BY-LAWS
of the
International Society of Agromatics (ISAM)
Article I. Name
The name of the organization shall be “International Society of Agromatics,” hereinafter referred to as the “Society.” The short form “ISAM” can be used where appropriate.
Article II. Mission Statement
ISAM seeks to advance agromatics and related sciences, engineering, technologies, applications, and services using conferences, education, publication, and other resources for the benefits of humanity.
Article III. Activities of ISAM
The Society is formed for educational and scientific purposes. The main activities of ISAM are undertaken with financial support and in-kind contributions of the host institute(s), membership fees, sponsorship revenue, and other financial sources to:
- Provide a forum for information exchange and sharing on agromatics and promote the dissemination of scientific findings of agromatics.
- Administer the ISAM and interact with members of the ISAM and other relevant institutions or individuals.
- Organize international conferences.
- Publish journals and conference proceedings.
The activities of the Society shall not be conducted for profit, but rather shall be exclusively devoted to the achievement of its stated purposes. No part of any revenue generated by the Society shall inure to the private benefit of any individual, director or officer of the Society.
Article IV. Board of Directors
a. Board of Directors
The Society shall be managed by the Board of Directors (hereinafter referred to as the “Board,” and the individual members of the Board referred to as the “Directors”) of 9-19 members of the Society including the immediately past President (up to 2 years beyond the regular Director term). The normal term of Directors shall be three years. Under special circumstance, the term of a Director could be extended up to five (5) years with the approval of the Board. At least two members should be elected before the end of November by the Society members each year, and there is no term limit for Directors. A Director may be removed from the Board for any reason which the Board may deem reasonable. The removal could be proposed by the President or one-thirds of the Directors. The proposed removal should become effective after an approval by three-quarters of the voting Directors. All office positions hold by the removed Director with a Director status as the precondition should automatically be terminated by the Director removal. The composition of the Board should take into consideration of the geographical representation with regional representatives and disciplinary coverage and at large members after initial period of three years of the society.
b. Initial Board of Directors
The initial thirteen (13) Directors are made of researchers who have been actively involved in the organization and execution or served in the conference scientific committees of the International Conference on Agro-geoinformatics since 2012, and who are invited by the group. The term clock of the initial Directors should start on January 1st of the new year after the Society is formally established. The Directors constituting the initial Board of Directors are as follows:
Zhongxin Chen, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Italy
Vladimir Crnojevic, University of Novi Sad, Serbia
Liping Di, George Mason University, USA
Feng Gao, USDA Agricultural Research Service, USA
Liying Guo, George Mason University, USA
Jingfeng Huang, Zhejiang University, China
Li Lin, George Mason University, USA
Faisal Mueen Qamer, International Center for Integrated Mountain Development, Nepal
Jiali Shang, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Canada
Bedir Tekinerdogan, Wageningen University, Netherlands
B. Berk Ustundag, Istanbul Technical University, Turkey
Ruixin Yang, George Mason University, USA
Zhengwei Yang, USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service, USA
Article V. President, Vice-President, Secretary and Treasurer
a. President
The President, under the direction of the Board, shall have general supervision of the affairs and operation of the Society. The President shall prepare the agenda and preside at the Board meetings. In the absence or incapacity of the President, the Vice-President should perform the duties of the president.
The Board should elect one of the Board Directors as the President. The President’s term is two (2) years, and one can serve as the President for no more than two terms, either in succession or not. The term clock of the initial President should start on January 1st of the new year after the Society is formally established.
b. Vice-President
In the absence or incapacity of the President, the Vice-President should perform the duties of the President. The Vice-President is nominated by the President among the Directors. The President should give at least 15-day notice to all Directors about the nomination. If the majority of the Board do not object the nomination 15 days after the nomination in oral, written or other means, the appointment is final. The President can replace the Vice-President at any time at her/his discretion with the same procedure.
c. Secretary
The Secretary shall be responsible for communications with members and Directors under the direction of the President and record the minutes of all meetings presided by the President.
The Secretary is nominated by the President among sitting Directors. The President should give at least 15-day notice to all Directors about the nomination. If the majority of the Board do not object the nomination 15 days after the nomination in oral, written or other means, the appointment is final. The incumbent Secretary shall remain in office until a new appointment is final. There is no term limit for the Secretary. The president can replace the Secretary at any time at her/his discretion with the same procedure.
d. Treasurer
The Treasurer shall be responsible for maintaining the society’s finances, and for providing regular reports to the Board, the President, and the whole Society on the financial status and budgets of the society.
