IEEE Communications Society Bylaws - Article 7 - Standing (and Ad Hoc Committees)

7.1 Standing Committees of the Society and their alignments under Society officers are:

7.2 Policies and procedures will be proposed by each committee Chair with the approval of the designated Society officer.

7.3 Standing Committee Descriptions

7.3.1 Awards – This committee is responsible for all major awards and recognitions made or proposed by the Society.  It consists of a Chair, appointed by the President upon recommendation of the Vice President - Technical Activities and not less than twelve (12) members appointed by the Chair for three-year terms upon the approval of the Vice President - Technical Activities.  One-third of the members are appointed each year.  Committee members may not provide nominations or reference letters while in office, nor participate in deliberations on awards or recognitions for which they may be under consideration.

7.3.2 Communications History – Communications History is responsible for identifying, placing in electronic archives, and raising public awareness through all appropriate steps on the most important facts/person/achievements of communications history in particular, as well as telecommunication milestones in general. The committee consists of a Chair, appointed by the President upon recommendation of the VP-Technical Activities and 3 members appointed by the Chair on approval of the VP-Technical Activities for three-year terms, one member appointed each year.

7.3.3 Distinguished Lecturers Selection – This committee is responsible for establishing selection criteria and for the appointment of lecturers. It is chaired by the Vice Chair of the Technical Activities Council. Members consist of the Vice President – Technical Activities, Vice President – Member Relations, the Director – Membership Programs Development, and the Chair of Emerging Technologies Committee.

7.3.4 Emerging Technologies – This committee is responsible for identifying, describing, and nurturing new technology directions, recommending new programs, nurturing potential technical committees for formal proposal via the Vice President - Technical Activities. The Chair is appointed by the President from among members of the Strategic Planning Committee with the recommendation of the Vice President – Technical Activities. Additional members are appointed by the Chair with the consent of the Vice President – Technical Activities and must include at least one more member from Strategic Planning. The committee will have six members appointed for three years with one-third appointed each year. In addition, the Editor-in-Chief of IEEE Communications Magazine and the Editor-in-Chief of IEEE Journal of Selected Areas in Communications are members of the committee.

7.3.5 Fellow Evaluation – This committee is responsible for the Society's evaluation of Fellow nominations being considered by the IEEE Fellow Committee. It consists of a Chair, appointed by the President with the recommendation of the Vice President - Technical Activities, and nine members. Each member is appointed by the Chair to a three-year term upon approval of the Vice President - Technical Activities, one-third of the members being appointed each year. Chair and members must be IEEE Fellows and Members of the Society.

7.3.6 Finance – This committee is responsible for facilitating the Society's budget process and for managing and providing direction in all aspects of Society financial matters. The committee meets twice a year at ICC/GLOBECOM. The committee is chaired by the Treasurer and includes the President, Past or President-Elect, Vice Presidents, CIO, Executive Director, and the representative from each MAL class.

7.3.7 GLOBECOM/ICC Management and Strategy (GIMS) – This committee is responsible for the successful conduct, strategic evolution, and policies of the IEEE Global Communications Conference (GLOBECOM) and the IEEE International Conference on Communications (ICC). The committee structure and operation is detailed in the GIMS charter. The voting members of the GIMS committee are: a Chair, three or four Members-at-Large, three past members of an ICC or GLOBECOM Organizing Committee, and the GITC committee Chair. The committee chair is appointed by the President with recommendation of the Vice President – Conferences. The other members are appointed by the Chair with approval of the Vice President – Conferences.

7.3.8 GLOBECOM/ICC Technical Content (GITC) – This committee is responsible for providing strategic vision and management of the technical content of GLOBECOM and ICC to guarantee timeliness and the highest level of quality. The committee structure and operation is detailed in the GITC charter. The voting members of the GITC committee are: a Chair, two to four members identified by the Technical Activities Council, three past ICC or GLOBECOM Technical Program Chairs, and the GIMS committee Chair. The committee chair is appointed by the President with recommendation of the Vice President – Conferences and the Vice President – Technical Activities. The other members are appointed by the Chair with approval of the Vice President – Conferences and the Vice President – Technical Activities.

