Software Engineering Division Bylaws

ARTICLE I: Name, Acronym, Purposes and Authoritative Limitations

Section 1: Name

The name of this organization shall be the Software Engineering Constituent Committee of the professional Interest Council II of the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE).

Section 2: Acronym

The acronym of this Constituent Committee shall be SwECC, and shall be written as SwECC appears in this sentence.

Section 3: Purposes

The purposes of the organization include the following:

  1. Leadership
    1. Provide leadership and coordination with ASEE to enhance the knowledge of Software Engineering (SwE) education
    2. Promoting, providing guidance & advice on educational programs in SwE and for careers in SwE education
  2. Outreach
    1. Forum for discussion by all engineering educators in the discipline of SwE
    2. Outreach activities with other engineering disciplines to educate them on the importance and relevancy of software engineering practice and process.
    3. Cooperation and collaboration with other professional societies that have interests in SwE education
  3. Publication Activities
    1. Discussion, Research and Dissemination of latest educational techniques in fields pertaining to SwE
    2. Discussion, Research and Dissemination of latest specific assessment pertaining to SwE education
    3. Discussion, Research and Dissemination of curricula and materials in various SwE fields
    4. Periodic communication with SwE educators

Section 4: Authoritative Limitations

The Constituent Committee’s By-Laws shall be determined by itself; but its By-Laws (as well as its operations) shall be consistent with the constitution, By-Laws and operating procedures of ASEE and the By-Laws of the ASEE Council in which it has membership.

ARTICLE II: Membership

Membership eligibility shall be in accordance with established ASEE practices. (Non-ASEE members have SwECC publication subscription and seminar attendance privileges.)

ARTICLE III: Organization and Officers, Executive Committee, Officer Election and Replacement, Officer Tenure, and Officer Responsibilities

Section 1: Officers and Board of Directors

The Division's officers shall be the following:

  1. Past-Chair
  2. Chair
  3. Vice-Chair
  4. Secretary-Treasurer
  5. Program Chair
These Officers will constitute the Constituent Committee’s Executive Committee. Each Executive Committee Member's vote shall have equal weight; and the vote of a majority regarding any issue will approve or disapprove all Constituent Committee matters pertaining to policies, expenditures and modus operandi.

Section 2: Officer Election and Replacement

Election of officers will take place at the annual Constituent Committee meetings, which will be held during the period of the annual ASEE conference; time, date and place of the Constituent Committee's annual meeting will be communicated to all Constituent Committee members not less than thirty days before the actual meeting; and election of officers to fulfill officer vacancies will occur during the annual meeting.

The Executive Committee will present candidates for each office to be filled, but will accept nominations made from the floor during any election meeting.

The majority vote of the Constituent Committee members attending an election meeting will select the officers; but voting for each office will be done individually.

In the event that any officer position becomes vacant during the period between annual election meetings, the Executive Committee shall fill the vacancy in one of the following ways:

  1. during a special meeting called by the Chair; or
  2. during the annual Constituent Committee meeting; or
  3. C. by conducting a vote by mail or electronic mail

Section 3: Officer Tenure

All officers will serve a one-year term.

The Chair, Secretary-Treasurer, and Program Chair shall be elected on an annual basis.

The outgoing Chair will automatically become the Past-Chair and the outgoing Program Chair will automatically become the Vice-Chair. This is to provide continuity from year to year on the Executive Committee.

Newly-elected officers shall begin their terms concurrently with the beginning of the society operating year (currently July 1 of each year and ending June 30 of the following year.

Section 4: Officer Responsibilities

In addition to any responsibilities required by ASEE the officers will have the following responsibilities:

  1. The Chairman shall be responsible for the Constituent Committee's overall operations. This includes:
    1. Chairing all meetings
    2. Acting as the primary representative for the Constituent Committee
  2. The Past-Chair shall serve as a mentor to the Constituent Committee as follows:
    1. Act as an at-large representative to members of the Constituent Committee
    2. Act as a nominating chair to insure that at least one qualified candidate is recommended for each officer position at the election meeting
    3. Aid the chair in acting as a liaison to other organizations with an interest in Software Engineering and Software Engineering education
  3. The Vice-Chair shall be responsible for the following:
    1. Will act as Chair for Constituent Committee meetings when the Chairman is unable to be present
    2. Prepare the annual budget request
    3. Assist the Past-Chair in liaison activities
    4. Provide mentorship to the Program Chair
  4. The Secretary-Treasurer shall be responsible for the following:
    1. Keeping meeting minutes
    2. Managing, maintaining, and filing all financial records in accordance with ASEE policy
    3. Keeping membership and all other records
  5. The Program Chair shall be responsible for the following:
    1. Development of the Constituent Committee’s paper session programs offered during the period of the annual ASEE meetings
    2. Paper session coordinator for such other intra-society or inter-society programs as assigned by the Chair

ARTICLE IV: Meetings of the Constituent Committee

In addition to the annual Constituent Committee meetings, the Chair may, when necessary, call special meetings.

Section 1: Quorum

A quorum for meetings of the Executive Committee shall consist of a minimum of four members of the Board. Proxies are acceptable.

ARTICLE V: By-Laws' Changes

By-Laws' changes approved by a 2/3 or more vote of the Executive Committee will be submitted to the Constituent Committee’s membership thirty days or more before the Constituent Committee's annual meeting. A 2/3 (or larger) favorable vote by Constituent Committee members attending the annual meeting will be required to authorize any By-Laws' change. Votes by mail or electronic mail, however, will be accepted.

ARTICLE VI: Seminar Policies, Schedules and Costs

Except for the ASEE Annual Conference seminars and/or inter-society seminars, the Chair shall be responsible for approving the content and charges for seminar operations.

ARTICLE VII: Division Dues

Annual Constituent Committee dues of SwECC members shall be $0