ISMAR: International Society of Magnetic Resonance
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ISMAR Constitution

(Amended June 1992, May 1998, December 2001 and January 2008)

Article I. Name

The name of the Society shall be the International Society of Magnetic Resonance (ISMAR).

Article II. Objectives

The objectives of the Society shall be to advance and disseminate knowledge of the principles, recent developments and applications of magnetic resonance in physics, chemistry biology, medicine and other disciplines; to foster scientific interaction among magnetic resonance spectroscopists throughout the world; and to engage in any lawful activities which further these ends.

Article III. Membership

  1. The Society shall consist of Regular Members, Student Members, Honorary Members and Institution Members.
    1. Regular members. Any person who has made a personal contribution to the advancement of magnetic resonance or its applications shall be eligible for regular membership.
    2. Student members. Any student actively engaged in magnetic resonance research shall be eligible for student membership.
    3. Honorary members. Eminent retired magnetic resonance spectroscopists may be elected as Honorary Members with all the rights and privileges of Regular Members but with no requirement to pay dues.
    4. Institution members. Any institution supporting the objectives of the Society shall be eligible for institution membership.
  2. Admissions. Persons satisfying the required conditions may become Members of the Society on making written application to the Secretary-General of the Society.
  3. Rights and Privileges. All Members of the Society shall have the right to attend any meeting of the Society and to participate in the discussion. Regular Members only shall have the right to hold office and vote on candidates for office and on matters of policy.
  4. Termination of Membership. Membership of the Society may be terminated by resignation or, as provided in Article VIII, by non-payment of dues.

Article IV. Council and Officers

  1. Council. The management of the Society shall be vested in a Council consisting of the President, the Vice-President, the immediate Past-President, the Secretary-General, the Treasurer, (as Officers), and elected Council members. The Council shall consist of not less than 20 members nor more than 40 members, including the Officers. The composition of the Council should provide for a balanced international and geographical distribution as well as a proper balance of researchers in different branches of magnetic resonance.
    • The term of office of elected members of the Council shall be three years subject to re-election for no more than two further periods of three years.
    • The Council shall meet at least every three years, normally during major scientific meetings of the Society. Business may be transacted by mail between meetings. The Council will determine its own rules for conduct of business.
  2. President. The President shall be the chief executive officer of the Society and shall serve as Chairman of the Council. The President shall have general direction of the affairs of the Society and execute such other duties as may be determined by the Council. The term of office of the President shall be three years and any person shall serve only one term as President, except that if the Vice-President succeeds to the office as a result of the death, disability or resignation of the President, such service shall not be counted as a regular term.
  3. Vice-President. The Vice-President will take the President’s place in his/her absence, and succeed him/her in the event of death, disability or resignation. The term of office of the Vice-President shall be three years.
  4. Secretary-General. The Secretary-General shall maintain all the records of the Society, shall keep the minutes of Society meetings and be responsible for the distribution of all essential information to Members. The term of office of the Secretary-General shall be three years subject to re-election.
  5. Treasurer. The Treasurer shall have custody of all funds of the Society, collect all dues and disburse funds in accordance with the direction of the Council. The Treasurer shall maintain proper books of accounts for the Society. The term of office of the Treasurer shall be three years subject to re-election.
  6. Executive Committee. The Society’s day-to-day affairs shall be conducted by the Executive Committee in accordance with general directions of the Council. The Executive Committee shall consist of the President, the immediate Past-President, the Vice-President, the Secretary-General and the Treasurer.
  7. Founding Chairman. During the lifetime of its founder and in recognition of his special contributions to the establishment of the Society, the Society shall maintain the personal office of Founding Chairman. The Founding Chairman, shall serve as a supernumerary member of the Council with voting rights for a regular three-year term, renewable by vote of the Council, and shall perform such duties as may be defined by the Council.

Article V. General Meetings

  1. General Meetings. of the Society shall be held during all major scientific meetings of the Society and at least every three years. All participants at a scientific meeting of the Society may attend and speak at such meetings but only Regular Members of the Society may vote. The President of the Society, or in his/her absence the Vice-President, shall be chairman of General Meetings.
  2. Quorum. Forty per cent of the Regular Members of the Society shall constitute a quorum for decisions binding on the entire membership and for the election of officers. In the absence of a quorum such decisions and elections shall be determined by mail ballot or electronic ballot of the regular membership.

