Section 2. The objectives of the Society shall be scientific, educational, and professional in character. The Society shall strive for the advancement of the theory and practice of control engineering and science and of the allied arts and sciences, and for the maintenance of high professional standards among its members, all in consonance with the Constitution and Bylaws of the IEEE and with special attention to such aims within the Field of Interest of the Society as are hereunder defined.

Section 3. The Society shall aid in promoting close cooperation and exchange of technical information among its members and others interested in its Field of Interest, and to this end shall hold meetings for the presentation of papers and their discussion, provide for technical publications, and through its committees shall study and provide for the needs of its members.

Section 2. Individuals whose technological activities do not justify full membership in the IEEE but who may be helped by participation in Society activities, and from whose participation in Society activities members of the Society may benefit, may by their membership in another approved professional organization qualify to become Affiliate Members of the Society with full voting privileges. An Affiliate Member may not be an officer of the Society as defined in Article V, Section 3.

Section 2. The Field of Interest of the Society may be enlarged, reduced, or shifted moderately as the needs of the occasion indicate, with the provision that if it overlaps the Field of Interest of another IEEE Society to the extent that interference occurs, the IEEE Technical Activities Board may draw up lines of demarcation, and that if some other IEEE Society wishes to enlarge its field to the disadvantage of this Society, this Society will reasonably and in good faith consider the proposals and abide by any decisions of the IEEE Technical Activities Board.

Section 2. The Society may make registration charges at its meetings, symposia, conferences, etc. The registration fee for non-IEEE members shall be at least 25 percent higher than it is for IEEE members and for Society members.

Section 3. The Society may not make registration charges for attendance at one or more sessions organized as part of a general meeting operated by the IEEE at a national, regional, or sectional level.

Section 4. The Society may raise revenues by other means, such as advertising, shows, requests for contributions, etc., provided such means do not conflict with policies and revenue means of the IEEE, or encroach on previously established revenue sources of other IEEE entities. The Society must receive from the IEEE an opinion that a proposed method of raising revenue is not against IEEE policy before embarking on the proposed plans.

Section 5. The Society may, after approval of the IEEE, make a charge for sending out announcements or other information to IEEE members who are not Society members to cover the extra expense thereby involved.

Section 2. The term of office of each of the eighteen members of the Board who are elected by the Society Membership shall be three years, one third of these members being elected each year. No elected member of the Board of Governors shall serve for more than two consecutive three-year terms. The term of office of each of the appointed members of the Board of Governors shall be one year commencing on January 1st of the year following their appointment.

Section 3. The Executive Officers of the Society shall be: President, President Elect, Vice President for Technical Activities, Vice President for Financial Activities Vice President for Member Activities, Vice President for Publication Activities, Vice President for Conference Activities, the immediate Past-President and Secretary-Administrator. The Board of Governors shall annually elect the President-Elect and each of the Vice Presidents for one-year terms of office beginning January 1st of the year following their election. The President-Elect shall become President of the Society on January 1st of the second year following election to that office. The President may not serve two consecutive terms. No Vice President shall serve in one office for more than two consecutive terms.

No officer shall hold two offices of the Society simultaneously. The President-Elect and the Vice Presidents, at the time of their election to office, shall be serving a current term as Vice President, or shall be elected members of the Board of Governors, or shall have served as elected members of the board of Governors not more than three years prior to the date of their election.

Section 4. The President, under the direction of the Board of Governors, shall have responsibility for supervision of the affairs of the Society. The President shall preside at meetings of the Board of Governors, and at general meetings of the Society, and have other powers and perform such other duties as may be provided for in the Society Bylaws, or as may be delegated by vote of the Board of Governors. The President is an ex-officio member of all committees of the Society and shall represent the Society on the IEEE Technical Activities Board.

Section 5. The President-Elect shall assist the President in the general supervision of the Society. The President-Elect shall have such duties as may be delegated by the President and the Society board of Governors, and as may be provided for in the Society Bylaws. At the President's request, he President-Elect shall assume the duties and prerogatives of the President. In the case of incapacity or vacancy occurring in the Presidency, the President-Elect shall fill the unexpired term as Acting President.

Section 6. The Vice President for Financial Activities shall have overall responsibility for the finances of the Society.

Section 7. The Vice President for Member Activities shall have overall responsibility for membership-related activities of the Society.

Section 8. The Vice President for Technical Activities shall have overall responsibility for the technical activities of the Society.

Section 9. The Vice President for Conferences Activities shall have overall responsibility for conference-related activities of the Society.

