GPEIG Bylaws
Current, as amended in 2019
Preamble
Whereas, globalization is the process of growing economic, political as well as cultural interconnectedness that are embodied in transnational trends with global impacts, albeit experienced differently by individuals, communities, localities and nations, and;
Whereas, the relevance of planning in this new context is validated by the extent to which it reflects, in teaching, research, and practice, an understanding of these interconnections and their differing impacts, and;
Whereas, while ACSP largely represents planning schools based in North America, it is a global organization that seeks meaningful partnership and collaboration with individuals and institutions around the world;
Whereas, the U.S. is simultaneously a major actor influencing this new context and is itself vulnerable to its varying outcomes, and:
Whereas, the U.S. needs planners who can appreciate the global context of planning and;
Whereas U.S. graduate planning programs continue to attract international students, many from low income countries, seeking education that will prepare them to address planning challenges in countries vastly different from but nevertheless interconnected to the U.S.;
Therefore be it resolved . . .
The “Global Planning Educators Interest Group” (GPEIG) be formally established and recognized as an advocacy group within the Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning (ACSP) and be subject to the following by-laws:
Goals
The GPEIG seeks to promote new forms of planning education that prepare students to appreciate the multiple linkages between particularities of local circumstances and general global trends, and thereby cultivate planning sensibilities which are responsive to both local and global concerns. These sensibilities, we advocate, are essential for planning responsibly in an interconnected world where the notions of governance, justice, citizenship, rights, and responsibilities, are traditionally defined by local and national territories, but also located in global discourse.
The GPEIG seeks to promote deliberations among faculty and students of ACSP, and between ACSP and other planning educator groups from around the world to enhance the awareness of how the global context of planning not only shape local problems but also create opportunities for collective problem-solving.
The GPEIG seeks to encourage forms of research which are non-hegemonic, and which emerge from cooperative research and teaching effort of planning educators around the world.
The GPEIG recognizes the asymmetry of resources between U.S.-based scholars and our counterparts based elsewhere, and seeks a more egalitarian approach to research and a sustainable international knowledge production system. We seek to contribute to equalizing the current unequal system of research about the world, and to the distribution, storage and use of research methods and findings through collective deliberations, joint research production, and resource sharing with planning educators around the world.
Membership
The GPEIG membership shall consist of any active member of ACSP, including institutional or individual membership, or of a cognate association (e.g. AESOP, etc.) with a recognized interest in international development planning, globalization and planning. Any interested individual with one of these affiliations should notify the current co-chairs of the GPEIG and request GPEIG membership.
GPEIG Activities
GPEIG shall conduct the following activities, among others, for its members and other parties that are interested in global planning education and research:
Annual Business Meetings: The GPEIG shall meet in plenary at each annual meeting of the ACSP to conduct the general business of the Group. Other special meetings that focus on specific issues may be convened from time to time or remotely.
GPEIG Recognition and Awards: GPEIG shall create and manage a system of awards which recognize faculty and student contributions to global planning education and research.
GPEIG Sessions: GPEIG shall sponsor sessions (e.g., paper and/or poster presentations, roundtables, and workshops) at the annual ACSP conference to encourage academic and/or professional dialogue within and among the international planning community.
Teaching and Research Sharing: GPEIG shall share global planning education and research resources with its members and other interested parties (e.g., via its website).
Communication: GPEIG shall communicate news of the group and other information and work of interest to its membership and other parties that are interested in global planning education and research. To facilitate communication between members consistent with the goals of the GPEIG, the GPEIG shall maintain a web presence and regularly communicate information of general interest to the membership of the Group at least once per year.
Governance
The GPEIG shall be democratically self-governed with all decisions reached by consensus or by majority vote of the membership. Leadership will be provided by two Co-Chairs and a Secretary-Treasurer if appointed.
Officers: GPEIG Co-Chairs shall meet ACSP requirements for holding office. Anyone who is a GPEIG member shall be eligible to hold office in GPEIG Standing or Ad Hoc Committees.
Co-Chairs: GPEIG leadership includes two Co-Chairs, Lead and Incoming. The Co-Chairs shall each be elected by majority vote to serve a staggered two-year term, each overlapping the other by one year. Accordingly, a new co-chair shall be elected at each annual business meeting of the GPEIG to replace the co-chair whose two-year term has expired. A Co-Chair shall not serve for more than two consecutive terms. The Co-Chair whose term has expired shall automatically become Past Co-Chair for one year following his or her office as Co-Chair.
