Performance Studies Division
National Communication Association

CONSTITUTION AND BY-LAWS

(Ratified November 20, 1994; Amended November 2004)

Article I
Name

Section 1: The name of this Division shall be the Performance Studies Division.

Section 2: Official use of the Division’s name shall be made only through the authority of the Executive Board of the Division acting under authority of the Legislative Council.

Article II
Purpose

Section 1: The purpose of the Division shall be to promote study, criticism, research, teaching, public awareness, and application of the artistic, humanistic, and cultural principles of performance.

Section 2: The Division, a nonprofit organization, exists for educational, cultural, and artistic purposes only. No part of the Division’s net revenues, if any, may be used for the private benefits of any individual or group.

Article III
Membership

Membership is open to any member of the National Communication Association.

Article IV
Officers

Section 1: The elected officers shall be a Chairperson, Vice-Chairperson, Vice-Chairperson Elect, and a Secretary.

Section 2: The Vice-Chairperson shall succeed to the office of Vice-Chairperson. The Vice-Chairperson Elect shall be nominated and elected as specified in the By-Laws.

Section 3: The Secretary shall be nominated and elected as specified in the By-Laws.

Section 4: The retiring Chairperson shall serve as the Division’s representative on the NCA Nominating Committee.

Section 5: The duties and terms of the officers shall be as specified in the By-Laws.

Section 6: In the event of the incapacity of the Chairperson or Vice-Chairperson, the next person in the line of succession shall serve (i.e., the Vice-Chairperson or Vice-Chairperson Elect, respectively). In the event any other office is vacated the Executive Board shall, at its discretion, elect a replacement or establish a nominating and election procedure for so doing.

Article V
Executive Board

Section 1: The Executive Board shall be made up of the elected officers of the Division, Publications Chairperson, Chairperson of the Research Committee, and the Archivist, who shall be a non-voting member.

Section 2: The Executive Board shall administer the policies of the Division and shall, between annual meetings, serve as the chief administrative authority of the division.

Article VI
Committees

The membership and operating procedures of the Nominating Committee shall be specified as specified in the By-Laws.

Article VII
Amendments

Section 1: A majority of the Executive Board may initiate amendments to this constitution.

Section 2: Amendments initiated as specified in Section 1 shall be distributed to all members of the Division at least 30 days before the annual meeting, at which time the proposed amendments shall be voted upon. A two-thirds majority shall be required for adoption.

Section 3: A majority of those present and voting at the annual meeting may propose an amendment to be voted upon by the members present at the next annual meeting. A two-thirds majority shall be required for adoption.

BY-LAWS

Article I
Membership

The rights, privileges, services, and obligations of each category of membership (student, regular, sustaining, and emeritus) shall be specified in Article I, Section 2 of the By-Laws of the National Communication Association.

Article II
Assessments

Charges for subscription to any publication of the Division or any other of its activities shall be established by the Executive Board of the Performance Studies Division with the approval of the appropriate officials of the National Communication Association.

Article III
Meetings

Section 1: An annual meeting shall be held at a time and place designated by the Legislative Assembly of the National Communication Association.

Section 2: All meetings of the Division shall be open to all members.

Article IV
Elections

Section 1: The Nominating Committee shall prepare annually a slate of nominees for the office of Vice-Chairperson Elect and for each of the five positions on the succeeding Nominating Committee. Nominees for the office of Secretary shall be presented every alternate year. Two or more names shall be presented for each position to be filled.

Section 2: The slate of nominees shall be presented to the membership-at-large of the Performance Studies Division, in a ballot published and distributed in the Division’s electronic newsletter at least 30 days in advance of the annual business meeting.

Voting will be conducted at the business meeting; members not attending the business meeting may vote electronically via the electronic newsletter. Electronic votes are due one-week before the annual meeting. Elected officers will be announced at the annual meeting.

Section 3: The Nominating Committee shall consist of one member, elected one year in advance, from each of the following regional associations: Eastern, Southern, Central, Western, plus one member-at-large.

Section 4: The Chairperson of the Division shall name one of the newly elected Nominating Committee as Chairperson of the Committee.

