IAMCR elected positions

Photo: (cc) flickr user https://flickr.com/photos/143106192@N03/

Return to the Election 2020 website

The following text was prepared by the IAMCR Election Committee.

IAMCR conducts elections for its Executive Board and 15 International Council members every four years. 2020 will be the second time IAMCR members vote electronically. The election timeline is as follows:

  • Call for nominations: Monday, 17 February 2020
  • Nominees be received until: 23h59 UTC Tuesday, 17 March 2020
  • Voting period: Monday, 11 May – Sunday, 31 May 2020  
  • Election result announced by President Janet Wasko by email after the voting period.

IAMCR Governance

Four years ago, it became evident that many IAMCR members are not familiar with the IAMCR governance structure. This is the first of three pre-election letters in which we explain IAMCR’s structure and electoral process.

IAMCR’s governing bodies are the Executive Board, the International Council and the General Assembly. The Executive Board consists of the President, two Vice-Presidents, the Secretary General and the Treasurer. The International Council has 15 members elected by the membership at large and 15 Section Head members. IAMCR’s Sections and Working Groups hold their own elections (these are not dealt with here). The International Council conducts its business throughout the year by email and has online voting procedures. It meets one or more times at the IAMCR conference. The Executive Board meets monthly online. A General Assembly takes place every second year. IAMCR has a number of committees whose members are mostly drawn from the International Council. IAMCR Sections, Working Groups and Committees report to the General Assembly as does the Executive Board. The Executive Board and International Council are supported by the Executive Secretariat which is appointed.

In February 2020, the Call for Nominations will be for:

The Executive Board

President

  • The President oversees the work of the Executive Board which meets monthly online. A major task is the preparation of conferences which involves meetings, negotiations and site visits.
  • The President communicates with the International Council, Sections and Working Groups, Committee and Task Force heads.
  • The President co-writes and co-edits IAMCR governance documents.
  • The President liaises with organizations IAMCR is affiliated to, such as UNESCO.
  • The President represents IAMCR at conferences of other organizations.
  • The President receives and answers a wide range of emails addressed to IAMCR.
  • Other tasks are in line with the President’s preferences, such as supporting IAMCR’s publications program.

Vice-Presidents (2)

The role of the Vice Presidents is to support the President, especially in work with the International Council, Committees and Task Forces. Their roles can be tailored to the Vice Presidents’ experience and interests. Outgoing Vice President Aimée Vega Montiel, for example, played a leading role in representing IAMCR in the Global Alliance on Media and Gender (GAMAG). A previous Vice President acted as close liaison between IAMCR and UNESCO. Other areas of activity may be publications, membership, global inclusivity and advancement of academic life.

Secretary General

  • The main tasks of the Secretary General are conference organization and liaison with IAMCR’s Sections and Working Groups.
  • The Secretary General assists with organizing the Executive Board’s meetings and takes minutes.
  • The Secretary General represents Sections and Working Groups and represents their issues at Executive Board meetings.
  • The Secretary General works on conference organization with the Local Organising Committee, IAMCR’s Executive Director and staff from the Executive Secretariat and IAMCR’s Conference Organising Committee.
  • The Secretary General organises the Section and Working Group meetings at IAMCR’s annual conferences and prepares the International Council and General Assembly.

Treasurer

  • The Treasurer attends to IAMCR’s financial management.
  • The Treasurer reports IAMCR’s financial position to the Executive Board at their monthly meetings.
  • The Treasurer prepares an annual report for the International Council and bi-annual report for the General Assembly.
  • The Treasurer administers IAMCR’s bank accounts, issues invoices and makes payments.
  • The Treasurer manages grants and awards.
  • The Treasurer develops strategies with regard to income and investments.

None of these positions carries a stipend, and the Executive Board members fund the necessary travel for site visits and conferences, with few exceptions, from their own institutional budgets.

The International Council (15 for election from membership at large)

Members of the International Council are expected to serve on an IAMCR Committee or Task Force. Among these are the Environmental Impact Committee; the Membership Committee; the Publications Committee and the Committee for the Improvement of Academic Life. There are two Task Forces, the Task Force on Global Alliance on Media and Gender and the Task Force on Global Alliance for Social and Behavioural Change.

All these IAMCR positions are held for four years, with elected officers being permitted two terms.

We hope that this explanation of IAMCR’s governing structure helps you in the 2020 elections. Details about how to nominate a candidate or candidates and who is eligible to nominate and vote will follow in our next pre-election letter.

The IAMCR Election committee

  • Beate Josephi (chair)
  • Robin Mansell and Manuel Pinto