BYLAWS OF OTTOMAN AND TURKISH STUDIES ASSOCIATION
Amended December 2021; further amended November 2026
ARTICLE I. NAME, NATURE AND OBJECTIVES
Name
The name of this organization shall be Ottoman and Turkish Studies Association.
Nature and objectives
Ottoman and Turkish Studies Association shall be a private, non-profit, non-political organization of scholars and other persons interested in Ottoman and Turkish studies. Its objectives shall be, (a) to promote high standards of scholarship and instruction, (b) to facilitate communication among its members through meetings and written exchanges of information, and (c) to promote international scholarly cooperation among persons and organizations concerned with Ottoman and Turkish studies.
ARTICLE II. MEMBERSHIP AND MEETINGS
Categories of membership
There shall be the following categories of membership in the Association: (a) Regular Members, regular membership in the Association shall be limited to those faculty and other individuals who have an interest in Ottoman and Turkish studies (applicants satisfying this condition may be admitted to membership in the Association by action of the Executive Board or in such manner as they may direct); (b) Student Members, student membership in the Association shall be limited to those students who have an interest in Ottoman and Turkish studies (applicants satisfying this condition may be admitted to membership in the Association by action of the Executive Board or in such manner as they may direct); (c) Associate Members, Associate Members are members not included in the above categories but who are interested in supporting the activities of the Association; (d) Institutional Members, Institutional Members are organizations which are interested in supporting the activities of the Association.
Annual Meeting
The Association shall normally hold an annual meeting in conjunction with the annual meeting of the MESA. This meeting shall consist of a business session which shall be for the purpose of the transaction of such business as may properly come before such meetings.
Special Meetings
Special meetings of the Association may be called at any time by the Executive Director of the Association upon the request of the Executive Board.
Notice of Meetings
Notice of every annual meeting and of every special meeting of members of the Association shall be served in writing or by email to each member of the Association not less than twenty nor more than sixty days before the meeting. Such notice shall state the purpose or purposes for which the meeting is called and the time and place it is to be held. Notice need not be given to any member who attends such meeting or to any member who in writing, either before or after the holding of such meeting, waives such notice.
Quorum
At all meetings of the Association, the attending members shall be necessary and sufficient to constitute a quorum. Such quorum will have the authority to transact all items of Association business except for the annual election of officers and any amendment of the Bylaws, which will be conducted by mail or electronic ballot.
Dues
Members may be required to pay such membership fees and dues as may from time to time be determined by the Executive Board.
Voting Eligibility
Only members in good standing shall be eligible to vote, to be officers, and to serve on the Executive Board or the Editorial Board of the Journal.
ARTICLE III. EXECUTIVE BOARD
General Duties
The property and affairs of the Association shall be managed by the Executive Board except that the ultimate authority of the Association shall be vested in the body of members as expressed in the annual meeting or through mail or electronic polls.
Annual Meeting
The annual meeting of the Executive Board shall be held as soon as practicable following the annual meeting of the members. Such annual meetings of the Executive Board shall be open for the transaction of any business within the powers of the Executive Board.
Special Meetings
Special meetings of the Executive Board may be called by the Executive Director upon the request of the President or any three Board Members.
Notice of Meetings
Notice of every annual meeting and of every special meeting of the Executive Board shall be served in writing or by email to each Board Member not less than twenty nor more than sixty days before their meeting. Such notice shall state the purpose or purposes for which the meeting is called and the time and place it is to be held. Notice need not be given to any Board Member who attends such meeting or to any member who in writing, either before or after the holding of such meeting, waives such notice.
Quorum
At all meetings of the Executive Board the presence of one-half of the Board Members shall be necessary and sufficient to constitute a quorum. Except as otherwise provided by law or by the Bylaws, the act of a majority of the Board Members present and voting shall be the act of the Executive Board.
Number of Members
The Executive Board shall consist of not fewer than ten persons: the President, the immediately previous President or the President-Elect, the Treasurer, the Executive Director, and six other members of the Association, one of whom shall be a graduate student. In addition, the Editor of the Journal shall be an ex officio member of the Board. The Executive Board is the board of directors of the Association for purposes of Pennsylvania law.
