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UFFC | Bylaws

About UFFC > Governance > Bylaws

Current as of October 7, 2001

1. Nature of the Bylaws

These Bylaws are intended to provide general, and in some cases explicit, instructions for the supervision and management of the affairs of the Society, in accordance with the Society Constitution and the IEEE Technical Activities Manual which includes the Constitution and Bylaws of the IEEE. Amendments to these Bylaws may be made by means of the procedures described in Article 9, Section 9.2 of the Constitution. Decisions on procedures made and voted by the AdCom as reported in its Minutes are binding as written and approved. Only the most important and time independent procedures shall be incorporated in the Bylaws.

2. Society Membership

2.1 Regular Members. There shall be only one grade of Society membership available to all IEEE members, based on the payment of the annual fee prescribed in Section 4.1 of these Bylaws.

2.2 Honorary Life Members. Such membership, exempt of the payment of the annual fee, shall be based on the recommendation of the Awards Committee and the approval of AdCom.

2.3 Affiliates. No Societies are recognized for affiliate purposes. However, Affiliates may join in accordance with any other provision that may be incorporated in the IEEE rules and regulations.

2.4 Students. An exception to the annual fee shall be made for students, as prescribed by IEEE rules and regulations.

2.5 Voting Membership. The voting membership shall be constituted of Regular Members, Honorary Life Members and Affiliates.

3. Administrative Committee (AdCom)

3.1 AdCom Makeup. Article 5, Section 5.1 of the Constitution provides that AdCom shall consist of a President, a President-Elect (Section 3.6), and not more than 12 ex-officio members, and not more than 12 elected members. Of the elected members, at least three must be from regions 8 through 10. Article 7, Section 7.2 of the Constitution provides that a quorum shall be nine members, without distinction between elected members and ex-officio members, and that all members shall have an equal vote. Unless otherwise provided, a majority vote of the members attending an AdCom meeting shall be sufficient for the conduct of its business.

3.2 Ex-Officio Members. The following shall be ex-officio members with vote if they are not already elected members (in any case, each shall have only one vote):

a. The retiring AdCom President for a period of four years (no more than two)

b. Chairs of the voting standing committees as listed in Section 5.1 of these Bylaws

c. Secretary-Treasurer

3.3 Absences and Vacancies. In order to create a continuously active AdCom, elected and ex-officio members who miss three consecutive meetings will be dropped from membership in AdCom in the absence of extenuating circumstances. A vacancy in the elected membership thus or otherwise created will be filled by appointments for the unexpired term by the President as prescribed in Article 6, Section 6.1 of the Constitution.

3.4 Nomination of Members. A slate of nominees for vacancies on AdCom shall be prepared by the Nominations Committee for approval by AdCom at its first scheduled meeting ofthe year. The number of nominees shall be at least six from regions 1 through 7 and at least two from regions 8 through 10, and proper consideration shall be given to technical interest. Nominees may also be presented by Society members. A Nominating Petition, carrying at least 8 names of Society members, places that nominee automatically on the slate. Nominees may also be presented from the floor by members of AdCom. A simple majority vote will place the nominee on the ballot. All nominees must be voting members of the Society in good standing at the time of nomination.

3.5 Election of Members. The election to fill forthcoming vacancies on AdCom shall be by mail ballot to the entire Society voting membership. To ensure representation from regions 8 through 10, each member shall vote for up to three nominees from regions 1 through 7, and for at least one nominee from regions 8 through 10. The deadline for the return of the ballots shall be not less than 30 days after the actual date of mailing of the ballots. Distribution, collection, and counting of ballots shall be done by IEEE Headquarters. One representative from each of the three society disciplines (Ultrasonics, Ferroelectrics, and Frequency Control), and one representative from Regions 8 - 10, shall be elected each year. Election shall be based on the highest number of votes, taken in descending order for the candidates from the three society disciplines and regions 8 through 10. Ties shall be broken by AdCom. The Chair of the Nominations Committee shall insure an orderly progression and completion of the election procedure prior to the last scheduled AdCom meeting of the year.

