Division By-Laws

ARTICLE 1

Name and Purpose

Section 1: Name

The name of this group shall be the Division for Global Communication and Social Change of the International Communication Association.

Section 2: Authority

The Division for Global Communication and Social Change exists under the authority of the Executive Committee and Board of Directors of the International Communication Association.

Section 3: Purpose

The overall purpose of the Division for Global Communication and Social Change is to promote theory, research, critical analysis and professional education in the area of global communication and social change.

 

ARTICLE 2

Membership

Section 1: Membership

Any active member of ICA who expresses interest in, and subscribes to, the purposes of the Division is eligible for membership in the Division for Global Communication and Social Change.

Section 2: Affiliate Membership

Any Affiliate Member of the International Communication Association who expresses interest in, and subscribes to, the purposes of the Division is eligible for Affiliate Membership. Affiliate members are not eligible to vote or hold office.

 

ARTICLE III

Officers, Nominations, Elections

Section 1: Officers

The officers of the Division for Global Communication and Social Change shall include a Chairperson, Vice Chairperson and Secretary, each elected by the membership and registered with the Executive Director. The term of the Vice Chairperson will be two years. At the end of that term the Vice Chairperson shall automatically assume the position of Chairperson for two years. The term of the Secretary shall be two years. Neither Chairperson nor Secretary will be eligible for consecutive reelection.

Section 2: Other Positions

In addition to a Chairperson, Vice Chairperson, and Secretary, the Division will elect whatever other officers its membership deems necessary and desirable.

Section 3: Nomination and Elections

Nominations for office shall be solicited from the active members of the division for Global Communication and Social Change. A committee appointed by the Chairperson will prepare a slate of nominees. The names of at least two nominees who have given their consent must appear on the ballot for each vacant office. The election of any officer shall be by mail vote of only the active members of Division. From 2010, elections will be staggered in a two-year cycle.

Section 4: Vacancies

Unusual vacancies shall be filled by appointment of an Active Member of the Division by the President of the International Communication Association. If the unexpired term is for a period of more than six months, the Division may initiate through its regular channels a special ballot for the election of an active member in the Division to fill the unexpired term.

Section 5: Duties of Officers

(a)    The Chairperson shall preside at all Division business meetings. In addition, the Chairperson shall create and appoint such temporary committees as deemed necessary; prepare and submit the Division budget to the Executive Committee; review and provide recommendations for maintaining the quality of convention programs; and generally perform those duties usually associated with this office. Prior to responding to invitations received by the Division to partner in conferences other than conferences organized under the sole auspices of the ICA, the Chairperson shall consult with the Division’s membership.

(b)   The Vice Chairperson shall assist the Chairperson in administering Division business meetings; administer the selection of competitive and noncompetitive papers/programs that are selected; serve as a reader for Division competitive and noncompetitive convention papers/programs; and participate with the Chairperson in evaluating the quality of convention programs. The Vice Chairperson shall also assist the Chairperson when requested, and assume the duty of the Chairperson in the event of the latter’s absence, disability, or request.

(c)    The Secretary shall maintain, distribute, and obtain Division approval of minutes for Division business meetings; assist the Chairperson in administering business meetings; serve as a paper evaluator for Division conference programs; and participate with the Chairperson in evaluating the quality of Division programs. The Secretary also shall be responsible for the periodic publishing of a Division newsletter and maintaining the Division’s Internet Web site residing on the ICA Internet Web server.

Section 6: Removal from Office

Any elected officer of the Division for Global Communication and Social Change may be removed from office by the following procedures: At least one-third of the active members of the Division must sign a petition to the Executive director of the ICA requesting a special election and including nominations for the office in question. The Executive director will arrange an extraordinary election within 60 days at the Division’s expense, with the challenged officer(s) included on the ballot. The result of this election becomes effective immediately.

 

ARTICLE IV

Committees

Section 1: Ad Hoc Committees

The Chairperson is empowered to establish and appoint members of ad hoc committees to assist in the conduct of the affairs of the Division for Global Communication and Social Change

Section 2: Association Committees

When requested by the President of the International Communication Association, the Division Chairperson is empowered to recommend members of the Division to serve on designated Association committees.

Section 3: Term of Office

The term of office of any appointed committee member shall not exceed the term of office of the appointing officer, except in the case of standing committees.

