ABOUT IASSW: Constitution

Approved by General Assembly, 13th July 1994

Amended by General Assembly ........ August 2006

Amended by the Board of Directors ......... August 2007

Presented to General Assembly ............. July 2008

Article I Name

The name of this corporation shall be the International Association of Schools of Social Work (IASSW).

Definitions:

'Schools' is an inclusive and representative term that refers to universities, colleges, departments, faculties, institutes and programmes that offer post-secondary education/ training preparation of professionals in social work, culminating in a degree or diploma signifying successful completion of their studies.

'Social work' is an inclusive and representative title.

Article II Purposes

1.       Represent, promote and mediate the interests of social work education in an international context.

2.       Contribute to academic and international development.

3.       Provide opportunities for participation through:

A.       providing an international forum

B.       initiating international seminars and study courses

C.      facilitating the exchange of teachers and students.

4.       Collection and dissemination of information relevant to social work education and training.

Article III Principal Offices

The principal office of the association shall be at the same location as the president. The board of directors may designate one or two additional principal offices, for the purpose of financial management, membership administration or any other functions determined by the board.

Article IV Membership

1 Categories of Members

The membership of the Association shall be composed of educational institutions, organisations and individuals. Membership is classified under these categories:

          A.   full

          B.  provisional

          C.  affiliate

          D.  individuals

2 Eligibility of members

A Full members

The following educational institutions which subscribe to the Mission and Purposes, as set forth in the By-Laws, shall be eligible to become full members with the right to vote at the General Assembly or by mail:

 

Schools that provide post-secondary educational programmes that prepare for professional social work and which have met the standards authorized by the General Assembly.

B Provisional members

Educational institutions which are not yet eligible to become full members but aim to achieve that status may become provisional members for up to five years.

C Affiliate members

Organizations and agencies with an expressed interest in social work education may, at the discretion of the board of directors, join IASSW as affiliate members without voting privileges.

D Individual members

a.       Individuals who are social work educators, or interested in social work education and training can become individual members of the Association.

b.       Each individual member will be entitled to a (1/10) one-tenth vote at General Assembly and in postal ballots of the Association.

3 Duties of members

Members of all categories must, to the best of their ability, safeguard the interests of the Association, pay the stipulated dues and act in accordance with the By-Laws and resolutions of the Association.

4 Acquisition and termination of membership

A.       The Board of Directors shall from time to time establish the procedures for the study and disposition of applications for all categories of membership.

B.       Educational institutions and associations which seek to become full members are required to comply with the Mission Statement of IASSW as set forth in the By-Laws.

C.      Membership is maintained by payment of dues in such amounts as may be determined by the Board of Directors.

D.      All dues must be paid annually. Membership is automatically terminated upon non- payment of dues over a period of two years. Members of any category thus terminated may reapply for membership in the manner prescribed for new members of such category.

E.       A member may be suspended for a period or expelled for cause such as violation of any of the By-Laws or rules of the Association or for conduct prejudicial to the best interests of the Association. Suspension shall be by a two-thirds majority of the membership of the Board of Directors present and voting in a duly constituted meeting. The member shall be advised of the issues in question and the nature of the proceedings and shall be given notice of the time when and place where an opportunity will be provided to present a defence.

F.       Membership ceases with the cessation of the Association as a legal entity.

Article V Administrative bodies, Directors and Officers

1 Administrative bodies

The functions of the Association shall be carried on through the following bodies:

General Assembly

Board of Directors

Executive Committee

Nominating Committee

Other committees as established by the Board of Directors.

2 General Assembly

A.       A General Assembly of the Association open to all members shall be held biennially at a time and place to be determined by the Board of Directors. Notice of this meeting and a final agenda shall be sent to all voting members no later than ninety days prior to the time appointed for the meeting. A special meeting of the General Assembly may be convened by decision of the Board of Directors if business matters so require; if necessary, a meeting of the General Assembly can be conducted by correspondence or mail vote. Notice of this special meeting shall be sent to all voting members no later than forty days prior to the time appointed for the meeting.

B.       Provisional and affiliate members may speak at the General Assembly with the permission of the presiding officer, but do not have the right to vote.

C.      The General Assembly shall receive, review and vote the approval or rejection or referral] to the full membership of reports, resolutions and policy recommendations from:

1.       The President

2.       The Treasurer

3.       The Secretary

4.       a The Board of Directors of actions taken in the period since the preceding Assembly
b Policy recommendations concerning the Association and social work education
c Completed and projected programme activities.

5.       The Nominating Committee

6.       Board nomination for Honorary Officers

7.       Resolutions on matters not included under Article V 2E and circulated in writing to members of the General Assembly at least (24) twenty-four hours before the Assembly convenes.