3.6 Nomination and Election of Officers. Nominations for the office of President-Elect will be elicited from the members of AdCom in the form of a nomination package. A complete nomination package shall consist of a letter of nomination signed by at least 2 members of AdCom, an up to date candidate CV (no longer than 4 pages), and a 1 page statement by the candidate describing his or her candidacy. Nominees will be considered as long as a complete nomination package has been received by the Chair of the Nominations Committee at least six weeks prior to the last scheduled AdCom meeting in an election year. The nominations packages will be distributed to the members of AdCom before the election. At the last scheduled meeting in an election year, AdCom shall elect the President-Elect for the following two years.

In the event that no nominations are received prior to the meeting, nominations (with appropriate vitae background information) will be accepted from the floor during the meeting. In the election, candidates may make brief statements (less than 5 min.) and answer any questions that may arise from the floor. Election shall be by secret ballot. A majority of the ballots cast for a candidate shall determine the election. In the case that there are more than two nominees, and no nominee receives a majority, the top two nominees will be retained, and the voting repeated. The election for President-Elect shall be conducted by the incumbent President.

3.7 Term of Office. Each odd-numbered year is an election year. As provided in Article 5, Section 5.1 of the Constitution, the term of both the President and the President-Elect shall be for two years, commencing January 1 of even years. The retiring President shall not be eligible for election to the office of President-Elect. If a President resigns in his first year, the President-Elect becomes President and elections for both President and President-Elect will be held the next odd year. If the President resigns in his second year, the President-Elect becomes the President with a term of no more than three years. A President-elect who replaces a standing President may serve no more than three years.

3.8 Duties of Officers and Members of AdCom. It is intended to retain as much flexibility in the operation of AdCom as possible. Therefore, with the exception of a few minimum requirements, the provisions of this section are intended to serve as general guidelines without being binding in detail. It is the responsibility of all officers and standing committee chairs to continue in service until their successors have had the opportunity to be briefed, receive the files appropriate to their offices, and in other respects take the reins of office. Transfer of Society records and files should always be confirmed in writing, with copies of the letter of transmittal sent to the Secretary-Treasurer. At the discretion of the President, Society Archives may be transferred to the Ultrasonics, Ferroelectrics, and Frequency Control Society section of the IEEE Archives.

3.8.1 President. The President shall supervise the affairs of the Society, as defined in Article 5, Section 5.2 of the Constitution, and shall speak for the Society on all matters not specifically delegated to others. The President is automatically a member of certain IEEE committees, and in these positions is expected to promote the interest of the Society, and to influence for the better the conduct of IEEE affairs. The President shall also serve as the Society representative on the IEEE Division IX Nominating Committee. The Society may provide funds to enable the President or designated alternate to attend the IEEE TAB Meetings and to chair the first scheduled AdCom meetings, provided that all possibilities of employer reimbursement have been exhausted.

3.8.2 President-Elect.The President-Elect shall fulfill the Presidential duties in the President's absence or incapacity, and shall fulfill such other functions as directed by the President or AdCom.

3.8.3. Vice-Presidents. There will be no more than four Vice-Presidents. The Vice-Presidents for Ultrasonics, Ferroelectrics, and Frequency Control are to be chairs of their respective standing committees, with duties described in Section 5. The Vice-President for Publications is to oversee the publication activities of the Society as described in Section 7. Vice-Presidents may be added or deleted by AdCom as the need arises through amendment of the Bylaws, subject to the restrictions imposed by Article 5, Section 5.1 of the Constitution. Vice-Presidents shall be appointed biennially by the President and ratified by a majority of the elected members of AdCom.

3.8.4 Secretary-Treasurer. The Secretary-Treasurer shall be appointed by the President as prescribed in Article 5, Section 5.1.3 of the Constitution and shall be responsible for keeping the records of AdCom. These responsibilities include preparing and distributing meeting notices and minutes in sufficient detail so that they constitute a satisfactory record of decisions made by AdCom and other Society affairs, maintaining a complete file of minutes, financial records and other correspondence which will become the permanent record of the Society, endorsing and transmitting to IEEE all bills for payment, and monitor rates of receipts and expenditures in order to insure conformance to the Society's budget and guidelines as imposed by AdCom.

