SHGAPE

Constitution & Bylaws

Constitution & Bylaws

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SOCIETY FOR HISTORIANS OF THE GILDED AGE AND PROGRESSIVE ERA CONSTITUTION

ARTICLE I

Section 1: The name of this Society is Society for Historians of the Gilded Age and Progressive Era.

Section 2: The purpose of the Society is to foster and advance the study and understanding of the history of the United States from 1865 to the 1920s. (6)

ARTICLE II

Section 1: Membership in the Society shall be open to anyone interested in the history of the United States.

Section 2: Membership shall date from receipt by the Society of annual dues as designated by the Council and set forth in the Bylaws. Dues are payable at the beginning of each calendar year. Membership is forfeited when dues are six months in arrears.

Section 3: Only members in good standing shall be voting participants in the Society’s business or hold office in the Society.

ARTICLE III

Section 1: The Society shall meet at least once a year.

ARTICLE IV

Section 1: The officers of the Society shall be the President, the Vice President, the Executive Secretary, and the Treasurer, who shall manage the affairs of the Society with the advice and assistance of the Council. The President, Vice President, Executive Secretary, and Treasurer shall be members ex officio of the Council. (4)

Section 2: The President shall be the chief executive officer of the Society. The President shall preside at meetings of the society and of the Council and appoint members of standing and special committees which may be created. The President shall perform the executive functions normally attached to such office and any other duties which may be established in the Bylaws. (6)

Section 3: The Vice President shall chair a Program Committee to plan panels for AHA and OAH meetings, shall perform the duties of the President in the President’s absence and shall succeed to the Presidency upon the President’s incapacity or vacating of the office. (3)

Section 4: The President and Vice President shall serve terms of two years and be elected from the Society membership in a manner set forth in the Bylaws. The Vice President shall be the President-elect and shall succeed to the Presidency at the close of the previous President’s term.

Section 5: The Executive Secretary is appointed by the President, with the concurrence of the Council, for a term of five years, which may be renewed. The Treasurer shall serve a term of two years and be elected from the Society membership in a manner set forth in the Bylaws. (4)

ARTICLE V

Section 1: The general governance of the Society, outside of general meetings of the membership, shall be conducted by the Council.

Section 2: The Council shall consist of the Society’s officers, plus nine others elected from the membership as the Bylaws shall direct. An additional Council member, appointed by the President, will be a graduate student who will serve for a maximum of three years1. Three Council Members shall be elected each year for a three-year term. Any council member having served three consecutive years on the council shall not be eligible for re-election the next year but may serve in subsequent years. The most recent past president, the website editor, and the editor of the Journal of the Gilded Age and Progressive Era shall be ex officio Council members (5, 6).

ARTICLE VI

Section 1: Amendments may be made to this Constitution by a two-thirds vote of the Council, either by mail ballot or in meeting, with the concurrence of a majority of the members voting either by mail ballot or in a meeting of the Society.

Section 2: Any member may suggest amendments to the Council for its action. Failing action by the Council, an amendment may be brought to a vote of the Society by the submission to the Secretary of a petition for such amendment signed by five percent of the members of the Society. (3)

ARTICLE VII

Section 1: The rules contained in Robert’s Rules of Order, Revised shall govern the society in all cases to which they are applicable, and in which they are not inconsistent with the Bylaws or the special rules of the Society.

Section 2: The Society shall from time to time establish such Bylaws as it deems necessary to fulfill its purpose

Section 3: Changes may be made in the Bylaws by a majority vote of the Council, either by mail ballot or in meeting, with the concurrence of a majority of the members voting either by mail ballot or in a meeting of the Society.

ARTICLE VIII

Section 1: This Constitution becomes effective, as amended, on January 7, 1994.

