New York City Museum Educators Roundtable: Bylaws
As of May, 2004
| Article I | Name |
| The name of this organization is the New York City Museum Educators' Roundtable, hereinafter referred to as NYCMER. | |
| Article II | Purpose |
| The organization's purpose is to provide a forum for museum professionals in New York City and environs to exchange information, discuss issues of common interest, and to explore and implement cooperative programming opportunities. | |
| Article III | Membership |
| Section 1 | Membership Representation |
| NYCMER membership is open to representatives of a great diversity of cultural and educational organizations in the New York City metropolitan area and beyond. Membership has representatives from institutions such as, but not limited to, the following: architectural museums and associations, botanical gardens, children's museums, craft and folk art museums, fine arts museums, historical and ethnic museums and societies, nature museums and environmental education centers, parks and cultural affairs agencies, performing arts organizations, technological and media museums, university museum education programs, and zoos and aquariums. | |
| Section 2 | Membership Categories |
| A. General Membership Annual dues category areas: 1. Student, 2. Individual, 3. Institutional (three designated representatives per institutional membership with additional representatives at a reduced rate per person above and beyond the initial three). | |
| B. Committee Membership All members of the Steering Committee and Standing Committees will be paying members of NYCMER. | |
| Article IV | Officers and Vacancies |
| Section 1. | Officers |
| The Officers of NYCMER shall be Chair, Vice Chair, Secretary, and Treasurer. The Officers shall be elected by the NYCMER membership to serve a concurrent term of two years. | |
| A. Chair The Chair shall be responsible for the overall administration of NYCMER and will preside over Steering Committee meetings and all meetings of the membership. The Chair will provide leadership in the formulation and implementation of NYCMER strategic planning and policies. The Chair will appoint Chairpersons for all committees and designate six Members-at-Large to serve on the Steering Committee. The Chair, in the ensuing year of office will take the title of Immediate Past Chair and serve as an ex-officio member of the Steering Committee for one year. The Chair must have at least one year’s experience on the Steering Committee before serving in this position. | |
| B. Vice Chair The Vice Chair will assume the position of the Chair upon vacancy and preside at those meetings that the Chair is unable to attend. The Vice-Chair will also Chair the annual conference. As such, he/she will form a conference committee, appoint one or more conference co-chairs, establish the conference topic, design and implement the program, establish a budget and report on Conference Committee proceedings to the Steering Committee. | |
| C. Secretary The Secretary will keep the records of NYCMER, write and distribute minutes of Steering Committee meetings, send notices, and conduct appropriate correspondence. | |
| D. Treasurer The Treasurer will prepare annual financial reports and budget proposals and submit these to the Steering Committee for approval. The Treasurer will receive all funds, and will disburse such funds as designated by the Steering Committee in accordance with the budget. | |
| Section 2 | Members-at-Large |
| Twelve Members-at-Large will serve on the Steering Committee for a term of one year. Members-at-Large will work on programs throughout the year and assist in fulfilling the purposes of the organization. Six of the twelve will be nominated by the Nominating Committee and elected by the general membership during the annual election, and six of the twelve will be appointed by the Chair. Included among the appointed are the Archivist, Membership Coordinator, Newsletter Editor, and the Web Site Coordinator. | |
| A. Archivist He/she will maintain the historical records and files of NYCMER. The Archivist will be a one-year position. | |
| B. Newsletter Editor The Newsletter Editor will be responsible for the preparation and dissemination of the membership newsletter and other special notices as needed. The Newsletter Editor will be a one-year position. | |
| C. Membership Coordinator The Membership Coordinator will solicit new memberships, process renewal notices with the assistance of the Treasurer, and provide the Steering Committee with current membership information. The Membership Coordinator will be a two-year position. | |
| D. Web Site Coordinator The Web Site Coordinator will maintain the NYCMER web site by posting NYCMER program announcements and other documents, updating the site as needed, and by assessing and implementing current technology and design. The Web Site Coordinator will be a two-year position. | |
| Section 3 | Vacancies or Removal from Office |
