(Amended June 1992, May 1998, December 2001, January 2008, April 2014, September 2015)
Article I. Name
The name of the Society shall be the International Society of Magnetic Resonance (ISMAR).
Article II. Objectives
The objectives of ISMAR 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. ISMAR shall consist of Regular Members, Web Members, Honorary Members, and Fellows.
• 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. Regular members participate in elections for the ISMAR Council and ISMAR Executive Committee, are eligible to serve on the Council, Executive Committee, and other ISMAR committees described below, and are eligible to vote on matters of ISMAR policy. Registered attendees at major ISMAR conferences become eligible for regular membership for a period of two years, as part of their conference registration. Otherwise, regular members shall be required to pay annual membership dues, which shall be set by the Executive Committee.
• Web Members. Any person who is or was an active participant in magnetic resonance shall be eligible for web membership, without payment of membership dues. Web members have access to information on the ISMAR web site and may contribute information to the web site, but are not eligible to vote on ISMAR matters or serve on ISMAR committees.
• 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. Election as an Honorary Member occurs through nomination by the ISMAR President and approval by a vote of the Council.
• Fellows. Persons who have made especially significant contributions to magnetic resonance may be selected to become ISMAR Fellows. Fellows shall be selected as described in Article VI. Membership in ISMAR is not a prerequisite or condition for Fellowship. Once selected, Fellows become Regular Members and are exempt from dues.
2. Admissions. Persons satisfying the required conditions may become ISMAR members by registering on the ISMAR web site. Persons who are not currently active or were not previously active in magnetic resonance may be denied membership in ISMAR.
3. Termination of Membership. Membership in ISMAR 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 ISMAR 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, geographical, and gender distribution as well as a proper balance of researchers in different branches of magnetic resonance.
• Candidates for membership in the Council shall be nominated by the Nominating Committee and elected through a vote by Regular Members. The Elections Committee shall determine the voting procedure. Regular Members are eligible to propose additional Council candidates to the Nominating Committee.
• The term of office of elected members of the Council shall be four years subject to re-election for no more than one further period of four years.
• The Council shall meet every two years, normally during major scientific meetings of ISMAR. Business may be transacted by electronic communications between meetings. The Council shall determine its own rules for conduct of business.
2. President. The President shall be the chief executive officer of ISMAR and shall serve as Chairman of the Council. The President shall have general direction of the affairs of ISMAR and execute such other duties as may be determined by the Council. The term of office of the President shall be four 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 four years.
4. Secretary-General. The Secretary-General shall maintain all the records of ISMAR, shall keep the minutes of ISMAR meetings and be responsible for the distribution of all essential information to Members. The term of office of the Secretary-General shall be four years subject to re-election.
5. Treasurer. The Treasurer shall have custody of all funds of ISMAR, collect all dues, and disburse funds in accordance with the direction of the Executive Committee. The Treasurer shall maintain proper books of accounts for ISMAR. The term of office of the Treasurer shall be four years subject to re-election.
6. Executive Committee. ISMAR’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. The Executive Committee shall have authority to make decisions regarding ISMAR policies and activities that are not assigned by this Constitution to the Council, the Standing Committees, or to votes by Regular Members.
7. Founding Chairman. During the lifetime of its founder and in recognition of his special contributions to the establishment of ISMAR, ISMAR 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 four-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. Frequency. General Meetings of ISMAR shall be held during all major ISMAR conferences and at least every two years. All conference participants may attend and speak at such meetings, but only Regular Members of ISMAR (including all registered conference participants) may vote. The President of ISMAR, or in his/her absence the Vice-President, shall be chair of General Meetings.
2. Quorum. Forty per cent of the Regular Members of ISMAR shall constitute a quorum for decisions regarding ISMAR policies 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. In the event of a mail or electronic ballot, the Elections Committee shall decide how to ensure adequate participation, without necessarily requiring responses from forty per cent of the Regular Members.
Article VI. Standing Committees
1. In addition to the Executive Committee, there shall be the following Standing Committees:
• Nominating Committee
• Elections Committee
• Prize Committee
• Audit Committee
• Fellows Committee
Committee members shall be chosen by the Executive Committee. The Executive Committee may appoint other Committees as required. A majority of a Committee shall constitute a quorum for business. Each Committee shall have one chair, who shall be selected from Committee members by the Executive Committee. Chairs shall serve for four years. Committee members may serve for two terms of four years each.
2. Nominating Committee. The Nominating Committee shall consist of seven members. 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 ISMAR. The Nominating Committee shall make nominations of officers and of members of the Council. They shall have particular regard to a geographical, international, and gender 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.
3. Elections Committee. The Elections Committee shall consist of three members from different institutions. Members of the Elections Committee may not be candidates in the elections. The Elections Committee shall oversee all ISMAR elections and ballots.
4. Prize Committee. The Prize Committee shall consist of five members.. 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. They shall select the recipient of the Anatole Abragam Prize for young investigators. The ISMAR Prize and the Anatole Abragam Prize shall be awarded every two years.
5. Audit Committee. The Audit Committee shall consist of three members who shall review the current financial records of ISMAR, as specified in Article IX, Section 4.
6. Fellows Committee. The Fellows Committee shall consist of five members. The Fellows Committee shall be responsible for soliciting nominations for Fellowship from Regular Members and current Fellows on an annual basis. The Fellows Committee shall select up to 10 candidates from the nominations, based on criteria determined by the Fellows Committee. From these candidates, a maximum of four new Fellows shall be chosen by vote of current Fellows. The documentation required for a nomination, the schedule for submitting and reviewing nominations, and the procedures for voting shall be decided by the Fellows Committee.
Article VII. Elections
1. The Regular Members shall be permitted to vote. In the case of an election held at a General Meeting of ISMAR, 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 Chair of the Elections Committee in signed envelopes. If the election is by electronic means, it shall take place according to procedures devised by the Elections Committee, such that anonymity is preserved to the extent possible. 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 ISMAR.
Article VIII. Dues
1. Dues. The membership dues shall be determined by the Executive Committee.
2. Waiver of dues. The Executive Committee 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 Regular Member who has not paid dues for two consecutive years shall cease to be a Regular Member of ISMAR.
Article IX. Miscellaneous Provisions
1. Incorporation. ISMAR was incorporated on 8 December 1982 in the State of Illinois, USA. ISMAR 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 ISMAR is maintained in good standing regarding its incorporation and tax-exempt status.
2. Address of ISMAR. This shall be determined by the Council.
3. Financial Year. The financial year of ISMAR shall be from 1st January to 31st December.
4. Audit. The accounts of ISMAR shall be audited every two 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. ISMAR may maintain affiliations with other appropriate organizations as determined by the Executive Committee and approved by the Council. ISMAR may make financial contributions to other organizations in support of activities that promote education and scientific progress in magnetic resonance. Such contributions shall be determined by the Executive Committee.
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. ISMAR 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 or electronic ballot. After a decision to dissolve ISMAR, final disposition of ISMAR’s assets shall be decided by the Executive Committee, as soon as possible and in a manner that is consistent with the objectives in Article II.