Revised 06/15/2015

1.Revised by action of the Council and membership at April 23, 1999, meeting. Minutes, April 23, 1999

2. Revised by action of the Council and membership at April 27, 2001, meeting. Minutes, April 27, 2001.

3. Revised by action of the Council and membership at April 20, 2006, meeting. Minutes, April 20, 2006.

4.  Revised by mail ballot of the Council and membership, effective January 1, 2009.

5.  Revised by electronic ballot of the Council and membership, effective January 1, 2015

6. Revised by electronic ballot of the Council and membership, effective January 1, 2020

SOCIETY FOR HISTORIANS OF THE GILDED AGE AND PROGRESSIVE ERA BYLAWS

(as amended May 2023)

1.       Dues. The annual dues of the Society shall be established by the Council, currently $50 per year, $60 for a joint membership, $70 for Sustaining Members, $110 for Patrons, $35 for reduced rate members (contingent and non-faculty), $20 for graduate students, and $90 for libraries and other institutions, subject to the decision of the General Meeting in the same manner as all other matters, and shall be payable to the Society by January 1 of each year. Payment of eight hundred dollars ($800.00) shall entitle anyone to life membership in the Society, free of all further payment of dues.

2.       Duties of the Executive Secretary and the Treasurer.

  1. The specific duties of the Executive Secretary shall include:
    1. Act as meeting and corresponding secretary.
    2. Coordinate the Society’s various activities and business.
    3. Oversee public relations and advertising on behalf of the Society.
    4. Oversee and seek to expand the Society’s individual membership and institutional subscriptions, and oversee maintenance of membership records.
    5. Work with the executive board and editor-in-chief of The Journal of the Gilded Age and Progressive Era to review and improve publishing and other business arrangements related to the journal.
    6. Act as a liaison with sponsoring institutions and develop activities that involve and benefit these institutions.
    7. All other matters deemed necessary by the President for the successful operation of the Society.
  2. The specific duties of the Treasurer shall include:
    1. Oversight of the collection of annual dues.
    2. Oversight of the maintenance of proper financial records and preparation of such records as are required.
    3. Oversight of the disbursing of funds and payment of obligations of the Society.
    4. All other matters deemed necessary by the President for the successful operation of the Society.

3.       Nominating Committee.  The Nominating Committee shall consist of four persons, one selected by the Council each year at its annual meeting from the membership of the Society, and the immediate past-president. Committee members elected by the Council shall serve three calendar years, and the past-president shall serve two calendar years. The most senior elected member of the committee will serve as chair in his/her final year. After due deliberation and consultation with the Society membership, each year the Nominating Committee shall create a slate of nominees for seats on the Council; each even-numbered year the Nominating Committee shall create a slate of nominees for the positions of Vice President/ President-Elect, Treasurer, and such other elective offices as hereafter may be created.

4.       Elections. On or before October 15 of each year, the Nominating Committee will present to the President a slate of nominees for offices to be filled for election that year. On or about November 1, the Executive Secretary shall invite the membership to vote through an online voting system for the election of Officers and Councilors. The Executive Secretary shall mail paper ballots to members upon request. The Executive Secretary shall report the results of the election by December 1 to the President who will announce the results to the membership. The new Officers and Councilors shall assume their positions on January 1.

5.       Council Meetings. The Council shall meet during the Annual Meeting of the Organization of American Historians. Additional council meetings may be conducted by email or teleconferencing. The President may call additional meetings as necessary; the Executive Secretary shall call a meeting within thirty days if directed to do so by at least five elected members of the Council. For all Council meetings, the quorum shall consist of four elected members unless some positions are vacant, in which case the quorum shall be three. The President, Vice President, Executive Secretary, Treasurer, and the three members of the Council in their last year of service shall constitute an Executive Committee of the Council, empowered to consider questions that must be decided before the next meeting of the Council.

6.       Annual Meeting. The Society Annual Meeting shall occur in conjunction with the Council Meeting at the Annual Meeting of the Organization of American Historians. A quorum shall consist of ten members in good standing.

7.       Vacancies in Office. If a Council seat should become vacant, it shall remain so until the next election, when a Council Member shall be elected to serve the remainder of that term. If the office of the Treasurer should become vacant, the President shall appoint an Acting Treasurer to serve until the next Council meeting. If the office of Vice-President/President-Elect should become vacant, the term of the President shall be extended as necessary until a successor is elected. If the offices of President and Vice-President should both become vacant, the Executive Secretary shall become Acting President until a President is elected. In these circumstances, the Executive Secretary and Nominating Committee are to hold a special election.