| A. In the event of a vacancy in the position of Chair, the Vice Chair will succeed to that office and will serve until the end of the term. If the Vice Chair is unable to serve, then a member of the Steering Committee will be selected by a majority vote of the Steering Committee to complete the term of office. Persons to fill other vacancies will be selected by a majority vote of the Steering Committee to serve until the end of the term of office. | |
| B. In the event that any member of the Steering Committee fails to perform designated duties, that member may be removed from office by a two-thirds vote at a Steering Committee meeting, but only after an opportunity for review has been afforded the affected member. A vote for removal may not be taken unless notice has been given to the affected member and the entire Steering Committee prior to implementing such action. | |
| Section 4 | Representation |
| No more than one member of the Steering Committee may be from the same institution. | |
| Article V | Committees |
| Section 1 | Steering Committee |
| A. The Steering Committee will consist of the Officers, the twelve Members-at Large, and the Immediate Past Chair, who will be an ex-officio (voting) member. The Steering Committee will be composed of NYCMER members exclusively. | |
| B. The Steering Committee will set policy and conduct business of NYCMER between meetings of the membership and within the guidelines of resolutions approved by the membership to whom it will report its actions. Steering Committee members must be present at a Steering Committee meeting to cast a vote. | |
| C. There will be regularly scheduled meetings of the Steering Committee each year. The time and location will be determined by consensus voting of the group. Steering Committee members are expected to attend at least 6 meetings and 3 program sessions per year. | |
| D. Each Steering Committee member must make every effort to attend meetings. A member unable to attend any scheduled meetings must notify the Chair. | |
| E. NYCMER members are invited to attend Steering Committee meetings as non-voting observers, and must contact the Secretary for the time and location of the scheduled meeting. | |
| Section 2 | Standing Committees |
| The Standing Committees are created to plan, organize and implement activities on behalf of NYCMER, the objectives of which are determined by the Chair and the Steering Committee.
The Chair will appoint Chairpersons for all Standing Committees. One member of the Steering Committee will serve as liaison on each Standing Committee. The Steering Committee will have annual review of the need for Standing Committees. | |
| Article VI | Elections |
| Section 1 | Elected Positions will be determined by majority of ballots cast during the annual membership election and will assume office upon adjournment of the Annual Meeting of the membership. No Officer will serve in one position for more than two consecutive terms, nor serve on the Steering Committee for more than six consecutive years. |
| Section 2 | The Nominating Committee will be appointed by the Chair and will consist of two members of the Steering Committee and two general members with senior standing in the field. One of the four will serve as Head of the Nominating Committee and be responsible for ballot dissemination, tally the final vote and report to the Steering Committee and membership. The Nominating Committee will be appointed in February, prepare and disseminate a ballot prior to the annual conference, and announce the final vote count before the final business meeting of the spring. |
| Section 3 | Nominations for Officers and Members-at-Large of NYCMER will be solicited by mail from the membership. |
| A. A nomination shall be made in writing describing the qualifications of the individual being nominated, and the office for which the nomination is being made. | |
| B. Each nomination must be accompanied by a letter from the nominee expressing his or her desire to serve in the office if elected. | |
| C. Nominations should be sent by mail, fax, or e-mail to the Head of the Nominations Committee during the designated acceptance period. | |
| Section 4 | Ballot |
| Nominees will be listed on a ballot in alphabetical order and will include the nominee's institutional affiliation and a brief resume or statement.
Ballots will be disseminated to the membership by mail and returned by mail or in person. No faxed ballots will be accepted. | |
| Article VII | Meetings |
| Section 1 | Membership |
| There will be an annual meeting of the membership to introduce the new officers, adopt resolutions and determine the course of action for NYCMER. | |
| Section 2 | Steering Committee |
| The Steering Committee will meet on a regular basis as determined by the Chair and the Steering Committee members. | |
| Section 3 | Quorum |
| At the Steering Committee meeting a majority of voting officers and appointees will constitute a quorum for the transaction of business. | |
| Section 4 | Fees for Programs |
| Non-members of NYCMER will pay to attend programs based on a fee determined by the Steering Committee. | |
| Article VIII | Amendments |
| The by-laws may be amended by a majority vote of the membership. Amendments proposed by the Bylaws Committee must be mailed to the membership with ballots to be received by and tallied by the Secretary. |