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CHARTER
SECTION ON PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION RESEARCH
AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION
Preamble
The American Society for Public Administration recognizes the development of specialized areas of interest within its membership as important to the advancement of the aims and purposes of the Society. Accordingly, it has granted and approved the following Charter for the Section on Public Administration Research (SPAR). This Charter is subject to the Constitution and Bylaws of the Society and to official ASPA policies governing the creation, evaluation, and termination of sections.
ARTICLE I. Name and Purpose
Section 1. Name: This organization shall be known as the Section on Public Administration Research of the American Society for Public Administration.
Section 2. Purpose: Within the broad aims and purposes of ASPA, the Section on Public Administration Research will promote the professional development of research in the public sector as it relates to both the scholarly and practical needs of the field. Embracing both theoretical and practical concerns, the section will address issues in empirical theory building and the knowledge base of the field as well as practical findings, which help meet challenges faced in public administration.
Section 3. Code: This Section in organized for the professional and educational purposes of: exclusively charitable and educational purposes within the meaning of Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as now in effect or as may hereafter be amended ("Code"). Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, such purposes include the following:
(a) Advancing the science, processes, and art of public administration.
(b) Advancing the equality of opportunity of all persons through public administration.
In furtherance of its exclusively charitable and educational purposes, the Section shall have all general powers of an unincorporated association, together with the power to solicit and accept grants and contributions for such purposes.
ARTICLE II. Activities
Section 1. Activities: The Section on Public Administration Research may undertake the following activities:
A. Professional Development
1. To define the types of knowledge, skills, and activities associated with research which foster both individual development and the field.
2. To develop ethical standards to aid research in data gathering, data handling and interpretation so as to assist them in maintaining their professional integrity
3. To collaborate with and encourage institutions of higher education to develop improved programs in public administration research.
4. To develop workshops and panels for ASPA national conferences, regional conferences and chapter programs.
B. Public Policy Issues
1. To provide a forum for the discussion of current research issues and findings of concern to public administration.
2. To develop a mechanism to comment upon federal, state, and local issues as they are informed by research findings.
3. To work with government agencies toward the end of enhancing their research capabilities and their knowledge base.
C. Research
1. To identify research projects which could be funded by foundations and governmental agencies.
2. To recommend to foundations and agencies the wisdom of sponsoring research projects so identified. (Any grants or contracts for projects involving an ASPA section must be approved by the National Council).
D. Publications
1. To publish a newsletter for section members.
2. To consider the publication of a journal specializing in public administration research or affiliating with an institution which publishes such a journal.
E. To encourage and foster cooperative relationships with other professional associations in the field of public administration research.
Section 2. Annual Report: The Section on Public Administration Research shall prepare and submit to the ASPA National Council an annual performance report on its activities at the time of the national ASPA conference. This report shall include information on section financial status and program performance during the previous year.
ARTICLE III. Membership
Section 1. Membership: Membership in the Section on Public Administration Research shall be open to all individual members of ASPA who desire active association with the section and who pay the enrollment fee and the annual dues. All members of SPAR must be individual members of ASPA and pay the annual dues appropriate to their class of membership. Furthermore, each such ASPA member who is also a member of SPAR will pay annual section dues of $36.00 which provides a subscription to the American Review of Public Administration and helps defray the costs of servicing the Section.
Section 2. Benefits of Membership: All members shall have the right to vote for elective officers of the section, to receive publications of the section, to participate in all activities of the section, and to receive other benefits and opportunities as appropriate.
