Mission and Purpose

AMQUA’s Mission

Advance cross-disciplinary and diverse research of physical, biological and cultural processes during the Quaternary Period for the benefit of society.

AMQUA's Purpose

  • To encourage, initiate, and sponsor the advancement of interdisciplinary research of the physical, biological and cultural environment and its history during the Quaternary Period through charitable, educational and scientific activities;
  • To encourage the widest possible scientific and professional membership in the Association;
  • To advance a diverse next generation of cross-disciplinary Quaternary scientists;
  • To improve communication about methods, problems, and results among those engaged in Quaternary research;
  • To encourage publication of the results of research on the Quaternary;
  • To encourage the dissemination of the accumulated knowledge about the Quaternary for the purposes of management, wise use, and conservation of natural environment and resources;
  • To promote public concern and support for the protection and scientific study of geological, archaeological, and paleontological sites;
  • To encourage participation in the worldwide activities of the International Union for Quaternary Research (INQUA);
  • To plan and sponsor scientific meetings in accord with the objectives of INQUA;
  • To cooperate with other organizations in promoting interdisciplinary conferences on Quaternary research;
  • To take all other action, as appropriate for the benefit and advancement of Quaternary research in the Americas

 

 

CONSTITUTION AND ARTICLES OF INCORPORATION OF THE

AMERICAN QUATERNARY ASSOCIATION

(As Amended in 2020)

 

Article I. Title- Purposes. This non-profit association shall be the "AMERICAN QUATERNARY ASSOCIATION, INCORPORATED" (AMQUA). AMQUA is organized exclusively for charitable, educational, and scientific purposes under section 501(c)(3) of the Inte rnal Revenue Code, or corresponding section of any future federal tax code. Its purpose shall be: (a) To encourage , initiate, and sponsor the advancement of interdisciplinary research of the physical, biological and cultural environment and its history during the Quaternary Period through charitable, educational and scientific activities (as defined in Sec. 501 (cl (3) of the Internal Revenue Code); (b) To encourage the widest possible scientific and professional membership in the Association; (c) To improve communication about methods, problems, and results among those engaged in Quaternary research; (d) To encourage publication of the results of research on the Quaternary; (e) To encourage the dissemination of the accumulated knowledge about the Quaternary for the purposes of management, wise use, and conservation of natural environment and resources; (f) To promote public concern and support for the protection and scientific study of geological, archaeological, and paleontological sites; (g) To encourage participation in the worldwide activities of the International Union for Quaternary Research (INQUA); (h) To plan and sponsor scientific meetings in accord with the objectives of INQUA; (i) To cooperate with other organizations in promoting interdisciplinary conferences on Quaternary research; (j) To take all other action, as appropriate for the benefit and advancement of Quaternary research in the Americas .

Article II. Activities. No part of net earnings of the corporation shall inure to the benefit of, or be distributable to it’s members, officers, or other private persons, except that the corporation shall be authorized and empowered to pay reasonable compensation for services rendered and to make payments and distributions in furtherance of the purposes described in section 501(c)(3). No substantial part of the activities of the corporation shall be the carrying on of propaganda, or otherwise attempting to influence legislation, and the corporation shall not participate in, or intervene in (including the publishing or distribution of statements) any political campaign on behalf of or in opposition to any candidate for public office. Notwithstanding any other provision of these articles, the corporation shall not carry on any other activities not permitted to be carried on (a) by a corporation exempt from federal income tax section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, or the corresponding section of any future federal code, or (b) by a corporation, contributions to which are deductible under section 170(c)(2) of the Internal Revenue Code, or the corresponding section of any future tax code.

Article Ill. Membership. Membership is open to scientific and professional workers concerned with the Quaternary environment. The by-laws shall define more specifically all the rights, privileges, and duties of members, both within and without the United States, the manner of application, the dues, and suspension and reinstatement.

Article IV. Management. The affairs of the Association shall be managed on behalf of the membership by the elected off icers and the Council. This shall constitute the governing body of the Association. The by-laws shall provide the manner of nomination, election, and the membership of officers and councilors. The elected officers will serve as members of the Board of Directors; other members may also serve on the Board of Directors as directed by the Council.

