CUFA Organizational Chapter and Bylaws

The Bylaws of the College and University Faculty Assembly (CUFA) are approved by the membership and are presented here as amendment, December, 2008. Bylaws Amended to include forums on November 21, 2013. Bylaws Amended to change language regarding associate editor of TRSE on August 15, 2015. On January 28, 2016, the CUFA Executive Board amended the bylaws to clarify fulfilling vacancies in Board positions. The Bylaws were Amended for multiple changes on August 15, 2019.

ARTICLE 1: Title


This organization shall be known as the College and University Faculty Assembly of the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS)

ARTICLE 2: Purpose


The Assembly’s purpose shall be to promote the common interest of social studies educators in research, teaching, and other scholarly activities.

ARTICLE 3: Membership


Membership shall be open to all members of NCSS who are concerned with social education and who are:

  1. Faculty members at institutions of higher education;
  2. Graduate students pursuing advanced degrees with the intention of teaching at colleges or universities;
  3. Other persons directly involved in research and/or teacher education.

ARTICLE 4: Organization


This Assembly shall be organized autonomously as an associated group within the framework of NCSS and shall establish a continuing liaison with NCSS headquarters to maintain communication and to coordinate mutual responsibilities.

  1. The annual business meeting of the Assembly will occur during the CUFA program at the NCSS annual conference.
  2. All dues-paying members of CUFA constitute the legislative body.
  3. Members of the Legislative Body will elect an Executive Board of twelve members.
    1. The Chair of the Executive Board shall be appointed by the Executive Board from among current board members or CUFA members who have served on the board within the past 3 years. He or she shall serve a two-year term as Chair and Past Chair.
    2. The other nine members will be selected on a rotating basis (three each year) to serve terms of three years each.
    3. No member may be elected to the Executive Board for more than two successive three-year terms.
    4. The Chair, with the approval of the Board, appoints those elected to the Executive Board to serve in various capacities stipulated by the bylaws such as treasurer and secretary and other positions as deemed necessary.
    5. In the event of a vacancy among the nine elected NCSS House of Delegates members, the vacant position will be filled by the individual who received the highest vote total, and was not elected, in the most recent election.
  4. The duties and powers of the Executive Board include:
    1. Deliberating on and proposing actions for the Assembly.
      1. Recommending structural and/or procedural changes to the Assembly, including modifications of the bylaws, when necessary.
      2. Recommending dues and submitting such recommendations for approval to the Assembly business meeting.
    2. Maintaining liaison with NCSS headquarters.
    3. Representing and acting for the Assembly in activities that occur at times other than the business meeting.
    4. Appointing an individual to serve ex-officio on the Board (if he or she is not an Executive Board member already) in order to plan the annual program.
  5. Permanent Executive Board positions are as follows:
    1. The Chair is responsible for appointing members to fill vacancies in unexpired terms of office on the Executive Board, with consent of the Board; conducting meetings of the Executive Board and the Assembly, and serving as the executive officer in affairs related to Assembly business.
    2. The Secretary shall record minutes of meetings and distribute them to members of the Executive Board in a timely fashion.
    3. The Treasurer is responsible for all fiscal transactions of the Assembly in coordination with NCSS headquarters and fiscal transactions related to the journal of CUFA, Theory and Research in Social Education (TRSE).
    4. The editor of TRSE and the program chair (unless already members of the Executive Board) serve as ex-officio, non-voting members of the CUFA Executive Board.
  6. CUFA representatives to the NCSS House of Delegates will be elected to staggered two-year terms by a vote of the membership, to be conducted annually in conjunction with, and following the same procedures as the election of members of the CUFA Executive Board. In the event of a vacancy among elected representatives, the vacant position will be filled by the individual who received the highest vote total of those not elected in the most recent election. In the event that an insufficient number of members are elected to fill the available positions, additional representatives will be appointed by the Chair of the CUFA Executive Board, with the consent of the Executive Board.

