Constitution

Constitution

The Association for Journalism Education

Constitution adopted on the twelfth day of September 1997, and amended by AJE AGM on twentieth day of September 2002 and the twelfth day of September, 2008. (AJE Constitution (.doc))

1. Name

The Association shall be known as the ASSOCIATION FOR JOURNALISM EDUCATION (‘the Association’).

2. Administration

Subject to the matters set out below the Association and its property shall be administered and managed in accordance with   this constitution by the members of the Executive Committee, constituted by clause 7 hereof (‘the Executive Committee’).

3. Objects

The Association’s objects (‘the objects’) are

(1) to uphold the highest standards in the teaching of journalism in higher education

(2) to provide a common voice for the teaching of journalism in higher education

(3) to provide a forum for academic and professional concerns and to lobby

(4) to monitor accreditation schemes

(5) to discuss educational and curriculum development

(6) to represent journalism education issues within the higher education sector

(7) to collect and share information on the teaching of journalism in higher education

(8) to represent journalism education issues to the media industries

(10) to hold conferences

(11) to promote and support research in journalism and in journalism education.

4. Powers

In furtherance of the objects but not otherwise the Executive Committee may exercise the following powers to:

(a) receive or solicit funds;

(b) make contracts, employ staff and incur expenditure;

(c) open bank accounts;

(d) organise meetings;

(e) publish literature;

(f) affiliate with any similar Association;

(g) do any lawful thing calculated to secure the promotion of any of the  above aims.

5. Membership

(1) Membership of the Association shall be open to:

(a) any Higher Education Institution or Programme, Department, Faculty or School of any Higher Education Institution which supports the objects of the Association and which has paid any annual subscription laid down from time to time by the Executive Committee. Such members shall be known as institutional members.

(b)individuals (over the age of 18 years) employed in the Higher Education sector who support the objects of the Association and who have paid any annual subscription laid down from time to time by the Executive Committee. Such members will be known as individual members.

(2) Every institutional member shall have one vote.

(3) Each institutional member shall appoint an individual to represent it and to vote on its behalf at meetings of the Association; and may appoint an alternate to replace its appointed representative at any meeting of the Association if the appointed representative is unable to attend.

(4) Each institutional member shall notify the name of the representative appointed by it and of any alternate to the secretary. If the representative or alternate resigns from or otherwise leaves the institutional member, he or she shall forthwith cease to be the representative of the institutional member.

(5) The Executive Committee may unanimously and for good reason terminate the membership of any individual or institutional member: provided that the individual concerned or the appointed representative of the institutional member concerned (as the case may be) shall have the right to be heard by the Executive Committee, accompanied by a friend, before a final decision is made.

6. Honorary Officers

At the annual general meeting (AGM) of the Association the institutional members shall elect from among the appointed representatives an executive committee.

At the AGM the institutional members shall elect from among their appointed representatives a Chairperson, a Secretary, and a Treasurer, who shall hold office from the conclusion of that meeting. The Chairperson, Secretary and Treasurer shall be known as the honorary officers.

But if, at the AGM there are no nominations for one or more of these honorary offices, and therefore no election at the AGM of any appointed representative to such office, then the executive committee, by vote at the next committee meeting after the conclusion of the AGM, meeting, may choose a committee member to hold any of those honorary offices (whether as Association Chairperson, Secretary or Treasurer), and that committee member shall hold that office from the conclusion of that committee vote until the next AGM.

7. Executive Committee

1) The Executive Committee shall consist of not less than five people nor more than nine people being:

(a) the honorary officers specified in the preceding clause; and

(b) not fewer than two appointed representatives and not more six appointed representatives elected at the AGM who shall hold office for two years from the conclusion of the AGM at which they were elected.”

(2) Should there be fewer than four elected appointed representatives under clause 7(1b), the Executive Committee may co-opt, from among the appointed representatives or individual members, not more than three people to a maximum of one-third of the committee. (3) At the AGM the individual members may elect, from among individual members, a person to be their nomination for co-option to the Executive Committee.

At the first committee meeting after the AGM, the committee shall consider that nomination, and vote on whether the nominated person will be co-opted to the committee.

4) Each appointment of a co-opted member shall be made at a special meeting of the Executive Committee called under clause 10 and shall take effect from the end of that meeting, unless

1. a) the appointment is of a person nominated by individual members at an AGM, in which case the appointment can be made at the next committee meeting after the AGM, and shall take effect immediately after that committee vote, or
2. b) the appointment is to fill a place which has not then been vacated in which case the appointment shall run from the date when the post becomes vacant.