Article V. Meetings. The Association shall meet at least every two years or as otherwise directed by the Council. The details of the time, place and the number of members required for a quorum shall be specified in the by-laws.

Article VI. Bylaws. By-laws consistent with this Constitution shall be adopted at the time of adoption of this Constitution and may be amended as provided therein.

Article VII. Amendments. Amendments to this Constitution and Articles of Incorporation can be proposed by either: 1) two-thirds of the full Council or 2) a petition signed by at least fifty (50) members of AMQUA. Amendments will be approved by a t wo-thirds (2/3) majority of the voting membership.

Article VIII. Dissolution of the Association. This Association is not organized for profit and no part of the net earnings of the Association, if there are any, shall inure to the benefit of any member of the Association or any individual connected with it. In the event of liquidation or dissolution of the Association, whether voluntary or involuntary, assets remaining after retirement of all debts or obligations shall be distributed to the U.S. National Academy of Sciences for whatever tax -exempt purposes it deems appropriate 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. Any such assets not so disposed of shall be disposed of by the Court of Common Pleas of the county in which the principal office of the corporation is then located exclusively for such purposes or to such organization or organizations, as said court shall determine, which are organized and operated exclusively for such purposes.

Date adopted by the membership of AMQUA: June 19, 2020

 

 

BYLAWS of the AMERICAN QUATERNARY ASSOCIATION

(As Amended January 2017)

Article I. Membership.

  • All scientific and professional workers interested in the Quaternary are eligible for membership. Those who reside outside of the Americas are eligible for corresponding membership. The latter shall have all the rights, privileges, and duties of members, but may not be an elected
  • Applications for membership shall be submitted to the Treasurer. Dues established by the Council shall be payable on the first day of January of each year. Members whose dues have not been paid during the fiscal year to which they pertain shall be suspended from membership. Former members shall have two years in which to reinstate membership, by full payment of back dues, and retain continuity of membership. However, during this two-year period all rights and privileges of membership shall be waived. After two years, reinstatement will be by application for new

Article II. Officers.

(1) The elected officers of the Association shall be a President, a President-Elect, a Secretary, and a Treasurer who shall constitute the Executive Committee. A council composed of fourteen

(14) members and the four (4) members of the Executive Committee shall constitute the governing body of the Association. They shall be elected in the manner hereafter provided.

  • The President shall preside at all the meetings of the Association and the Council and of the Executive Committee. In the absence of the President, or if the office is vacant, the President- Elect shall preside; in the absence of both, a Chairman shall be chosen by vote. The President shall appoint the members of Sub-Committees, Ad Hoc Committees, and such standing committees of the Association as are deemed necessary by the Council, with the exception of the Ad Hoc Nominating Committee.
  1. The President-Elect shall succeed to the office of President upon completion of the president’s term. The President-Elect shall assume the powers and duties of the President in the event of the absence or disability of the President, and shall chair the Ad Hoc Nominating Committee.
  • The Secretary shall complete a record of the proceedings of the Association, of the Council, and of the Executive Committee; shall send notices of all meetings; shall notify new council members of their election; shall send copies of the minutes of the Council and of the Executive Committee to the members of these committees; shall conduct all correspondence of the Association, of the Executive Committee and of the Committee on Elections, except where otherwise provided; and shall carry on such secretarial functions as may arise from time to time. If the Secretary is absent from the meeting, a Secretary Pro Tem shall be chosen by Executive Committee.
  • The Treasurer shall be responsible for the collection, disbursement and accounting of funds. The Treasurer shall make a report of the Association’s financial condition at each annual meeting and shall conduct all financial correspondence of the Association. The Treasurer’s accounts shall be audited by an auditing committee which shall be appointed by the President and report to the Executive Committee.

Article III. Management of the Association. Council and Officers.

