The MAA requires periodic review and approval of section bylaws by the Committee on Sections. As part of our current review cycle, the following changes were approved by the Executive Committee and made available to the section. The MAA will host an online vote on approval of the revisions.
Presented here are a summary of the changes, the proposed bylaws, and our current bylaws. Each of these is also downloadable as a PDF file:
ARTICLE I - Name and Purpose
The name of this section shall be the Texas Section of the Mathematical Association of America (MAA).
The purposes of the Texas Section shall be to advance the mission of the MAA on a regional level (namely within the territory defined in Article II below); to offer guidance to the MAA as it forms and fulfills its mission; to provide professional development and networking activities for those with an interest in mathematics including Section members, mathematics students, and members of the larger mathematics community; to promote discussion and action on issues affecting mathematics teaching, learning, and research in the region; and to pursue initiatives that advance the core values of the MAA – Community, Inclusivity, Communication, Teaching & Learning – in pursuit of our vision of a society that values the power and beauty of mathematics and fully realizes its potential to promote human flourishing.
ARTICLE II - Membership
The membership of the Texas Section shall be members of the Mathematical Association of America whose MAA mailing addresses are in Texas (except for El Paso County), postal codes 75000-79899. Exceptions may be made by the MAA Secretary upon request of the affected member.
ARTICLE III - Avoiding Implicit Bias
The Texas Section of the Mathematical Association of America shall make every effort to avoid implicit bias and to reflect the diversity of the section. The Section shall ensure its committee members, officers, invited speakers, awardees, and other leaders represent the various geographic regions, types of institutions, and diverse membership within the section. It shall strive for balanced representation with regard to gender as well as underrepresented groups, and shall seek out nominations for any positions or awards to help achieve that balance. Section committees and members may consult the most recent version of the document Guidelines for MAA Selection Committees: Avoiding Implicit Bias for guidance.
ARTICLE IV - Officers
Article IV describes the officers of the Section, other members of the Executive Committee, and their duties. It includes nomination and election procedures.
The officers of this Section shall be a Chair, Chair-elect, the Immediate Past Chair, the Secretary- Treasurer, the Arrangements Chair, the Arrangements Chair-Elect, the Digital Media Editor, the Section Reporter, the Student Activities Director, and four elected Directors. The Directors shall be designated Level-I Director, Level-II Director, Level-III Director and Director-at-large. No individual shall hold more than one office concurrently.
The executive committee of the section shall consist of the officers of the section and the Section Representative to the MAA Congress.
Each section officer must be a member of the Mathematical Association of America and of this section.
The officers shall be elected annually at the annual business meeting of the Section. Newly elected officers shall assume office upon the adjournment of that meeting. Terms of offices are as follows:
The Chair-Elect shall be elected annually. The holder of this office shall serve for one year and then become Chair for a period of one year, and after serving for one year as Chair the holder of this office shall then become Immediate Past Chair for a period of one year. The Chair-Elect, the Chair, and the Immediate Past Chair shall not be eligible for election as Chair-Elect at the immediate end of their terms.
The Secretary-Treasurer shall serve a three-year term of office, shall be elected in years numbered 2020 + 3i, and may serve multiple terms in office.
The Arrangements Chair-Elect shall be elected annually. After one year of service as Arrangements Chair-Elect, the office holder becomes the Arrangements Chair for a term of one year. The Arrangements Chair-Elect shall normally be selected from among the members of the Texas Section who are in residence at the institution hosting the annual meeting two years from the date of the election.
The Digital Media Editor shall serve a three-year term of office, shall be elected in years numbered 2022 + 3i, and may serve multiple terms in office.
The Section Reporter shall serve a three-year term of office, shall be elected in years numbered 2020 + 3i, and may serve multiple terms in office.
The Student Activities Director shall serve a three-year term of office, shall be elected in years numbered 2021 + 3i, and may serve multiple terms in office.
The Level-I Director shall serve a three-year term of office, shall be elected in years numbered 2020 + 3i, and may serve multiple terms in office. The Level-I Director shall be selected from among those members of the Texas Section whose teaching and/or interests are principally concerned with the overall undergraduate mathematics program of the first two collegiate years.
The Level-II Director shall serve a three-year term of office, shall be elected in years numbered 2022 + 3i, and may serve multiple terms in office. The Level-II Director shall be selected from among those members of the Texas Section whose teaching and/or interests are principally concerned with the overall undergraduate mathematics program of the first four collegiate years.
The Level-III Director shall serve a three-year term of office, shall be elected in years numbered 2021 + 3i, and may serve multiple terms in office. The Level-III Director shall be selected from among those members of the Texas Section whose teaching and/or interests encompass a full range mathematics program extending to the doctoral level.
The Director-at-Large shall serve a two-year term, shall be elected in even numbered years, and may serve multiple terms in office. The Director-at-Large shall be charged with the representation of those members of the Texas Section whose interests are not necessarily represented by the other directors.
