CONSTITUTION AND BY-LAWS of the INTERNATIONAL FEDERATION OF PALYNOLOGICAL SOCIETIES *

CONSTITUTION

 

Article 1. NAME

The name of the organization is “International Federation of Palynological Societies” (IFPS).

 

Article 2. COMPOSITION AND AIM

The IFPS is a federation of regional, national, linguistic and specialist palynological societies. Its aim is to advance knowledge in palynology and related subjects by promoting and coordinating international cooperation and meetings between scientists of all regions and countries.

 

Article 3. AFFILIATION

Because of its interdisciplinary character, the IFPS is affiliated with both the International Union of Biological Sciences (IUBS) and the International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS).

 

Article 4. MEMBERSHIP

The membership of the IFPS consists of the members of all of the societies that are affiliated with the Federation. The total membership constitutes the General Assembly. Membership includes the right to participate in the affairs of the Federation, and to receive the newsletter, PALYNOS.

 

Article 5. FINANCES

Each affiliated society shall pay annually to the IFPS Secretary-Treasurer a subscription based on the society’s membership. Dues are payable by May 1 for the current year. The amount of the sub­scription per member shall be determined by the Council and incorporated in the By-Laws of the Federation. The Secretary-Treasurer shall each January submit to the affiliated societies a summary of the financial position of the Federation, and shall at the end of the term of office of the Council present to the plenary session of the General Assembly a full account of the Federation’s financial affairs.

 

Article 6. MEETINGS

International Palynological Congresses shall be held at intervals of four or five years, and their venues shall be chosen by vote of the Council, based on invitations submitted by the affiliated societies. A plenary session consists of those members present at a duly called meeting of the General Assembly, for which notice of one year must be given by the Officers of the IFPS to the members of the affiliated societies. Two ordinary plenary sessions shall be held at each Interna­tional Palynological Congress, the first to be chaired by the outgoing President, and the second to be chaired by the incoming President. Extraordinary plenary sessions may be called by the Council in unusual circumstances, subject to the provisions of this article. The agenda of a plenary session of the General Assembly shall be determined by the Council and published in the newsletter in advance of the meeting.

 

Article 7. CONDUCT OF BUSINESS

Between International Palynological Congresses the business of the Federation shall be conducted by the Council and, subject to its approval, by committees appointed by the Council. A meeting of the members of the IFPS for the conduct of business shall be called at each International Palynological Congress and at each extraordinary plenary session of the General Assembly. Except as specified in Articles 17 and 18, all motions passed by a plenary session shall be referred to and considered by the Council.

 

Article 8. COUNCIL

The council of the IFPS shall consist of Officers and Councillors. The officers shall be the President, the Past-President, the Secretary-Treasurer, the Newsletter Editor and the Web Master. There shall be one Councillor from each affiliated society, or two from any society that has more than 200 palynological members. Three Vice-Presidents shall be elected from the Councillors by the Council, in accordance with the provisions of Article 9.2. The normal term of office of members of the Council shall begin at the closing plenary session of an International Palynological Congress and end at the closing plenary session of the next IPC. If no plenary session is held within five years, new Officers and Councillors shall be selected according to the provisions of Articles 9, 11, 12 and 13. They shall assume office and their names shall be announced in the IFPS newsletter (PALYNOS) not more than five and one-half years after the beginning of the retiring Council’s term of office.

 

Article 9. ELECTIONS

9.1 The incoming President shall be elected by e-mail/postal ballot by the retiring Council at least three months before the expiry of that Council’s term of office. The presidential ballot shall contain the names of all members of the Council who agree in advance to stand for election, except that of the incumbent President. The ballot may in addition contain the name of any member-at-large who is nominated by another member, provided that such nomination is received in writing by the Secretary-Treasurer at least two weeks prior to the deadline stated for the distribution of the ballots, and is accompanied by evidence that the nominee is willing to accept office if elected. The first ballots shall be distributed at least eight months before the expiry of the term of office of the in­cumbent Council. A president may not serve a second consecutive term in that office. If the president dies, resigns, or is, in the opinion of two-thirds of the Council, unable to carry out ade­quately the duties of office, he/she shall, to ensure orderly continuance of the business of the Federation, be succeeded in that office by the Secretary-Treasurer, who shall then select a new Secretary-Treasurer in accordance with the provisions of Article 11.

 

9.2 Three Vice-Presidents shall be elected by incoming Council from among the Councillors by e-mail/postal ballot, within six months after the beginning of the Council’s term of office. They shall be residents of different countries, and shall include representatives of paleopalynology and actuopalynology. A Councillor who does not wish to stand for election to the vice-presidency should so inform the President prior to the distribution of the ballot. A Vice-President who resigns, or is re­placed, as Councillor shall be considered to have resigned from the vice-presidency, and a succes­sor to the latter office shall be elected by the process outlined in this article.

 

Article 10. PAST-PRESIDENT

The retiring President shall automatically assume the office of Past-President. If he/she declines to serve in that capacity, the office shall remain vacant until the expiry of the Council’s term of office.

 

Article 11. SELECTION OF SECRETARY-TREASURER

The Secretary-Treasurer shall be chosen by the incoming President from the members-at-large, subject to confirmation by the incoming Council, within three months after the beginning of the Council’s term of office. If the Secretary-Treasurer resigns, succeeds to the presidency, dies, or is, in the opinion of two-thirds of the Council, unable to carry out adequately the duties of office, a replacement to that office shall be chosen by the President, subject to confirmation by the Council.

