Constitution of the South Carolina Historical Association
Approved March 4, 2023
I. NAME: The organization shall be the South Carolina Historical Association.
II. PURPOSE: This Association shall promote historical studies in the state of South Carolina, bring about a closer relationship among persons living in this state who are interested in history, and encourage the preservation of historical records.
III. MEMBERSHIP shall be open to anyone interested in the objectives of the Association.
A. Annual dues shall be determined by the Executive Committee.
B. Student members shall pay annual dues at half-rates.
C. Retired members are eligible for lifetime membership after ten years of membership and the payment of $500. Lifetime members shall have annual membership dues waived.
IV. OFFICERS shall be a president, vice-president, secretary, and treasurer; these shall be elected at each annual meeting. The Executive Committee shall normally nominate one person for each office. The vice president shall be the automatic nominee for president. Nominations from the floor may be made for any office. Officers shall have the duties and perform the functions customarily attached to their respective offices with such others as may from time-to- time be prescribed.
In the event that the president leaves the association or is unable or unwilling to continue their duties, the vice president shall assume the role until such time as an election can be held. In the event that another officer leaves the association or is unable or unwilling to continue their duties, the
Executive Committee shall appoint a replacement by majority vote from among the association membership until such time as an election can be held.
V. EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE shall be composed of the officers identified in Article IV and six additional members elected for terms of up to three years to be determined at the time of their nomination.
A. The duties of the Executive Committee shall be to fix the date and place of the annual meeting; to prepare a program for the annual meeting; to attend to the publication of The Journal; to supervise the Association's finances; to oversee the Association's website and other communications; to prepare a list of nominations for the officers and other members of the Executive Committee; and such other duties as may from time-to-time be assigned to them by the Association.
B. The president may appoint other committees as needed, or be instructed to appoint, by resolutions of the Association.
C. The treasurer and the secretary will jointly be named on, have access to, and receive account statements from any financial holdings of the Association. The treasurer will provide account statements to the Executive Committee at the request of any member of the committee.
VI. The Executive Committee shall appoint a communications director from among the membership, who will serve at the pleasure of the Executive Committee. The communications director will, at the direction of the Executive Committee, oversee the website and any other forms of electronic communication. The communications director will make reports to the board and attend board meetings at the request of the Executive Committee.
VII. There shall be an ANNUAL MEETING of the Association at the time and place appointed by the Executive Committee.
VIII. In the event that the annual meeting cannot take place, or is held remotely, a vote shall be held electronically or by mail, at the discretion of the Executive Committee, with ballots sent to all current SCHA members. The terms of the existing Executive Committee members will be extended until the election is complete.
IX. ASSOCIATION'S PUBLICATION
A. The Association shall publish annually its peer-reviewed journal, known as The Journal of the South Carolina Historical Association. Each annual edition of The Journal shall include a copy of the Association's Constitution, minutes of the annual meeting, and other materials as determined by the Executive Committee.
B. All papers published in The Journal shall become the property of the Association except as otherwise may be approved by the Executive Committee.
C. The Executive Committee, by two-thirds vote, shall have the authority to appoint or remove an Editor(s). In consultation with the Editor(s), the Executive Committee shall have the authority to appoint or remove an Associate Editors(s) and the authority to create or dissolve an Editorial Board.
X. DANIEL HOLLIS PRIZE: The organization awards the Daniel Hollis Prize at the annual meeting.
A. In even numbered years of the meeting, a graduate student may be awarded the prize for the best article published in The Journal in the last two years (current and previous year).
B. In odd numbered years of the meeting, a professional historian may be awarded the prize for the best article published in The Journal in the last two years (current and previous year).
C. The Executive Committee will annually appoint an award committee to review all eligible articles.
D. In the event of a tie, the Executive Committee will choose the prize winner.
XI. FINANCES
A. The Publications Endowment Fund exists to supplement the income available for the publication of The Journal. Contributions may be made by anyone, and they will be acknowledged in writing.
B. The Fund will be administered by three trustees: the President, the Treasurer, and the editor of The Journal. The trustees shall invest the Fund so as to obtain a secure and steady income and report annually to the membership the status of the Fund.
C. The trustees may designate annually a sum no greater than 80 percent of the earnings of the Fund to defray the cost of printing The Journal and add the surplus of earnings each year to the principal.
D. Should the Executive Committee determine that the Fund is no longer necessary for the purpose for which it was established, they shall recommend that this Article be removed from the constitution. If the Fund is liquidated, the Executive Committee shall make an unrestricted gift of the principal to the endowment fund of The University of South Carolina Caroliniana Society or similar historical repository in South Carolina and transfer the balance of the earnings to the treasury of the Association.
XII. In the event of the dissolution, the remaining assets of the Association, if any, shall be donated by the Executive Committee to another organization that shares the objectives and aims of the Association.
XIII. The constitution may be AMENDED by a two-thirds vote of the members present at the annual meeting.