Article I:

Membership in the World Communication Association

There shall be four types of membership: student, regular, life, and institutional.

a. Student members shall receive Association publications and may exercise such other privileges as may be authorized by the Board.

b. Regular members shall be eligible to hold office, shall receive publications, and may exercise such other privileges as may be authorized by the Board.

c. Life members shall be entitled to all of the privileges of regular members, and may exercise such other privileges as may be authorized by the Board. Life members are exempt from payment of all conference fees.

d. Institutional members shall be entitled to all of the privileges of regular members, except voting.

Article II:

Dues and Fees

  1. Annual fees for the various types of membership shall be established by the Board of Directors.
  2. The Board of Directors shall establish whatever fees are necessary to carry on association business.

Article III:

Election of Officers

1. The President, Regional Vice-Presidents and at-large Board of Directors positions shall be elected to office. The Secretary-General shall be appointed by the President. The Chief Financial Officer shall be appointed by the President after consultation with the Board of Directors. The Journal Editor shall be selected by the Board of Directors.

2. For each succeeding election of officers, the President, after consultation with the Board of Directors, shall appoint a nominating committee from the Board of Directors.

3. The Nominating Committee shall nominate candidates for the elective officers.

4. Within fourteen days after the Nominating Committee’s selection for office are made known, the Secretary-General shall e-mail or mail a ballot to all members. The ballot shall include the names of the nominees and identifying vitae. Only ballots that are returned within 21 days of the mailing shall be counted. The Secretary-General shall count the ballots and within five days notify all nominees and the Board of Directors of the results. The Secretary-General shall hold all ballots for the record.

5. The Association’s newly-elected officers shall take office on the first day of January of the year following the election. Their term of office is four years. Should an emergency prevent the normal election process to operate, those in office shall continue until their successors are elected.

6. In the case of resignation or the inability of the President to carry on the functions assigned, the Board of Directors will appoint an individual to serve as President until the next regular election. Should a continental Vice President position become vacant, an individual shall be appointed by the Executive Committee.

7. The Secretary-General shall publish a call for nominations, including self-nominations, in the newsletter and other applicable publications at least 18 months before the term of the current Journal Editor expires. The Secretary-General shall collect and forward the names, vitae, and other documentation in support of the nominees, to the Board of Directors. Board members will have thirty (30) days from the date of the reception of this information to review and submit to the Secretary-General the name of their choice to be the next Editor. The Secretary-General shall tally the votes and within five days notify the Board of Directors of the results. After the Board of Directors has selected the next editor, the Secretary-General will notify all nominees of the results. The Secretary-General shall hold all ballots for the record.

Article IV:

Duties of Officers

Shall:

  1. envision, lead, and develop the plan for the biennial conference, and assume a leadership role in implementing the plan;
  2. preside at meetings of the Association and of the Board of Directors;
  3. appoint committees with the approval of the Board of Directors;
  4. serve as the official representative and financial representative of the Association promote the best interests of the Association, and conduct the normal business of the Association;

Shall:

      1. maintain and keep current membership records;
      2. send membership renewal notices to Association members;
      3. complete the processes involved in the election of officers and the selection of the Journal Editor as specified in Article III-4 and Article III-7 of the Association’s by-laws;
      4. assist the President in the planning and marketing of conferences;
      5. coordinate the process for the selection of awards;
      6. publish a newsletter and send to all members at least twice annually;
      7. record minutes of the meetings of the Board of Directors and general business meetings of the Association and publish the minutes in the newsletter;
      8. coordinate with the Chief Financial Officer and Journal Editor regarding fees paid by the publishing company to the Association;
      9. work with the Web Editor to maintain and update the website;
      10. and other duties as assigned by the President.

The Association’s headquarters shall normally be located at the address of the Secretary-General.

  1. maintain and update all financial records of the Association;
  2. receive and process membership and conference fees;
  3. provide copies of the membership list to the Secretary-General, Journal Editor, President, and other officers as needed;
  4. assist the President and Secretary-General in the planning of conferences;
  5. provide a written fiscal report and proposed budget to the Board of Directors at least twice a year;
  6. remit incorporation fees to the State of Hawaii annually and any other incorporation fees;
  7. complete the appropriate schedules to allow a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) to complete the income tax forms required by the Internal Revenue Service;
  8. submit the required forms for income tax purposes to the Internal Revenue Service annually by April 15th;
  9. and other duties as assigned by the President.

Because the Association is incorporated in the USA, the Chief Financial Officer will have knowledge of or experience with US financial regulations.

Shall:

  1. govern the Association;
  2. advise members of methods for improving the Association;
  3. develop and implement ways of increasing international cooperation;
  4. approve previous expenditures of the fiscal year and the proposed budget of the Association submitted by the Chief Financial Officer;
  5. provide a written fiscal report and proposed budget to the Board of Directors at least twice a year;
  6. serve on Association committees, including chairing sessions;
  7. and assume an active role in the recruitment and retention of members of the Association.

Shall:

  1. assume all major responsibilities, including financial responsibilities, involved in the publication of the Journal of Intercultural Communication Research;
  2. serve as the liaison with the company that publishes the Journal;
  3. provide an update regarding the Journal to the Board of Directors at least once every two years;
  4. assist the incoming Editor(s) for at least 12 months before the term of the current Editor expires;
  5. and other duties as assigned by the President.

Shall be responsible for nominating the Web Editor to the Board of Directors for approval.

Article V:

Publications

1. The Association shall publish the Journal of Intercultural Communication Research and other journal publications as deemed appropriate.

2. A minimum of two newsletters shall be published annually. Additional newsletters shall be published as deemed appropriate.

3. The Web Editor shall be responsible for maintaining the web site, and shall prepare reports to the Board of Directors as needed.

Article VI:

Meetings

1. The President shall call meetings of the Board of Directors.

2. Except in the case of emergency, the Association shall hold a convention at the time and place to be selected by the Executive Committee after consultation with the Board of Directors, during the period June 1 to September 1, at least once every two years.

Article VI:

Amendments to by-laws

1. Amendments to the by-laws may be initiated by any member of the Board of Directors or by petition of ten members of the Association to the Board of Directors.

2. Amendments to the by-laws by petition and declared by the Board of Directors may be appealed to the members of the Association at the convention business meeting.

Revised 8/30/2015

Revised 1/15/98

Originally Approved November 15, 1983 by the Board of Directors

Note: At the General Business meeting in Santander, Spain, in 2001, WCA members approved a motion that WCA funds are not to be used by WCA officers for site visits.