D. Approval or rejection shall be determined by majority vote - fifty per cent plus one.

E. The General Assembly has responsibility for resolutions under the terms of Articles IX, IV 4E and X 1B which   are to be decided by a two-thirds vote majority of full members in attendance.

3 Board of Directors

A.       The Board of Directors is accountable to the General Assembly, shall serve as the body of the Association that is responsible for the development and implementation of the Policy of the Association as approved by the General Assembly, and of the management of the affairs of the Association.

B.       The Board shall have the responsibility of acting on behalf of the general Assembly in the intervening period between assemblies.

C.      Members of the Board shall be elected for a term of four years, with one-half of the Board elected every two years.

4 Composition of the Board of Directors

        A.  The Board of Directors shall include, in addition to the eight officers, the following members with voting rights:

 

1.        Four members elected at-large from the full membership

2.        One member elected or appointed by each Regional association.

3.        One additional member elected or appointed by each regional association that has 50 or more member schools, as defined in A2.

4.        One member nominated by each sub-regional association with schools (IASSW members) from five or more countries  

5.        One member nominated by each national association that is, in principle, inclusive of all schools in the country and has at least five members who are full members of IASSW. 

6.        One additional member from a national association with fifty or more members of IASSW - full or provisional members

7.        One representative nominated by each recognized interest group. An interest group brings together members of IASSW, schools and individuals, from a number of different countries, on the basis of gender, language, professional orientation or some other common interest that has been recognized by the board of directors.

 

B.       The immediate past-president shall serve as a non-voting ex officio member of the Board of Directors and its Executive Committee. Other past presidents may be invited to the board meetings at the discretion of the board.

C.      Honorary Presidents shall serve as non-voting ex officio members of the Board of Directors and its Executive Committee.

D.      The board may, at its discretion, invite to its meetings, without voting rights, representatives from national, sub-regional or regional associations, or interest groups, who do not fulfill all the membership qualification listed above.

E.       The resident treasurer, will be invited to all board meetings, without voting rights. Furthermore, the board may invite to its meetings, without voting rights, persons who are deemed to contribute to the work of the association or have some special expertise relevant to the board's deliberations.

F.       No more than three voting members of the Board of Directors including officers shall be elected from any one country during the same period.  

G.      All voting members of the board must be members of the association.

H.      No person shall be appointed or elected as officer of the association (president, secretary, treasurer) for more than eight consecutive years.

I.         The Board of Directors shall be empowered:

1.       to appoint an executive officer of the Association upon such terms and for such period as may be determined by the Board

2.       to fill any vacancies in its membership which may occur in the interval between meetings, subject to ratification at the next General Assembly

3.       to make provision for an annual audit of the books of the Association

4.       to settle disputes among members of the Association

5.       to undertake such other action as shall promote the purposes of the Association.

5 Officers

A.        

1.       The officers of the Association shall be the President, five vice-presidents representing each of the regions, the Treasurer and the Secretary.

2.       The President, Treasurer and Secretary shall be determined by election from those eligible to vote at the biennial General Assembly. The officers each serve a term of four years and no more than eight consecutive years.

3.       The President and Secretary shall be elected at the same General Assembly and the Treasurer shall be elected at the next biennial General Assembly.

4.       The regional presidents will normally be named the regional vice-presidents of IASSW. Regions may however consider these independently separate offices, and elect a regional vice-president of IASSW by a vote of the full members of the region.

B.        

1.       The Board shall appoint as necessary and from among its members an Assistant Treasurer for a fixed period not to exceed four years.

2.       The Board shall appoint as necessary and from among its members an Assistant Secretary for a fixed period not to exceed four years.

3.       The Board may appoint a Resident Treasurer from the country in which the IASSW finances are being managed. The Resident Treasurer serves on the board and the executive committee, without vote, for four years, renewable at the discretion of the board of directors.

C.       

1.       The President is the official representative of the Association. He shall preside at meetings of the Board of Directors and the Executive Committee; shall act as head of the Association in the direction of its business and in the enforcement of the By-Laws; shall sign and execute in the name of the Association necessary contracts and other instruments and shall be responsible for their implementation.

2.       The five vice-presidents shall be empowered to perform the functions of the President when delegated. They shall represent LASSW to their respective region and where required to any and all regions.

3.       In the absence or incapacity of the President, the Secretary shall perform the presidential functions until the Board of Directors will appoint an officer to complete the President's term of office.

