Bylaws of  NALS: International Association of Laboratory and University Affiliated Schools

Revisions - March 2007 Updated - April 2008

ARTICLE I - OBJECT

The object of this Association shall be:

  1. To increase the contribution of laboratory or university affiliated schools to the improvement of education and understanding of children.
  2. To promote better communication between laboratory or university affiliated schools.
  3. To facilitate solving problems confronting laboratory or university affiliated schools.
  4. To organize such activities that will contribute to the improvement of laboratory and university affiliated school programs.
  5. To provide a program of educational services to its membership.
  6. To provide its members with publication-media services.
  7. To promote better communication between laboratory or university affiliated schools and the educational community. 

ARTICLE II - MEMBERS

Section 1: Types of Memberships

Membership in this Association shall be of four classifications: active, associate, retired, and life.  

Definitions:
Laboratory School: is any school, governed by a university or college.

University Affiliated: is any school, maintaining a collegial relationship with a college or university.

Active Membership:
a. Active members of the Association shall be persons who have a professional responsibility in a laboratory or university affiliated school or in a College or University.  Laboratory or university affiliated schools are defined to include all schools contributing to a program of teacher education, all schools serving as college or university laboratories for research, curriculum development and experimentation in education or any discipline, and all schools that have any other affiliation with a university.

b. Active members shall have full rights and privileges as members of the Association, including but not limited to information pertaining to the Association’s business, the opportunity to hold office, and to receive copies of the publications of the Association.

Associate Members:
a. Associate members of the Association shall be persons not employed directly in a laboratory or university affiliated school or in a College or University, but interested in the purposes and programs of the Association.

b. Associate members shall have all privileges of active members except the right to hold office.

Retired Membership:
Any laboratory or university affiliated school member who has retired may become a member by paying the half of the  full individual membership fees equal to those for individuals affiliated with schools holding institutional membership.  They are also eligible to attend conferences for one-half of the registration fee.

a. The retired member retains all rights as a regular member except that retired members are not eligible for elected office in the association.

b. Retired members may be appointed to standing/ad hoc committees in the association or the NALS Endowment Board.

Life Membership:
The Board of Directors, by a majority vote, shall have the power to grant Life Membership to individual members of the association. Such life memberships shall be awarded provided the recipient shall have been an institutional or individual member for a minimum of ten years and shall have retired from his or her laboratory school's college or university. A life membership will grant the recipient full status in the association and entitle the recipient to receive all mailings and notices and be appointed to serve on committees. Furthermore a life membership shall entitle the recipient to fifty per cent (50%) reduction of the registration fee for the annual conference. The recipient will be expected to pay all other expenses and fees.

Section 2: Membership Term
The membership year shall extend from September 1st of one calendar year through August 31st of the next calendar year.

Section 3: Dues
Dues shall be of three classifications: Institutional Member, Individual Member, and Associate Member.  All dues will be set by the Board of Directors.

Institutional Membership Dues:
Institutional dues will provide an active membership for one person. Institutional Membership includes one copy of the Association’s publications for the individual, one copy of the Association’s publications for the laboratory or university affiliated school library, one copy of the Association’s publications for the college or university library, and one copy of the Association’s publications for the “Dean” of the laboratory or university affiliated school’s college. 

An additional Institutional Membership category is available for new members.  For those schools that are new or never have been Institutional Members, may be encouraged to join NALS for one year at the reduced rate of $100.00 per year.

Individual Membership Dues:
Individual membership dues will provide an active membership for one person and one copy of the Association's publications. Faculty members in laboratory or university affiliated schools holding Institutional memberships are eligible to secure active memberships at a reduced rate.

Associate Membership Dues:
Associate membership dues will provide an active membership for one person and one copy of the Association's publications. Faculty members in laboratory or university affiliated schools holding Institutional memberships are eligible to secure associate memberships at a reduced rate

Retired Membership Dues:
Retired membership dues are one-half the individual member’s dues and they pay half registration for conferences.

Section 4: Voting
Voting in the Association shall be by laboratory or university affiliated school.

a. A laboratory or university affiliated school holding an institutional membership shall have one vote to be cast by the administrative head of the school or his/her selected representative.

b. Additional votes for each school will be determined by the active membership of that school.  There will be one additional vote for each three individual memberships.

c. At least one representative (the administrative head or his designee) from the school must be in attendance at the annual meeting to cast vote(s) for that school.

d. Votes for retired members will be distributed as one vote for every five memberships.  They will vote at the annual conference in the same manner as the institutional members.

e. The Association's Executive Director shall provide the official number of votes for each school and retired members prior to the Association’s annual conference. These votes may be cast at the annual meeting. Voting on matters between annual meetings shall be by mail ballot or by email, and shall be based on the official number of votes per member school and other membership category.

