PRESIDENT

Qualifications
Charge
Term of Office
Responsibilities Concerning Meetings
Other Responsibilities

1. Qualifications
Each candidate for president shall:

a. have been a member of the Board;
b. be a respected senior member of the Society
c. have been an active participant in the Society;
d. be organized, able to run a good meeting, accomplish tasks in a timely fashion, and provide leadership;
e. be considered a good presidential candidate in the poll taken of the Board;
f. not have run for and lost the presidential race within the last four years.

2. Charge
The president serves as the executive officer and official representative of the Society. In order to realize the purposes of the Society, the president coordinates all functions of the Society and keeps in close touch with the Board members and committee chairs. The president maintains especially close contact with the executive director and editors of Society publications. The president may serve ex-officio on all committees except the nominating committee.

The president must set the scholarly and philosophical tone of the Society so as to insure that all officers and members are inspired to make a maximum contribution of time and effort to the accomplishment of the Society's goals. He or she must be one whose day-by-day decisions tend in sum to enhance the general progress and eventual effectiveness of the Society's efforts to discover and disseminate truths pertaining to all aspects of American music and music in America.

3. Term of office
The president shall serve a two (2) year term, preceded by one (1) year as president-elect and followed by one (1) year as past president. The past president is chair of the Publications Council and an ex-officio member of the Development Committe.

4. Responsibilities concerning meetings

a. Conducting meetings.
The president calls and presides at the meetings of the Board and directs the business to be covered in each meeting. During the meetings the president encourages the Board to transact its business expeditiously, to submit motions in writing to the secretary, and to state clearly who is expected to do what and by when so that this information will be accurately recorded in the minutes. The president presides at the annual business meeting of the Society, preserves order and decorum and decides points of order. The president maintains appropriate communication with the Board. Votes taken by email should be attached to the minutes of the following meeting of the Board for informational purposes and without further discussion.

b. Review of the minutes.
Within two weeks after each Board meeting the president reviews the minutes, ensures that the summaries are complete and accurate, and returns the minutes to the secretary for distribution and publication.

5. Other responsibilities

a. The president notifies all candidates (winners and losers) of the results of elections.
b. In consultation with the Board, the president appoints:

1) the chairs of standing committees and ad hoc committees;
2) local arrangements and program chairs for conferences and meetings
When an invitation for a national conference has been accepted, the President writes a letter to the host accepting the invitation. In consultation with the chair of the Conference Site Selection committee, the president appoints the chair of the local arrangements committee. The president appoints the chair of the program committee for that meeting, ideally three years in advance of the conference;
3) in consultation with the chairs, the other members of their committees including Board member representatives as designated, such as the liaison to the Student Forum;
4) representatives to other organizations;
5) special appointments for Society tasks, such as executive director, archivist, etc;
6) two tellers to count the ballots for the national election.

c. Charges
The president provides a written charge for every committee and individual appointee making it clear to whom each appointee must report, in what forms, how often and under what circumstances, and specifying annual or more frequent reports, budget requests and attendance at meetings. All charges are made available to the Board.

d. Removals
After consultation with the Board the president removes from such elected office or appointed position those unable to fulfill their charge.

e. Creation and dissolution of committees
The Board or the Society may direct the president to appoint standing committees in addition to those specified in the By-Laws. Special ad hoc committees may be appointed by the president as deemed necessary to carry on the work of the Society. The president dissolves special committees when they have fulfilled their charge. The president may recommend to the Board the dissolution of Interest Groups who no longer meet the criteria for which they were organized.

f. Annual report and Bulletin column
The president writes an annual report to the members, for presentation at the annual business meeting and/or publication in the Bulletin. The president also writes a regular column for the Bulletin to keep members informed of the current business of the Society.

g. Orientation of new Board members and officers
The president and executive director conduct an orientation session with new Board members and officers prior to their first Board meeting. In particular, the history of issues scheduled to be discussed at the Board meeting is covered.

h. Citations
The president is responsible for having the texts of awards and citations written. The president arranges for the announcement of the recipients of honors, awards, and citations at the annual conference of the Society.

i. Calendar
The president and the executive director prepare and maintain the official calendar of the Society and a calendar of appointees and terms. Copies of the official calendar are distributed to all those whose responsibilities are specified in it or are related to the scheduled items.

j. Finance

1) The president consults with the Finance Committee in preparation of the budget. The president may sign checks issued by the Society and signs contracts negotiated by the Society.
2) The president acknowledges all gifts to the Society over $100, and, when appropriate, writes letters of appreciation and support to those who have served the Society.

k. Oversight of dues and subscription service
Together with the executive director the president will make an annual evaluation of the dues and subscription service and will make a report to the Board.

l. Evaluation of staff
The president and other officers as appropriate review the performance of the executive director and other appointees, and recommend appropriate action to the Board prior to the meeting at which appointments and reappointments are made.

m. Current communications
As a matter of course, copies of all presidential correspondence are sent to the executive director and secretary.

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