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 Bylaws – This committee is responsible for effecting the Bylaw changes that resulted from actions of the Board of Governors, making sure the new text is consistent with existing wording. It is also responsible for periodically proposing changes that will keep the Bylaws current, allowing an efficient management of the Society. Membership: A Chair appointed by the President and three additional members: 1) the Board of Governors Parliamentarian, 2) one previous ComSoc President and 3) one sitting Board of Governors Member at Large. The last two members are appointed by the President upon recommendation of the Committee Chair. The Chair and committee members will serve two-year terms concurrent with the President, with one reappointment being allowed.
7.3.3 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.
7.3.4 Distinguished Lecturers Selection – This committee is responsible for establishing selection criteria and for the appointment of lecturers. It is chaired by the Secretary of the Technical Activities Council. Members consist of the Vice President - Technical Activities, Vice President – Member Relations, and the Director - Membership Programs Development.
7.3.5 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 two years with one-third appointed each year.
7.3.6 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.
7.3.7 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. Chair is the Vice President – Member Relations. Voting Members consist of the President, Past President/President-Elect, IEEE Division III Director, IEEE Division III Past Director/Director-Elect and Director – Sister & Related Societies.
7.3.8 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 of 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. 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 signature required for a petition candidate to appear on a ComSoc ballot shall be equal to the number required by the IEEE Bylaw on Nominations and 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.
7.3.9 Operations Review – This committee is responsible for ensuring that appropriate policies and procedures are in place for budget management and financial transparency; delineation of staff-contractor-volunteer responsibilities; delineation of ComSoc and IEEE Corporate responsibilities; and such other matters as the President may target for study and assessment. The committee can also address concerns brought to its attention by any ComSoc member or staff employee, including cases of possible member misconduct. The committee reports to the President, who appoints the committee Chair. Members include the Treasurer, President, Executive Director, Finance Manager and up to five others, appointed by the President in consultation with the Chair. Of the latter, one must be a current member of the BoG and the others must be prior ComSoc officers.
7.3.10 Staff & Facilities – This committee is responsible for providing oversight of the work of the professional staff and making recommendations to the BoG on 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.
7.3.11 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.
7.3.12 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 Secretary 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.
7.3.13 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.
7.3.14 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
