Bylaws

    1. Mission
      Binghamton University's Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities (IASH) encourages and supports faculty research in the humanities, fosters collegiality and collaboration across disciplines, promotes humanities scholarship on and off campus, supports humanities research among graduate and undergraduate students, and helps to recruit and retain the university's top faculty.
    2. Leadership
      1. Director
        1. The Director is vetted and elected by the members of the Advisory Board.  (For the Board's makeup, see C below.)  In the fall before the sitting Director finishes his or her term, the Advisory Board will solicit nominations for names for suitable faculty from the appropriate disciplines, and will vote on the finalists.  Their selection must be approved by the Harpur Dean, who will then appoint the new Director for an initial, renewable three-year term.  The Director can serve two consecutive terms if the Board and Dean approve, but then must step away for at least one term.
        2. The Director reports to and is accountable to the Provost’s Office, which initiated the establishment of the Institute, and works closely with the Dean of Harpur College.
        3. The Director executes IASH’s policies and administers its affairs, in regular consultation with the Advisory Board.  This includes planning the year’s programming, including IASH workshops, undergraduate courses, and grant-writing groups; preparing the annual ORC report; supervising and assessing the staff; overseeing the IASH website; applying for institutional grants, when appropriate; promoting IASH, its activities, and the humanities generally within the University and the broader community; and making budgetary decisions. The Director shall also represent IASH at meetings of New York's Humanities Centers Initiative and at national meetings of groups that promote the humanities, such as the National Humanities Alliance (NHA) and the Consortium of Humanities Centers and Institutes (CHCI).
        4. The Director is responsible for calling and chairing all meetings of the Advisory Board and is a voting participant. The Director will report to the Advisory Board on all significant matters concerning IASH.
      2. Associate Director
        1. The Director appoints an Associate Director to serve coterminous with the director.
        2. The Associate Director works closely with the Director to administer IASH's activities. The Associate Director will become interim Director and assume the Director's duties in the Director's absence.  The Associate Director is a voting participant in Advisory Board meetings.
      3. Advisory Board
        1. The Advisory Board consists of between 5 and 9 members of the faculty whose research and teaching are centered in the humanities, broadly defined.  Board members are selected by the Director with attention to diversity and inclusion, as well as disciplinary coverage. Members of the Advisory Board are appointed by the Director to staggered three-year terms. Membership is limited to two consecutive terms, after which the Board member must step away for at least one term.
        2. The Advisory Board is responsible for advising the Director on annual programming, selecting recipients of faculty and doctoral fellowships and nominees for other fellowship opportunities, spearheading and sharing ideas for new initiatives, strategic planning, hosting events when required, and attending Board meetings.  Board members may also be active in building partnerships with community cultural organizations and funding agencies.
    3. Faculty and Graduate Student Fellowships
      1. One of IASH's top priorities is to fund Faculty and Doctoral Research Fellowships, allowing recipients to make progress on significant projects.  Faculty Fellowships provide course releases and research funds.  Doctoral Fellowships include a stipend, tuition support, and research funds.
      2. Applications for Faculty and Doctoral Fellowships are vetted by the Advisory Board, in conjunction with the Director and Associate Director.  Individuals whose partner, collaborator, or graduate advisee is applying for a fellowship may recuse themselves from the selection process.
      3. Members of the Advisory Board, in conjunction with the Director and Associate Director, will usually participate in the selection of campus nominees for external fellowships and grants that IASH supports.
    4. Amendments
      1. Amendments to these bylaws may be proposed by any member of the Advisory Board or by the Director or Associate Director.
      2. The Director must circulate proposed amendments to the Board via email at least one week before a meeting.
      3. Amendments must be approved by a two-thirds majority of the leadership of IASH present at a meeting. Votes are cast in person; proxy votes on amendments are not allowed. Amendments go into effect immediately upon their approval.
    5. Compatibility
      1. These bylaws must be compatible with and subordinate to those of Binghamton University and the authority and policies of the Trustees of the State University of New York.
    6. Public Notice
      1. These bylaws and all amendments must be posted on the IASH website.

[Adopted by the IASH Advisory Board on Sept. 3, 2021]