3.9 Meetings. The basic conduct of AdCom meetings is covered in Article 7, Section 7.2 of the Constitution. No AdCom meetings shall be held for the purpose of transacting business unless each member has been notified of the place and time of such meeting at least ten days prior to the scheduled date of the meeting. In case less than a quorum attend a duly called meeting, tentative actions may be taken which will become effective upon ratification at a subsequent meeting or by mail by a sufficient number of members as to constitute a majority. Minutes of each meeting shall be mailed to all AdCom members at least ten days before the next scheduled meeting.

4. Society Funds

4.1 Annual Fee and General Expenditures. The Society may raise funds as specified in Article 4 of the Constitution and in the IEEE Bylaws and rules and regulations. The Society may spend funds within the same restrictions. Expenditures must fall within budget projections, as approved by AdCom. It is the responsibility of the Secretary-Treasurer to monitor the expenditures, and in case of gross deviations from the budget consult with the Finance and Operations Committee and obtain AdCom approval for those expenditures. The annual Society fee shall be set by AdCom subject to approval by the IEEE Executive Committee. The Affiliate fee shall be equal to the Society fee plus an IEEE support surcharge set by the IEEE Executive Committee. Actual Society fees are to be found in the current IEEE fee schedule. IEEE Headquarters shall act as a bursar for all Society funds except as specified hereunder. Billings and receipt of the annual fee shall be via the IEEE Membership and Fiscal Departments. All other fiscal affairs shall be handled through the office of the TAB Secretary.

4.2 Symposia Funds. Financial arrangements of conferences or symposia sponsored or co-sponsored by the Society shall be covered by a separate budget with adequate safeguards against undue risk. The general committee for such a conference or symposium may authorize the Conference Treasurer or Finance Officer to open an account to be used for the deposit and disbursement of funds related to the symposium and may request from the Society's general fund a loan to cover expenses in advance of the symposium. The Symposium General Chair is required to submit a formal budget to AdCom for approval at least ten months before the symposium, and to present an account of symposium income and expenses at the first scheduled meeting after the symposium. The symposium budget shall also be submitted to the IEEE General Manager for approval. All symposia must comply with IEEE audit requirements. Final transfer of funds from the Symposium account to the Society's general fund, including return of the loan, must be completed within a year after the symposium.

4.3 Other. In other activities involving the Society or any of its subgroups, financial commitments shall be approved by AdCom, and prudent arrangements shall be made to safeguard the Society funds that may be involved.

5. Committees

5.1 Standing Committees. Standing Committees may be added or deleted by AdCom as the need arises through amendment of the Bylaws, subject to the restrictions imposed by Article 5, Section 5.1 of the Constitution. Standing Committee Chairs including the Vice-Presidents shall be appointed by the President and ratified biennially by a majority of the elected members of AdCom. It will be discretionary with the President to appoint part or all of any standing committee, or to appoint the Chair or Vice-President only and request the latter to appoint additional committee members. The Standing Committees shall be:

1. Awards

2. Membership Services

3. Fellows (non-voting)

4. Ultrasonics

5. Ferroelectrics

6. Frequency Control

7. Nominations

8. Standards

9. Finance and Operations

10. Publications

11. Transactions (non-voting)

12. Newsletter (non-voting)

13. Proceedings (non-voting)

5.2 Term of Office. The terms of office of the chair and members of the standing committees shall be for two years. However, because it is recognized that the tasks in connection with Society activities are of continuing nature and it takes some time to become familiar with these tasks and be effective, chairs of these committees are encouraged to serve more than the minimum term. Although the number of terms of office is not limited by these bylaws, reappointment beyond five terms will require special approval by the elected members of AdCom.

