Definitions and Responsibilities of the ICLA Governing Board Roles
and Non-Board Roles
Governing Board Positions and Roles
The Governing Board of the ICLA is the organization responsible for
moving the Association forward in its goals, in particular the goal of
facilitating the dissemination of cognitive linguistic knowledge and
ideas within linguistics and related fields, and to other communities
such as governmental or academic bodies, the deaf community and/or the
general public as the need or opportunity arises. Board positions are
not considered as figurehead positions, but are expected to be held by
reputable scholars who are committed to serving the organization and
advancing the ICLA's aims, rather than primarily their own.
All ICLA members in good standing have the right to nominate other
ICLA members for elected positions on the Board, and to vote for those
Governing Board positions subject to election, during the business
meeting of the Assembly. See the ICLA Constitution, Article 8, for
nomination procedures.
There are eight Governing Board positions, each of which is a voting
position of equal weight. There are only six distinct roles, since
three of the Board positions fill the same role (Regular Member). The
definitions and duties of the Governing Board roles, which are thought
of in terms of responsibilities rather than powers, are as follows:
President
The current presiding officer of the Association,
elected by the membership on the basis of factors including scholarly
prominence, ICLA conference participation and publication activity in
cognitive linguistics, and demonstrated service to the ICLA and/or the
field of cognitive linguistics.
The President shall consistently promote the interests of the
organization and further its purposes as outlined in Article 1 of the
ICLA Constitution. The President is responsible for the smooth running
of the business of the organization and its continuity. The term of
the President begins immediately after the conference during which
s/he is elected and terminates at the end of the next conference.
As part of his or her duties, the President shall familiarize
her/himself with the ICLA governing documents, including Constitution
and Policies and Procedures, and previous reports of Board and
Assembly meetings, and refer to them as necessary in the course of the
Board term. If modes of proceeding are unclear, the President shall
discuss possible courses of action with the other officers and/or the
Board as a whole to work out an appropriate course of action.
During his or her term, the President fulfills the preliminary actions
taken by the preceding Board(s). For example, if the preceding Board
agreed to constitute a committee to carry out a certain task, the
President shall appoint committees of one or more members as necessary
to carry out the tasks seen as desirable by the ICLA Board. The
President shall oversee the progress of such committees during his/her
term and make sure they are functioning well, or if not, to
reconstitute them and work to get them functioning.
During the course of the Board term, the President shall initiate
other meetings or email discussions among the Board if significant
issues arise. The President leads or moderates Board discussions at
the Board meeting and during any email discussions, and moves
discussion to a vote as appropriate. (Other Board members may also
move to bring discussion to a vote. Seconding is required to bring a
matter to a vote.)
During his or her term, the President shall provide a reasonable
measure of oversight for important functions of the ICLA, such as
financial administration, website operations, conference organization,
and other assigned functions of Board members and non-Board
position-holders in the ICLA, to ensure that all the functions of the
organization are proceeding appropriately and smoothly. The President
ideally provides encouragement and support for other ICLA position
holders, helping them to get back on track if they run into
difficulties or have not made progress in necessary tasks.
The President shall keep in good contact with Board members and other
position holders between his/her election and the conference over
which s/he presides, so that s/he can become aware of any impending
premature resignations and anticipate any other needs or problems that
might arise and require action.
Role in solving organizational problems
If there is reason to believe that there is a significant or serious
problem in the operations areas of one or more position holders, the
President should work with the position holder(s) and other relevant
parties, taking reasonable actions to ameliorate the situation, and if
judged appropriate should bring the matter before the Board so that
advice can be taken and actions implemented. Some possible types of
problems of various levels of seriousness, so far unprecedented for
the organization but known in other organizations, are: financial
problems or irregularities seem to be occurring; or the organization
website is not functioning appropriately and is having a negative
impact on membership; or conference organization does not seem to be
proceeding appropriately or the conference website is not available,
is malfunctioning, or otherwise problematic; or unconstitutional,
unethical, or otherwise highly objectionable actions have been taken
by position-holders when filling their ICLA functions. The President
should always be aware of the potential for such organization-damaging
occurrences and if they occur, should strive to repair the situation
with the help of the Governing Board.
