The responsibilities of Region and Section leaders fall into 6 main categories:
- General ISA Obligations
- Individual Bylaw/Charter Requirements (including elections and re-chartering)
- Finances
- Annual Convention Commitments (including panel allocations and non-panel events)
- Individual Sponsored Awards
- Individual/Co-Sponsored Conferences
General ISA Obligations
The major responsibility of a Region President or a Section Chair is to see that the Region or Section is active in the achievement of its objectives and to see that the governance processes are carried forward in accordance with the Region Bylaws or Section Charter.
The Region President or Section Chair is required to facilitate and/or participate in the following duties:
- Participate in the ISA Governing Council at the ISA Annual Convention.
- Attend the Region or Section meetings scheduled to take place at the Annual Convention (attendance by the President/Chair and all of the officers is requested).
- If the ISA President or Governing Council calls a meeting of Region or Section Leaders, it must be attended by the President/Chair and Officers.
- Notify ISA Headquarters of any changes to the leadership, Bylaws, or Charter of the Region/Section within thirty days after the change occurs.
- Prepare an Annual Report to the ISA Governing Council regarding the membership, activities, and accomplishments of the Region or Section. (This shall be delivered to ISA Headquarters on or before January 15th each year.)
- Provide ISA Headquarters with the Region or Section’s contribution to the Governing Council Meeting Agenda, due at least one month prior to the commencement of the ISA Annual Convention.
- Conduct Meetings in accordance with the Region Bylaws or Section Charter.
- Notify ISA Headquarters regarding details and participation of the Annual Region or Section Conference, including deadline dates for calls for papers, dates and locations.
- Maintain records of Region or Section Meetings and Minutes.
Individual Charter/Bylaw Requirements
Several Regions and Sections maintain their charters on their own individual websites (which can be found at Regions and Sections). Meanwhile, ISA HQ maintains PDF copies of individual section charters at http://www.isanet.org/sections. Many sections have also placed archived Word versions of Section Charters with ISA HQ and are obtainable from Andrea Gerlak, Director of Academic Development, upon request, subject to availability.
Elections
Each Region/Section has established a set of Bylaws that mandate the election terms and procedures for the Region's and Section’s Officers. It is recommended that Region Presidents/Section Chairs and other Region/Section Officers serve two-year terms so as to provide for continuity of leadership and institutional memory of the Region Bylaws/Section Charter.
Re-Chartering
Every five years a Section must be re-chartered by the Governing Council at that year’s Annual ISA Meeting. Failure to do so will result in the dissolution of the Section along with its assets and/or liabilities accruing to the ISA. For a timeline of specific charter expiration dates and guidelines for the re-chartering process, please see Section Re-Chartering.
Finances
It is the responsibility of the Region/Section Leaders to coordinate with ISA HQ to manage the account balance of the Region/Section and oversee the expenditure of Region/Section accounts. This includes the disposition of any grants or contracts received by the Region/Section and any anticipation of the account being overdrawn.
Legal Standing
Regions and Sections are not separate legal entities, thus have no financial or legal autonomy as such. Regions and Sections do not have their own bank accounts but instead their finances are conducted through ISA HQ. Regions and Sections have no authority to sign contracts- any contracts signed must be cleared through ISA Headquarters (or signed by ISA Headquarters).
Funds Disbursement
Requests for checks on behalf of the Region or Section and questions regarding the account balance of the Region or Section should be submitted to Dana Larsen, Director of Administration, isa@email.arizona.edu. Please anticipate one week’s time for check requests to be processed and mailed from ISA headquarters. All disbursement of funds is based on receipts for expenditures. (Please note: ISA does not pay honoraria.)
ISA HQ Coordination
Each Region and Section shall maintain an account at ISA Headquarters and shall receive quarterly statements detailing its activity. Financial Statements can be requested from Lyn Brabant, ISA Office Manager, embrabant@isanet.org. Any questions about financial matters for Regions or Sections should be directed to Dana Larsen, Director of Administration, isa@isanet.org.
Annual Convention Commitments
Regions and Sections are integral elements of ISA and have significant roles at the Annual ISA Convention. These include non-panel events and section panel allocations. For details regarding these Convention Commitments, see Annual Convention Tools.
Individual Sponsored Awards
In addition to the awards created by the Governing Council and awarded from ISA general funds every year, many Regions and Sections maintain awards from their own funds. While some choose to integrate these into their Annual ISA Convention activities, others reserve them for Individual/Co-Sponsored Conferences or other outside activities. For details regarding awards, contact Angelica Robison, ISA's Communication Coordinator, isa@isanet.org. Region/Section leaders may also find helpful information regarding Individual Sponsored Awards at Section Summaries and Region/Section Awards.
Individual/Co-Sponsored Conferences
In addition to the Annual ISA Convention, all regions and some sections choose to put on smaller conferences for their members. These conferences are intended to provide a forum for the exchange of scholarship within the Region/Section, as well as the dissemination of ideas and the optimization of graduate student involvement. For details regarding Individual/Co-Sponsored Conferences, see Region/Section Conference Tools.