5) The honorary officers shall hold office for two years from the conclusion of the AGM at which they were elected but they may be re-elected, or reappointed having been elected to the Executive Committee (see Clause 6, above), provided that no person shall serve for more than six years in succession on the Executive Committee either as an honorary officer or other member of it. All the members of the Executive Committee shall retire from office after serving for two years, but they may be re-elected or re-appointed provided that no member shall serve for more than six years in succession.

6) The proceedings of the Executive Committee shall not be invalidated by any vacancy among their number or by any failure to appoint or any defect in the appointment or qualification of a member.

7) Nobody shall be appointed as a member of the Executive Committee who is aged under 18 or who is not an appointed representative or individual member of the Association or who would, if appointed, be disqualified under the provisions of the following clause.

8) No person shall be entitled to act as a member of the Executive Committee, whether on a first or on any subsequent entry into office, until after signing in the minute book of the Executive Committee a declaration of acceptance and of willingness to act in the trusts of the Association.

8. Determination of Membership of Executive Committee

A member of the Executive Committee shall cease to hold office if he or she:

(1) becomes incapable by reason of mental disorder, illness or injury of managing and administering his or her own affairs;

(2) is absent without the permission of the Executive Committee from all their meetings within a period of six months and the Executive Committee resolve that his or her office be vacated;

(3) notifies to the Executive Committee a wish to resign (but only if at least five members of the Executive Committee will remain in office when the notice of resignation is to take effect); or

(4) ceases to be a member of the Association.

9. Executive Committee Members not to be personally interested

(1) Subject to the provisions of sub-clause 2 of this clause no member of the Executive Committee shall acquire any interest in property belonging to the Association (otherwise than as a trustee for the Association) or receive remuneration or be interested (otherwise than as a member of the Executive Committee) in any contract entered into by the Executive Committee.

2) Any member of the Executive Committee for the time being who is a solicitor, accountant or other person engaged in a profession may charge and be paid all the usual professional charges for business done by him or his or her firm when instructed by the other members of the Executive Committee to act in a professional capacity on behalf of the Association: provided that at no time shall a majority of the members of the Executive Committee benefit under this provision and that a member of the Executive Committee shall withdraw from any meeting at which his or her own instruction of remuneration, or that of his or her firm, is under discussion.

10. Meetings and Proceedings of the Executive Committee

(1) The Executive Committee shall hold at least two ordinary meetings each year. A special meeting may be called at any time by the Chairperson or by any two members of the Executive Committee upon not less than 7 days’ notice being given to the other members of the Executive Committee of the matters to be discussed, but if the matters include an appointment of a co-opted member then not less than 21 days’ notice must be given, unless the appointment is that of a person nominated by individual members at an AGM, in which case no notice is needed.

(2) The Chairperson shall act as Chairperson at meetings of the Executive Committee. If the Chairperson is absent from any meeting, the members of the Executive Committee present shall choose one of their number to be Chairperson of the meeting before any other business is transacted.

(3) There shall be a quorum when at least one third of the number of members of the Executive Committee for the time being or three members of the Executive Committee, whichever is the greater, are present at a meeting.

(4) Every matter shall be determined by a majority of votes of the members of the Executive Committee present and voting on the question, but in the case of equality of votes the Chairperson of the meeting shall have a second or casting vote.

(5) The Executive Committee shall keep minutes, in books kept for the purpose, of the proceedings at meetings of the Executive Committee and any sub-committees.

(6) The Executive Committee may from time to time make and alter rules for the conduct of their business, the summoning and conduct of their meetings and the custody of documents. No rule may be made which is inconsistent with this constitution.

(7) The Executive Committee may appoint one or more sub-committees, consisting of one or more members of the Executive Committee and not more than six other appointed representatives or individual members of the Association, for the purpose of making any inquiry or supervising or performing any function or duty which in the opinion of the Executive Committee would be more conveniently undertaken or carried out by a sub-committee: provided that all acts and proceedings of any such sub-committee shall be fully and promptly reported to the Executive Committee.

(8) Executive Committee meetings may be held by electronic means, provided that no Executive Committee member is excluded from participating as a consequence.

11. Receipts and expenditure

The funds of the Association, including all donations, contributions and bequests, shall be paid into an account operated by the Executive Committee in the name of the Association at such bank or other financial institution as the Executive Committee shall from time to time decide.

The funds belonging to the Association shall be applied only in furthering the objects.

