BYLAWS
OF
THE SOCIETY OF UNIVERSITY NEUROSURGEONS, INC
ARTICLE I
NAME AND OBJECT
Section 1. This organization shall be known as “The Society of University Neurosurgeons, Incorporated.”
Section 2.
The objectives of this Society shall be: to promote scientific and social discourse among its members, to encourage investigative work in the neurological sciences, to improve teaching methods and techniques in neurological surgery, and to inspire its members to acquire humanistic ideals and to achieve clinical excellence in the practice of medicine.”
Vision:
To enhance academic neurosurgeons throughout the world and improve the state of clinical and laboratory neuroscience globally
Mission:
a) To improve the exchange of new ideas and scientific disclosures,
b) To enhance comprehension of global activities, university settings, and specific regional challenges in the academic sector, and
c) To mentor and direct emerging academic neurosurgeons during the mid-career period.
Section 3. No part of the income or property of this Society shall inure to the benefit of any Individual.
ARTICLE II
MEMBERSHIP QUALIFICATIONS
Section 1. The membership of the Society shall be divided into four classes:
(a) Active
(b) Senior
(d) Honorary
(e) Inactive
A member shall be elected as provided in Article V- CANDIDATES FOR MEMBERSHIP.
Section 2. Classification of Membership
(a) ACTIVE. Active members shall be neurological surgeons who are certified by the governing body in their respective countries, and who are engaged in the practice of neurological surgery and/or substantially engaged in research on neurological surgery.
(b) SENIOR. An Active member may, upon request to and approval of the Executive Council, transfer to Senior membership upon attaining the age of sixty-five (65) years or upon retirement from practice of neurological surgery, whichever comes first. Senior members may not vote or hold office (except for the office of Historian), but may serve on Committees; and are not required to pay dues or regularly attend annual meetings.
(c) HONORARY. Honorary members shall be chosen as recognized leaders in the field of neurological sciences. They shall not exceed five (5) in number at any given time. They shall not be required to pay dues or attend annual meetings. They shall not vote or hold office but may serve on committees.
(d) INACTIVE. Inactive members shall be former Active members who by virtue of illness or other reasons can no longer maintain Active membership and are not eligible for any other classification of membership. An Active member may, upon request to and approval of the Executive Council, transfer to Inactive status. An Inactive member may be restored to Active status by request to and approval of the Executive Council. Inactive members shall not vote, hold office, or serve on Committees. They shall not be required to pay dues or attend annual meetings.
Section 3. Qualifications for Membership
The Membership Committee shall be cognizant of the objectives of the Society and shall
recommend for membership individuals who are affiliated with a medical school or outstanding group practice. If an Active member ceases to comply with the membership requirements as provided in Section 2(a), he/she must resign from the Society or be transferred to a different membership classification. Individual exception to this rule requires recommendation by the Executive Council and approval by majority vote of the Active membership.
Section 4. Limitation of Membership
The number of Active members in the Society may be limited upon recommendation of The Executive Council and approval by a majority vote of the Active membership.
ARTICLE III
OFFICERS
Section 1. The officers of the Society shall be President, President Elect, Vice-President, and
Secretary/Treasurer. The Executive Council shall be composed of the officers, one Active Member-at-Large and the Immediate Past-President of the Society.
Section 2. The Nominating Committee shall present a slate of proposed officers to be elected for the succeeding year at each annual meeting. Active members present at the meeting may
make additional nominations. Election of officers shall be by ballot; the member receiving the largest number of votes cast for that office shall be elected. Officers so elected shall take office at the close of that annual meeting.
Section 3. Vacancy of an office shall be filled by an appointee of the Executive Council.
Section 4. The President shall serve for a term of one (1) year. He/She shall preside at all meetings and decide all questions of order, appoint committees, and cast the deciding vote in ties.
Section 5. The President Elect shall be elected at each annual meeting. He/She shall become
President of the Society at the close of the subsequent annual meeting.
Section 6. The Vice President shall be elected at each annual meeting. He/She shall assist the President. He/She shall preside at functions and meetings in the absence of the President.
Section 7. The Secretary/Treasurer shall serve for a term of three (3) years. The Executive Council shall determine at which year the election for Secretary/Treasurer will be held. He/She shall keep records of attendance and minutes of each meeting, read all correspondence to the Society, handle all notices and correspondence of the Society. He/She shall account for the finances of the Society, and collect dues and notify members of delinquent standing. He/She shall receive all applications for membership or guest attendance and forward this information to the Membership Committee at least one (1) month prior to the annual meeting.
Section 8. The Executive Council shall be the governing body of the Society and have charge of activities of the Society not otherwise provided in these Bylaws. The Executive Council shall work in close coordination with the Membership Committee concerning the proposal of candidates for membership in the Society.
