(Adopted: October 8, 1985; Amended: October 8, 1991, October 9, 1994, September 28, 2001, October 10, 2003, October 6, 2006, October 4, 2012; October 17, 2014; October 5, 2023)

[A] NAME

The name of this section shall be the “North Midwest Section” of the American Society for Engineering Education.

[B] OBJECTIVES

The objectives of this section are identical with the objectives of the Society as set out in the ASEE Constitution, with an emphasis on those objectives that pertain to the North Midwest Section.  Specifically, the section shall undertake the following objectives:

1. Promote the scholarship of engineering and engineering technology education within the North Midwest Section through fellowship and friendship.
2. Create a favorable climate for the growth of the educational community – technically, professionally, and socially.
3. Cultivate a kindred spirit among teachers, researchers, administrators, industry practitioners, and government representatives.
4. Promote efforts to acquire increased breadth of outlook and insight into the activities and trends of the Society.
5. Promote collegiality among member institutions.
6. Develop effective teachers, advisors, and administrators.
7. Promote excellence in teaching and learning, research, public service, and practice.

[C] STATEMENT ON DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION

The North Midwest Section is committed to fostering collaborative and inclusive environments that value equity and celebrate diversity.  The North Midwest Section commits to ensuring that we continually challenge ourselves to deepen and broaden our understanding of inequities, so that we are prepared to take action to transform our Section, ASEE, our institutions, universities, and the whole of the engineering community.  More information can be found on ASEE’s Statement on Diversity and Inclusiveness and the ASEE SEFI Joint Statement on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.

[D] MEMBERSHIP

The members of this section shall be those members of the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) who identify to ASEE their wish to be affiliated with the group each year.

1. Membership within the Section shall be both Institutional and Individual.
2. Institutional Memberships are identified as: Engineering Institutional Membership, Technology Institutional Membership, and Affiliate Institutional Membership. All Institutional Memberships are defined as an institute of higher learning located within the geographical boundaries of the Section with an academic program in engineering and/or engineering technology.
3. Engineering Institutional Membership is offered to institutions that have at least one engineering program accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission (EAC) of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) or the Canadian Engineering Accreditation Board (CEAB).
4. Technology Institutional Membership is offered to institutions that have at least one engineering technology program accredited by the Engineering Technology Accreditation Commission (ETAC) of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET).
5. Affiliate Institutional Membership is offered to institutions with engineering or engineering technology programs that are not accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) and to institutions that offer accredited or non-accredited associate degree programs in engineering technology. This includes community colleges and technology schools that wish to become more involved in engineering and engineering technology education.
6. An Individual Membership is defined as a member of the Society whose primary residence is located within the geographical boundaries of the Section.
7. The Section does not charge dues for either Institutional or Individual Membership.

[E] ORGANIZATION

The section shall be administered by an Executive Committee composed of the Chair, Chair-Elect, Past Chair, Secretary, Treasurer, Section Campus Representative, Diversity Liaison, Current Conference Chair, Awards Chair, Website Coordinator, Newsletter Editor, Future Conference Chair, and Past Conference Chair.  There will also be one at-large officer from a member institution and one at-large industry representative to serve in an advisory role.

[F] OFFICERS

1. The section’s elected and appointed officers shall be:
   • Chair – serving a term of two years and succeeding to the position of Past Chair.
   • Chair-Elect – serving a term of two years and succeeding to the position of Chair.
   • Secretary – serving a term of two years.
   • Treasurer – serving a term of two years.
   • Section Campus Representative – serving a term of two years.
   • Conference Chair – serving a term of two years and succeeding to the position of Past Conference Chair.
   • Future Conference Chair – appointed by the Executive Committee, serving a term of two years, and succeeding to the position of Conference Chair.
   • Past Chair – serving a term of two years.
   • Past Conference Chair – serving a term of two years.
   • Awards Chair – appointed by the Executive Committee, serving a term of two years.
   • Newsletter Editor – appointed by the Executive Committee, serving a term of two years.
   • Website Coordinator – appointed by the Executive Committee, serving a term of two years.
   • Diversity Liaison – appointed by the Executive Committee, serving a term of two years.
   • At-large institutional representative – appointed by the Executive Committee, serving a term of two years.
   • At-large industry representative – appointed by the Executive Committee, serving a term of two years.
2. The Chair and other elected officers shall assume their duties at the close of the section’s business meeting conducted at the annual meeting of the Society.  Appointed officers shall assume their duties upon appointment.
3. In the event of the resignation or death of one of the officers of the Executive Committee, the vacated office shall be filled for the duration of the unexpired term by a person to be appointed by vote of the Executive Committee, except that:
   •  in the event of the resignation or death of the Chair, the Chair-Elect shall take office as Chair immediately, serving out the duration of the unexpired term followed by the term to which he/she was elected.
   •  in the event of the resignation or death of the Chair-Elect, a special election shall be conducted within 30 days to elect a new Chair-Elect and the Executive Committee may, at its discretion, appoint a person to fulfill the duties of the Chair-Elect until the position is filled by election.
   •  in the event of the resignation or death of the Past Chair, the vacated office shall not be filled for the duration of the unexpired term.