Section 10. The Vice President for Publication Activities shall have overall responsibility for publication-related activities of the Society.

Section 11. Prior to assumption of the Presidency, the President-Elect shall appoint, subject to the approval of the Board of Governors, the Secretary/Administrator, the editors and associate editors of Society publications, the Chairs of the Standing Committees, the Chairs of the Technical Committees, and other Society committee chairs and representatives who will serve during the President-Elect's subsequent term as President. Unless otherwise specified in the Constitution or Bylaws any appointed members of Society Committees or Boards are appointed subject to the approval of the President. The Board of Governors reserves the right to remove any appointee from office whom they deem unfit to serve.

Section 12. Standing Committees are specified in the Bylaws. Other committees may be authorized by vote of the Board of Governors, and Chairs of such committees shall be appointed by the President of the Society.

Section 13. Newly-elected members of the Board of Governors shall assume office on the first of January each year, unless a different time is provided by the Bylaws.

Section 14. All appointed officers and committee members shall serve concurrently with the President who appointed them, or until their successors are appointed or their committee is dissolved.

Section 15. The Board of Governors shall utilize the services of the IEEE as bursar (except as specified hereunder), in which case funds will be handled under rules established by the IEEE. The Board of Governors may authorize the Vice President for Financial Activities (or another person if the need so arises) to open an account for the deposit and disbursement of funds related to a specific purpose such as a symposium or technical conference. For other special circumstances, such as cosponsorship of a symposium, the Board of Governors shall make prudent arrangements to safeguard the Society funds that may be involved.

Section 16. The Society's financial affairs shall be handled in accordance with IEEE rules and regulations. All budgets shall be authorized in advance by the Board of Governors, and not be exceeded without written approval from the Vice President for Financial Activities. Officers may make commitments in conformance with previously approved budgets and authorizations. The officially constituted Executive Officers of the Society shall have the sole authority to obligate funds and assets of the Society.

Section 17. Monies held by or for the Society legally belong to the IEEE, and such monies shall not be expended for purposes known to be inimical to the interests of the IEEE.

Section 2. Within-term vacancies on the Board of Governors shall be filled by appointments for the unexpired terms by the remainder of the Board of Governors.

Section 2. A regional sub-group formed within an IEEE Section shall be known as a Chapter. Chapters may assist the Board of Governors of the Society in the management of a meeting or symposium promoted by the Society within their regions, and shall be responsible for coordinating such activities with their respective IEEE Sections. A Chapter may promote meetings of the Section in the Field of Interest of the Society.

Section 2. Meetings, conferences, or conventions of the Society shall be open to all. Society-sponsored or cosponsored technical meetings shall not be held in apparent conflict with other IEEE meetings unless such conflict has been negotiated with the affected entities and resolved at appropriate levels of the IEEE.

Section 3. Meetings of the Board of Governors shall be held at such times as are found necessary. Meetings of the Board of Governors may be called by the President or upon request by two other members of the Executive Committee.

Section 4. A majority of members of the Board of Governors shall constitute a quorum. In any meeting with a quorum, a simple majority of those present is sufficient for passage of any motion within the domain of the Board of Governors, except for passage of Amendments to the Society Constitution or Bylaws which require a two-thirds vote of those members of the Board in meeting.

Section 5. The Board of Governors shall conduct its business according to the parliamentary rules of the current edition of "Robert's Rules of Order," except as otherwise provided in the Society Bylaws.

Section 6. Business of the Board of Governors may be handled by correspondence, electronic mail, or by some means of telecommunications if in the opinion of the President of the Society matters requiring action can be adequately handled in that manner. A majority vote of all the members of the Board of Governors is necessary for approval of actions handled in this manner, except for Amendments to the Society Constitution or Bylaws which require a two-thirds vote of all the members of the Board of Governors for passage. All votes handled by telecommunications must be confirmed in writing to the President.

Section 2. No policy of the Society shall restrict a member from publishing in any other journal.

Section 2. Suitable Bylaws to this Constitution may be adopted by a two-thirds vote of the Board of Governors in meeting assembled provided that notice of the Proposed Bylaws has been sent to each member of the Board of Governors at least 30 days prior to such meeting, or by a two-thirds vote of all the members of the Board of Governors by communication from the President to each member. No Bylaw shall take effect until 30 days after it has been published in a Society publication sent to all members of the Society, and copies have been mailed to the appropriate IEEE office.

Last updated: 22 October 2001