Constitution

Article I: Name:  Te name of the organization will be “Society of Indian Academics in America: (hereinafter, the “Society”)

Article II: Not-For-Profit:  The Society shall be a not-for-profit organization

Article III. Objectives. The objectives of the Society shall be as follows:

  1. i)To provide a forum for professional interaction among its members and other interested individuals through mutual exchange and sharing of views, interests and concerns.
  2. ii)To promote research and scholarship on India among the members and other interested individuals.

iii)                 To provide guidance and assistance to Indian students seeking to pursue higher studies in USA, Canada and India.

  1. iv)To encourage and promote the dissemination of knowledge and information about various aspects of Indian life, history and culture among American and Canadian populations.
  2. v)To encourage and promote knowledge of and interest in India among the successive generations of Indian immigrants.
  3. vi)To encourage and promote the transfer and utilization of knowledge from North America to India

vii)               To promote and protect the legitimate professional and academic interests  of Academics of Indian origin working in the US and Canada.

viii)              To help establish Chairs, Institutes and Centers in Indian life, history and culture at American and Canadian universities

  1. ix)To assist educational and education related institutes in India with funds to facilitate their growth
  2. x)To provide funds to the faculty residing in the US or Canada, who have agreed to assist educational and educated related institutions in India with their expertise.

 Article IV: Activities.        The objectives of the Society shall be realized through the carrying out of the following and other related activities.

  1. i)Organization of professional conferences, workshops, seminars, lectures, exhibitions, courses, correspondence courses, cultural and scientific events and so forth
  2. ii)Institution of scholarships and grants to deserving students and scholars (including in special cases, members of the Society)

iii)                 Publication of books, journals, reports, research studies, newsletters, etc.

  1. iv)Working in conjunction with Indian, American, Canadian and other organizations, having objectives compatible with the Society’s objectives
  2. v)Setting up of general and special purpose libraries and reading rooms
  3. vi)Raising of funds for the Society (a) from public and private philanthropic sources, and (b) by offering its service to its members and the public

 Article V: Membership 

  1. The membership of the Society shall be open to the faculty and research scholars of Indian origin working full time or part time in the universities, colleges and recognized research institutions of the USA and Canada, as well as the retirees in this category and those scholars who have legitimate interest in Indian studies and development
  2. There shall be two primary categories of membership
  1. i)Life members
  2. ii)Regular members 
  1. In addition to the above, the executive committee of the Society may, at its discretion offer honorary membership to certain distinguished individuals.
  2. The executive committee shall have the right to determine, from time to time, membership dues for the various categories of membership. The current dues (non-refundable) are:
  1. i)$ 250 for life members
  2. ii)$ 25 per annum for regular members      
  1. The executive committee shall have the right, after due process, to suspend the membership of any individual for activities disruptive of and contrary to the interests of the Society.
  2. The membership of the society shall be on the calendar year basis.

Article VI: Officers

  1. The Society shall have the following officers.
  1. i)President
  2. ii)Vice President

iii)     General Secretary

  1. iv)Joint Secretary
  2. v)Treasurer 
  1. The officers shall hold office for a period of two years.

Article VII:  Responsibilities of Officers.

  1. President
  2. i)Shall be the principle officer responsible for the execution of the policies laid down by the General Body and/or the Executive Committee. The President shall carry out these obligations with the cooperation and assistance of other officers.
  3. ii)Shall sign contracts and execute other transactions on behalf of and in the name of the Society

iii)                 Shall be responsible for the upkeep and maintenance of the property of the Society 

  1. Vice President 
  2. i)Shall assist the President, as desired, in carrying out the duties of the President
  3. ii)Shall assume the full responsibilities of the President in event of the President’s absence, disability or death
  4. General Secretary
  5. i)Shall act under the direction of the President in carrying out the day-to-day activities of the Society
  6. ii)Shall maintain all records of the Society

iii)                 Shall send notices of the meetings of the General Body and the Executive Committee

  1. iv)Shall prepare an annual report under the direction of the Executive Committee and present it at the annual meeting of the General Body 
  2. Joint Secretary 
  3. i)Shall assist the General Secretary in his/her day-to-day operations, as needed
  4. ii)Shall fulfill the duties of the General Secretary in his/her absence 
  5. Treasurer
  6. i)Shall be the principal financial officer of the Society
  7. ii)Shall keep records of the funds of the Society and account for its income and expenditure

iii)                 Under the general direction of the Executive Committee, shall prepare the annual budget of the Society for presentation at the annual General Body meeting

  1. iv)Shall be responsible to and cooperate with the external auditor(s) for the annual auditing of the income and expenses of the Society 

Article VIII.  Administration 

1)  The structure of the Society shall consist of the following bodies; 

  1. i)General body
  2. ii)Executive Committee

iii)                 Membership and Finance Committee

  1. iv)Education and Research Committee
  2. v)Newsletter and External relations Committee
  3. vi)Civilization and Culture committee

vii)               Election Committee 

2)   The principal office of the Society shall be at a place determined by the President, in consultation with the officers of the Society. In addition, it may have local chapters in the USA and Canada, For the furtherance of its objectives and its discretion, the Society may open some chapters in India as well. 

