About

ARTICLE 1: NAME AND OBJECTIVE

The name of the Society is The Cognitive Science Society, Inc. The objectives of the Society are to promote Cognitive Science as a discipline and to foster scientific interchange among researchers in the Cognitive Sciences.

ARTICLE 2: MEMBERSHIP

Society membership is open to anyone engaged in scientific endeavors related to Cognitive Science. The Society retains the right to refuse membership to applicants for any or no reason.

The Governing Board will establish membership types, length & term of membership (i.e. one-year, two-year lengths, Jan 1 – Dec 31 terms), and membership dues. A member failing to pay dues shall, unless otherwise determined by the Governing Board, be considered to have resigned from the Society.

ARTICLE 3: GOVERNING BOARD

3.1 Objective: The Governing Board shall exercise general supervision over the affairs of the Society, subject to these Bylaws, as amended from time to time.  The Governing Board shall have full and plenary power to conduct all business, undertake all activities, set all policies, and otherwise govern and control the operations of the Society.  The Governing Board’s powers include, without limitation, the ability to conduct, control, or direct the following activities:

• Setting all policies and practices
• Conducting all business regarding publications
• Determining the composition, goals, and activities of committees
• Establishing rules or procedures regarding membership, officers, or governance, including without limitation setting election or recall procedures
• Supervising and directing the activities of the Executive Director or other managers, and establishing the duties of the same

The Governing Board has the ability and power to conduct any or all of its activities on its own behalf, or through delegates, committees, contractors, agents, or otherwise; delegated powers may be withdrawn or limited at any time at the sole discretion of the Governing Board.

3.2 The Governing Board shall consist of fifteen members (subject to the terms of these Bylaws), elected for staggered terms of six years each. Elected members of the Governing Board may not succeed themselves unless otherwise determined by the Governing Board or as provided in these Bylaws, such as in Sections 3.4 or 5.4. Upon request of the Governing Board, an Officer or Officers shall serve for an additional period of time on the Board as may be required to provide continuity with new Officers.

3.3 The Governing Board will on an ongoing basis appoint a non-voting Graduate Student Representative to the Governing Board of the Cognitive Science Society, to serve a 2-year term. The Graduate Student Representative may participate in assigned committees and is expected to attend the annual meeting and Governing Board meetings.

3.4 Method of Election of Elected Representatives: The President is selected from among current Governing Board members and is elected by the Governing Board. Each elected President will serve for three years, where the first year is served as “President-Elect”, the second as President, and the third as “Past President”. The President may not serve two consecutive terms. The President must be a member of the Governing Board at the time he or she becomes President-Elect. The term of the President as a member of the Governing Board shall be extended if necessary, to cover the whole of their period as President-Elect, President, and Past President. The President shall preside at meetings of the Governing Board and at the Annual Business Meeting.

3.5 Committee Appointments: The Governing Board shall from time to time appoint such committees as it deems necessary to conduct the affairs of the Society.

ARTICLE 4: OFFICERS

4.1 The officers of the Society shall be (a) the President, (b) the President-Elect, (c) the Past President, (d) the Treasurer, and (e) the Executive Officer.

4.2 The Treasurer of the Society shall be the President of the Finance Committee. The Treasurer shall be elected by the Governing Board.

4.3 The Executive Officer shall be elected by the Governing Board to serve a term of three years. The Governing Board may remove the current Executive Officer by a majority vote, at any time and with termination to be effective on a date set by the Governing Board. There shall be no fixed limit on the number of terms the Executive Officer may serve. The Executive Officer shall be responsible for overseeing the day-to-day operations of the Society as directed by the Governing Board.  The Executive Officer is expected to attend and participate in all meetings of the Governing Board, but the Executive Officer is not a member of the Governing Board and may not vote upon any matters before the Governing Board.

ARTICLE 5: ELECTIONS

5.1 Once each year, the Executive Officer shall canvass the membership for nominations of members to serve on the Governing Board. A nominee must have been a member of the Society for at least 3 (not necessarily consecutive) years.

5.2 Unless otherwise determined by the Governing Board, the nominations committee of the Governing Board will select candidates for election by choosing among those nominated by the membership up to a total of three times the number of vacancies, and present the candidates in a report to the Governing Board for approval. Once the full Governing Board has approved the report of the nominations committee, the names shall be placed on an election ballot, which shall be circulated to all members.

5.3 Unless otherwise determined by the Governing Board, twenty-one (21) days after the circulation of the election ballot, the election shall be closed, and the ballots counted. The members receiving the greatest number of votes shall be deemed elected to fill the vacancies on the Governing Board. In case of ties, the then-current President of the Governing Board shall cast the deciding ballot.

5.4 Unless otherwise determined by the Governing Board, in the case of resignation, recall, or death of a member of the Governing Board, the resulting special vacancy shall be filled in conformity with Sections 1, 2, and 3 of this Article above, at the time of the next scheduled election. The special vacancies shall be filled last, with the nominees receiving the most votes filling the regular vacancies. Members elected to fill special vacancies shall only serve the unfilled term of office of that vacancy. However, those members are then eligible for re-election. In the event of a vacancy of one year or less, the Governing Board may appoint a member to serve the unfilled term.

5.5 Each year, if there is no non-North American member of the Governing Board whose term on the Governing Board extends beyond that year, then one seat on the Governing Board will be designated for a non-North American member, who will be elected in conformity with Sections 1, 2, and 3 above, provided that nominations and candidates shall be limited to members not residing in North America, or meeting such other criteria as the Governing Board may designate.

ARTICLE 6: ELECTION RECALL

Upon petition of 10% of the membership, or if otherwise approved by the Governing Board, an election will be held on proposals for the recall of one or more members of the Governing Board. A recall will be effective upon a majority vote of the members. The recalled Governing Board members shall be replaced in accordance with the election or appointment procedures prescribed in Article 5.

ARTICLE 7: MEETINGS

7.1 The Society shall hold scientific meetings at times and places determined by the Governing Board. One of the meetings shall be designated the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society.

7.2 An Annual Business Meeting shall be held in conjunction with the Annual Meeting. Only members of the Society may vote at the Annual Business Meeting. Motions (other than motions to amend the Bylaws, which are addressed in Article 9 below) at the Annual Business Meeting require a simple majority of members for passage.

7.3 The President shall convene a meeting of the Governing Board at least once a year to discuss Society business.

ARTICLE 8: PUBLICATIONS

The Society shall publish such programs, abstracts of scientific papers, and lists of membership, as the Governing Board shall authorize. The Governing Board shall oversee the publication of scientific journals related to the mission of the Society, delegating responsibilities therefor as it sees fit.

ARTICLE 9: AMENDMENTS

The Governing Board shall consider any amendments to the Bylaws proposed by the Governing Board itself or the membership. If an amendment passes a vote with a two-thirds majority of the Governing Board, it should be presented to the membership for a vote. The amendment then may pass if it obtains a majority of votes cast.

ARTICLE 10: CORPORATE SEAL

The corporate seal of the corporation shall consist of the words “The Cognitive Science Society, Inc. Corporate Seal” and may be affixed to any document by writing, typewriting, impression, or other means.

ARTICLE 11: FISCAL MANAGEMENT

The fiscal year of the Society shall be the calendar year, i.e., January 1 to December 31. A year-end financial report of the Society shall be prepared by the Treasurer (with the assistance of any applicable business manager) annually and presented to the Governing Board for approval.

The approved annual financial reports will be presented at the Annual Meeting to the membership.

The Society shall have an audit performed roughly (and no less than) every 5 years.

(Last updated July 2023)