ARTICLE III - OFFICERS

The officers of this Association shall be a President, a President-Elect, Vice-President for conference planning, nine directors, and the Immediate Past President. These officers shall perform the duties prescribed by these bylaws and by the parliamentary authority prescribed by these bylaws and by the parliamentary authority prescribed in Article VII.

The additional and specific duties of the officers are:
a. The President shall give leadership to all Association activities and shall be the chair the Board of Directors. The President has the responsibility to assure the smooth functioning of the Association. The President shall convene meetings of the Board, present plans and alternatives for the Board's consideration and vote, and convene emergency meetings when appropriate. The President shall work closely with all committees to assure their smooth operation, and shall be an ex officio member of all committees except for the Nomination Committee.

b. The President-Elect shall be the chair the membership committee and coordinate the Membership campaign in cooperation with the Executive Director-Treasurer.

c. The Vice-President will be responsible for planning and administering the program for the annual conference.  After serving as annual conference chair he/she will become president-elect.

d. The Immediate Past President, shall serve as President when the President is unable to discharge his or her duties. It shall be the responsibility of the Immediate past President to coordinate with the Archivist at Utah State College the collection of artifacts and to insure that documents and publications relevant to the association be acquired and deposited in the collection.

e. The directors shall assume the responsibilities indicated in Section 2 of Article V of these bylaws.

Section 2:  Nominating Committee
At the summer board meeting of the Association, a Nominating Committee of three members shall be appointed by the Board of Directors. It shall be the duty of this committee to nominate candidates for the offices to be filled at the annual meeting. The Nominating Committee shall report at the business meeting held during the annual conference. Before the election at the annual meeting, additional nominations from the floor shall be permitted. In the nomination of officers, every reasonable effort shall be made to provide representation from five major geographical sections of the United States: Northeast, Southeast, Mid-South, Mid-West, and the West and the International membership.

Section 3: Election of Officers
All officers shall be elected by ballot of the voting members of the Association. Directors shall serve for three years, with three directors chosen at each annual meeting. The terms of all officers shall begin at the close of the annual meeting at which they are elected. All officers shall serve a one year term or until their successors are elected.

Section 4: Holding Office
No member shall hold more than one elected office at a time. Each officer, except the President, President Elect and Vice President for conference planning may succeed himself/herself and may serve any number of terms to which elected. An exception is the Immediate Past President, who may be required to serve as President due to the inability of the current President to serve.

Section 5: Replacing Officers
The Board of Directors shall have the power to appoint a replacement for any officer who, in its judgment, is unable to perform the duties of his/her office for an extended period of time.

ARTICLE IV - MEETINGS

Section 1:  Annual Meeting
A meeting shall be held each year at the annual conference. It shall be known as the annual meeting and shall be for the purpose of electing officers, receiving reports of officers or committees, for achieving the objectives of the Association and any other business that may arise.  The fiscal year shall be September 1st to August 31st.

Section 2: Special Meetings
Special meetings of the Association may be called by 2/3’s vote of the Board of Directors. The purpose of any special meeting shall be stated in the call, and at least a 30-day notice shall be given.

Section 3:  Quorum
A majority of the voting members of the Association who have registered at a meeting shall constitute a quorum.

ARTICLE V - BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Section 1: Members of the Board of Directors
The officers of the Association including the directors, the Immediate Past President, the Chair of the International Committee, the Executive Director, Secretary, Journal Editor(s), Newsletter Editor(s) and the Chair of such  standing committees as shall be named by the President, shall constitute the members of the Board of Directors. Members of the Board are expected to take an active role in the association. Attendance at NALS events and Board meetings is expected.  Any Board member who misses three or more Board meetings may be asked to leave the board. A simple majority vote of the Board is required for this action.

Section 2: Responsibilities of the Board of Directors
 The Board of Directors shall have general supervision of the affairs of the Association between its annual meetings, fix the hour and place of meetings, make recommendations to the Association, and shall perform such other duties as are specified in these bylaws. The Board shall be subject to the orders of the Association, and none of its acts shall conflict with action taken by the Association. The Board of Directors shall hold a summer meeting at a time and place designated by the Executive Director in consultation with the officers of the association.

Section 3: Meetings of the Board of Directors
Unless otherwise ordered by the Board, regular meetings of the Board of Directors shall be held prior to the first day of the annual conference of the Association and immediately following adjournment of the annual meeting of the Association. Special meetings of the Board can be called upon by written requests from any three members of the Board.

