NEPES

North Eastern Philosophy of Education Society

CONSTITUTION OF THE SOCIETY

I. NAME

The name of this organization shall be "The North Eastern Philosophy of Education Society” (hereafter, referenced as “NEPES” or “the Society”).

II. PURPOSE

In regionally subordinate alignment with the purposes of the Philosophy of Education Society (PES), the purposes of the Society are:

  1. to promote the fundamental philosophic treatment of the problems of education,

  2. to promote the clarification of agreements and differences among the several philosophies of education through the opportunities for discussion afforded by regular meetings,

  3. to advance and improve teaching in the philosophy of education both in schools
    for the education of teachers and in other educational institutions,

  4. to cultivate fruitful relationships between workers in general philosophy and workers in philosophy of education,

  5. to cultivate fruitful relationships between scholars in philosophy of education and those in other areas of education inside and outside the academy,

  6. to encourage promising students in the field of philosophy of education, and

  7. to continue the traditions and honor the symbolic legacy of its precursor organizations, the New England Philosophy of Education Society and the Middle Atlantic States Philosophy of Education Society.

NEPES is organized exclusively for educational purposes under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, or corresponding section of any future federal tax code.

III. MEMBERSHIP

  1. Membership is open to those interested in the philosophy of education. Membership is especially encouraged amongst (but not exclusive to) those living or working within the North Eastern Region of the United States of America (i.e., Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, and Washington, D.C.).

  2. A Member is one who has joined the Society by submitting a properly executed application form and paying the dues appropriate for a term of membership.

  3. Members shall enjoy the right of the floor at all meetings of the Society and the right to vote on all matters decided by vote of membership.

  4. One becomes a Former Member when one’s term of membership expires. Former Members may become Members by paying the dues appropriate for a term of membership.

IV. OFFICERS & EXECUTIVE BOARD

  1. The officers of the Society shall include a President, a Vice-President, a Secretary, and a Treasurer. Only Members may serve as officers. There shall be an Executive Board, the members of which shall be the officers of the Society, the Immediate Past-President of the Society, and three members elected from the membership at large.

  2. The Vice-President of the Society shall be elected for a two-year term, immediately after which this person shall automatically become the President of the Society for a two-year term. The Treasurer of the Society shall be elected for a three-year term. Other officers shall be elected for two-year terms and are eligible to stand for re-election at the end of each term of service.

  3. The duties of the President of the Society shall include (l) calling and presiding at all meetings of the Society, (2) serving as a consultant to the Vice-President in the planning and preparation of conferences, (3) serving (or appointing an alternative from the Executive Committee) as Regional Representative to the Philosophy of Education Society, (4) organizing new initiatives and potentially appointing an Advancement Liaison dedicated to assisting in securing additional resources/opportunities on behalf of the Society’s purposes (e.g., partnerships, grants, publication opportunities, etc.).

  4. The duties of the Vice-President of the Society shall include (1) calling and presiding at all meetings of the Society in the absence of the President, (2) serving as Program Chair. In this role (i.e., Program Chair), this person shall plan the program of and arrangements for the conference. This also includes appointing any number of members to the Program Committee.

  5. The duties of the Secretary of the Society shall include (1) keeping the records and archives of the society, (2) maintaining and upgrading, as appropriate, the Society’s website, (3) ensuring the Society has an accessible and informative presence in relevant online spaces, and (4) maintaining a mailing list of all members, (5) informing the members of the time and place of meetings/conferences, as necessary.

  6. The duties of the Treasurer of the Society shall include (1) collecting all dues, (2) paying all bills, (3) filing all required financial paperwork, and (4) making an accounting of all financial transactions of the Society.

  7. The Executive Board shall consist of the officers of the Society, the immediate Past-President, and three members elected to staggered (when possible) terms of two years. The duties of the Executive Board of the Society shall include (l) authorizing and approving irregular expenditures of the Society's funds, (2) acting upon any resignations submitted by officers of the Society, (3) deciding upon the time and place (and other key decisions as articulated by the Program Chair) of the Society’s conference, and (5) creating ad hoc committees as it deems appropriate to carry on the work of the Society. Ad hoc committees created by the Board may continue to stand beyond the end of the fiscal year succeeding the one in which they are formed only on a favorable vote of the membership at the first annual business meeting following their creation.

  8. The terms of the officers and at-large members of the Executive Board begin and end at the completion of the Society’s annual Business Meeting.

V. AMENDMENTS

This Constitution may be amended in whole or in part by the following process: (1) proposed changes in the Constitution must have the endorsement of at least two members and must be submitted in writing to the President; (2) at least one month before the annual Business Meeting the Secretary shall email all members of the Society an account of the proposed changes; (3) discussion of these changes shall be an order of business at the annual Business Meeting; (4) after the Business Meeting the Secretary of the Society shall electronically distribute ballots concerning the aforesaid proposed changes in the Constitution to all members; (5) the proposed amendments which receive a favorable vote from the majority (i.e., 51%) of ballots returned within the time limit fixed by the Executive Board shall be incorporated in the Constitution.

VI. DISSOLUTION

Upon the dissolution of the Society, assets shall be distributed for one or more exempt purposes within the meaning of section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, or corresponding section of any future federal tax code, or shall be distributed to the federal government, or to a state or local government, for a public purpose.

Provisional pending approval at the 2022 Annual Business Meeting, The purposes of this organization are (1) to promote the fundamental philosophic treatment of the problems of education, (2) to promote the clarification of agreements and differences among the several philosophies of education through the opportunities for discussion afforded by annual meetings, (3) to advance and improve teaching in the philosophy of education both in schools for the education of teachers and in other educational institutions, (4) to cultivate fruitful relationships between workers in general philosophy and workers in philosophy of education, (5) to cultivate fruitful relationships between scholars in philosophy of education and those in other areas of education inside and outside the academy, and (6) to encourage promising students in the field of philosophy of education.

VII. PES AFFILIATION STATEMENT (PROVISIONAL)