8.      Website

  1. SHGAPE.ORG is the website representing SHGAPE and is crucial to our public outreach and membership recruitment. It contains and presents information about SHGAPE and our activities. It links to H-SHGAPE and to the Journal of the Gilded Age and Progressive Era. It also provides resources and publishes original exclusive content and supplemental JGAPE content related to the GAPE.
  2. The SHGAPE President shall appoint a Website Editor-in-Chief and announce the appointment to the Council. The Editor-in-Chief will serve for a three-year renewable term. The Editor-in Chief will serve as the online editor for the Journal of the Gilded Age and Progressive Era and will also serve as an ex-officio member of the membership committee.
  3. The Editor-in-Chief will select a committee of web editors, with the president’s approval. The web editors will serve renewable two-year terms. The chair of the membership committee, the H-SHGAPE editor-in-chief, and the SHGAPE Executive Secretary will serve as ex-officio members of this committee.
  4. The Editor-in-Chief and the web committee will generate and execute new content for the website and oversee the current content.
  5. Social Media Editor: A member of the web committee will serve as the Social Media Editor for SHGAPE. The Social Media Editor will manage the SHGAPE Facebook page and Twitter feeds. The President will appoint the Social Media Editor for a renewable two-year term and announce the appointment to the SHGAPE council. The Social Media Editor will report to the Website Editor-in-Chief and the SHGAPE Executive Secretary.
  6. The Editor-in-Chief, the Social Media Editor, and other members of the website committee shall be members of SHGAPE.

9. H-SHGAPE:

  1. H-SHGAPE is the e-mail discussion list for the Gilded Age and Progressive Era, sponsored jointly by SHGAPE and H-Net.
  2. The SHGAPE President shall select an Editor-in-Chief and announce the appointment to the Council. The Editor-in-Chief is responsible for overseeing the content on H-SHGAPE. The Editor-in-Chief will serve for a three-year renewable term and will also serve as an ex-officio member of the website committee.
  3. The Editor-in-Chief will select a team of list editors, with the president’s approval. The list editors will serve renewable two-year terms.
  4. One list editor will serve as Managing Editor of H-SHGAPE for a renewable two-year term. The Managing Editor will oversee the training and day-to-day posting schedule for the list editors.
  5. The Editor-in-Chief, the Managing Editor, and the list editors shall be members of SHGAPE.
  6. Book Review Editor:
    1. The Book Review Editor is responsible for managing H-SHGAPE’s book review process.
    2. The H-SHGAPE Editor-in-Chief shall recommend a nominee to serve as the Book Review Editor. The SHGAPE President shall appoint the nominee and announce the appointment to the council
    3. The Book Review Editor will serve a two-year renewable term.
    4. The Book Review Editor will appoint corresponding editors, who are knowledgeable in subfields of the Gilded Age and Progressive Era. The editor assigns duties to corresponding editors and draws on their assistance as the editor deems appropriate. Corresponding editors serve at the pleasure of the book review editor.
    5. The Book Review Editor and the corresponding editors shall be members of SHGAPE.

10.  Committees. SHGAPE shall have the following standing Committees in addition to the Nominating Committee and the Committee of Web editors. The Council may also create such ad hoc committees as it sees fit.