Article IV. Officers and Their Responsibilities
Section 1. Executive Committee: The elective officers of the section shall be the Chairperson, Chairperson-Elect, immediate Past-Chairperson, Treasurer and an Executive Committee of nine members. The term of office of the Past-Chairperson, the Chairperson (who will automatically succeed to the office of Past-Chairperson) and Chairperson-Elect (who will automatically succeed to the office of Chairperson) shall be one year. The term of office of the Treasurer shall be three years. Members elected to the Executive Committee will serve staggered three-year terms. In the event that the position of Chairperson-Elect becomes vacant the Executive Committee shall appoint a new Chairperson-Elect for the unexpired term of office, but this person shall, if nominated, stand for election to the office of Chairperson in the next regularly scheduled election. Any vacancies on the Executive Committee of less than one year shall be filled by an appointee selected by the remaining members of the Executive Committee. Vacancies of more than one year shall be filled until the next election by an appointee selected by the Executive Committee. At that time the vacancy (or vacancies) shall be filled by the person (s) receiving the next highest number of votes after the three, three-year terms have been filled by the three persons receiving the highest number of votes.
Section 2. Responsibilities: The Executive Committee is responsible for overall performance and functioning of the section. Among its responsibilities shall be the following:
A. Determining section dues, subject to approval by the ASPA National Council;
B. Approving section annual programs, budget, and work plan;
C. Adopting positions on issues of relevance to section concerns; and,
D. Accepting donations, grants, and contracts for the section, subject to ASPA policies and procedures.
Section 3. Ex-Officio Members: The Executive Director of ASPA or his or her designated and the National Council liaison shall serve as ex-officio members of the Executive Committee.
Section 4. Appointments: The section chairperson may appoint a Secretary, Newsletter Editor, and Committee Chairpersons for such matters as appear necessary and desirable, subject to the approval of the Executive Committee. In turn, these chairpersons may appoint committee members as necessary to conduct the work of the committee.
Section 5. Treasurer: The Treasurer shall be responsible for maintaining the section's accounts, providing regular financial reports, paying the section's bills and such other duties and responsibilities as may be assigned.
ARTICLE V. Elections
Section 1. Eligibility: Members of the Section on Public administration Research have the right to vote for, and be nominated to, section elective offices.
Section 2. Election Procedures: The following election procedures shall be followed:
A. The chairperson will appoint a Nominating Committee of five members at least six months prior to the annual section meeting.
B. The Nominating Committee will receive nominations and publish a slate of candidates at least four months prior to the annual section meeting.
C. The Nominating Committee will receive additional nominations from the petition process up to two months prior to the annual section meeting.
D. Ballots will be either e-mailed or mailed out two months prior to the annual section meeting.
E. New officers will be announced at the annual section meeting.
F. Newly elected officers will assume office at the annual section meeting.
ARTICLE VI. Finance and Administration
Section 1. Accounting: Section dues, enrollment fees and other revenues shall be collected and allocated quarterly to the Section by the ASPA Executive Director. The Section shall maintain its own financial records, checking and savings accounts, and be responsible for all financial transactions. In so doing, it will follow the accounting procedures provided by the ASPA's Finance and Administration Committee and shall furnish an annual audit report to the ASPA National Council.
SPAR may change the above accounting model to purchase financial services from ASPA. In such case, it will notify the ASPA Executive Director of the desire for change no later than May 31 for the change to be effective starting July 1 for the following fiscal year. An amendment will then be signed by the ASPA Executive Director and the SPAR Chairperson on behalf of the Section.
Section 2. Change of Accounting Procedures: The Section may change the accounting procedures as described in Article VI, Section 1 above by decision of the Executive Committee. For the change to take effect in the following year, the ASPA Executive Director shall be notified of the desire for change at least two (2) months before the new fiscal year begins.
Section 3. Administration and Support: The Section on Public Administration Research shall be responsible for the administration and support of its program and activities. A program budget and work plan shall be prepared and approved by the Executive Committee every year for the coming year. Section responsibilities include, but are not limited to the following: scheduling section meetings and taking minutes; organizing program sessions during ASPA's national and regional conferences; preparing and distributing section brochures; producing newsletters and publications; planning and executing all workshops; developing and conducting membership campaigns; administering section elections; and maintain meeting and financial records.
The ASPA Executive Director shall provide the Section on Public Administration Research with periodic membership rosters and labels, ASPA handbooks, membership brochures and application forms, ASPA officers' newsletters, membership reports, and other appropriate information.