Election of Board Members
The six Board Members, other than the President, the immediately previous President, the President-Elect, and Treasurer, shall be elected by the regular members of the Association. These six Board Members shall be elected by a plurality of the vote cast. Three Board Members shall be elected by mail or electronic ballot in one year, and three the year following, and so annually alternating, three and three. All persons elected as Board Members shall continue in office until their terms of two years have expired or until their successors shall have been duly elected, or until earlier death, resignation, or removal in accordance with the Bylaws. Additional Board Members to fill any vacancy or vacancies caused by failure to elect the full number of Members or the death, resignation, or removal of any Member may be elected by a majority of the remaining Board Members.
Term Limits
The terms of all Board Members shall be for two (2) years. Persons may serve a total of two (2) consecutive terms as a Board Member but may be elected to subsequent consecutive terms as an officer.
Removal and Resignation of Board Members
Any Board Member may be removed at any time with or without cause and with or without notice at any meeting of the members of the Association by a vote of the majority of members present and voting. Any Board Member may resign at any time.
Compensation
The Board Members shall not receive compensation for their services as such, but the Executive Board may authorize reimbursement of expenses incurred by Board Members in connection with duties.
ARTICLE IV. OFFICERS
Number of Officers
The Officers of the Association shall be a President, who shall serve as President-Elect before assuming the office of President, in which capacity he or she shall also chair the Executive Board; an Executive Director; and a Treasurer.
Election of Officers
The President and Treasurer shall be elected by mail or electronic ballot of the members, and the results shall be announced at the Association’s annual meeting. The President shall serve for a three-year term. The President shall be elected during the second year preceding the beginning of his or her presidential term and shall serve one year as President-Elect before succeeding automatically to the Presidency at the expiration of the preceding President’s term. The Treasurer shall serve for a four-year term. The Treasurer’s term can be renewed once (totaling a maximum period of eight consecutive years). The Executive Director shall be chosen by a majority vote of the Executive Board. The President and Treasurer shall serve until the election of their successors has been announced in the annual meeting. Vacancies of offices caused either by failure to elect a candidate or by death, resignation, or removal may be filled by a majority vote of the Executive Board.
Additional Officers
The Executive Board at any meeting may by resolution appoint such additional officers and determine their term of office as it may deem desirable.
Removal and Resignation of Officers
Officers may be removed at any time with or without cause and with or without notice by a vote of the majority of the body electing them. Any officer may resign at any time.
The President
The President shall be a member of the Executive Board and all committees, ex officio; shall serve as Chair of the Executive Board and shall be a Board Member for the year following his or her term in office; shall be the chief executive officer of the Association and shall have general supervision of the affairs and property of the Association and over its several officers; shall generally do and perform all acts incident to the office of President, and shall have such additional powers and duties as may from time to time be assigned to him or her by the Executive Board. During their year of overlap, the President shall strive to prepare the President-Elect to assume the presidency and shall seek the advice and assistance of the President-Elect in association business. In the temporary absence or disability of the President, the President-Elect shall perform all the duties of the President and, when so acting, shall have all the powers of, and be subject to all the restrictions upon, the President. In the absence or incapacity of the President-Elect, the Executive Board may designate one of its members to serve as Acting President.
The Treasurer
The Treasurer shall act under the supervision of the Executive Board and shall have charge and custody of, and be responsible for, all the funds of the Association and shall keep and be responsible for the accurate and adequate records of the assets, liabilities, and transactions of the Association. The Treasurer shall deposit all moneys and other valuable effects of the Association in the name of, and to the credit of, the Association in such banks, trust companies or other depositories as from time to time may be designated by the Executive Board. In general, the Treasurer shall perform such duties as may from time to time be assigned to him or her by the Executive Board or the President.