 

ARTICLE V

Annual Meeting and Reports

Section 1: Annual meeting

An annual business meeting of the Division for Global Communication and Social Change shall be held at the time and place of the Annual conference of the Association. Voting results will be determined by a simple majority of those present. The “quorum” is represented by the number of members present at the annual business meeting.  

Section 2: Agenda

The agenda for the meeting will be composed by the Chairperson and will include a summary of Division business for the year, and activity reports of officers and committees of the Division. The agenda will be announced to members attending the business meeting. Agenda items requiring action must be identified as such, and shall be discussed and presented for vote by the active Members of the Division in attendance at the meeting.

Section 3: Reports

The Secretary shall prepare a written report of the Annual Business Meeting for transmission to the Board of Directors of the Association and shall make copies available to the members of the Division. The Chairperson of the Division shall report on the Division’s activities to the ICA Board of Directors at the yearly Association annual Board Meeting

Section 4: Newsletter and Web page

The Division may support the creation and maintenance of a newsletter and Web page to be published and disseminated to members. The Secretary shall edit the Division Newsletter or recommend an editor to the Division Chairperson. The Secretary also shall maintain or recommend a person to maintain the Division’s Web page. The appointments will be the two-year term of the Division Chairperson. To the maximum degree possible, the Division Newsletter will be supported by the Division budget, institutional contributions, donations, and/or advertising.

 

ARTICLE VI

Program Selections

Section 1: Reviewers

Peer reviews shall be the basis for program development. The Chairperson and Vice Chairperson shall recruit qualified members (reviewers holding doctoral degrees) of the Division for Global Communication and Social Change to review the papers/panel proposals submitted for review. Such qualified members of the Division may indicate their desire to serve as a reviewer at any time. Peer reviewers are required to provide the Chairperson and Vice Chairperson with their blind review ratings and rankings in a timely fashion, given the tight turnaround time for annual program development. Reviewers undertake to provide quantitative assessments on all papers and panel proposals, for the benefit of authors, as well as qualitative assessments on all papers that have been awarded an overall quantitative ranking of 3 or below.

Section 2: Paper and Panel Submissions

Competitive paper submissions shall be selected according to: the significance of the topic, the thoroughness of the literature review, theoretical and conceptual development, and soundness of methodology (where applicable), usefulness of findings, and the writing style and organization. All competitive paper submissions shall include a complete paper. Persons proposing panels shall submit proposals to the program committee listing the names and titles of participants and the purpose and expected outcome of the program. Submission of competitive papers and/or program panels obligates the submitter to attend the convention where the work is to be presented.

 

ARTICLE VII

Awards

Each year the Division for Global Communication and Social Change shall identify and issue three awards for Top Papers, of which at least one shall be a Top Student Paper. These awards shall be identified from the top overall scores yielded electronically from averages of reviewer scores, adjusted by standard deviation, as determined by the Chairperson in consultation with the Vice Chairperson. 

Every second year, the Division shall make an award for the Top Doctoral Dissertation. This award will be judged by a three panel committee of peers appointed by the Chairperson. The Chairperson will announce a call for nominations and procedures for nomination in the ICA newsletter. Nominations will include a cover letter from a student’s advisor stating why the person should be recognized by the Division, the nominee’s vitae, and letters of recommendation. The nature of the award will depend on Division funds.

Each year, the Division shall honor a scholar for Best Article published in the preceding year. The Division shall make an award for the Best Book published in the preceding two years. The Division shall honor a scholar his or her lifetime research achievements in the area of Global Communication and Social Change. These awards will be determined by a three panel committee of peers appointed by the Chairperson. The Chairperson will announce a call for nominations and procedures for nomination in the ICA newsletter. Nominations will include a cover letter from the nominator stating why the person should be recognized by the Division, the nominee’s vitae, and letters of recommendation. The nature of the award will depend on Division funds. The Division shall honor the outgoing chair in consultation with the Vice Chairperson.

 

ARTICLE VIII

By-Law Amendments

Section 1: Initiation

Amendments to these By-Laws may be initiated by any member of the Division for Global Communication and Social Change. Texts of revisions must be made available to the Chairperson of the Division two months before the annual business meeting to enable their timely distribution to the membership.

Section 2: Adoption

A two-thirds majority of those members present and voting at the annual meeting of the Division shall be required for adoption of an amendment to Division By-Laws.