Nominations for the above-mentioned offices are to be made as required by a committee chosen at the Departmental Liaisons meeting that will be held annually during the Texas Section Spring Meeting. The Departmental Liaisons meeting is to be convened by the Section Representative to the MAA Congress.
The Nominations Committee is to be charged by the Chair and to be chaired by the Immediate Past Chair. The list of the positions to be filled, and the corresponding duties will be delineated by the Secretary-Treasurer. Additional nominations for the available offices will also be accepted from the members of the Section at the following year’s Business Meeting.
The duties of the section officers shall be as follows:
The Chair shall preside at all business meetings of the Section and all meetings of the Executive Committee. The Chair shall have general charge of and shall execute the affairs of the Section. The Chair shall appoint all committees except for committees whose members are specified in Article VII unless otherwise directed by the members at a business meeting and shall be an ex-officio member of all committees.
The Secretary-Treasurer shall keep minutes of business meetings, executive committee meetings, preserve records of the section, maintain files of official correspondence of the section, notify section members of all regular and special meetings, notify members of the executive committee of meetings of that group. The Secretary-Treasurer is responsible for sending meeting reports after each meeting of the section and an annual section report to the Committee on Sections. The Secretary-Treasurer shall also collect voluntary section dues and/or registration fees, receive funds provided by MAA, arrange for the safekeeping of all section monies, maintain proper and accurate books of account of such monies, pay all debts of the section in a timely manner, and file an annual report with the MAA.
The Arrangements Chair shall be responsible for plans and preparations of meetings, except for planning the program, and shall be in charge and preside over all social functions connected with any meeting. At the conclusion of a section meeting, the Arrangements Chair will report to the Secretary/Treasurer information about the meeting (section meeting report), a summary of revenue and expenses, and suggested updates to the section meeting manual. The Arrangements Chair- Elect shall assist the Arrangements Chair in the planning of all meetings, taking note of details so that improvements may be made in the conduct of the next meeting.
The Digital Media Editor shall be responsible for maintaining and updating the section website and social media pages. This includes the regular posting of meeting information and section news items.
The Section Reporter shall be responsible for collecting, editing, and sharing of news from the section. The Section Reporter shall request information from institutions in the section at least once a year (fall) and shall forward information to the Digital Media Editor for posting.
The Student Activities Director shall organize and direct a student competition for the annual section meeting. In addition, the Student Activities Director shall be responsible for creating, maintaining, and updating a bank of questions to be used at the student competition. The Student Activities Director shall recruit judges to determine award recipients for student presentations at the annual section meeting, provide a mechanism for judges to evaluate students on their presentations, coordinate with the judges to recognize the best student presenters at the annual section meeting, and coordinate with the Arrangements Chair to assure that recognition for winners of any student competition and for best student presenters is provided.
The Directors shall be responsible for representing the membership of the section on the Executive Committee, and shall serve as a program committee to plan the program and select speakers for the annual section meeting. The Director-at-Large shall be responsible for chairing the program committee and for coordinating communication between the Directors and the Arrangements Chair.
The executive committee shall conduct the affairs of the section between meetings of the section membership. A quorum of the executive committee shall be seven members of the executive committee. If a vacancy on the executive committee should occur, then it is empowered to fill any vacancy among the officers of the section by electing a member to finish the term of office except for the position of Chair-Elect, Chair, or Immediate Past Chair. Should the Chair-Elect be unable to complete a term of office, the Director who is serving the first year of a three-year term shall serve the unexpired portion of that year as Chair-Elect and shall serve the following year as Chair and then one year as Immediate Past Chair. Should the Chair be unable to complete a term of office, the Director who is serving the second year of a three-year term shall serve the unexpired portion of that year a Chair and shall serve the following year as Immediate Past Chair. Should the Immediate Past Chair be unable to complete a term of office, the Director who is serving the third year of a three-year term shall serve the unexpired portion of that year as Immediate Past Chair. In any of these cases, the executive committee shall elect a member to finish the term of office for the Director who assumed the role of Chair-Elect, Chair, or Immediate Past Chair.
For the Section Representative, the MAA Board of Directors shall have authority to fill vacancies until such time as the regular appointment or election process can be employed, when a vacancy occurs between elections.
ARTICLE V - Meetings
The section normally shall hold one program meeting each year and an annual business meeting.
The Directors in coordination with the Arrangements Chair shall plan the program of the annual program meeting. The Directors shall serve as a program committee to plan the program and select speakers for the annual spring section meeting. The Director-at-Large shall be responsible for chairing the program committee and for coordinating communication between the Directors and the Arrangements Chair. The Arrangements Chair and the local arrangements committee shall be responsible for logistical arrangements and preside over all social functions associated with a meeting. The Secretary-Treasurer shall assist the Directors and Arrangements Chair in the production of a printed program.
Additional program meetings may be organized by the executive committee, by a resolution passed by a majority of the membership present at a meeting, or by petition presented to the Secretary-Treasurer with verification of signatures of at least 1/10 of the membership of the Section. The executive committee shall arrange the details of the meeting.