7.3.9 Governance – This committee is responsible for reviewing proposed Bylaw changes in advance of BoG meetings and also effecting the Bylaw changes that result from actions of the BoG, making sure the new text is consistent with existing Bylaws, the ComSoc Constitution and other IEEE governing documents. It is also responsible for periodically proposing changes that will keep the Society´s governing documents, including Policies & Procedures, current, allowing an efficient management of the Society. Membership: Chair appointed by the President, the Parliamentarian and up to three additional members appointed by the President upon recommendation of the Committee Chair, and should include one previous ComSoc President and one sitting Member at Large. The Chair and committee members will serve two-year terms concurrent with the President, with one reappointment allowed.

7.3.10 IEEE/ComSoc Coordination – this committee is responsible for the Society’s internal coordination and cooperation with IEEE entities and for enhancing Society relations with IEEE governance and staff. The chair is appointed by the President based upon recommendation of the VP-Member Relation. Voting members consist of the President, VP-Member Relations, Past President/President Elect, IEEE Division III Director, IEEE Division III Past Director/Director-Elect and Director- Sister & Related Societies.

7.3.11 Nominations & Elections – This committee is responsible for selecting candidates to fill Society offices, and for the development, implementation and supervision of election procedures. It consists of nine voting members, each appointed by the President, upon recommendation by the Chair, for a three-year term, one-third of the members being appointed each year. At least one annual appointee must not be a member of the BoG. Immediately after being elected and officially announced, the President-Elect becomes an ex officio non-voting committee member.

The committee is chaired by Past Presidents. Each President spends the first year after his/her term of office as an ex officio voting committee member. This Past President assumes the Chair the following year (an odd-numbered year) and serves for two years. If the Past President is unable to serve, the President will appoint a Chair for a similar period, with the approval of the BoG. The Chair shall not be eligible to be elected to the BoG during his/her term of service. A committee member may be nominated for a position only if (i) the nomination is not made by a member of the committee, and (ii) the member resigns from the committee prior to its first meeting of the year in which the nomination shall be made. Meetings of this committee will always be held in Executive Session. The number of signatures required for a petition candidate to appear on a ComSoc ballot shall be equal to the number required by the IEEE Bylaw on Nominations & Appointments. All nominations, whether by petition or by a majority vote of the committee, must be made at least 28 days prior to the date of election. The operation of the committee is detailed in its policies and procedures.

7.3.12 Operations & Facilities – This committee is responsible for supporting the President in making recommendations to the BoG on operations, facilities and related capital expenses.  It is chaired by the President and includes the following as members who serve for the duration of the President’s term:

• CIO
• Treasurer
• Four members appointed by the President from among volunteer BoG officers
• One member appointed by the President from among volunteers who are not on the BoG

The Executive Director is an ex-officio non-voting member of this committee. The Committee may approve the participation of invited experts as required by the agenda items. Meetings of this committee will always be held in Executive Session.

7.3.13 Strategic Planning – This committee is responsible for preparing a long-term strategic plan to guide the direction and future of the Society and for preparing short-term plans to direct specific areas, as appropriate. It consists of a Chair and up to 10 members all appointed by the President for the term of his/her office. One of the members is the Chair of Emerging Technologies Committee.

7.3.14 Technical Committees Recertification – This committee recommends the establishment of new Technical Committees and reviews current committees to determine whether they are fulfilling their responsibilities. The committee is chaired by the Vice President – Technical Activities and includes the TAC Vice Chair and six members, each appointed for a three-year term. One-third of the members are appointed each year by the Vice President – Technical Activities from among Members-at-Large of the BoG. Committee members who are also officers of Technical Committees under review must excuse themselves from deliberations related to their Technical Committee.

7.4 Standing Committees may have additional or fewer members as determined by the President on an exception basis and for a designated term. Additional members are appointed in consultation with the appropriate Vice President and Standing Committee Chair.

7.5 The President shall inform the Board of Governors in the first formal meeting of his term the roster of all Standing Committees.

7.6 Standing Committees with defined scopes and responsibilities may be created by majority vote of the BoG.

7.7 Ad Hoc Committees may be established by the President to address broad technical or operational issues within the Society or IEEE. Chair and members are appointed by the President. President will report the composition, mission, and duration of the committee to the BoG. OpCom will review Ad Hoc Committees annually and recommend whether they should continue, disband, or be elevated to Standing Committees.