 

Article 12. SELECTION OF NEWSLETTER EDITOR

The Newsletter Editor shall be appointed by the incoming President with the approval of the in­coming Council. If the Newsletter Editor resigns, dies or is, in the opinion of two-thirds of the Council, unable to carry out the duties of office, a replacement to that office shall be chosen by the President, subject to confirmation by the Council.

 

 

Article 13. SELECTION OF COUNCILLORS

The Secretary-Treasurer shall, no later than nine months before the expiry of the Council’s term of office, ask each affiliated society to select its Councillor(s) for the succeeding term. In this process the societies shall be guided by the provisions of Articles 8 and 14.6. Councillors may not serve more than two consecutive full terms, but societies may replace their Councillors at any time, and a Councillor who is appointed for part of a term may serve for two additional full terms. A Council­lor who dies, resigns, or is judged to be incapacitated by the society that appointed him/her shall be replaced by that society.

 

Article 14. DUTIES

14.1 The President shall chair meetings of the Council and the General Assembly; shall coordinate the activities of the Council between plenary sessions; shall appoint the Secretary-Treasurer and the Newsletter Editor, subject to confirmation by the Council; and shall have a second (casting) vote in the event of parities in the votes of the council.

 

14.2 The Past-President shall serve as advisor to the President. By virtue of experience, the Past-President provides continuity in the deliberations of successive councils.

 

14.3 The Secretary-Treasurer shall transmit information between the Council and the affiliated societies; implement, and maintain records of, the financial transactions of the Federation; keep in good order the records of the Federation; and transmit records to the Archivist/ Historian as appro­priate. He/she shall succeed to the presidency if required to do so by the provisions of Article 9.1.

 

14.4 The Vice-Presidents shall assist the President in promoting communication and cooperation amongst the affiliated societies, especially amongst those societies for which they shall (with their consent) be assigned this responsibility by the President. They shall solicit and coordinate submission of annual reviews of activities from the affiliated societies to the President and the Newsletter Editor. One of the Vice-Presidents shall chair meetings in the absence of the President, as requested by the Council.

 

14.5 The Newsletter Editor shall be responsible for the preparation and production of the IFPS newsletter (PALYNOS) and for its distribution to the Councillors.

 

14.6 The Web Master shall be responsible for production and maintenance of the IFPS website.

 

14.7 The Councillors shall be the liaison between the Council and the societies they represent; represent the interests of their societies in votes of the Council; promote preparation of contribu­tions to the IFPS newsletter by members of their society; annually send to the Secretary-Treasurer an up-to-date list, with postal addresses, of the members of their society; ensure that annual dues are forwarded from their society to the Secretary-Treasurer; and distribute the IFPS newsletter to members of their society.

 

Article 15. ARCHIVIST/HISTORIAN

An Archivist/Historian shall be appointed by the President, with the approval of the Council, to serve for an indeterminate period. The Archivist/Historian shall collect, catalogue, and implement the preservation of all materials concerning the history and activities of the Federation; maintain liaison with the Council and the affiliated societies concerning acquisition of material appropriate for the archives; and ensure that archival items, or copies of them, are available for use by members of the IFPS, subject to authorization by the Council. Material donated to the archives shall remain the property of the Federation.

 

Article 16. RELATIONS BETWEEN IFPS COUNCIL AND CONGRESS ORGANIZATION BODIES

The Council of the IFPS shall advise the organizing body of the International Palynological Congress in planning the scheduling and agendas of plenary sessions and other events that relate to the business of the IFPS, and shall assist as appropriate in maintaining communication between the congress organizing body and the palynological societies. A liaison person may be appointed by the organizing body of the coming congress, to enhance communication between that body and the IFPS Council. Up to $6000 shall be made available to the organizing committee of the International Palynological Congress, upon their request, to assist with the expenses that may be incurred for organizing the Congress. The amount loaned shall be returned to the Secretary-Treasurer of the IFPS; and in addition, half of any profit accruing from the meeting shall be transmitted to the IFPS along with a detailed account of the financial status of the Congress.

 

Article 17. AMENDMENTS

The Constitution may be amended only at a plenary session of the General Assembly. The text of any proposed amendment(s) shall be circulated to all members through the affiliated societies at least six months before the plenary session.

 

Article 18. DISSOLUTION

The IFPS may be dissolved only at a plenary session of the General Assembly. In the event of such dissolution, the assets of the Federation shall be divided amongst the member societies in propor­tion to the amount of dues each shall have paid for the current year.

 

 

BY-LAWS

 

1. The annual membership subscription shall be US $1.50 per individual member.

 

2. The Secretary-Treasurer may appoint one or two associate secretaries to assist with such tasks as editing the World Directory of Palynologists.

 

3. Revised editions of the World Directory of Palynologists shall be published at appropriate inter­vals agreed upon by the Council.

 

4. Amendments to the By-Laws may be made by the Council, and shall be considered effective three months after the approved text of the amendments has been distributed to the Councillors of the member societies.

 

5. Affiliated societies will be placed on inactive status if they are more than eight months delinquent in paying their annual dues.

*This most recent revision is based upon:

 

(i) The acceptance of amendments proposed by the Council to the IFPS General Assembly at the 7th IPC, Brisbane, Australia (3rd September 1988).

 

(ii) Amendments to the By-Laws passed by the IFPS Councillors on 1st January 1994.

 

(iii) The amendment to Article 16, passed by the IFPS General Assembly at the 10th IPC, Nanjing, China (23rd June 2000).

 

(iv) The acceptance of amendments proposed by the Council to the IFPS General Assembly at the 13th IPC, Tokyo, Japan (23rd August 2012).