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Elections Process

Candidates can self-nominate or nominate others by sending materials as described below directly to the Chair of the Nominations Committee. The Chair collects the names of proposed candidates. The Chair then meets with the rest of the committee in late winter to discuss the slate of candidates (both submitted by the general membership and by Nominations Committee members).

Candidates are chosen for each position that is coming up for election that year. Three or four candidates are chosen at first, ranked 1–4. The Chair of the Nominations Committee works down the slate by contacting the candidates to see if they are willing to stand for election. Once two candidates agree to stand, the Chair sends the final slate to the AAR Executive Office for presentation to the Board of Directors at the Spring Board meeting, to be approved by a vote of the Board of Directors.

Once the slate of candidates is approved, the AAR Executive Office contacts the candidates to request a photo, bio, and statement for inclusion in the election materials. These materials are printed in the October issue of RSN and are mailed to all members who do not have an e-mail address in the membership system. For those members who do have e-mail addresses, they receive an e-mail announcing the start of the election period with a link to the election slate. They also receive reminders to vote in both the September and October E-bulletins and in personal e-mails.

The elections period varies from year to year, but is usually thirty days in length. In 2013, the elections will be held from Monday, September 23 to Wednesday, October 23.

The day after the elections close (October 24, 2013), the AAR Executive Office tallies the electronic and mailed ballots and reports the results to the Executive Director.

The Executive Director first contacts both the winning and losing candidates, and then announces the election results to the Board via e-mail.

Once the candidates have been contacted and the Board informed, the election results are posted on the website. A further announcement is printed in the March issue of RSN and is mentioned at the Annual Business Meeting at the Annual Meeting.

Candidates take up their positions at the end of the Annual Business Meeting.

Vice President – Serves a one-year term, so candidates run for election every year. The 2014 Vice President will be in line to be confirmed President-Elect in 2015 and President in 2016, and will continue to serve on the Board of Directors as Immediate Past President, for a total of four years of service. In addition to serving on the Board of Directors, the Vice President also serves on the Executive and Program Committees. During his or her tenure, the Vice President will have the opportunity to affect AAR policy in powerful ways; in particular, during the presidential year, the incumbent makes all appointments of members to openings on committees.

Secretary – Serves a three-year term, so candidates run for election every third year. The next election for Secretary will take place in 2014. The Secretary is responsible for recording and verifying the official records of the Board of Directors, the Executive Committee, and the Annual Business Meeting.

Treasurer – Serves a three-year term, so candidates run for election every third year. The next election for Treasurer will take place in 2015. The Treasurer is responsible for all aspect of the AAR finances, from operating budgets to investments. The Treasurer serves on the Executive Committee and chairs the Finance Committee.

Program Unit Director – Serves a three-year term, so candidates run for election every third year. The next election for Program Unit Director will take place in 2013. The Program Unit Director must have prior experience as a Program Unit Chair. He or she will represent the needs and interests of the Program Units to the Board of Directors. This person is also charged with keeping before the Board important matters regarding the Annual Meeting. The Program Unit Director also chairs the Program Committee.

Regions Director – Serves a three-year term, so candidates run for election every third year. The next election for Regions Director will take place in 2015. The Regions Director must have prior experience in the leadership of an AAR region. He or she will represent the needs and interests of the AAR’s ten regions to the Board of Directors. The Regions Director serves on the Planning Committee and is chair of the Regions Committee.

Student Director – Serves a two-year term, so candidates run for election every second year. The Student Director position will be up for election in 2013 and again in 2015. The Student Director is a member of the Board of Directors, representing the particular concerns and issues of AAR student members at large. In addition, the Student Director works with the Graduate Student Committee and serves on the Planning Committee.

At-Large Directors – There are three At-Large Directors serving on the Board of Directors at any given time. Each At-Large Director serves a three-year term, so candidates run for election every third year. This means that there is an election for a new At-Large Director each and every year. At-Large Directors have no particular brief, but may, as needed, be tasked by the Board of Directors with various duties. They are charged to represent the needs and interests of the general AAR membership to the Board of Directors. At-Large Directors have a presence on the Finance, Program, and Planning Committees.

 

This website contains archived issues of Religious Studies News published online from March 2010 to May 2013, and PDF versions of print editions published from Winter 2001 to October 2009.

This site also contains archived issues of Spotlight on Teaching (May 1999 to May 2013) and Spotlight on Theological Education (March 2007 to March 2013).

For current issues of RSN, beginning with the October 2013 issue, please see here.


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