12. Property

(1) Subject to the provisions of sub-clause (2) of this clause, the Executive Committee shall cause the title to:

(a) all land held by or in trust for the Association which is not vested in the Official Custodian for Charities; and

(b) all investments held by or on behalf of the Association;

to be vested either in a corporation entitled to act as custodian trustee or in not less than three individuals appointed by them as holding trustees. Holding trustees may be removed by the Executive Committee at their pleasure and shall act in accordance with the lawful directions of the Executive Committee. Provided that they act in accordance with the lawful directions of the Executive Committee, the holding trustees shall not be liable for the acts and defaults of it members.

(2) If a corporation entitled to act as custodian trustee has not been appointed to hold the property of the Association, the Executive Committee may permit any investments held by or in trust for the Association to be held in the name of a clearing bank, trust corporation or any stockbroking company which is a member of the International Stock Exchange (or any subsidiary of any such stockbroking company) as nominee for the Executive Committee, and may pay such a nominee for the Executive Committee, and may pay such a nominee reasonable and proper remuneration for acting as such.

13. Accounts

The Executive Committee shall cause:

(1) the keeping of accounting records for the Association

(2) the preparation of annual statements of account for the Association;

(3) the auditing or independent examination of the statements of account of the Association

14. Annual General Meeting

(1) There shall be an Annual General Meeting of the Association which shall be held in the month of September in each year or as soon as practicable thereafter.

(2) Every annual general meeting shall be called by the Executive Committee. The secretary shall give at least six weeks’ notice of the annual general meeting and two weeks’ notice of the agenda to all appointed representatives of institutional members, and to all individual members.

All intuitional members shall be entitled to send their appointed representative, who shall be entitled to attend and vote. Individual members will be entitled to attend, and to vote for their nomination for co-option to the committee.

(3) The chairperson shall chair annual general meetings, but if he or she is not present, before any other business is transacted, the appointed representatives present shall appoint a chairperson of the meeting.

(4) The Executive Committee shall present to each annual general meeting the report and accounts of the Association for the preceding year.

(5) Nominations for election to the Executive Committee must be made by appointed representatives of the Association in writing and must normally be in the hands of the secretary at least four weeks before the annual general meeting. Should nominations exceed vacancies, election shall be by ballot. If there are less than five nominations, the Chairperson may permit further nominations to be made at the AGM. In this clause, the term writing includes e-mail.

15. Special General Meetings

The Executive Committee may call a special general meeting of the Association at any time. If at least eight institutional members of at least 12 months’ standing request, through their appointed representatives, such a meeting in writing, stating the business to be considered the secretary shall call such a meeting. At least six weeks’ notice must be given. The notice must state the business to be discussed. In this clause, the term writing does not include e-mail, but refers only communication by letter.

16. Procedure at General Meetings

(1) The secretary or other person specially appointed by the Executive Committee shall keep a full record of proceedings at every general meeting of the Association.

(2) There shall be a quorum when six appointed representatives of institutional members of at least 12 months’ standing are present at any general meeting.

17. Notices

Any notice required to be served on any institutional member or individual member of the Association shall be in writing and shall be served by the Secretary or the Executive Committee on the appointed representative or individual member either personally or by sending it through the post in a prepaid letter addressed to such member at his or her last known address in the United Kingdom, and any letter so sent shall be deemed to have been received within 10 days of posting. In this clause, the term writing does not include e-mail, but refers only to communication by letter, except the secretary may use e-mail to give at least six weeks’ notice of the annual general meeting and two weeks’ notice of the agenda, and e-mail may be used to give notice of meetings of the Executive Committee.

18. Alterations to the Constitution

(1) Subject to the following provisions of this clause the Constitution may be altered by a resolution passed by not less than two thirds of appointed representatives present and voting at a general meeting. The notice of the general meeting must include notice of the resolution, setting out the terms of the alteration proposed.

(2) No amendment may be made which would have the effect of making the Association cease to be a Association at law.

19. Dissolution

If the Executive Committee decides that it is necessary or advisable to dissolve the Association it shall call a meeting of all appointed representatives and individual members of the Association, of which not less than six weeks’ notice (stating the terms of the resolution to be proposed) shall be given. If the proposal is confirmed by a two-thirds majority of those appointed representatives present and voting the Executive Committee shall have the power to realise any assets held by or on behalf of the Association.

Any assets remaining after the satisfaction of any proper debts and liabilities shall be given or transferred to such other charitable institution or institutions having objects similar to the object of the Association as the members of the Association may determine, or failing that shall be applied for some other charitable purpose.

Constitution ends here.