3)   The General Body of the Society shall consist of all life members and regular members. The body shall exercise supervisory control of the Society’s affairs in matters of defining overall objectives, goals and strategies from year to year  

4)   The principal operational body of the society ie the one responsible for its day-to-day activities, shall be the Executive Committee. The Executive Committee shall consist of: 

  1. i)The five officers of the Society
  2. ii)Chairs of the committees mentioned under Article VIII, part 1, items iii to vi, who would be ex-officio members

iii)                 Three members at large elected by the General Body 

5)  The main function of  the committees shall be to actively and creatively assist the Executive Committee in their respective spheres and the committees shall, therefore, meet as often as necessary to fulfill their functions 

Article IX:  Meetings

1)  The General Body of the Society shall meet annually in October for the overall direction, planning and evaluation of the affairs of the Society. 

2)  The quorum at the General Body meetings shall be one-fifth of the total membership 

3)  The quorum of the Executive Committee and any other committee meetings shall be one-third of the membership of that committee. Such meetings can be held in person or by teleconferencing 

4)  At all General Body meetings, the decisions shall be made by a simple majority vote of  such Life Members and Regular Members as are members in good standing and have paid all their dues up-to-date 

5)  The Honorary Members shall have no voting rights, but shall be eligible to participate in discussions and opinion surveys 

6)   The President shall be ex-officio chair at the meetings of the General Body and the Executive Committee 

7)  The Chair of each committee shall have the overall responsibility to ensure the productive output of the committee 

8)  The chair of each committee, including the General Body, shall have overall responsibility for keeping minutes of every meeting and shall nominate a member to do so. These minutes shall be presented for approval in the subsequent meeting of that body. 

9)  Members shall have the right to send their suggestions, thoughts, proposals, ideas for consideration by the Executive Committee in the first place and by the General Body later. For consideration by the General Body, these must reach the President at least two weeks prior to the General Body meeting. 

10)  In general, the conduct of all meetings shall be governed b the latest version of Robert’s Rules of Order. 

11)  In the case of a tie in voting, the Presiding Officer of the body shall have the right of a casting vote 

Article  X:  Executive Committee 

1)  The Executive Committee shall consist of the officers, chairs of the committees, except the Election Committee and three other members at large elected by the General Body. 

2)  The Executive Committee of the Society shall meet at least four times a year, around the months of February, May, September and December; it can meet more frequently as the need arises

3)  The Executive Committee shall be the principal operating body of the Society and shall direct its day-to-day activities. 

4)  The Executive Committee shall exercise overall control over the finances of the Society. 

5)  The Executive Committee shall have the power to open, operate and close the Society’s bank accounts and shall assign check signing powers to certain of its officers, one of whom shall be the Treasurer. 

6)  The Executive committee shall also encourage, oversee, direct and control the activities of the local chapters. 

7)  The Executive Committee shall have the power, subject to its ratification by the General Body, to suspend or close down a local chapter, whether in the USA, Canada or India 

8)  Members of the Executive Committee shall not be eligible to obtain any of the Society’s financial aid.

9)  The Executive Committee shall have the power to constitute, as deemed necessary, Special Ad Hoc Committees in pursuit of any of the objectives of the Society  

Article XI: Finances 

1)  The financial year of the Society shall be the calendar year 

2)  The finances of the Society shall be audited every year by a certified public accountant, to be appointed by the Executive Committee. Such an individual or firm shall not be connected with any of the members. 

Article XII:  Elections 

1)  There shall be an Election Committee consisting of three members , designated by the Executive Committee. 

2)  The officers of the Society shall be debarred from serving on the Election committee 

3)  The Election Committee shall be responsible for the election of all officers and other members of the Executive Committee. The election shall be held by secret postal or electronic ballot. 

4)  The Election Committee shall seek nominations from the membership. The ballot will have write-in space. 

5)  The election of officers, members of the Executive Committee and chairs of various committees shall be held in the Fall of each election year and should be completed by December of that year. 

6)  In the event of a vacancy occurring, the Executive Committee shall have the power to fill the vacancy by a simple majority vote. 

7)  As soon as feasible, the Election Committee shall declare the results of the election by a sworn affidavit signed by all the members of the Committee and forward then to the General Secretary. The secretary shall circulate these results to the entire membership forthwith. 

8)  The chair of the Election Committee shall maintain complete records of the election for a period of six months after the declaration of results 

9)  In an election year, the outgoing bodies shall have the obligation to transfer all records, properties and powers etc, to the newly elected successors as of January 1,  but no later than February 1, of the year following elections. 

10)  No member with less than one year’s membership in  the Society, with the exception of Joint secretary, shall be eligible to contest for President, Vice-President, General Secretary or Treasurer. 

Article XIII:  Amendments 

The General body shall have the power to amend the constitution by a two-third majority