Article VI. Standing Committees

  1. In addition to the Executive Committee there shall be the following Standing Committees:
    • Nominating Committee
    • Elections Committee
    • ISMAR Prize Committee
    • Audit Committee
    The Council may appoint other Committees as required. Recommendations concerning Conferences, Symposia and Schools shall be the business of the Executive Committee. A majority of a Committee shall constitute a quorum for business. All recommendations of the Committees are subject to approval by the Council.
  2. Nominating Committee. The Nominating Committee shall consist of seven persons appointed by the Council to serve for three years. The members of the Committee shall have an international distribution and reflect a range of scientific aspects of magnetic resonance. Members of the Nominating Committee may not be candidates in the elections as Officers of the Society. The Nominating Committee shall make nominations of officers and of members of the Council. They shall have particular regard to a geographical and international distribution of nominees and to a balance of scientific aspects of magnetic resonance. In particular, successive Presidents should come from different countries. Nominations may also be received by petition signed by six Regular Members and accompanied by a written statement from the nominee of willingness to serve. Nominations by petition should be submitted to the Secretary-General and must be received at least 24 hours before the General Meeting at which the elections are scheduled.
  3. Elections Committee. The Elections Committee shall consist of three members from different institutions appointed by the Council to serve for three years. Members of the Elections Committee may not be candidates in the elections. The Elections Committee shall oversee all elections and mail ballots of the Society.
  4. ISMAR Prize Committee. The ISMAR Prize Committee shall consist of five members appointed by the Council to serve for three years. They shall select the recipient of the ISMAR Prize, to be awarded to a person who has made outstanding contributions to the advancement of magnetic resonance or its applications.
  5. Audit Committee. The Audit Committee shall consist of three persons appointed by the Council to review the current financial records of the Society, as specified in Article IX, Section 4.

Article VII. Elections

  1. The Regular Members shall be permitted to vote. In the case of an election held at a General Meeting of the Society, the vote shall be by secret paper ballots. Otherwise the election may be held by mail or by electronic means. If the election is by mail, the ballots are to be returned to the Chairman of the Elections Committee in signed envelopes. If the election is by electronic means it shall take place on a secret ballot posted on the secure Members' section of the Society's web site. In either of these cases the ballots must be received prior to a date specified by the Secretary General after consultation with the Chairman of the Elections Committee.
  2. The Elections Committee shall prepare a report of the election, which shall be circulated to Members of the Society.

Article VIII. Dues

  1. Dues. The membership dues (annual subscription) to the Society shall be determined by the Council.
  2. Waiver of dues. The President may waive the dues of Members for good reason, for example on account of currency restrictions in a Member’s country.
  3. Non-payment of dues. A Member who has not paid dues for two consecutive years, shall upon being sent a reminder of non-payment for the second of those years, cease to be a Member of the Society within 60 days of the notice unless all indebtedness to the Society is met within this period.

Article IX. Miscellaneous Provisions

  1. Incorporation. The Society was incorporated on 8 December 1982 in the State of Illinois, USA. The Society has been granted tax-exempt status under Section 501(c)(3) of the US Internal Revenue code. The Secretary-General and the Treasurer shall take appropriate actions each year to ensure that the Society is maintained in good standing regarding its incorporation and tax-exempt status.
  2. Address of the Society. This shall be determined by the Council.
  3. The Financial Year. of the Society shall be from 1st January to 31st December.
  4. Audit. The accounts of the Society shall be audited every three years by the Audit Committee. A report shall be presented to the Council and reported to the membership.
  5. Divisions. The Council may approve the formation of Divisions to encompass specialized areas of scientific interest within the field of magnetic resonance, and shall determine the conditions of their operation.
  6. Affiliations. The Society may maintain affiliations with other appropriate organizations as determined by the Council.
  7. Amendments. The Constitution may be adopted, amended or repealed by two-thirds majority of those Members voting, either by vote at a General Meeting if there is a quorum or by mail or electronic ballot, subject to the requirements of Article VII, Section 1.
  8. Dissolution. The Society may be dissolved by a two-thirds majority of Regular Members, either by vote at a General Meeting if there is a quorum, or by mail ballot.

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