The annual business meeting shall be held in conjunction with the annual program meeting and shall be planned by the Chair and Secretary-Treasurer. At the annual business meeting, officer elections will be held, the nomination committee will be announced, and the Arrangements Chair-Elect will announce the location and date for the following year’s program meeting.
The quorum for a business meeting shall consist of not fewer than 15 members of the section and no business may be validly transacted at business meetings where less than a quorum is present.
A special business meeting may be called by the executive committee, by a resolution passed by a majority of the membership present at a meeting, or by petition presented to the Secretary-Treasurer with verification of signatures of at least 1/10 of the membership of the Section. The executive committee shall arrange the details of the meeting.
Each member of the section shall be notified at least 20 days in advance of any program or business meeting of the section.
ARTICLE VI - Fees and Use of Assets
The executive committee shall set the registration fee for the annual meeting and shall recommend the voluntary due amount. The voluntary dues shall be used to help provide supplemental funds for section activities.
The assets of the section shall be used exclusively to further the purposes of the section and, in the event of the dissolution of the section; the remaining assets shall be turned over to MAA to be used for purposes consistent with the bylaws of that organization.
ARTICLE VII - Committees
The standing committees of the section include the Executive Committee, the Nominating Committee, the Distinguished Service Award Selection Committee, the Distinguished College and University Teaching of Mathematics Award Committee, and the Ron Barnes Distinguished Service to Students Award committee. The Chair may appoint ad hoc committees to serve specific interests of the section.
The Nominating Committee shall be selected at the Departmental Liaisons meeting. Three members shall be selected to serve. One committee member shall be selected from among those members of the Texas Section whose teaching and/or interests are principally concerned with the overall undergraduate mathematics program of the first two collegiate years (Level I). One committee member shall be selected from among those members of the Texas Section whose teaching and/or interests are principally concerned with the overall undergraduate mathematics program of the first four collegiate years (Level II). One committee member shall be selected from among those members of the Texas Section whose teaching and/or interests encompass a full range mathematics program extending to the doctoral level (Level III). These three individuals and the Immediate Past Chair shall be the committee with the Immediate Past Chair serving as the committee’s chair.
The Distinguished Service Award Selection Committee shall consist of the Section Representative, the two most recent Past Chairs of the Section and two additional at-large members of the MAA Texas Section. The Section Representative shall serve as the committee’s chair and shall nominate annually the two at-large committee members, approved by the Executive Committee, in such a way as to avoid implicit bias and to reflect the diversity of the section.
The selection committee for the Award for Distinguished College or University Teaching of Mathematics shall consist of the four elected directors and three additional at-large members of the MAA Texas Section from Level I, Level II, and Level III institutions, respectively. The Director-At-Large shall serve as the chair of this committee and shall nominate annually the three at-large committee members, approved by the Executive Committee, in such a way as to avoid implicit bias and to reflect the diversity of the section.
The Ron Barnes Distinguished Service to Students Award committee shall consist of the Student Activities Director, the two most recent recipients of such an award, and two additional at-large members of the MAA Texas Section. The Student Activities Director shall serve as the committee’s chair and shall nominate annually the two at-large committee members, approved by the Executive Committee, in such a way as to avoid implicit bias and to reflect the diversity of the section.
The Executive Committee shall appoint three representatives to serve on the Board of Directors for the Conference for the Advancement of Mathematics Teaching (CAMT). Each representative shall serve a three-year term that begins on August 1 of the appointment year. Representatives may serve multiple terms. Each year a representative is to be appointed (or reappointed). At the end of July, the representative who is in year three of their term should submit a summary report about that year’s conference to the secretary- treasurer.
The Executive Committee shall appoint a three-member leadership team to direct the Texas Section NExT program. This leadership team shall recruit participants, develop programs for participants that will be held in conjunction with the Texas Undergraduate Mathematics Conference (fall) and the annual section meeting (spring), and mentor new faculty. Members of the leadership team shall serve a three-year term that begins on May 1 of the appointment year. Members may serve multiple terms. Each year a representative is to be appointed (or reappointed). In November and in April, the member who is in year three of their term shall submit a summary report about the just completed Texas Section NExT event to the secretary-treasurer.
ARTICLE VIII - Amendments to Bylaws
Amendments to the bylaws may be proposed by the Executive Committee or by the written endorsement of at least three members of the section to the Executive Committee.
Subject to subsequent approval by the Board of Directors of the Mathematical Association of America, these bylaws may be amended by 2/3 of the votes cast by a quorum at a business meeting of the section.
The secretary of the section shall notify each member of the section of any proposed amendment(s) at least 20 days prior to the meeting at which voting on the proposed amendment(s) takes place.
A complete revision of these bylaws shall be subject to all of the same procedures required for other amendments to these bylaws.
Revisions approved at the 2016 Texas Section Spring Meeting in Nacogdoches. (04/02/2016)