If another Board member or members believe there is a serious problem
with any action(s) of the President, they should first discuss the
matter with the President. If the matter is not resolved, and it seems
to interfere materially with the conduct of the organization and the
progress of essential operations, the member(s) should call a Board
meeting, ideally a conference call or videochat conference, and air the
matter before the whole Board so that the Board can decide as a whole
what to do.
Looking ahead
The President shall remain cognizant of the ongoing need for people to
serve the organization and shall look ahead to future changeovers in
important ICLA positions that might occur during his or her term. In
particular, the President shall maintain an awareness of individuals
in the field that could potentially make excellent
Secretary/Treasurers and excellent editors of Cognitive
Linguistics. The President is free to ask other Board members or
trusted ICLA advisers for suggestions about these roles or about any
other matters.
Role at ICLC Conference
In addition to running the routine tasks of the organization between
ICLA conferences, the President plays an important role in the
conference following his/her election. The President not only
presides over the conference as the head of the organization, but also
on a more practical level organizes and convenes the two regular ICLA
organization meetings: the Governing Board and the ICLA Assembly
meetings. The President must plan well for these meetings before the
conference, and interact with the Conference Organizer about
scheduling and logistics to make sure that the meetings are publicized
to their attendees, the number of attendees can be reported to the
organizers, and that attendees' needs can be met by the Conference
Organizers. As part of this planning, the President shall provide an
agenda for the Governing Board meeting to the Governing Board members
in advance of the ICLC.
Governing Board Meeting
For the Governing Board meeting, the President
sends an agenda to the Board beforehand and requests items of
business of the Board members for inclusion in the final agenda, which
is presented at the meeting.
Also before the Governing Board meeting, the President invites
relevant non-board members to the Board meeting. Typical examples of
such guests include: the Organizer of the next ICLC; the publisher's
representative of the journal; members presenting proposals for future
ICLC meetings; individuals serving particular non-Board ICLA roles (if
needed); ICLA committee heads who do not happen to be board members
and whose reports are desired; or specific individuals within the ICLA
whose advice, experience or input is desired at the meeting. The President and Secretary/Treasurer
should confer about potential invitees that relate to the
Secretary/Treasurer's responsibilities or their joint
responsibilities. The
President communicates with the invitees and secures information on
their attendance, or delegates this task to the
Secretary/Treasurer.
Finally,
The President should coordinate with the head
Conference Organizer in advance so that a room of the appropriate size
can be secured, and also so that a meal can be provided for the Board
if the meeting takes place at a mealtime.
Assembly Meeting
At the conference over which s/he presides, the President brings all
significant recommendations and decisions of the Governing Board,
whether made in advance of the ICLC or at the Governing Board meeting
during the ICLA, to the Assembly for approval.
Role in Selection of Editor of Cognitive Linguistics
The President plays a key role in the selection process for the Editor
of Cognitive Linguistics, the journal of the ICLA. Most
crucially, the President serves as one of the three selectors in the
selection process (the other two being the publisher's representative
and the current Editor-in-Chief of Cognitive Linguistics). More
generally, the President's role in the process is to anticipate the
coming changeover, to provide leadership during the process, and to
facilitate communications among the various parties that accompany
that process, including providing a channel for communications between
the Board and the selector group. The President represents the
Governing Board's opinion in the selection process, while the
publisher's representative represents the publisher's needs and
interests, and the current editor brings to the process the experience
and knowledge of running the journal, as well as knowledge of specific
candidates' experience in serving the journal (e.g. as Editorial Board
members and/or reviewers).
The overall task of appointing a new editor can be a rather delicate
one, given that it involves selecting, out of several qualified
candidates, one professional for an important scholarly position and
field-shaping role. The specific tasks in the selection process
are spelled out as
follows. The President supervises the process of gathering a shortlist
by requesting nominations from the entire Governing Board and then
soliciting confidential assessments from the board and/or other
knowledgeable parties regarding suitability of the candidates for the
editorship by relevant criteria. Communication with the candidates
should be made solely by the President and whatever ICLA Board member
or ICLA search committee the President designates to communicate with
a particular candidate regarding availability for the position. The
President should be cc'd for all communications with the candidates by
other Board members. The President then presents the resulting Board
input to the other two selectors, confidentially if those giving
opinions so desire, and the three selectors deliberate among
themselves.
