The International Organization for
Septuagint and Cognate Studies

IOSCS BYLAWS

1. NAME OF ORGANIZATION: The name of the organization is "The International Organization for Septuagint and Cognate Studies" (also known by its acronym IOSCS).

2. PURPOSE OF ORGANIZATION: IOSCS is a nonprofit, learned society formed to promote international research in and study of the Jewish Greek anthology known as the Septuagint and related texts. By the term Septuagint is meant the most ancient translations of the Jewish scriptures into Greek, including both the translation of the Pentateuch (the Septuagint proper) and that of the other "Old Greek" texts that came to be included in the larger collection. By the term cognate studies is meant the study of other early translations into Greek (e.g. "the three") as well as of the ancient translations made from the Septuagint ("daughter versions") and the "parabiblical" Jewish literature circulating around the turn of the era.

3. MEMBERSHIP: Membership shall be available to any individual or institution upon payment of the annual membership dues. Only individual membership carries voting privileges at meetings of the organization.

4. MEMBERSHIP DUES: Except for honorary members (see article 15), all members shall be assessed annual membership dues, which shall be set by the membership upon the recommendation of the executive committee.

5. ANNUAL MEETINGS: The members of the organization shall be convened annually by notification of the secretary at least two months in advance of the meeting. The annual meeting shall be convened by the president or the president's delegate and conducted, unless otherwise indicated in these bylaws, according to most current edition of Robert's Rules of Order. Should a member have a conflict of interest on any motion presented to the meeting, that member shall declare such conflict and shall not take part in its discussion or in the vote on the motion.

6. QUORUM: The quorum for the annual meeting shall be fifteen (15) members in good standing.

7. GOVERNANCE OF IOSCS: The governance of the IOSCS shall be the responsibility of an executive committee composed of five officers (president, vice-president, secretary, treasurer, and the immediate past president), the editors of its publications, and up to nine members at large. The executive committee shall carry on the business of the organization with full powers of implementation between meetings of the membership. It shall report its actions at the following annual meeting of the membership for homologation.

8. ELECTION AND TERMS OF TENURE: The report of the nominating committee (see article 20) shall be presented to the annual meeting by the executive committee, and the nominees shall be elected by majority vote of members present. Other nominations may be made at the meeting by a mover and seconder, in which case such an election shall be by secret ballot. All terms of office shall be for three years. The number of members at large shall not exceed nine total, with one third of them selected each year in a three year rotation. Members at large who have served for two consecutive terms may not be renominated until at least one year out of office has passed. Presidents and vice-presidents may not serve for more than two consecutive terms. Other elected and appointed members shall not normally serve for more than two consecutive terms, but may be renominated or reappointed.

9. PRESIDENT: The president shall preside at meetings of the membership, as well as at meetings of the executive committee. Should the president be unable to preside, the vice-president shall preside; should both the president and the vice-president be unable to preside, a former president of the organization shall preside, or a proxy appointed by the president. The president shall be an ex officio member of all standing and ad hoc committees and shall be deemed the chief executive officer of the organization.

10. VICE-PRESIDENT: The duties of the vice-president shall be to substitute for the president when the president is unable to preside and to serve as assigned by the executive committee.

11. SECRETARY: The secretary shall record the transactions of the organization at its meetings, keep its records, and undertake the official correspondence for the organization. The secretary shall also maintain a list of members who have email addresses.

12. TREASURER: The treasurer shall oversee collection of the membership dues for the organization, maintain or monitor a bank account for its moneys, be responsible for all payments incumbent on it, keep a record of all income and disbursements, present all necessary records for examination by the auditing committee, and distribute an audited financial statement to the annual meeting with the treasurer's report.

13. EDITORS: Editors for publications of the organization, including electronic publications, are appointed by the executive committee subject to ratification by a majority of the membership present at the annual meeting preceding the start of the editor‘s term.

14. MEMBERS AT LARGE: Up to nine members at large (three each year, for three year terms) drawn from the general IOSCS membership shall serve on the executive committee (article 18) to provide guidance in the decision making process, with full voting privileges.

15. HONORARY MEMBERS: The organization may elect honorary members in perpetuity, who shall thereupon have full rights of membership, but shall not be subject to membership dues assessment. Only in exceptional cases shall such election extend beyond those who have served as president of the organization. Nominations for this office shall be made by the executive committee and voted upon by secret ballot.

16. VACANCIES: Should an officer of the organization resign or for some reason be unable to function, the executive committee may appoint a substitute who shall serve in such office until the next meeting of the membership, at which time an election for the remainder of such a term shall be held.

17. STANDING COMMITTEES: There shall be three standing committees: executive committee, auditing committee, and nominating committee.

18. EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE: The executive committee is the main governing body of the IOSCS, as defined in article 7, and serves under the convenership of the president. Decisions for executive committee action may be made by electronic poll, by post, or at a meeting. Majority approval shall be binding.

19. AUDITING COMMITTEE: An auditing committee consisting of two people with financial experience shall prepare an audit of the treasurer's report (see bylaw 12), in consultation with the treasurer, for presentation to the annual meeting. Members of this committee shall be appointed annually by the president upon advice of the nominating committee and the treasurer.

20. NOMINATING COMMITTEE: A nominating committee of three persons (rotating, one each year for three year terms) shall be appointed by the executive committee, to prepare a slate of nominations for officers and members at large (see articles 7-8) as well as for standing committees (but see article 21) and ad hoc committees, to be submitted to the annual meeting. Further nominations may be made by any member present at such a meeting, after which voting shall be by secret ballot (see article 8).

21. PROGRAM(ME) COMMITTEE: A program(me) committee may be appointed on the advice of the president to serve during his presidency. Its function shall be the organizing of IOSCS programs for scholarly interchanges for and among its members.

22. AD HOC COMMITTEES: The executive committee or the membership may appoint ad hoc committees for specific purposes, but such committees shall not continue beyond the next meeting of the organization unless they are initially conceived of as longer term or are reappointed on an annual basis. All ad hoc committees must report to the next annual meeting.

23. RESEARCH PROJECTS: The IOSCS through its executive committee may sponsor research projects with specified objectives, in collaboration with academic institutions or funding agencies, if deemed appropriate. Officers of such projects will be appointed or approved by the IOSCS executive committee for the requisite terms, normally no longer than five years, renewable. The organizational structure of each project shall be approved by the IOSCS executive committee, and a report from the project submitted to the IOSCS membership at each annual meeting.

24. DISSOLUTION: Should the organization cease to exist, its funds shall be transferred to an entity legally entitled as a nonprofit organization, approved by IOSCS.

25. AMENDMENT OF BYLAWS: Amendments to the bylaws may be made by notice of motion presented to the membership at least two months in advance of the next annual meeting. Such notices of motion shall be supported by the executive committee or by at least three members and transmitted to the organization through the executive committee, which shall transfer such notice of motion without change or comment to the membership with the notice of meeting. Approval by three-quarters of the membership present at such a meeting shall be required for any such change in the bylaws.