Section 9. The Historian of the Society shall maintain and update the Society of University Neurosurgeons yearbooks, which should document the scientific and social programs of the yearly meeting.
Section 10. The Member-at-Large shall be elected at each annual meeting. He/she shall serve on the Executive Council and participate in all the decisions thereof. The Member-at-Large will serve as chair of the Scientific Program Committee for the meeting following that at which he/she was elected.
ARTICLE IV
MEETINGS
Section 1. The Society shall meet annually in the Spring or early Summer at a site determined by the Future Sites Committee.
Section 2. The annual meeting shall be a three (3)-day scientific program that includes a weekend. The scientific presentations shall be balanced between clinical and investigative topics.
Section 3. The chair of the Scientific Program Committee, assisted by his/her Committee, will be responsible for the scientific activities during the meeting.
Section 4. Robert’s Rules of Order (Revised) shall govern the conduct of the business meetings of the Society and the duties of its officers. The order of business shall consist of a roll call, reading of minutes, reading of correspondences, old business, new business, election of new members, reports of committees, the Secretary/Treasurer’s report, election of officers, appointment of committees, and adjournment.
Section 5. Members of any class shall be assessed a pro rata share of the expenses of the annual meetings which they attend.
ARTICLE V
CANDIDATES FOR MEMBERSHIP
Section 1. Candidates for membership shall have the qualifications as provided in Articles 1, 2, & 3.
Section 2. No candidate shall be elected to Active membership who has not attended at least two annual meetings as a guest, and presented a scientific paper during at least one of those meetings.
Section 3. Each candidate shall be nominated in writing by a minimum of two (2) Active members to the Secretary/Treasurer at least two (2) months prior to the next annual meeting. The nomination shall include the candidate’s curriculum vitae and a statement of his/her present academic and professional status. The completed proposal for membership shall be forwarded to the Membership Committee for consideration. The Membership Committee shall present to the Executive Council their recommendations for new members. On approval of the Executive Council, candidates shall be proposed to the Active Membership by written secret ballot at the annual meeting of the Society. Election of a member requires an affirmative vote of three-fourths (3/4) of the Active members present and voting at the annual meeting.
Section 4. The Membership Committee shall present no more than ten (10) candidates for active membership each year with no requirement of a minimum number to be presented.
Section 5. The Secretary/Treasurer shall notify each candidate elected to membership not earlier than two (2) weeks following the date of his/her election.
Section 6. A candidate who has failed to be elected may be reconsidered at subsequent annual meeting upon written request of three (3) Active members to the Executive Council.
ARTICLE VI
DUES
Section 1. All Active members of the Society shall be assessed annual dues, the amount to be
determined each year by the Executive Council.
Section 2. Dues are payable in advance for the succeeding year at the time of or immediately
following the annual meeting, at the discretion of the Secretary/Treasurer.
ARTICLE VII
STATUS OF MEMBERS
Section 1. To maintain membership in good standing, members of all classes must fully abide by the Bylaws of the Society.
Section 2. An Active member shall be suspended when dues or assessments have not been paid for the previous two (2) years. If he/she fails to attend two (2) consecutive annual meetings
and does not present an excuse acceptable to the Executive Council, a warning letter will be sent. If an active member fails to attend three (3) consecutive meetings, then his/her membership will be considered for termination. Termination on the grounds of non-payment or failure to attend does not require a vote of the Active membership.
Section 3. A member may be suspended or dropped from any class of membership in the Society by an affirmative vote of three-fourths (3/4) of the Active membership.
Section 4. A person whose membership has been terminated for non-payment may make a formal request to the Secretary/Treasurer for reinstatement. Membership in the prior class may be reinstated (1) once the former member pays two years of dues unpaid for the years prior to his/her termination; (2) is approved for reinstatement by the Membership Committee; (3) is approved by the Executive Committee; and (4) receives an affirmative vote for reinstatement of three-fourths (3/4) of the Active membership at the Annual meeting.
ARTICLE VIII
COMMITTEES
Section 1. The Society may have standing and ad hoc committees as determined by the President and the Executive Council. There shall be at least six (6) standing committees: Membership Committee, Nominating Committee, Bylaws Committee, Future Sites Committee, Program Committee, and Senior Advisory Committee.
Section 2. The Membership Committee shall be composed of three (3) members, one (1) to be elected at large each year to serve a term of three (3) years. The senior member of the
Committee shall serve as Chair. This Committee shall review nominations for new
members and present the applications of the most worthy and desirable candidates to the
Executive Council. The names of the candidates approved by the Executive Council shall be submitted to a vote by the Active membership at the next annual meeting of the Society.