The Co-Chairs, Lead and Incoming, shall share the following responsibilities:
Preside over annual business meetings of the GPEIG;
Manage GPEIG awards and award ceremony;
Propose and organize GPEIG activities as deemed necessary by the membership;
Form Standing and Ad Hoc GPEIG committees as needed and review, recruit, and appoint committee chairs and members regularly;
Disseminate GPEIG communications;
Report to GPEIG members about activities undertaken;
Promote GPEIG membership and organization growth;
Communicate with other regional associations of planning schools;
Represent the GPEIG before the ACSP Governing Board and other organizations outside of ACSP;
Report to ACSP as per their guidelines;
Coordinate GPEIG participation in the ACSP International Development Planning track of the program of the annual ACSP Congresses;
Coordinate with ACSP task forces that conduct activities related to global planning education or research; and
Other responsibilities as deemed appropriate by the membership.
5. GPEIG Ambassadors
GPEIG Ambassadors Committee shall include all interested GPEIG past Co-Chairs. The Committee shall serve as an advisory and outreach committee, drawing on its members’ experience and knowledge to provide advice-on-request to current GPEIG Co-Chairs and help build GPEIG as a strong, vibrant and engaged organization. GPEIG Co-Chairs can appoint a smaller group of GPEIG Ambassadors Committee for active service in any given year or for a given term.
6. Advisory Council
There shall be a GPEIG Advisory Council. GPEIG Co-Chairs, the Past Co-Chair and the chairs of Standing and Ad Hoc committees shall be de facto members of the Council. GPEIG Co- Chairs are also strongly encouraged to recruit and appoint at least one student member to the council. GPEIG Co-Chairs shall lead the Council. The Advisory Council exists to deliberate on an occasional, as-needed basis when GPEIG faces issues or decisions of significant concern relevant to the organization’s mission and development.
7. Secretary-Treasurer
As deemed necessary, GPEIG shall elect a Secretary-Treasurer to serve for a three-year term. GPEIG Co-Chairs and the Advisory Council will determine if the positions is necessary given the needs of GPEIG at a particular time. The Co-Chairs and the Advisory Council will also determine if the position will continue for an additional term beyond the initial 3-year term. Any individual elected to the office may be elected to a second consecutive 3-year term but must take at least one -3-year term off before running again after serving for 6 years consecutively. The Secretary-Treasurer shall not be either of the Co-Chair The duties of the treasurer will include:
Record or have minutes of GPEIG business meeting or any meeting of the Advisory Council;
Maintain financial accounts of all money transactions involving the GPEIG account;
Report to the membership on the financial status of the Group at the annual business meeting;
Make bi-annual reports to the Co-Chairs on the financial status of the Group;
Represent the GPEIG before the ACSP Executive Council on any financial matters;
Perform other duties as prescribed by the Co-Chairs.
8. Director of Membership and Development
GPEIG Co-Chairs can appoint a Director of Membership and Development as deemed necessary. The Director of Membership and Development shall be responsible for developing and implementing a membership recruitment and retention policy with particular emphasis on promoting diversity in GPEIG membership.
9. Committees
GPEIG members of Standing committees shall serve for a three-year active term, renewable for another term. Add Hoc committees may be appointed by GPEIG Co-Chairs for the duration of specific initiatives. Student representatives shall be included in GPEIG Standing and Ad Hoc committees to the extent possible. The committees shall ideally have at least three members each.
GPEIG Committee Chairs shall be members of the committees and are appointed by Co-Chairs. Committee Chairs will normally serve for one year, renewable for another term. Ideally, the chairperson position within the committees should rotate among committee members.
Committee responsibilities are as follows:
Award Committees: GPEIG Award Committees shall advertise the awards, solicit and review submissions, select the winner of the awards, and communicate with award winners while maintaining the timelines provided by the Co-Chairs.
Nominations and Elections Committee: GPEIG Nominations and Elections Committee shall be responsible for recruiting the candidates for the incoming Co-Chair and the Secretary- Treasurer if the position is established, conduct the election and tabulate the ballots. The committee shall also help the Co-Chairs recruit members for the committees upon request. The candidate receiving the highest number of votes for each office shall be elected. In the case of tie votes, GPEIG Advisory Council shall decide the winner.
Communications Committee: The Communications Committee shall communicate GPEIG or other global planning education or research related news and information and work of interest to members on a regular basis via email, website and/or social media.
Finances
To support the goals of the GPEIG, a system of membership fees or dues may be implemented according to the preferences of the membership and subject to the by-laws of ACSP.
Ratification and Amendments
These by-laws must be adopted by a two-thirds majority vote of the membership. Once ratified, it may be amended at any time by a two-thirds majority vote of the membership.