5.3 Ad Hoc Committees. Special or Ad Hoc Committees may be created by AdCom as the need arises, as provided for by Article 5, Section 5.3 of the Constitution. For each such case, AdCom shall specify if the chair is to be an ex-officio member of AdCom with or without vote, the number of members the committee shall have and how the members are to be selected, and the terms of office of the Chair and the members if other than for the life of the Committee. Unless otherwise specified, Long Range Planning Special or Ad Hoc Committees shall be automatically dissolved after a period of two years.

6. Duties of Standing Committees

6.1 General. As with the duties of AdCom officers as noted in Section 3.8 of these Bylaws, the duties of the Standing Committees as listed below are intended to be general guidelines, and serve as minimum requirements only. Each Standing Committee Chair is expected to gather information from IEEE documents, from other IEEE Societies, from non-IEEE groups where appropriate to establish a point of reference for the Society's operations, and in general remain aware of the status of the Society within its sphere of interest. The Chair shall take the initiative to inform AdCom of developments which may affect its operations and plans and shall prepare written and oral reports for presentation to AdCom at its meetings.

6.2 Awards Committee. The Awards Committee is charged with the following responsibilities:

a. Select candidates and prepare nominations for the various IEEE Awards listed in the IEEE Awards Manual.

b. Evaluate nominations for IEEE Awards if requested to do so by the IEEE Awards Board.

c. Recommend members for Honorary Life Membership of the Society.

d. Select candidates for Society Awards.

e. Prepare Certificates of Appreciation for members who are completing tenure, as requested by the Committee Chair.

f. Monitor awards presented by the Standing Committees.

These Society Awards are:

1. The Ultrasonics, Ferroelectrics, and Frequency Control Society Achievement Award.

2. The Ultrasonics, Ferroelectrics, and Frequency Control Society Outstanding Paper Award.

3. The Distinguished Lecturer Award.

AdCom may approve additional Society awards, subject to required IEEE approval. Nominations for Society Awards shall be considered annually by the Awards Committee, although awards need not be made annually. The Committee's decision is final and need not be ratified by AdCom, except for Honorary Life Membership and the Distinguished Lecturer Award. Additional Awards may be awarded by the Ultrasonics, Ferroelectrics, and Frequency Control Standing Committees.

6.3 Membership Services Committee. The Membership Services Committee shall encourage membership in the IEEE and especially membership in the Society by all IEEE members who are interested in the fields of interest of the Society, support the local or regional Society Chapters and initiate or actively encourage the formation of new Chapters. It shall initiate membership drives, and prepare membership material for special mailings or distribution at Symposia sponsored by the Society. The Chair shall be the interface between Chapters and AdCom and report on Chapter activities at AdCom meetings. The Committee shall maintain a list of Chapter officers, and a mailing list of non-Society members who have attended meetings or conferences sponsored by the Society or in any other manner have indicated interest in the activities of the Society.

6.4 Fellows Committee. The Fellows Committee shall be responsible for receiving and evaluating nominations for Fellow grade candidates engaged in the fields of activity covered by the Society. The Committee shall make recommendations concerning these nominations on behalf of the Society. Its deliberations and conclusions are confidential and shall only be transmitted to the IEEE Fellow Committee. The Society's Fellows Committee shall consist of at least five members, all of whom must be Fellows.

6.5 Ultrasonics Committee. The Ultrasonics Committee shall encourage and assist the orderly development of technical activities related to Ultrasonics and promote the Society as the focal point of these activities. The Committee shall be responsible for selecting schedules, dates and locations for the annual International Ultrasonics Symposium for approval by AdCom. It shall select a Symposium Chair for each Symposium and appoint a Proceedings Editor, and ascertain that all preparations for the Symposium are progressing satisfactorily. It shall support the Ultrasonics Symposium organizing committee where needed and insure that the Symposium plans are in accordance with Society policies and directives as described inthe IEEE Conference Organization Manual. Its activities include the organization of workshops, tutorials, and the organization of topical sessions on Ultrasonics at other IEEE conferences. As part of the Finance and Operations Committee, the Ultrasonics Committee Chair shall review the Ultrasonics Symposium budget which is to be submitted by the Symposium Chair to AdCom for approval, and make sure the Symposium Budget and Financial Report are in accordance with IEEE rules and regulations. The Committee will be responsible for administering any awards given by the Committee. New awards may be approved by AdCom subject to required approval by IEEE.