[G] DUTIES OF OFFICERS

1. The CHAIR shall:
   • Have administrative responsibility for the conduct of all functions of the section in accordance with these bylaws and the policies and procedures established by the Executive Committee.
   • Schedule, organize, and conduct annual business meetings of the section and all meetings of the Executive Committee.
   • Appoint all standing committees authorized by these bylaws and special committees authorized by the Executive Committee.
   • Compile an annual report of the activities of the section as requested by the Secretary of the Society.
   • Assure that official cash disbursement signatures are on file at Society headquarters and approve all expenditures of Society funds.
   • Serve as a representative to the Zone III Council.
   • Inform the ASEE Executive Director and the Chair of Zone III of all activities related to the Section.
   • Write letters of appreciation to all Section Officers, with copies to their deans, at the close of their terms of office
2. The CHAIR-ELECT shall:
   • Act for the Chair at business meetings and Executive Committee meetings in the event of the Chair’s absence.
   • Succeed the Chair upon completion of his/her term in office.
   • Take office as Chair, as specified in [E-3-a] above, in the event of the resignation or death of the Chair before his/her term is completed.
   • Serve as a representative to the Zone III Council.
3. The CONFERENCE CHAIR shall:
   • Arrange and coordinate the section’s activities at the Section conference.
   • Work with the Executive Committee to develop technical programs in accordance with the section’s objectives.
   • Determine the time and location for the conference.
   • Invite speakers and oversee the conference committee.
4. The TREASURER shall:
   • Oversee and maintain the financial records of the section and regularly report on financial status to the Executive Committee.
   • Collect section income, if any, and disburse monies authorized by the section Chair.
   • Keep records of all the section’s outstanding receivables and payables.
   • Ensure that all the section’s financial activities conform to the standards and procedures set forth in the ASEE Financial Policy Manual, which is available from the ASEE Accounting department.
5. The SECRETARY shall:
   • Record the minutes of Executive Committee meetings and the annual business meeting and distribute copies of the minutes to appropriate section and Society officers.
   • Be responsible for the official records of the Executive Committee and the section and ensure that the files of the section are passed along to his/her successor.
   • Tabulate, verify, and communicate the results of section elections and other ballots.
6. The SECTION CAMPUS REPRESENTATIVE shall:
   • Serve as a representative to the Zone III council.
   • Serve as a focal point for all Section related campus representative activities.
   • Arrange for a campus representative meeting to be held at the Section Conference.
   • In consultation with the Section Chair, submit the selection of the Section Outstanding Campus Representative to the Chair of Zone III as a nomination for the Zone III Outstanding Campus Representative.
   • Work with all Campus Representatives within the Section to promote the recruiting and retention of ASEE membership.
7. The PAST CHAIR shall:
   • Serve on the Executive Committee and, upon appointment, on such other standing and ad hoc committees as the section may establish.
8. The AWARDS CHAIR shall:
   • Lead the Awards Selection Committee in selecting recipients of the section’s Outstanding Teaching Award and the section conference Best Paper Award in accordance with the provisions of each award and the policies and procedures established for awards by the Executive Committee of the section.
   • Promptly communicate awardee selection and information to ASEE headquarters.
   • Notify awardee and nominator of selection and of presentation details.
   • Plan the presentation ceremony.
   • Notify nominators whose nominees were not selected.
   • Keep the Executive Committee informed about the activities and progress of the Awards Committee.
9. The NEWSLETTER EDITOR shall:
   • Collect, evaluate, and edit material for periodic newsletters to the section membership.
10. The WEBSITE COORDINATOR shall:
    • Develop and maintain the section’s web site.
    • Ensure that the section web site adheres to the policies and standards of the Society as to privacy and all other internet issues.
11. The DIVERSITY LIAISON shall:
    • Serve as the Section’s delegate to ASEE’s Commission on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (CDEI).
    • Oversee the Best Diversity Paper Committee and submit the results to the Zone III