Section 4: Appointments of the Board of Directors
The Board of Directors shall appoint an Executive Director, a Secretary, a Journal Editor(s), and a Newsletter Editor(s).

a. The Executive Director-Treasurer shall:

  1. Assist the President in establishing and maintaining liaisons between the Association and other associations on matters of mutual concern, including details relating to the functioning of the organization.
  2. Maintain an office of record for the Association and such historical records and files as are necessary.
  3. Solicit memberships, receive dues, issue membership certificates, maintain membership records, and cause to be published a roster of the membership.
  4. Maintain the accounts of the Association, making such payments as have been authorized in the adopted budget or by vote of the Association or Board of Directors.
  5. 5. Inform and advice the Board of Directors and Association of the status of its financial condition.
  6. Prepare, in consultation with the Finance Committee, a proposed budget for the fiscal year beginning at the close of the current annual conference and ending at the beginning of the next annual conference, to be considered by the Board of Directors and recommended to the Association for adoption at the annual meeting.
  7. Maintain a file of the official correspondence of the association, including copies of correspondence conducted by the President.
  8. Shall be an ex officio member of all committees.

b. The Journal Editor(s) shall:

  1. During the year plan, solicit articles for, and edit a minimum of two issues of the Journal, which shall reflect and advance the Association’s objectives.
  2. Decide which articles will be published.
  3. Maintain contact with the publisher of the Association’s Journal in order that the two issues will be published.
  4. Arrange for the publication and distribution of the Journal to the members and such other persons, institutions and/or organizations as shall be designated by the Board of Directors, and as defined in these Bylaws.
  5. Recruit the Associate Editors who will review articles and make recommendations as to which articles will be published.

c. The Newsletter Editor(s) shall:

1. Publish a minimum of two newsletters per year.
2. Arrange for the publication and distribution of the newsletter to the members and such other persons, institutions and/or organizations as shall be designated by the Board of Directors.
3. During the year solicit from the membership information on research, innovation, and experimentation conducted by or in laboratory or university affiliated schools.

ARTICLE VI -STANDING COMMITTEES

Section 1: Appointment of Standing Committees
Standing Committees shall be appointed by the Board of Directors at the meeting following the annual conference or as otherwise specified. Special committees may be appointed from time to time to carry on the work of the association. Each standing Committee shall be chaired by a member of the NALS Board of Directors. Other members, as specified, may be appointed from the board or the membership at large.

Section 2: Standing Committees of the Organization
The Standing committees of the association shall be Conference Planning, Finance, Audit, Editorial, Nominating, By-Laws, Grants, Distinguished Service Awards, and Membership. All Standing committees shall follow the procedures and policies approved by the Board of Directors.

Section 3: Term of Office
Members of Standing Committees shall be appointed to rotating one, two and three year terms of office, congruent with their election unless otherwise defined.

Section 4: Special Standing Committees
Special committees shall be appointed by the President as the Association or the Board of Directors, shall from time to time deem necessary to carry on the work of the Association. The President shall be an ex-officio member of all committees, except the Nominating Committee.

Section 5:  Duties of Standing Committees:

Bylaws Committee composed of three members, one of whom shall be a member of the Board of Directors. The Chair of the Bylaws Committee shall serve as the Parliamentarian. The Executive Director shall serve as an ex-officio member of the committee The Bylaws Committee shall submit amendments and revisions to the bylaws in accordance with Article VII.

Conference Planning Committee shall consist of the Vice President for Conference Planning and three members of the Board of Directors, per section 3 of these bylaws appointed at the board meeting following the annual conference. The Conference Planning Committee shall be chaired by the Vice President for Conference Planning per Article III, Section 1, Paragraph c.

Distinguished Service Award Committee shall be composed of the Executive Director, the President, the Immediate Past President, the Endowment Chair, and a former recipient appointed by the Board of Directors at the summer board meeting.

Finance Committee shall be composed of the Immediate Past President, the Executive Director, the President and two members of the Board of Directors shall be appointed at the summer board meeting.

a. The committee shall have the responsibility to audit the accounts and report to the same membership at the annual meeting.

b. The committee shall prepare a budget for presentation to the Board of Directors at the board meeting immediately preceding the annual conference. The Board of Directors shall approve the proposed budget and present it to the membership for approval at the annual meeting.

Grant Committee shall be appointed by the Board of Directors consisting of an elected member of the board, two members of the Endowment Board, and two members selected from the membership at large. The committee is responsible for administering all mini-collegial collaborate grants.