During the process, the President keeps communication channels open
with potential backup selections and reminds involved parties of
confidentiality regarding deliberations. The President orchestrates
the confidential communications among the Board regarding the search
procedures and the candidates. The President also guides
communications among the three selectors and/or any ICLA committee
designated to guide the search. The President shall communicate the
final result arrived at by the three selectors to all candidates in a
timely way, and after this is done, announce the result to the Board.
Most generally, the President ensures that the selection process moves
forward smoothly and in a timely fashion to a final result and
announcement.
Secretary/Treasurer
The officer for information, publicity, record-keeping and
institutional memory, membership, election supervision, and primary
handling and accounting for funds. The term of the Secretary/Treasurer
begins immediately after the conference at which s/he is elected and
extends through two subsequent conferences.
The Secretary/Treasurer position is a crucial one in the organization
and requires ongoing work between the conferences. Potential
Secretary/Treasurers are generally identified in the Board term before
a Secretarial election by the President or other Board Members, at
which time their qualifications are inquired into. They must have
organizational skills and experience in the relevant record-keeping
and financial duties. Nomination by the Governing Board at the time of
the Secretarial election is considered an important qualification for
election for this role, since the Board will have considered
secretarial/financial qualifications before nomination.
The Secretary/Treasurer shall attend the Governing Board and Assembly
meetings of the two conferences in his/her term. S/he shall take
minutes of the meetings and submit a record of the meetings to the
President after each meeting. The Secretary/Treasurer shall know the
ICLA Constitution and Policies and Procedures, and advise the
President as appropriate.
The Secretary/Treasurer, working in conjunction with the publisher of
the Association's journal Cognitive Linguistics, shall keep
an up-to-date list of members, and, coordinating with the publisher
where useful, troubleshoot contact and payment information as well as
questions from members. The Secretary/Treasurer shall disburse funds
as directed by the Governing Board and President. S/he shall supply
the President and the conference organizers with information upon
request about membership, conference attendance, finances, and other
aspects of the organization. S/he shall provide information for an
annual account audit. S/he shall help to keep up to date, in
conjunction with others more directly responsible, the channels of
information for members including the ICLA website and the Cogling-l
listserv.
The Secretary/Treasurer shall be a liaison between the ICLA and its
affiliate organizations, making sure that the organizations provide
the requisite information specified in the ICLA document Conditions
and Procedures for Affiliation with the ICLA. Most typically this
will be done by an annual review of the affiliate organizations'
websites, on which they are expected to post current organizational
information in English, including Constitution with goals statement,
board information and contact, and membership information. The
Secretary/Treasurer shall ensure that the information is either
maintained in up-to-date fashion on the affiliate's website, or that
the required documents are filed with the ICLA, so that affiliate
status can be maintained. Finally, the Secretary/Treasurer shall vote
and contribute to discussions as any Board member.
Since continuity is highly desirable for record-keeping and finances,
once an excellent Secretary/Treasurer is found, the organization
should not be in a hurry to change this officer unless there is due
cause. It should not be unusual for a Secretary/Treasurer to serve two
consecutive 4-year terms. Of course the situation is not a lifetime
post, and at some point the organization and/or the Secretary will
want a change. The old Secretary/Treasurer should be willing to serve
through a transition period with the new one, much as the old and new
Editors of Cognitive Linguistics work together during the transitional
editorship period.
Past President (ex officio)
The most recent ICLA President preceding the current President. The
Past President's term is co-extensive with that of the
current President. In case of re-election of the President, the Past
President shall also be considered re-elected in that role. The Past
President, as an officer of presidential experience, shall serve in an
advisory role to the President, and respond to requests for
advice. The Past President shall maintain his/her knowledge of the
ICLA organizational documents, policies, and customary procedures,
and, as appropriate, remind the President of due procedure or
constitutional issues. The Past President, having presidential
experience, ideally serves as a valuable bank of institutional memory
supplementing the Secretary/Treasurer's experience. The Past President
shall also vote and contribute to discussions as any Board member.