Section 5: The Chairperson of the Nominating Committee shall:

a. solicit names for each office from the Committee and the membership;

b. make a preliminary ballot with at least two names for each office and send to the Nominating Committee;

c. inform the Nominating Committee of the result of the preliminary ballot, and offer a slate with at least two nominees for each office;

d. confirm that each person nominated for office is a current member of NCA, and will accept the office if elected.

e. obtain statements from all candidates except those for the succeeding Nominating Committee;

f. send the final ballot to the Secretary of the Performance Studies Division for electronic distribution to the entire membership of the Performance Studies Division.

g. collect absentee votes submitted electronically and tally them with votes cast at the business meeting.

Article V
Duties and Terms of Officers

Section 1: The Chairperson shall discharge the responsibilities normally adhering to the office. He or she shall convene the Executive Board when appropriate. He or she shall serve as the representative of the Division on the Legislative Assembly. He or she shall present an annual report to the Legislative Assembly in such form and manner as the Council shall prescribe. In the event of vacancies in office, he or she shall, with the advice and consent of the Executive Board, initiate action to secure replacements. His or her term of office is for one year; for the succeeding year he or she shall serve as the Division representative on the NCA Nominating Committee.

Section 2: The Vice-Chairperson shall, in cooperation with the First Vice-President, be responsible for planning the portion of the program of the annual meeting for which the Division is responsible. The Vice-Chairperson shall succeed to the Chairpersonship in the event of the incapacity of the Chairperson.

Section 3: The Vice-Chairperson Elect shall succeed to the Vice-Chairpersonship.

Section 4: The Secretary, elected for a term of two years, shall perform the customary duties of that office. The Secretary shall also be responsible for publishing electronically the ballot for election of officers.

Section 5: The Publications Chairperson, appointed for a term of three years, shall

a. serve as liaison between the Performance Studies Division and the National Communication Association Publications Board;

b. be responsible for information from the Division to be published in Spectra, such as the Minutes from the National Communication Association Convention,

c. serve as liaison between the Performance Studies Division and the editor of Text and Performance Quarterly;

d. serve as liaison between the Performance Studies Division and any of its committees, interest groups, or branches involved in publication.

e. collect, produce, and distribute an annual list of new scholarly works by Division members to be distributed at the business meeting.

Section 6: The Research Committee of the Performance Studies Division shall be composed of six members, appointed by the Executive Board for three-year terms on a rotating basis; two new members will be appointed each year and two members will rotate off the committee each year. The membership of the Research Committee should represent the total geographic area of the Performance Studies Division membership.

The Chairperson of the Research Committee shall be appointed by the Executive Board under the following conditions:

a. The Chairperson shall have served as a member of the Research Committee for one year prior to appointment to the Chair;

b. The Chairperson shall serve a term of one year, but may be reappointed for a second year, provided that the appointment does not exceed the three-year term of office on the Committee;

c. The Chairperson shall serve as representative of the Performance Studies Division to the Speech Communication Association Research Board.

d. The Chairperson of the Research Committee shall serve as a member of the Executive Board of the Performance Studies Division.

Section 7: The immediate past Chairperson of the Performance Studies Division shall serve on the Executive Board for one succeeding year and shall serve on the National Communication Association Legislative Assembly for one year.

Section 8: An Archivist shall be appointed by the Executive Board of the Performance Studies Division to serve for three years and may be reappointed to successive terms. The Archivist shall, in turn, appoint an Archives Committee to assist in the collection of materials.

Article VI
Amendments

Section 1: Amendments to these By-Laws may be initiated by a majority of the Executive Board of the Division.

Section 2: Amendments are to be distributed electronically to all members of the Performance Studies Division at least 30 days prior to the business meeting.

Section 3: A majority of those present and voting at the annual meeting may propose an amendment to be voted upon by the members present at the next annual meeting. A two-thirds majority shall be required for adoption.

Section 4: Any one hundred members may present a petition which shall mandate the Executive Board to submit a proposed amendment to the membership. Such an amendment shall be adopted, if it is approved by a majority of the membership voting.