The Treasurer is nominated by the President. The president should give at least 15-day notice to all Directors about the nomination. If the majority of the Board do not object the nomination 15 days after the nomination in oral, written or other means, the appointment is final. The incumbent Treasurer shall remain in office until a new appointment is final. There is no term limit for the Treasurer. The president can replace the Treasurer at any time at her/his discretion with the same procedure.
At the discretion of the President, the Secretary and Treasurer could be the same person or different persons.
Article VI. Membership
a. Qualification
Any person qualified through work experience or training is eligible to become a member.
b. Membership
Any qualified person may apply for membership and becomes a member after paying the membership fee or other dues. The fees (or no fees or other arrangement) for any given year are determined by the Board. The membership is valid for one full year or another special period determined by the Board.
c. Initial Membership
Past conference participants of the International Conference on Agro-Geoinformatics, who have paid registration fees for any one of conferences since 2012 will be eligible for one-year membership without a fee. All eligible initial members should register via the society web site to validate their membership.
d. Student Member
Any student engaged in full-time studies and paid the fees at the student rates will be granted student membership without voting privileges.
e. Membership Benefits
Members qualify for reduced registration fees for conferences organized by the Society.
f. Membership Termination
Membership may be terminated in any of the following ways:
1). Any member desiring to resign from the Society shall submit their resignation in writing to the Secretary prior to the end of the current term for which dues have already been paid.
2). Any member who have not resigned in writing and have not paid the required dues shall be considered to be delinquent and will be so notified and be reclassified to Inactive Member.
3). Any member may be separated for cause by a two-thirds vote of the Board of Directors, provided that the member shall be given full opportunity for defense to the Board before such action is taken. Any member so separated may apply for reinstatement after one year by satisfactorily demonstrating the removal of the cause and paying any indebtedness to the Society. Such reinstatement shall require a two-thirds vote of members of the Board of Directors present and voting.
Article VII. Committees
a. Standing Committees
Standing committees can be proposed by the President and approved by the Board at any time. The President can appoint the committee chair and members for the first time, and the chair(s) and members should be nominated and elected by the Board after the initial period. The term of the committee members and chairs should be three years. There is no term limit for committee members but a standing committee chair cannot serve for more than two successive terms.
b. Ad Hoc Committees
The President can form any ad hoc committee with a specified task. The President should appoint committee members and chairs. An ad hoc committee will be automatically dismissed after completing the assigned task or dismissed by the sitting President at any time.
Article VIII. Meetings and Votes
a. Board Meetings
The Board should hold at least one meeting in December each year. Board meetings can also be called by the President or by at least two Directors.
b. Meeting Notification
All meetings involving voting should be announced to the Directors or general members at least 10 days prior to the scheduled meeting dates.
c. Quorum
The quorum for the Board meeting is 60% of the Directors excluding the President. Remote attendance is allowed as long as all meeting participants can hear each other. If less than a quorum attends a duly called Board meeting, discussions could be held but decisions should be postponed to a new meeting. There is no quorum for the general meetings.
d. Votes on Motions
A majority vote of the members or Directors attending a meeting shall be necessary in any action. In special case of justified absence, a Director can cast her/his vote via the Secretary, and the Director will be counted as attending the meeting for quorum purpose on the voted business only. The President shall not vote on the Board except in secret ballot. When the vote of Directors is a tie, the President should be allowed to cast her/his vote to break the tie.
e. Electronic Voting
The Society or any committee may take action via electronic voting (eg., email, correspondence, or web site) without a meeting. An affirmative vote of a majority of all of the participating members shall be required to approve the action.
Article IX. Amendement
Proposals to amend the Bylaws may be made by the President or at least three (3) Directors or at least ten (10) members. An 80% quorum of the Directors is need to vote on a bylaw amendment, and 60% “in favor” votes are need to make the amendment final. The President should not vote for amendments proposed by the President unless her/his vote would determine the voting results. The passed amendments shall be effective immediately unless otherwise indicated in the amendments.
Appendix: Bylaw Amendment History
- Bylaws Originally Approved by the original Board on September 13, 2021.