ISCN Constitution

The name of this Organization shall be:

The International Society of Citrus Nurserymen
1.1 Its abbreviation when referred to in this document shall be the ISCN or the Society.

2.1 To encourage and further the exchange of technical information and results of research pertaining to the propagation of citrus nursery trees and nursery industry related topics.

2.2 To promote the production and use of citrus plants of quality which are true to type for the cultivar and have the maximum guarantee possible of freedom from pests and diseases.

2.3 To promote the development of a programme for the exchange and introduction of citrus cultivars from one country to another by the use of technically prepared disease free propagation material.

2.4 To compile comparative economic studies with the aim of providing stability in the marketing of citrus nursery products.

2.5 To have Congresses every three to four years in various countries as determined by the members of the ISCN.

2.6 To communicate regularly with all members of the society.

3.1 Eligibility. Any person, corporation, partnership, association or organization interested in any aspect of citrus nursery tree production, that is interested in the objectives of this Society, and agrees with the by-laws and pays the ISCN dues, will be eligible for membership.

3.2 CLASSES OF MEMBERS

3.2.1 Active Members: This class shall consist of individual persons directly engaged in any commercial aspect of the citrus nursery industry. Each member will be entitled to one vote and to hold office in the Society. Where more than one member belongs to the same corporation, partnership or similar business organization, only one vote is permitted and this member must be designated as the voting member at the commencement of each meeting. No proxy vote will be permitted.

3.2.2 Associate Members: This class shall consist of any individual member who is involved in any research, extension, education or regulatory activities to advance or improve the citrus nursery industry. Each associate member will be entitled to all the rights and privileges of an active member and be entitled to vote in general membership meetings. These members may be appointed to hold office of Secretary, Treasurer or as a member at large to serve on the Executive Committee. In such cases the appointed members would be eligible to vote as a member of any committee of which they are a part.

3.2.3 Ex-Officio Member: The President of the International Organization of Citrus Virologists (IOCV) and the President of the International Society of Citriculture (ISC) shall be named as Ex-Officio members of the Society. These members shall receive all the privileges of active members.

3.2.4 Honorary Member: An active member of the Society may nominate any person to the President for Honorary membership of the Society. The nomination will be to honour any individual who has given meritorious service to the Society or citrus nursery industry. All nominations received must be initially endorsed by the Executive Committee and must also then be approved by a General Meeting held in conjunction with each Congress.

3.2.5 Patron: The Executive Committee may appoint a person or persons to the position of Society Patron/s. This will only occur in recognition of an active member’s outstanding role in encouraging, supporting and assisting in the operation, development and function of the Society. Any Patron/s so appointed will have all the rights and privileges of an active member. Under special circumstances more than one Patron may be appointed to the Society.

4.1 Membership. Dues shall be paid by each active or associate member as determined by the Executive Committee (Article 7.9.2). The period of financial membership shall commence at the start of each Congress and remain until the start of the following Congress as dues for each 4 year period will be included with congress registration fees.

4.2 Timing of membership.

4.2.1 New members joining ISCN for the first time and registering as a participant at the beginning of or during a Congress shall not be required to pay membership dues to cover the period of time since the last Congress.

4.2.2 Members who become delinquent in payment of dues will be removed from the membership list if dues are not paid within six (6) months after notice of delinquency has been sent to them.

4.2.3 The local organizing committee shall determine the registration fee for each Congress after consultation with the President of the ISCN.

4.2.4 No part of the net earnings of the Society shall be used for the private benefit of any member, nor shall any member use the organization for propaganda, political, or religious activity of any kind or form.

5.1 Officers: Officers of the ISCN shall consist of a President, a President-Elect, a Secretary, a Treasurer and the Immediate Past-President. The President and President-elect shall be practicing Nurserymen to reflect the basic ideology and focus of Society affairs. The newly elected and appointed officers shall change over office at the close of each Congress. They shall serve until the close of the following Congress, when the President-Elect succeeds to the office of the President of the ISCN. The newly elected President-Elect will also take that office at this time.

5.2 Executive Board: The above five ISCN Officers shall form the Executive Board of the Society. The current President of the ISCN shall act as Chairman of the Executive Board. The Executive Board may hold special meetings as required by the President between Congresses. The Board shall assist the President in all matters concerning the objectives and any affairs of the Society between Congresses.

5.3 Executive Committee: The Executive Committee shall consist of the Executive Board together with area representatives from citrus producing countries of the world, the Website Co-ordinator/Newsletter Editor and two additional members who have had substantial experience in ISCN matters. The representatives and additional members shall be appointed by the President upon his taking office. The current President of the ISCN shall act as Chairman of the Executive Committee.

5.4 A member of the Executive Committee who cannot attend a meeting can name a substitute to act in his place at the time. The President must be notified of the substitution before the meeting.