Representative of Organizing Committee of the ICLC (ex officio) The
Board member who is or represents the Organizer of the ICLC that
follows the Representative's appointment. The Representative is put
forward by the next conference Organizing Committee to the ICLA
President during the conference preceding the one to be organized by
that committee. The President officially appoints the Representative
at the Governing Board meeting during the conference in which s/he is
put forward, and his/her term starts at the end of that conference,
being co-extensive with the term of the new Board. If the ICLC
Organizing Committee does not put forward one individual for the
Representative role, the Representative will be selected by the
President from among the principal organizers.
The Representative shall be a liaison between the Governing Board and
the ICLC Organizing Committee. If the Representative is not the main
ICLC Organizer, s/he shall keep in close touch with that Organizer and
help to make sure that the ICLA Guidelines and Requirements for
Conference Organization and Aftermath
are carried out. The Representative shall in addition vote and
contribute to discussions as any Board member.
Editor of Cognitive Linguistics (ex officio)
Aside from the Editor's role in conducting the journal and presiding
over its editorial board, the editor of CL has an important function
on the ICLA Governing Board. The Editor acts as a liaison between the
publisher and the ICLA (Board and membership). The Editor shall report
to the Board at the Governing Board meetings during his/her term, on
aspects of the journal including the following: his/her goals and
progress during the current term; number of submissions and acceptance
rate; CL Editorial Board; and other relevant issues. During times when
the editorship is in transition, the Board member role shall be filled
by the Editor currently in charge of accepting new submissions. The
Editor shall in addition vote and contribute to discussions as any
Board member.
Regular Member,
Regular Member, and
Regular Member (three each term)
Regular members are elected by the
membership on the basis of scholarly respect they have earned and
their service to cognitive linguistics and/or the ICLA. The term of
the Regular Members starts at the end of the conference at which they
were elected and ends after the following conference. Regular members
should read the ICLA constitution and familiarize themselves with the
policies and procedures of the organization as posted on the ICLA
site. Regular members shall attend the Governing Board meeting at the
conference that takes place during their term, and shall vote and
provide input as any Board member on matters brought before the Board
by the President, whether at a Board meeting or via email or other
communication.
Non-Board Roles
The following are ICLA roles which may, but need not, be filled by
a Governing Board member.
ICLC Organizer(s) (also called Conference Organizer(s)
ICLC Organizers are responsible for organizing and running the ICLA's
biennial conference in such a way as to continue the good reputation
of the conference for intellectual excellence and enjoyable and
effective professional and social discourse.
Generally there is a head Organizer (in some countries locally
referred to as the Conference Chair), although there may be two
Co-organizers. The Conference Organizer(s) have the responsibility of
budgeting for and securing appropriate funds for the conference from
registration fees and other funding sources they pursue, including
funds from the host university, from relevant governmental or
scientific bodies or other academic foundations or institutions, from
relevant publishers, and if need be, from corporate sponsors. They are
also expected to choose a local organizing committee. As head(s) of
that committee, they are responsible for seeing to it that all tasks
of the conference are carried out at the necessary or appropriate
times, not only their own tasks but all delegated tasks. Conference
organization tasks are spelled out in ICLA Guidelines and Requirements for
Conference Organization and Aftermath. Note that some of the
tasks, such as selecting the conference dates and arranging space at
the venue, must be done as much as two years in advance of the
conference.
The Conference Organizer(s) are typically invited by the President to
the Governing Board meeting, in a non-voting capacity, at the
conference preceding the one he/she/they will organize. The Organizer
role starts immediately following this conference. At the next
Governing Board meeting, i.e. during the conference organized by the
Conference Organizer(s), the latter is/are expected to provide the
Governing Board with information on aspects of the current conference
such as attendance figures, report on the abstract selection process,
and a financial report. The Conference Organizer is often a Board
member, filling Board position (4) above. If the Conference Organizer and
Representative of the Organizing Committee are distinct persons, they
shall coordinate their information as specified for position (4).