International Committee shall work to increase the membership of laboratory or university affiliated schools outside of the United States.  They will establish projects to build relationships with these schools.  The committee will be composed of two board members and two members selected from the membership at large.  The chair of the committee shall sit on the Endowment Board

Membership Committee shall be composed of the President – Elect , as chair, and three Directors appointed by the Board of Directors at the summer Board meeting. The Executive Director shall be an ex-officio member of the committee. Nominations for Life Membership shall be coordinated by the Membership Committee. Any member of NALS may propose a member for life membership who meets the criteria specified in the bylaws. The proposing member will submit a letter to the Executive Director who will bring the name(s) to the committee for approval. A motion for approval with appropriate second for each individual proposed for life membership is required before the Board can vote. The Board will vote on each nomination by secret ballot with a simple majority of those voting required for approval. Appropriate recognition of granting life membership status for each individual approved will take place at the next annual meeting. The new life member will begin to receive the benefits of life membership on the day of the approval vote.

Nominating Committee composed of the Executive Director, and three members of the Board of Directors shall be appointed by the Board of Directors at the summer board meeting. The committee shall have the responsibility to nominate candidates for all vacant offices and to present the slate of nominees to the membership for election at the annual conference per Article 3, Section 2.

a. The Nominating Committee’s slate of candidates shall be completed 30 days prior to the annual conference each year and forwarded to the Board of Directors.

b. The nominees for office shall be publicized in the Newsletter and distributed at the annual conference along with a short biographical narrative of each candidate.

ARTICLE VII - PARLIAMENTARY AUTHORITY

The rules contained in the current edition of Robert’s Rules of Order – newly revised shall govern the Association in all cases in which they are applicable and in which they are not inconsistent with these bylaws and any special rules of order the Association may adopt.

ARTICLE VIII - AMENDMENT OF BYLAWS

These bylaws can be amended at any business session of any annual conference of the Association by a two-thirds vote, providing that the amendment shall have been submitted in writing to the President at least 45 days prior to the annual conference, who shall then transmit it immediately to the voting membership (as described in Article II, section 4) 30 days prior to the annual conference; otherwise, action taken by the business session of any annual conference of the Association by a two-thirds vote to amend the bylaws, shall not become effective except by ratification by a majority of the voting membership responding by mail ballot or by email ballot within 30 days after mailing.

ARTICLE IX - PURPOSE

Said organization is organized exclusively for charitable, religious, educational, and scientific purposes, including for such purposes the making of distributions to organizations that qualify as exempt organizations under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code (or the corresponding provision of any future United States Internal Revenue Law).

ARTICLE X- RESTRICTIONS: EARNING AND POLITICAL ACTIVITY

No part of the net earnings of the organization shall inure to the benefit of, or be disreputable to its members, directors, officers, or other private persons, except that the organization shall be authorized and empowered to pay reasonable compensation for services rendered and to make payments and distributions in furtherance of the purposes set forth in Article Ninth hereof. No substantial part of the activities of the organizations shall be the carrying on of propaganda, or otherwise attempting to influence legislation, and the organization shall not participate in, or intervene in (including the publishing or distribution of statements) any political campaign on behalf of any candidate for public office. Notwithstanding any other provision of these articles, permitted to be carried on

a. by an organization exempt from Federal income tax under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954 (or corresponding provision of any future United States Internal Revenue Law), or

b. by an organization, contributions to which are deductible under section 170(c)(2) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954 (or the corresponding provision of any future United States Internal Revenue).

ARTICLE XI - DISSOLUTION

Upon the dissolution of the organization, the Board of Directors shall, after paying or making provision for the payment of all of the liabilities of the organization, dispose of all the assets of the organization exclusively for the purpose of the organization in such manner, or to such organization or organizations organized and operated exclusively for charitable, educational, religious, or scientific purposes as at the time shall qualify as an exempt organization or organizations under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954 (or corresponding provision of any future United States Internal Revenue Law), as the Board of Directors shall determine. Any such assets not so disposed of shall be disposed of by the Court of Common Pleas of the county in which the principal office of the organization is then located, exclusively for such purposes or to such organizations or organizations, as said Court shall determine, which are organized and operated exclusively for such purposes.

ARTICLE XII - EFFECTIVE DATE

These bylaws shall be placed into effect at the close of the annual meeting at which they are approved. Dated: February 27, 1998.

REVISED: February 1971, 1976, 1982, 1984, 1986, 1991, October 1994, February 1998, and March 2007.