In addition, the ASPA Executive Director shall organize workshops for section officers and shall provide coordination and linkage between the section and other ASPA organizational components.
Section 4. Purchase of Administrative Services: The Section on Public Administration Research may occasionally wish to purchase specific services from the National Office. Services and their respective costs shall be negotiated from the National Office. Services and their respective costs shall be negotiated between the ASPA Executive Director and the Section Chairperson.
Section 5. Grants and Contracts: The ASPA national Council is responsible for approving, receiving, and auditing grants or contracts solicited by the Section on Public Administration Research. As a tax exempt, non-profit educational organization ASPA is qualified to receive designated donations for the programs and activities sponsored by the section. An overhead charge shall be applied to all grants and contracts.
Section 6. Program Areas for SPAR: Any member of ASPA who joins SPAR by paying the Section dues may participate in any and all SPAR programs and activities. SPAR will establish such committees, subcommittees, and other work groups as are necessary to carry out its programs as it deems desirable, provided expenses incurred for such activities in any one year do not exceed the balance available, except when special grants or other additional resources are developed to cover these costs.
ARTICLE VII. Meetings
Section 1. General Membership Meetings: A general membership meeting of the Section on Public Administration Research shall be held at least annually at each national ASPA conference.
Section 2. Executive Committee Meetings: The Executive Committee shall meet at each national ASPA conference and at such other times and places as may be arranged by the chairperson.
Section 3. Other Meetings: The Executive Committee may arrange for regional, special or other meetings of the section or its committees at such times and places as appropriate. Funding for all such meetings shall be limited to amounts budgeted unless special additional funds are made available from other sources.
ARTICLE VIII. Amendments
Section 1: Substantive changes in this Charter may be approved by the membership at the annual section meeting or by mail ballot, and shall then be referred to the National Council for final approval. If interim action is required, the Executive Committee may submit amendments to the National council.
Section 2: Clarifying changes which are in accord with policies of the national council and which the Executive Director of ASPA and the section chairperson consider desirable may be made to this Charter from time to time without referral to the National Council. Such changes shall be reported to the membership at the next annual meeting.
Section 3: Consistent with inclusion of this Section in the group federal income tax exemption ruling of the American Society for Public Administration (identified by the Internal Revenue Service as Group Exemption Number 3155), all amendments to the Section Charter which may be made from time to time shall be submitted to the American Society for Public Administration for its approval.
Article IX. Miscellaneous
Section 1: No part of the net earnings of the Section shall inure to the benefit of, or be distributable to any director officer of the Section, or any other private person, except that the Section shall be authorized and empowered to pay reasonable compensation for services rendered to or for the Section and to make payments and distributions in furtherance of the purposes set forth hereinabove.
Section 2: No substantial part of the activities of the Section shall be the carrying on of propaganda, or otherwise attempting to influence legislation (except as otherwise permitted by Section 501(h) of the Code), and the Section shall not participate in, or intervene in (including the publishing or distribution of statements concerning) any political campaign on behalf of or in opposition to any candidate for public office. Notwithstanding any other provision of these articles, the Section shall not carry on any other activities not permitted to be carried on
(a) by an organization exempt from federal income tax under Section 501(c)(3) of the Code, or
(b) by an organization, contributions to which are deductible under Section 170(c)(2) of the Code.
Section 3: In the event of dissolution or final liquidation of the Section, after paying or making provision for the payment of all of the liabilities and obligations of the Section and for necessary expenses thereof, all of the remaining assets and property of the Section shall be distributed to the American Society for Public Administration provided it remains organized and operated exclusively for charitable or educational purposes as shall at the time qualify as an exempt organization under Section 501©(3) of the Code, and if not, to an organization which does so qualify. In no event shall any of such assets or property be distributed to any director or officer or to any private individual.
Section 4: The fiscal year of the Section shall end in the month of June. The employer identification number assigned by the Internal Revenue Service to this Section is: 36-2340300.
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