Webmaster and optional Web Editor
The ICLA Webmaster is
responsible for maintaining the ICLA website and keeping the
information on it up-to-date, functional, and
professional-looking. The Webmaster works together with the
Secretary/Treasurer, who is responsible for providing the Webmaster in
timely fashion with meeting reports, wording of new policies and
procedures adopted during Board meetings, and other official
communications to be published on the site. The Webmaster also works
with the ICLA Secretary/Treasurer on design issues and
improvements. Any design changes to the site initiated by the
Webmaster or Web Editor should be agreed to by both and also by the
Secretary/Treasurer, to ensure functionality and aesthetics. For major
changes, including changes of traditional and symbolic elements such
as logos, the Secretary/Treasurer (or Webmaster, if desired by the
latter) shall submit such changes to the Governing Board for input.
The Webmaster is selected by the President and Secretary/Treasurer and
continues to serve until the arrangement is no longer satisfactory to
either the Webmaster or the Governing Board. As much notice as
possible should be given if this is the case, to ensure a smooth
transition to a new Webmaster and new host server.
The Secretary/Treasurer, in consultation with the Webmaster, can also
appoint a Web Editor to enhance and develop the content of the
site. Web content refers to information and its linguistic
presentation and organization, rather than design alone. The
Secretary/Treasurer is responsible for making sure that the content of
the ICLA website remains in keeping with the aims and needs of the
ICLA, and that the selections made for Webmaster and Web Editor are
effective in terms of cooperation and continued functionality of the
site.
Either the Webmaster or the Web Editor may be a student assistant. If
one is a student assistant, the other should be the immediate
supervisor of that assistant and must be willing to work closely with
the Secretary/Treasurer in ensuring that the organization's
website is of high quality, up-to-date, and generally consistent with
ICLA aims.
It is also possible for both Webmaster and Web Editor to be faculty or
postdoctoral members of the ICLA, with their own student assistant(s)
helping them to perform their roles. In this case both will cooperate
closely with the Secretary/Treasurer and each other.
A third possible arrangement is that the Webmaster and Web Editor
roles may be filled by the same person. If this person is a student
assistant, then the Secretary/Treasurer will act as the
person's immediate supervisor, or alternatively, can appoint a
responsible faculty member at the web assistant's university
to act as the supervisor.
American Treasurer The American Treasurer is an ICLA member
responsible for maintaining an ICLA account in a U.S. bank. The
purpose of a U.S. bank account is to provide ready access to
U.S. dollars when needed, so as to avoid transaction and exchange
fees. Typical purposes of the U.S. account are reimbursement of
U.S.-based sign language interpreters; and payment of an assistant for
web maintenance if the ICLA Website is on a U.S. server. The American
Treasurer shall provide an annual accounting of income and
expenditures to the Secretary/Treasurer and Governing Board. The
American Treasurer is appointed by the President and
Secretary/Treasurer, and will serve until the arrangement is no longer
satisfactory to the person filling the role, to the ICLA Governing
Board, or both. Notice shall be given in good time on either side so
that the account can be moved to the locale of a new American
Treasurer in time for making required transactions.
List Owner/Manager of Cogling-l Cogling-l is the principal
mailing list for the field of Cognitive Linguistics. It was set up to
be an organ of dissemination of information for ICLA, although it now
serves a wider function. The Cogling-l List Owner makes sure that the
organization has a functioning mailing list, or listserv (email
distribution server), so that ICLA members and others interested in
Cognitive Linguistics can send and obtain information about relevant
conferences, events, publications, and so forth. (The
Secretary-Treasurer also maintains a separate list, specifically of
paid members of ICLA, which serves more official organizational
purposes such as email votes etc.)
Document History
--Drafted by President Suzanne Kemmer 4 July 2005
--Proposed at ICLC 9 Seoul Board Meeting, 19 July 2005
--Updated with Board input 26 Sept 2005, 23 Oct 2006
--Sent to President Klaus Panther 23 Oct 2006, 4 July 2007 with
request for distribution to 2007 Board and request to put on Board meeting agenda
--Emailed by SK to Board 7 July 2007
--Approved by Board at ICLA 10 Krakow, 19 July 2007 with minor suggestions, as part of ICLA guidelines/procedures
--Revised with minor suggestions by Board and consultants, 30 July 2007
--Sent to President Laura Janda and Secretary Ad Foolen August 2007
--Posted to ICLA website August 2008
Document Consultants: Ron Langacker, Arie Verhagen