[H] ELECTION AND APPOINTMENT OF OFFICERS

1. The Nominating Committee shall nominate candidates for each elected office for which the term is due to expire at the next annual business meeting.  Officers to be elected by vote of the section members are Chair-Elect, Secretary, Treasurer, and Section Campus Representative.
2. Additional nominations for any elective office may be made at the annual meeting by presentation of such nominations in writing with the signatures of at least two section members who are present at the meeting.  These additional nominees shall be voted on along with the nominees selected by the Nominating Committee.
3. Except in the case of a special election necessitated by the resignation or death of the Chair-Elect, as required in [E-3-b] above, election of officers shall be conducted by written ballot among those members of the section present at the annual business meeting.  Special elections may be conducted by email, providing that those members of the section who do not have email addresses on record have the opportunity to vote by other means, such as mail or fax.
4. Non-Elected Officers may be reappointed after the completion of their term.

[I] COMMITTEES

1. The Executive Committee shall establish such standing and ad hoc committees as it deems necessary to carry out the activities of the section.
2. At least two standing committees shall be maintained: the Nominating Committee and the Awards Committee.
3. The Nominating Committee consists of at least three Executive Committee officers: the Past Chair, if there is one, with other officers appointed by the Chair.  The Past Chair shall serve as the Nominating Committee Chair.  If there is no Past Chair, the Chair shall appoint one officer of the committee to serve as the Nominating Committee Chair.
4. The Section Outstanding Teaching Award Committee consists of at least three Executive Committee officers: the Awards Chair, if there is one, with other officers appointed by the Chair.  The Awards Chair shall serve as the Section Outstanding Teaching Award Committee Chair.  If there is no Awards Chair, the Chair shall appoint one officer of the committee to serve as the Section Outstanding Teaching Award Committee Chair.
5. The Section Best Paper Committee consists of at least three Executive Committee officers: the Awards Chair, if there is one, with other officers appointed by the Chair.  The Awards Chair shall serve as the Section Best Paper Committee Chair.  If there is no Awards Chair, the Chair shall appoint one officer of the committee to serve as the Section Best Paper Committee Chair.
6. The Best Diversity Paper Committee consists of at least three Executive Committee officers: the Diversity Liaison, if there is one, with other officers appointed by the Chair.  The Diversity Liaison shall serve as the Awards Committee Chair.  If there is no Diversity Liaison, the Chair shall appoint one officer of the committee to serve as the Best Diversity Paper Committee Chair.

[J] MEETINGS & ACTIVITIES

1. An annual business meeting of the section shall be held at the annual Section Conference.  If there is no Section Conference, the business meeting shall be held at the annual conference of the Society.  Those members present at the meeting shall constitute a quorum.  The business meeting shall include at least:
   • Reports from the incumbent officers on the section’s activities for the preceding year, membership, and finances.
   • Election of officers for the following year.
   • Presentation of section awards unless the section schedules a separate function for that purpose.
2. The Executive Committee shall hold regular meetings during the annual Section Conference and special meetings throughout the year as called by the Chair.  Those officers of the Executive Committee present at meetings of the Executive Committee shall constitute a quorum.
3. The Executive Committee may establish such other activities as deemed desirable to promote the objectives of the section.
4. All meetings of the section are open to all interested persons.  Only officers of the Executive Committee, however, are eligible to vote on Executive Committee matters and only members of the section are eligible to vote on section-wide matters, including the election of officers.

[K] PUBLICATIONS

1. The section shall produce and distribute such publications as the Executive Committee deems appropriate to promote the objectives of the section.
2. In accordance with Article VIII of the ASEE Constitution, papers and discussions presented at meetings of ASEE and the councils or groups therein shall become the property of ASEE and may be published as ASEE series, miscellaneous, or occasional publications if authorized by the Board of Directors or its delegated representative.  The ASEE Board of Directors, through its delegated representative, may grant permission to publish such papers and discussions elsewhere on condition that ASEE receive proper credit or may waive any property right ASEE may have in the paper or discussion.  Papers not accepted for publication shall be returned to the authors and shall no longer be considered the property of the Society.

[L] AMENDMENTS

The Bylaws of the Section can only be amended by a two-thirds majority vote of the Section membership in attendance at the annual Section Business Meeting. The Bylaws of the Section may also be amended by a two-thirds majority vote of the Section membership participating in an electronic survey, i.e., electronic vote.

Current Bylaws October 5, 2023