  • The management of the affairs of the Association shall be the responsibility of the Council, which shall consist of eighteen (18) members representing as wide a spectrum of Quaternary disciplines as possible.
    1. The Council shall consist of fourteen (14) Councilors who shall be elected for four-year terms by disciplinary groups, and of four (4) officers elected by the members at large for two- year terms, except (1) that the President-Elect shall succeed to the office of President upon completion of the President’s term as provided in Article II (2b), and (2) that one Councilor from each disciplinary group shall be elected at the first election to serve for a two-year term
    2. The disciplinary groups are: 1. Terrestrial Geoprocesses; 2. Marine Geoprocesses; Geohistory; 4. Paleobiology; 5. Paleoclimatology; 6. Archaeology; 7. Geochronology- Geochemistry-Geophysics.
    3. The Council shall hold at least one regular meeting during each calendar year for conducting the business of the Association and other such special meetings as it may consider necessary. Seven (7) members of the Council shall constitute a quorum, but less than a quorum shall have power to adjourn any meeting. The Executive Committee shall be empowered to act for the Council between its regular meetings. Three of its members shall constitute a quorum.
    4. The fiscal year of the Association shall coincide with the calendar year
    5. One of the senior editor(s) of the journal Quaternary Research and the organizing Chairman of the next scheduled biennial meeting shall be ex officio members of the The terms and conditions of such appointments will be at the discretion of AMQUA.
    6. At the request of other organizations with common missions and goals, the AMQUA Council will be tasked with choosing a member of the Council to serve as an ex officio member in partner organization boards, councils, or committees.

Article IV. Elections.

(1) a. An Ad Hoc Nominating Committee, chaired by the President-Elect, shall consist of the President-Elect and two (2) members appointed by the President-Elect. Nominations for Officers and Councilors shall be solicited from the membership at large, screened by the Ad Hoc Nominating Committee, and presented to the Association as a choice of two candidates for each vacancy except that the offices of Secretary and Treasurer may have only one candidate. The slate of nominations shall be distributed by the Secretary to all members of the Association on an electronic or written ballot bearing the names of the nominees and blank spaces for writing in personal choices for additional nominees. The ballots shall be distributed at least sixty (60) days prior to the biennial meeting or prior to the first election following adoption of these By-Laws.

  1. For elections using hard-copy ballots, the marked ballots shall be returned to the Secretary who will place them in the care of two tellers to be appointed by the President. The tellers shall report the results of the election to the Secretary, who shall announce the results at the biennial meeting, or prior to the end of the calendar year in which these By-Laws shall be
  2. For electronic ballots, automated tallies shall be provided to the Secretary. Nominees receiving a plurality of votes shall be declared elected, and shall assume office during the business meeting at the biennial meeting. They shall hold office until the business meeting at the biennial meeting at the end of their designated term.
  3. The President-Elect shall not be eligible for re-election to that office until at least six (6) years have elapsed from the date of his or her election to that office.
  4. The Secretary and the Treasurer shall be eligible for re-election without limitation.
  5. A Councilor shall not serve two consecutive terms; however, this provision shall not apply to interim Councilors serving prior to the adoption of these By-Laws, or to Councilors appointed by the Council to fill an unexpired term.
    1. Any vacancies occurring in any of the elective offices of the Association shall be filled by action of the Council until the next biennial meeting

Article V. Meetings.

(1) Notice of time, place, and purpose of every full Association meeting shall be mailed or e- mailed to each member in good standing not less than thirty (30) days prior to the meeting. Time and place of the biennial Association meeting shall determined by the Council, and the Secretary shall give at least three months notice to all members. At meetings of the full Association, members present and voting shall constitute a quorum.

Article VI. Publications.

(1) a. The Association shall publish an AMQUA newsletter on the AMQUA Web site, listserve, and/or through an electronic newsletter at least two times a year and otherwise when special circumstances require it. The editor of the newsletter shall be appointed by the Council, for a two-year term, and shall be eligible for reappointment. The editor shall be assisted by the members of the Council, acting as associate editors, who shall be responsible for the disciplinary group from which they have been elected.