  1. Membership: The Membership Committee shall publicize SHGAPE and seek to expand its membership. The President shall select the Chair of the Membership Committee and announce the appointment to the Council. The Chair of the Membership Committee will serve a three-year renewable term and, with the president’s approval, select members of the committee, who will serve two-year renewable terms. The Chair of the Membership Committee will serve as an ex-officio member of the website committee. The Website Editor-in-Chief and the SHGAPE Executive Secretary will serve as ex-officio members of the membership committee. All members of the membership committee shall be SHGAPE members.
  2. OAH/AHA Program Committee. The Vice-President will appoint a program committee as desired to assist in the planning of SHGAPE-sponsored and co-sponsored panels and sessions at the annual meetings of the Organization of American Historians and the American Historical Association. The Executive Secretary, with the assistance of the Vice-President, will make arrangements for other meetings and events of the Society at the OAH annual meeting.
  3. Distinguished Historian: The Distinguished Historian Committee shall consist of the immediate past President, the current President, and the President-Elect of the Society, to be chaired by the immediate past President. The committee shall designate a Distinguished Historian of the Gilded Age and Progressive Era, who will address the luncheon meeting of the Society held at the meeting of the Organization of American Historians, in even-numbered years beginning in 2014. The Distinguished Historian will receive two complimentary invitations to the luncheon, a commemorative plaque or certificate, and an honorarium.
  4. Fishel-Calhoun Prize: The Fishel-Calhoun Prize Committee shall consist of three SHGAPE members serving two-year terms. The President shall appoint the members of the committee and designate one as chair. The President shall announce the appointments at the SHGAPE Council meeting held during the OAH annual meeting. Upon conclusion of the two-year term the President shall designate one of the members at large of the committee to serve as its chair for the subsequent two-year term. The Fishel-Calhoun Prize is awarded biennially to the author of the best published article treating any aspect of U.S. history in the period 1865-1917; eligibility is open to graduate students and any scholar who had not yet published a book at the time it appeared. Articles appearing in journals dated during the two years preceding the year of the award are eligible. The committee shall publicize the Prize, set deadlines for submission, determine the winning article, and announce the recipient at the annual luncheon held during the annual meeting during even-numbered years. The winner of the prize receives an honorarium.
  5. Vincent DeSantis Prize: The Vincent DeSantis Prize Committee shall consist of three SHGAPE members serving two-year terms. The President shall appoint the members of the committee, designate one as chair, and announce the appointments at the annual SHGAPE Council meeting [at the OAH]. The DeSantis Prize is awarded in odd-numbered years to the author of the best book treating any aspect of U.S. history in the period 1865-1917 published during the two years preceding the year of the award, with eligibility restricted to scholars who have not previously published a book. The committee may award an honorable mention prize at their discretion. The committee shall publicize the Prize, set deadlines for submission, determine the winning book, and announce the recipient at the SHGAPE annual luncheon in odd-numbered years. The winner of the prize receives a certificate and an honorarium.
  6. The Journal of the Gilded Age and Progressive Era Best Article Prize: The JGAPE Best Article Prize Committee shall consist of three SHGAPE members serving two-year terms. The President shall appoint the members of the committee, designate one as chair, and announce the appointments at the annual SHGAPE Council meeting [at the OAH]. The Prize is awarded in even numbered years to the author of the best article published in The Journal of the Gilded Age and Progressive Era during the two years preceding the year of the award. The committee shall determine the winning article and announce the recipient at the SHGAPE annual luncheon in even-numbered years. The winner of the prize receives a certificate and an honorarium.
  7. The Presidents’ Book Prize (adopted in 2017 by electronic council vote):  The Presidents’ Book Prize Committee shall consist of three SHGAPE members serving two-year terms.  The President shall appoint the members of the committee, designate one as chair, and announce the appointments at the annual SHGAPE Council meeting.  The Presidents’ Book Prize is awarded in even-numbered years for the best book treating any aspect of United States history in the period 1865 to 1920. Books published after the submission deadline but before the end of the second calendar year may be submitted in the following round, with an accompanying explanatory letter. Each entry must be the author’s second or subsequent scholarly book. Edited volumes and collections are not eligible. Books translated into English are eligible if they meet other criteria for the prize . The committee shall publicize the Prize, set deadlines for submission, determine the winning book, and announce the recipient at the SHGAPE annual luncheon.  The winner of the prize receives a certificate and an honorarium.
  8. SHGAPE Graduate Student Essay Prize (adopted in 2017 by council vote at the OAH): The SHGAPE Graduate Student Essay Prize committee shall consist of three SHGAPE members serving one-year terms. The President shall appoint the members of the committee, designating one as chair. The Prize is awarded annually for the best essay of journal article length written by a graduate student on a Gilded Age and/or Progressive Era topic. Essays should not be previously published nor under consideration for publication. Applicants must be SHGAPE members at the time of submission. The committee shall determine the winning article and announce the recipient at the SHGAPE annual luncheon. The winner of the prize receives a certificate, an honorarium, and consideration for publication in the Journal of the Gilded Age and Progressive Era.
  9. The H. Wayne Morgan Book Prize (adopted in 2019 by council vote at the OAH): The H. Wayne Morgan Prize Committee shall consist of three SHGAPE members. The President shall appoint the members of the committee and designate one as chair. The H. Wayne Morgan Prize is awarded in odd-numbered years tohonor the best book published in political history of United States in the period 1865-1920s. The prize is given in honor of H. Wayne Morgan, who was the George Lynn Cross Research Professor of History at the University of Oklahoma and a foundational historian of the Gilded Age. Books published after the submission deadline but before the end of the second calendar year may be submitted in the following round, with an accompanying explanatory letter. Edited volumes and collections are not eligible. Books translated into English are eligible if they meet other criteria for the prize. The committee shall publicize the prize, set deadlines for submission, determine the winning book, and announce the recipient at the SHGAPE annual luncheon.  The winner of the prize receives a certificate and an honorarium.
  10. The SHGAPE Research Grant (adopted in 2023 by council vote at the OAH): The SHGAPE Research Grant committee shall consist of three SHGAPE members serving one-year terms. The President shall appoint the members of the committee, designating one as chair. The SHGAPE Research Grant will award up to $1500 each year to a single recipient to support research on any topic concerning US history between 1865 and the 1920s.  Eligibility is limited to advanced doctoral students, independent scholars, and contingent faculty who are members of SHGAPE.  The recipient will be notified in December, and the funds may be used any time in the following calendar year for expenses related to furthering research in progress. SHGAPE endorses the American Historical Association’s capacious definition of research expenses. The recipient will be selected on the basis of originality, historical significance, and feasibility of the applicant’s research plan. The recipient will make a public presentation of their research. The recipient will also be honored at the SHGAPE annual luncheon.