ARTICLE 5: Committees


Committees may be established under certain conditions:

  1. Standing committees are to be created and abolished by the CUFA Executive Board with the consent of the Assembly. Standing committees may include:
    1. Nominations and Elections, to nominate new members for Chair and the Executive Board.
    2. Diversity and Social Justice, to develop initiatives for diversity and social justice that are consonant with the central mission of CUFA.
  2. In the interest of shared power and responsibility, and to prepare for a smooth committee leadership succession, the Chair should appoint multiple committee members, in a staggered fashion, with the consent of the Executive Board.
  3. Ad hoc committees may be formed by the Chair, with the consent of the Executive Board. A termination date for each ad hoc committee’s existence will be determined by the Executive Board in consultation with the members of the ad hoc committee at the beginning of that committee’s work.
  4. The Program committee functions as an ad hoc committee that is reconstituted each year under new leadership, with the task of preparing the annual meeting program.

ARTICLE 6: Publications


The Assembly shall conduct an active publication program. The Assembly shall publish a journal that will stimulate and communicate research, theory building, and thinking about all aspects of social education, including its teaching. The purpose of the journal shall be to foster creation and exchange of ideas and research that will expand knowledge about the context, intent, design, conduct, and consequences of social education. This journal shall be called Theory and Research in Social Education (TRSE).

  1. Editor. The editor shall be appointed by the Chair upon recommendation of an ad hoc editor nomination committee and with a majority vote by the Executive Board. The editor shall serve for a term of three years. The editor must be a member of the Assembly. The editor has complete authority for what is published. Editors can succeed themselves only upon recommendation of a majority of the CUFA Executive Board and the editor nomination committee. Editors can be removed for incompetence or other serious cause by a 2/3 vote of the Executive Board.
  2. Editor nomination committee. This committee shall consist of at least three members of the Assembly and shall be appointed by the Chair of the Executive Board with majority approval by the Executive Board. The editor nomination committee will solicit nominations to the editor’s position from all Assembly members. Notice for a new editor must also appear in a timely fashion in an issue of TRSE. The work of the editor nomination committee shall begin in spring of the year preceding the last issue (fall) of the outgoing editor. The first issue under the new editor shall be the winter issue.
  3. Associate Editor and Book Review Editor. The TRSE editor will appoint at least one associate editor and a book/media review editor; these positions must also be filled by members of the Assembly.
  4. Editorial Advisory Board. The editor will appoint an editorial advisory board with the advice and consent of the CUFA Executive Board.
  5. The journal shall be devoted to the publication of high quality materials with substantive articles that have been subjected to blind peer review (by at least three appropriate scholar-reviewers) prior to acceptance by the editor.
  6. Other publications. The Assembly may issue other publications from time to time as they judge useful and practicable.

ARTICLE 7: Operations


  1. Meetings of the Assembly include:
    1. The annual business meetingA quorum at the annual business meeting shall consist of the members present.
      1. Conduct of the meeting shall be in accordance with Robert’s Rules of Order.
    2. Special meetings called by the Executive Board or through a petition endorsed by twenty percent of the Assembly membership.
  2. Voting: Voting shall be restricted to dues-paying members of the Assembly.

ARTICLE 8: Forums


  1. ESTABLISHMENT. Forums shall be organized to represent major scholarly or other significant areas within the Assembly that add to the field of social education and the Assembly as determined by Executive Board. A group of five percent (5%) or more of CUFA Members may petition the Executive Board to establish a Forum. A new Forum is established when two-thirds of Executive Board members present approve the petition at a meeting.
  2. MEMBERSHIP.
    1. Forum members must be Members of CUFA and of NCSS.
    2. Only Forum members are eligible to participate in Forum elections or Conduct or vote on business items.
  3. BYLAWS. Forums shall have Bylaws that establish a governing structure and requisite elections. Forum Bylaws must be approed by the Executive Board. Forum Bylaws and activities may not conflict with the Bylaws of the Assembly.
  4. FORUM FUNDS. Forums may receive monies from the Executive Board that shall be spent as specified (e.g. travel scholarships). Forum expenditures shall be administered under the authority of the Chair of the Executive Board.
  5. DISSOLUTION. A Forum may be dissolved by the Executive Board for good and sufficient reasons. Representatives of the Forum shall have an opportunity to be heard on the matter. Action to dissolve a Forum shall require a vote of two-thirds of the members of the Executive Board present.

ARTICLE 9: Amendment Procedures


This charter may be amended by the following procedures:
  1. Presentation of the proposed amendment in writing to the membership at least thirty days prior to the vote. Publication of the proposed amendment in The Social Studies Professional or CUFA newsletter constitute such presentation.
  2. Following such presentation, a two-thirds vote of those members voting is necessary for passage.