year term.
Elected officers of the Presidency Research Group shall
serve for three years: one year as secretary/treasurer, one year as vice
president/president-elect, and one year as president. No later than two months
before the annual business meeting at APSA, the president of PRG shall solicit
nominations (and self-nominations) from members of the Steering Committee and
the Executive Committee for the position of secretary/treasurer. All
nominations should include a brief statement in support of the nominee and must
be submitted no later than two weeks before the business meeting. The
president, vice president, and secretary/treasurer shall deliberate on the pool
of nominees and seek agreement among themselves on the individual they will
recommend at the Steering Committee Meeting at APSA. The Steering Committee
will be informed of the pool of nominees once it is complete. At the Steering
Committee Meeting, if at least one third of the members present request it, the
nominee will be selected instead by a majority runoff secret ballot.
Section 6. Division Chair
One of the members of the Presidency Research Group shall be selected in accordance
with APSA guidelines to serve as Division Chair.
That person shall organize and direct such programs as are approved at the
annual meeting, and shall coordinate the development of panels for the
official program of the APSA Annual Meeting.
Section 7. Newsletter Editor
One of the members of the Presidency Research Group shall
be elected at the annual meeting of the Group to serve as editor of the
newsletter. That person shall serve a two-year term.
The Group may establish special panels,
workshops, symposia, or social gatherings at the Annual Meetings of the American
Political Science Association and at regional and other professional meetings.
The PRG shall give such awards as it deems appropriate.
Awards committees shall be named by the President, subject to the approval of
the Steering Committee. Annual PRG Awards shall include the following:
Section 1. The Richard E. Neustadt Award for the Best Authored and Reference Book(s) on the Presidency
The criteria for the Best Authored Book
award shall include: a) the book so honored must have theoretical
significance, and b) the award committee shall consider the broadest number of
perspectives as possible in considering nominees. The book must also have
a copyright date coinciding with the year of the award. This date shall precede the
year in which the award is presented.
The committee shall give the Best Reference Book award at its discretion.
The Reference Book award shall be named in accordance with the decision of the
Steering Committee or its designees.
Section 2. The Founder's Awards for Best Paper
A Founder's Award, named in honor of the APSA members who
formed the PRG in 1979 (Peri Arnold, Dom Bonafede, Thomas Cronin, George C.
Edwards III, Fred Greenstein, Michael Grossman, Erwin Hargrove, Martha Joynt
Kumar, David Naveh, Bert Rockman, Francis Rourke, Lester Seligman, Stephen
Wayne, and James Young), shall be given annually for the best paper on the
presidency/executives at the previous year's APSA conference. In addition,
a separate Founder's Best Paper Award shall be presented to the best graduate
student paper presented at either the national conference or one of the regional
conferences. The paper must have been presented in the academic year
preceding the APSA in which the award is granted.
A different founder shall be recognized by name on an annual, rotating basis when each award is announced and presented.
Section 3. Career Service Award
Every four years during a presidential election year,
the PRG shall form a committee to give an award to recognize
career service to the study of the presidency.
The committee shall be chaired by the PRG vice president, and the criteria for the award shall be determined by
the board, or its designees.
The annual meeting shall have the power to modify, alter,
or amend the bylaws of the Group by a majority vote. Unless otherwise
specified, amendments shall be effective upon approval by the Group. Disputes
and questions concerning procedure shall be resolved by reference to Robert's
Rules of Order.