11.     Journal of the Gilded Age and Progressive Era.

  1. Definition: The Journal of the Gilded Age and Progressive Era (short title: JGAPE) is the official journal of the Society.
  2. Editorial Board (adopted at AHA 2004): The JGAPE Editorial Board has sixteen members, appointed by the President of the Society on the advice of the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal. The term of appointment is four years, beginning in January. Editorial Board members may be reappointed.
  3. Editors: The Editor-in-Chief is appointed by the President of the Society, with the concurrence of the Council, for a term of five years, which may be renewed. The Book Review Editor is appointed by the President, on the advice of the Editor-in-Chief, for a term of five years, which may be renewed. The Website Editor-in-Chief serves as the Online Editor for the Journal for the duration of his/her term as Website Editor-in-Chief.
  4. Executive Board: The Executive Board shall have responsibility for financial and publishing aspects of the Journal and its relations with and support from the Society. The Executive Board consists of the President, President-elect, Executive Secretary, and Treasurer, and the Editor-in-Chief, all ex officio.
  5. Publisher: Upon the advice of the Editor-in-Chief, and with the approval of the Executive Board, the President shall appoint a publisher, for a term of negotiable length.
  6. Vacancies in office: If the position of editor or book review editor should become vacant, the President shall appoint an interim editor to serve until a new search is conducted.

12.       The SHGAPE Endowment Fund (adopted at OAH 2003).

  1. The Treasurer shall be responsible for the financial management of the Endowment Fund, subject to the advice and consent of the SHGAPE Council. The Treasurer shall report on the financial condition of the Fund to the Council meeting at the annual meeting.
  2. The Council shall approve the expenditure of monies in the Endowment Fund. Only the investment gains from the principal of the Fund shall be available for expenditure, except on vote of three-quarters of the Council. The investment gains from the Fund shall not be spent until the Fund’s principal exceeds $ 10,000.

12.       Roger D. Bridges Distinguished Service Award (adopted at OAH 2006). Each year the Executive Committee of the Council shall, at its discretion, award the Roger D. Bridges Distinguished Service Award to no more than two members of the Society who have contributed especially valuable and distinguished service to the SHGAPE. The President shall announce the recipient(s) at the annual luncheon held during the annual meeting. The recipient(s) of the award shall receive a commemorative plaque or certificate.

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