4.       The Treasurer shall have such duties related to the funds of the Association as may be specified by the Board of Directors and shall render an annual report to the Board and the General Assembly. The Treasurer shall have official co-signing authority with the President and the Treasurer for all official documents

5.       The Secretary shall have duties related to the official record of the Association's Board Directors, General Assembly, By-Laws, and Letters of Incorporation. The Secretary shall have official co-signing authority with the President and the Treasurer for all official documents. The Secretary shall be responsible for the conduct of elections. The Secretary shall be the Registrar responsible for certifying membership in all of the categories.

6.       The Assistant Treasurer shall be empowered to perform the functions of the Treasurer when necessary and such other functions as may be determined by the Board of Directors.

7.       The Assistant Secretary shall be empowered to perform the functions of the Secretary when necessary and such other functions as may be determined by the Board of Directors.

8.       The Resident Treasurer shall, with the Treasurer and any other officer asked to serve, represent the Association in financial arrangements with domestic institutions and serve as adviser to the Treasurer and the Board of Directors on domestic banking, funding and other fiscal requirements.

6 Executive Committee

The Executive Committee shall consist of:

 

The President

Five vice-presidents

The Treasurer

The Assistant Treasurer

The Secretary

The Assistant Secretary

The Resident Treasurer without vote

The four members at large of the Board of Directors

7 Nominating Committee

At each General Assembly, the full members shall elect a Nominating Committee consisting of seven members, one of whom shall be designated to chair the Committee, to serve until the next meeting of the general Assembly. The Nominating Committee shall consider candidates qualified for officership and for membership of the Board of Directors. For each election, in procedures set forth by the Board of Directors, the Nominating Committee shall make nominations sufficient in number to fill its allocation of directors and shall make nominations for officerships and for the next Nominating Committee. Following announcement of the proposed list of nominations, members shall have the opportunity to petition for inclusion on the list. Petitioners will have to abide by the conditions and procedures determined by the nominating committee.

Article VI Appointment of Executive Officer

1.       The Board of Directors may appoint an Executive Officer.

2.       The Executive Officer shall report to the President, Treasurer and Secretary on matters related to their respective functions affecting policies, purposes and programmes of the Association.

3.       Under the direction of the Board of Directors, the Executive Officer shall manage the day-to-day operations and implement the policies of the Association.

4.       The appointment, supervision and evaluation of the professional and office personnel shall be by the Executive Officer in accordance with job specifications, qualifications and terms of employment established by the Executive Committee.

Article VII Financing

1.       The activities of the Association are financed through: membership dues, subsidies, projects and consultations, inheritances and gifts, sales of publications, registration fees at seminars, workshops and congresses.

2.       The fiscal year of the Association shall be January 1st through to December 31st.

3.       Expenditures necessary to conduct the affairs of the Association may be made by the President, Treasurer, Secretary or the Executive Officer as approved in the budget.

4.       There shall be an external audit of the accounts of the Association each year by an auditor duly appointed by the Board of Directors.

5.       The Board of Directors shall approve a budget at least every two years consistent with the policies approved by the general Assembly.

6.       A reserve fund shall be established and protected. The fund shall accumulate until it equals the amount needed to cover the costs of dissolution if the General Assembly votes to dissolve the Association.

Article VIII Meetings

1 Annual Meetings

The Board of Directors shall meet once or twice a year to receive reports of officers, directors and committees and for the transaction of other business. Notice of the meeting signed by the President shall be mailed at least forty days before the time appointed for the meeting.

2 Special Meetings of the Board of Directors

Special meetings may be called at any time at the request of the president or of any three directors. Notice of the special meeting is to be given in the same manner as for the annual meeting. No business other than that specified in the notice of meeting shall be transacted at any special meeting.

3 Quorums

Quorums shall be as follows:

A.       A quorum for the transaction of business by the Board of Directors shall consist of twenty per cent of its members.

B.       A quorum for the transaction of business by the Executive Committee shall be six of its members.

C.      A quorum for the transaction of business at a General Assembly or special meeting shall consist of fifteen per cent of its members.

D.      Unless otherwise specified in the By-laws a simple majority is sufficient.

Article IX Dissolution of the Association and Dedication of Assets

1.       The dissolution of the Association can take place only in a General Assembly convened especially for this purpose and shall require a two-thirds majority of the voting members present.

2.       The assets of the Association are permanently dedicated to the purposes set forth in Article II. In the event of voluntary dissolution of the Association, the same General Assembly must also decide to which organization with the same or similar purposes the assets of the Association shall be assigned.

Article X Amendments

1.       These By-Laws can be amended:

A.       By two-thirds of the votes cast at a meeting of the Board of Directors, and/or

B.       By a resolution of a majority of the voting members present at the General Assembly or at a special meeting, provided in either case that the item appears on the preliminary agenda.

2.       Amendments to the By-Laws shall be circulated to the membership and reported to the General Assembly.

End