The Executive Director
The Executive Director shall keep the minutes of all meetings of the Executive Board and of the members of the Association. Whenever required by the President, he or she shall perform like duties for any committee, provided that, in the absence of the Executive Director, the majority of the regular members or Board Members present at any meeting thereof may designate one of their members to act as Executive Director for such meeting. The Executive Director shall see that all notices are duly given in accordance with these Bylaws; he or she shall keep a record which shall contain the names and addresses of each category of members of the Association; and, in general, he or she shall perform all duties incident to the office of Executive Director and such other duties as may from time to time be assigned to him or her by the Executive Board or the President. The Executive Director also serves as the Secretary of the Association for purposes of Pennsylvania law.
ARTICLE V. COMMITTEES
Committees
The President with the approval of the Executive Board may appoint from time to time such committees as may be deemed desirable in forwarding the program of the Association and each of such committees shall exercise such powers and perform such duties as may be prescribed by the President. Members of such committees need not be members of the Executive Board if the committee in question is not vested with a power or duty normally considered a primary power or duty of the Executive Board, and committee membership shall be open to all categories of members of the Association when this is deemed appropriate and desirable by the Executive Board. The names of the members of each committee and their terms of office shall be made known to all members of the Association at least annually.
Awards
Awards, prizes, and fellowships shall be granted under written criteria approved by the Executive Board, open to a broad class of eligible scholars, and based on merit. No Board Member, officer, or committee member may take part in selecting an award for themselves, a family member, or a current student or advisee.
ARTICLE VI. MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS
Offices
The office of the Ottoman and Turkish Studies Association shall be the city and state designated by the Executive Board. The Executive Board may establish and maintain additional offices from time to time as it may deem expedient.
Fiscal Year
The fiscal year of the Association shall end as of October 31 in each year.
Execution of Contracts
No contract, other than the ordinary course, may be entered into on behalf of the Association unless authorized by the Executive Board; and any such authorization may be general or confined to specific instances.
Loans
No loan shall be contracted on behalf of the Association unless authorized by the Executive Board.
Commercial Paper
All checks, drafts and other orders for the payment of money out of the funds of the Association, and all notes or evidence of indebtedness of the Association shall be executed on behalf of the Association by such officer or officers or agent or agents of the Association as may be determined by resolution of the Executive Board, or by designation of an officer or officers to whom such power of designation shall have been conferred by the Executive Board.
Deposits
The funds of the Association shall be deposited in such banks, trust companies or other depositories as the Executive Board may from time to time select or as may be selected by an officer or agent of the Association to whom such power may from time to time be delegated by the Executive Board.
ARTICLE VII. AMENDMENT OF BYLAWS
Amendments
At any meeting of the Association at which one-fourth of the members is present, or at any time by majority vote of the members in a mail or electronic ballot, these bylaws or any one of them may be altered, amended, or repealed by a majority of the votes cast. Such alteration, amendment, or repeal shall become effective immediately upon adoption. No amendment may conflict with the Articles of Incorporation or cause the Association to lose its tax-exempt status under Section 501(c)(3).
ARTICLE VIII. LIMITED POWER; DISSOLUTION
The Ottoman and Turkish Studies Association is organized exclusively for educational and scientific purposes, including, for such purposes, the making of distributions to organizations that qualify as exempt organizations under Section 501 (c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (or the corresponding provision of any future United States Internal Revenue Code).
No part of the net earnings of the corporation shall inure to the benefit of, or be distributable to, its members, directors, officers, or other private persons, except that the corporation shall be authorized and empowered to pay reasonable compensation for services rendered.
No substantial part of the activities of the corporation shall be the carrying on of propaganda, or otherwise attempting to influence legislation; the corporation shall not participate in or intervene in any political campaign on behalf of any candidate for public office.
In the event of dissolution, any remaining assets shall be distributed to organizations organized and operated exclusively for charitable, educational or scientific purposes as shall at the time qualify as exempt organizations under Section 501 (c) (3) of the United States Internal Revenue Code of 1986.
If these bylaws conflict with the Articles of Incorporation, the Articles prevail.
ARTICLE IX. CONFLICTS OF INTEREST
The Association shall adopt and follow a written Conflict of Interest Policy. Each Board Member, officer, and Editorial Board member shall sign an annual disclosure statement.