Section 3. The Executive Council shall serve as the Nominating Committee, with the immediate past-president of the society as chair. The duties of the Council shall include the yearly nomination of: President-elect (1), Vice President (1), Member-at-Large (1), as well as new members to the Membership Committee (1) Future Sites Committee (1), and Scientific Program Committee (1-2). They shall also include the nomination every three (3) years of the Chair of the Bylaws Committee. Nominations to the Senior Advisory Committee are not necessary as its membership is automatically determined in section 7 of this Article.
Section 4. The President taking office at the close of the annual meeting shall appoint the Program Committee for the upcoming year. The new President is an automatic member of the Program Committee. The Chair of the Committee shall be the Host for the next
annual meeting. The Program Committee may invite guests to complement the scientific
program of the meeting.
Section 5. The Future Sites Committee shall be composed of three (3) members, one to be elected at large each year to serve a term of three (3) years. The senior member of the Committee shall serve as Chair. This Committee shall recommend the site of future meetings at least two (2) years in advance.
Section 6. The Bylaws Committee shall make recommendations to the executive committee by proposing amendments to the bylaws, rules, and regulations. The Bylaws Committee will be composed of one (1) member, serving a term of three (3) years. This member will also serve as the Committee’s chair. Recommendations so approved will then be voted upon by the membership via email ballot or at the Annual Meeting.
Section 7. The Senior Advisory Committee shall make recommendations to the Executive Council for maintaining the vision and mission of the organization. Senior Advisory Committee members will be able to attend Executive Council meetings. This Committee will be chaired by the immediate past president, and will be composed of each of the six (6) most recent past presidents, each serving a term of six (6) years.
Section 8. The Scientific Program Committee will be composed of the Member-at-Large and one (1) to two (2) additional members to be appointed yearly to a term of two (2) years. The president and the local host will serve as ad hoc members of the Committee. The Member-at-Large will serve as chair of the Committee.
ARTICLE IX
GUESTS
Section 1. The Society shall encourage the presence of guests at its annual meeting.
Section 2. Certain invited guests of the Society shall not pay a registration fee or be charged for a share of the group expenses of the meeting. Such guests shall include individuals approved by the Executive Council.
Section 3. Individual guests to the annual meeting may be invited by members. The member shall notify the Secretary/Treasurer of the name and address of his/her proposed guest, and the Secretary/Treasurer shall officially invite the guest to the meeting. Each individual guest attending the meeting shall pay the same registration fee as do the members who attend.
ARTICLE X
AMENDMENTS
Section 1. Amendments to these Bylaws may be proposed in writing by a member of the Executive Council at any time. The amendment shall be voted on at the subsequent
annual meeting. The Secretary/Treasurer shall notify all Active members in writing of the proposed amendment prior to the annual meeting, and such amendment shall require for adoption an affirmative vote of three-fourths (3/4) of the Active members present and voting.
Section 2. Amendments to the Bylaws and voting procedures may also be conducted by email. The Secretary will notify members by email of the need to vote on an Amendment to the Bylaws, permitting fourteen (14) days for voting. Such proposed amendments shall require for adoption an affirmative vote of three quarters (3/4) of the Active Members responding.
RULES AND REGULATIONS
Of THE SOCIETY OF UNIVERSITY NEUROSURGEONS, INC.
SUBJECT 1
MEMBERSHIP
Section 1. Candidate Profile
(a) Candidates should be committed to an academic career.
(b) Candidates should have sufficient publications that the quality of their academic activity can be evaluated.
(c) Candidates should have attended a SUN meeting, presented a paper before the Society, and expressed an interest in the Society.
(d) It is desirable to consider Candidates who have potential for hosting a future SUN meeting.
Section 2. Membership Process
(a) Candidates must have attended at least two (2) SUN meetings and presented at least one (1) paper to the Society before being elected to membership.
(b) No voting for membership will occur at the first meeting that the candidate attends as a guest and at which he/she presents a paper to the Society.
(c) The membership process shall be initiated by proposal of the name of the Candidate to the Secretary/Treasurer by two (2) Active members. The candidate shall then complete the membership application form and submit it to the Secretary/Treasurer.
(d) After documentation of the completeness of an application for membership, the Secretary/Treasurer shall forward it to the Chair of the Membership Committee for consideration.
(e) The candidate is proposed for membership to the Membership Committee and a recommendation is made to the Executive Committee based on the candidate’s profile.
(f) At the next regular meeting of the Society, the candidate is brought forward for a vote during the Business Meeting.
(g) If elected by the membership, the candidate will be invited to membership and upon joining the Society, is then eligible to attend the next regular meeting.
06/29/2019