6.6 Ferroelectrics Committee. The Ferroelectrics Committee shall encourage and assist the orderly development of technical activities related to Ferroelectrics and promote the Society as the focal point of these activities. The Committee shall be responsible for selecting schedules, dates and locations for the International Symposium on the Applications of Ferroelectrics for approval by AdCom. It shall select a Symposium Chair for each Symposium and appoint a Proceedings Editor, and ascertain that all preparations for the Symposium are progressing satisfactorily. It shall support the organizing committee of the International Symposium on the Applications of Ferroelectrics where needed and insure that the Symposium plans are in accordance with Society policies and IEEE directives as described in the IEEE Conference Organization Manual. Its activities include the organization of workshops, tutorials, and the organization of topical sessions on Ferroelectrics at other IEEE conferences. As part of the Finance and Operations Committee, the Ferroelectrics Committee Chair shall review the Budget of the International Symposium on the Applications of Ferroelectrics which is to be submitted by the Symposium Chair to AdCom for approval and make sure the Symposium Budget and Financial Report are in accordance with IEEE rules and regulations. The Committee will be responsible for administering any awards given by the Committee. The current award given by the Ferroelectrics Committee is the Ferroelectrics Recognition Award. New awards may be approved by AdCom subject to required approval by IEEE.

6.7 Frequency Control Committee. The Frequency Control Committee shall encourage and assist the orderly development of technical activities related to Frequency Control and promote the Society as the focal point of these activities. The Committee shall be responsible for selecting schedules, dates and locations for the International Frequency Control Symposium for approval by AdCom. It shall select a Symposium Chair for each Symposium and appoint a Proceedings Editor, and ascertain that all preparations for the Symposium are progressing satisfactorily. It shall support the International Frequency Control Symposium organizing committee where needed and insure that the Symposium plans are in accordance with Society policies and IEEE directives as described in the IEEE Conference Organization Manual. Its activities include the organization of workshops, tutorials, and the organization of topical sessions on Frequency Control at other IEEE conferences. As part of the Finance and Operations Committee, the Frequency Control Committee Chair shall review the International Frequency Control Symposium budget which is to be submitted by the Symposium Chair to AdCom for approval and make sure the Symposium Budget and Financial Report are in accordance with IEEE rules and regulations. The Committee will be responsible for administering any awards given by the Committee. The current awards given by the International Frequency Control Committee are the Walter G. Cady Award, the I. I. Rabi Award, and the C. B. Sawyer Award. New awards may be approved by AdCom subject to required approval by IEEE.

6.8 Nominations Committee. The Nominations Committee shall each year prepare a slate of nominees for vacancies on AdCom for presentation to AdCom at its first scheduled meeting of the year, as prescribed in Section 3.4 of these Bylaws. It shall prepare biographies of candidates for inclusion with the ballots, and interact with IEEE Headquarters in the conduct of the election. The Nominations Committee shall consist of a Chair, and at least four members not more than half of whom may be present members of AdCom.

6.9 Standards Committee. The Standards Committee shall be responsible for establishing and reviewing IEEE Standards within the scope of interest of the Society. The Committee shall periodically upgrade existing standards and shall initiate standards in new areas when they have become sufficiently established. The Chair of the Standards Committee shall appoint subcommittees to deal with specific areas and shall be an ex-officio member of all such UFFC standards subcommittees.

