Information for Section Officers
A. Purposes of the Sections
The sections of the Mathematical Association of America (MAA) have been organized to promote locally MAA’s mission: “to advance the mathematical sciences, especially at the collegiate level.” Section officers have the responsibility of directing the activities of their sections so as to attain these purposes. In addition, the officers serve as liaisons between the section membership and the national organization.
B. Section Membership and Bylaws
The membership of a section includes all members of MAA whose mailing addresses fall within a prescribed geographical area. The exact boundaries of a section are defined in the section bylaws. Members of MAA can change their section affiliation by petitioning the Committee on Sections for reassignment in accordance with Article VI of the bylaws of MAA.
Each section operates under the guidance of a set of section bylaws. The bylaws should follow the general pattern of the model provided in Chapter IX, "Bylaws for Sections."
The section executive committee should review the bylaws of the section regularly, at least every five years, for possible revision or amendment. When changes are considered, the section secretary may send a preliminary version of the proposed new bylaws to the chair of the Committee on Sections for consultation with that committee before the bylaws are presented for a vote by the section’s members. Proposed revisions and/or amendments of bylaws must first be approved by the membership of the section before being formally submitted for Committee approval to the chair of the Committee on Sections.
The section secretary should send two complete copies of the bylaws to the chair of the Committee on Sections. One copy should show the complete existing bylaws with proposed revisions indicated, and the other copy should show the complete proposed bylaws, not just the parts affected by the proposed amendments. The Committee on Sections will study the proposed bylaws for compatibility with the national bylaws and current MAA practices. It may make suggestions for the section to consider before sending the document with the Committee's recommendation to the Board of Governors. The amended or revised bylaws of a section become official only after being approved by the Board of Governors.
C. Section Governors
Each section elects a member of the MAA Board of Governors, who serves for a three-year term. A committee appointed by the section chair must nominate at least two eligible members of the section. The national MAA office conducts the election. Approximately one-third of the sections elect a new governor each spring. The new governors’ first official meeting immediately precedes the summer MathFest in the year they are elected.
A section governor must be an individual member of MAA and of that section. A section governor cannot be a candidate for a second consecutive term.
The section governor is expected to represent the section at all meetings of the Board of Governors of the Association and to report the MAA activities at the national level back to the officers and members of the section. A section governor who is unable to attend a meeting of the Board of Governors may appoint a past governor of that section as a substitute with voting rights; prior to the meeting, the governor must notify the MAA Secretary of the substitution. The section governor should be a member ex officio of the section’s executive committee. (See Chapter IX, Article III-2 on section bylaws.)
The section governor is the primary liaison between the national organization and the section. This individual should assume a leadership role to see that recommendations from the Board of Governors are implemented in the section. The governor should report at the section business meetings on major actions taken by the Board of Governors. Section governors may also write reports for the section newsletter or section web site.
D. Finances and Section Subventions
Each section receives an annual subvention check from the national office of MAA after the section treasurer has submitted its annual financial report. (See section VIII-A.) The check’s amount depends on the total of the individual and institutional dues paid by members in the section for the current year. The check is usually sent in late spring or early summer.
A section may augment its treasury in various ways. Successful sources of revenue for some sections include: registration fees for section meetings, exhibitors’ fees at section meetings, MAA book sales, voluntary section dues, and workshop fees. Since every member of MAA is a member of a section, section dues must be clearly designated as voluntary dues. Special grant opportunities for section support may arise through the national MAA office.
Sections must communicate with the national office about certain possible fund raising activities so that MAA can maintain its tax status and good standing. Prior to soliciting donations from nonmembers or organizations, a section must obtain approval from the MAA Executive Director. The section newsletter may contain advertisements from graduate schools, book publishers, or other appropriate groups only with the approval of the Director of Finance in the national office. Also, recordings of section activities may not be disseminated for profit.
E. Special Projects of the Sections
Sections have found that the following projects enhance their programs and are consistent with the mission of MAA:
- workshops and short courses;
- section newsletters and web sites;
- lecturer programs;
- articulation (especially between two- and four-year colleges) at section meetings;
- MAA book sales (with discounts for participants) at section meetings;
- section NExT and ACCCESS programs;
- career conferences and other activities for undergraduate students; and,
- graduate student activities.
F. Membership Promotion
Section officers and members should encourage their colleagues to become members of MAA. Any person interested in collegiate mathematics is eligible for membership. Special efforts should be made to encourage all persons engaged in teaching collegiate mathematics to join the Association. High school teachers as well as persons employed by industry, business, and other non-academic organizations also should be encouraged to become members. Personal solicitation is most effective. (See section III-F.)
G. Section Officers' Home Institutions
Traditionally the institution or company of a section officer supports the section activities financially by paying some of the expenses incurred by the officer in the performance of section duties. Letters should be sent to the chief administrator of a section officer’s institution or company on initial appointment to describe the responsibility and again at the conclusion of a term to explain the work accomplished by the officer. The member should be consulted on the possibility of sending copies of these letters to others, such as a department chairperson or dean. These letters should thank the administrator for any support that the institution has provided. It is appropriate for the section chair to write letters for all other members of the executive committee; the section governor could write for the chair. It is important that the administrators know about the time and effort that officers devote to the section.
H. Certificate of Meritorious Service
At its August meeting in 1983, the MAA Board of Governors voted to establish a Certificate of Meritorious Service to be presented at the national level for service to a section. The first such awards were presented at the August 1984 meeting. Previous winners of the Award for Distinguished Service to Mathematics are not eligible for the Certificate. The Certificate may be issued posthumously.
Each section is entitled and encouraged to nominate one person for the section award every five years. For this purpose, the MAA sections are separated into five sets, with one set of sections making nominations to the Board each year on a rotating basis as shown in the table at the bottom of this page.
The national MAA office sends full instructions to each section at the appropriate time. In each section, a committee of at least three members should be appointed to select a single candidate for the award and then to send the name to the section governor. This nominating committee should provide the section governor with a statement of the reasons for the selection. The section governor should present the name of this nominee to the Board of Governors along with a citation summarizing the MAA service contributions of the nominee. After the Board's approval, the name of the awardee is public knowledge, and the awardee’s name is presented to the section and the public at large. The public presentation of Certificates takes place at the Joint Mathematics Meetings each January.
Schedule for Nominations for Certificates of Meritorious Service*
*Please note that the years given below are for nominations only. The actual award is given the following year.
| Year 2010, 2015 |
Year 2011, 2016 |
Year 2012, 2017 |
Year 2008, 2013 |
Year 2009, 2014 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EPaDel |
Florida |
Illinois |
Indiana |
Allegheny Mountain |
| Iowa |
Kansas |
Kentucky |
Louisiana/Mississippi |
Intermountain |
| Metro New York |
Michigan |
Missouri |
Nebraska/SE South Dakota |
Maryland/DC/Virginia |
| North Carolina |
Northeastern |
NoCaNeHi |
Ohio |
New Jersey |
| Pacific Northwest |
Rocky Mountain |
Seaway |
Southeastern |
Oklahoma/Arkansas |
| Southwestern |
Texas |
Wisconsin |
SoCal/Nevada |
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