6.10 Finance and Operations Committee. The duties of the Finance and Operations Committee are to establish long range financial policy and plans of the Society, monitor and analyze financial data and make appropriate recommendations on expenses such as publication costs and meeting expenses. It shall prepare the annual budget for AdCom approval and submission to IEEE and report the financial status of the Society to AdCom. The Committee shall act as the sole interface between the Society and IEEE on all financial matters. In that capacity, the Committee shall review each Symposium Budget and Financial Report before it is submitted for approval by AdCom and be responsible for submitting these documents to IEEE. It will ensure that the financial records of each Symposium are audited as specified by IEEE rules and regulations. The Committee shall also periodically examine AdCom decisions and submit those deemed of sufficient general importance to AdCom for consideration to be included in the Bylaws, as prescribed in Article 9, Section 9.2 of the Constitution. The members of the Committee shall include the Chair, the Secretary-Treasurer, and the Vice-Presidents.

7. Publications

Publications of the Society are to be overseen by the Vice-President for Publications. The Vice-President for Publications shall be biennially appointed by the President for a two-year term beginning January 1 and ratified by a majority of the AdCom. The duties of the Vice-President for Publications are to establish long range publications policy in accordance with the plans of the Society, monitor and analyze the current publications of the Society, and to make appropriate recommendations on quality, costs, and schedules of the publications. The Publications Committee chaired by the Vice-President for Publications should review all publication recommendations prior to presentation to the AdCom for discussionand approval. The members of the Publications Committee shall include the Editor of the Society Transactions, the Editor of the Newsletter, and other members deemed necessary by the Vice-President for Publications and the President of the Society under the provisions of these Bylaws.

7.1 General. The Society shall publish a Transactions, a Newsletter, and a Proceedings for each Symposium sponsored or co-sponsored by the Society. The President shall appoint the Editors-in-Chief for the Transactions and Newsletter, subject to the approval of the elected members of AdCom. The Transactions Vice-President for Publications shall act as a liaison with the IEEE Publications Board. The editors for the Symposia Proceedings will be appointed by the chair of the relevant technical committee: Ultrasonics, Ferroelectrics, or Frequency Control.

7.2 Transactions. The Transactions on Ultrasonics, Ferroelectrics, and Frequency Control shall be the primary publication of the Society. It shall contain the technical papers and review material which constitute the primary output of the Society. Its format, publication schedule, and contents are matters which shall be decided by AdCom, and executed by the Editor-in-Chief. The normal term of office of the Editor-in-Chief shall be five years with the opportunity for reappointment. The Transactions Editor-in-Chief may appoint Associate Editors to receive and handle review of manuscripts in various technical areas. The terms of office for the Associate Editors shall be five years with the possibility for reappointment for only one additional term. Paper review procedures shall be administered in accordance with IEEE and Society policies. Rules for manuscript preparation shall be available to those who request them, and shall be published at least once a year in the Transactions. The Editor-in-Chief may appoint guest editors for special issues, and may delegate corresponding responsibility for assembling the body of technical papers to be included. Other aspects of publication and content of special issues shall remain the responsibility of the Transactions Editor-in-Chief.

7.3 Newsletter. The Newsletter shall be published at least twice a year, and shall contain items of interest to members of the Society, such as announcements and results of elections and the biographies of elected AdCom members, the minutes of AdCom meetings, and reports of officers and committee chairs of AdCom.The Newsletter Editor-in-Chief shall have the responsibility of assembling the material and publishing the Newsletter in accordance with Society policy.

7.4 Symposium Proceedings. A Proceedings shall be published for each Symposium sponsored or co-sponsored by the Society which will contain papers presented at that Symposium. The Proceedings Budget, based on projected printing cost and the cost of the Proceedings to Symposium attendees and members of the Society, shall be set by the Proceedings Editor and the Chair of the relevant technical committee and be integrated with the Symposium Budget for approval by AdCom. Similarly, the Proceedings Financial Report shall be integrated with and be part of the Symposium Financial Report. The Proceedings Editor shall be a member of the relevant Symposium organizing committee. In all aspects, the Proceedings Editor shall follow the guidelines as set forth in the IEEE Policy and Procedures Manual and any AdCom guidelines.

7.5 Electronic Media. The Vice-President for Publications shall appoint a Director for Electronic Media who will be responsible for the Society's presentation of information on electronic media such as the Internet. Such presentations shall be considered Society publications.