5.5 The President shall appoint such other committees and committee chairman as may be needed.

6.1 Election of Officers: At least 3 months prior to the first Executive Committee meeting at each Congress, the Secretary shall call for nominations for the positions of President-Elect, Secretary, Treasurer and Website Co-ordinator/Newsletter Editor. Nominations must be endorsed by the nominee and seconded by another committee member. Endorsement will be by a majority vote of the Executive members present at the first Executive Committee meeting and the final election will be at a general meeting held before the close of each Congress.

6.1.1 The President-Elect should be a member from the country which has been chosen as the venue for the next Congress.

6.2 Should the office of President of the ISCN become vacant for any reason, the current President-Elect shall succeed automatically to the office of President. When normal election procedure cannot be carried out to fill any other elected Officers irregular vacancies, they shall be filled by appointment by the Executive Board.

6.3 If, because of a vacancy, the President-Elect succeeds to the Office of President six (6) months or more before the end of the normal term, he shall relinquish this office at adjournment of the meeting that follows. The newly appointed President-Elect will then become President to serve through the next regular meeting. Otherwise, both officers shall remain in their respective offices for another term.

7.1 PRESIDENT:

7.1.1 The duties of the President shall be to direct the affairs of the Society during his term of office by:

7.1.2 Appointing other necessary committees and a chairman of each committee.

7.1.3 Serving ex-officio with each committee, offering his advice, counsel and suggestions for efficient and productive accomplishments towards the objectives of the ISCN.

7.1.4 Informing the Secretary regarding announcements and information to be disseminated to the members of the ISCN by means of the ISCN website.

7.1.5 Taking the necessary action to initiate programmes of activities which the organization requests by majority vote at regular business sessions.

7.1.6 Publicizing newsworthy activities and forthcoming international meetings of the ISCN in selected scientific and trade journals, and in the ISCN Newsletter on the ISCN website.

7.1.7 Act as Chairman for any General, Executive Board or Executive Committee meetings.

7.1.8 To have prepared and where necessary in co-operation with the Treasurer and the Congress Chairman a full financial statement from each Congress. If from registration fees, or the sale of proceedings and reprints to members and to non-members, after the payment of all accounts there are surplus funds they shall be sent to the ISCN Treasurer, subject to the laws of any country which may forbid money transfer. The Executive Board will consider the complete financial statement and decide on any action regarding surplus funds.

7.1.9 To arrange regional workshops and other ISCN related activities in the four year period between ISCN congresses.

7.2 PRESIDENT-ELECT:

7.2.1 The duties of the President-Elect shall be to assist the President when called upon in the promotion of the programmes and projects of the ISCN. In the case of resignation or incapacitation of the President of the ISCN, the President-Elect shall automatically assume the office of President (Article 6.2).

7.2.2 The President-Elect shall also become the organizing Chairman or responsible for appointment of the site committee members to organize the next Congress to be held in their country. The President-Elect will be responsible for all organization and running costs of the Congress including any supplementary proceedings. This officer will also arrange to publish the Proceedings of the Congress for which he was responsible, even when advanced to the office of President. In case of the resignation and/or incapacitation of the President-Elect, the President will appoint a replacement President-Elect after consultation with the Executive Board. The new President-Elect will assume all the aforegoing duties listed in 7.2.1 and 7.2.2.

7.3 SECRETARY:

7.3.1 The duties of the Secretary shall be to prepare and distribute by means of the ISCN website all official announcements except those which may be sent directly by the President or by individual committee Chairman.

7.3.2 To perform such additional duties as may be requested by the President.

7.3.3 To be responsible for maintaining all Society non-financial records particularly of historic or archives nature.

7.3.4 To call for Congress nominations (Article 9.2).

7.3.5 To receive membership applications, maintain a mailing list of all members and send out necessary information regarding payment of dues, availability and sale of Congress proceedings, etc.

7.3.6 To fulfill the role of Newsletter Editor.

7.4 TREASURER:

7.4.1 The duties of the Treasurer shall be to receive membership dues and other monies of the Society which shall be deposited in one or more bank accounts in the name of the International Society of Citrus Nurserymen.

7.4.2 To sign cheques for necessary and legitimate expenses of the Society, keep accurate and up-to-date accounting records and prepare a financial statement for presentation at the regular Executive Committee sessions of meetings, and to such other persons or organizations as required or requested.

7.5 CONSTITUTION EDITOR
To coordinate and update the Constitution as required and to have it posted on the Society’s website.

7.6 IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT:

7.6.1 The duties of the Immediate Past President shall be to furnish such information to the President, Secretary and Treasurer/Membership Secretary as may be of interest to the ISCN membership.

7.6.2 To serve as a member of the Executive Board.

7.7 WEBSITE CO-ORDINATOR:

7.7.1 The duties of the Website Coordinator shall be to develop and maintain the ISCN website and make it available to members by means of a suitable password system.

7.7.2 To co-ordinate the dissemination of the ISCN Newsletter and other relevant information by means of the website.

7.7.3 To establish methods for electronic payment of Society dues via the website.

7.8 AREA REPRESENTATIVE:

7.8.1 The duties of the Area representatives shall be the dissemination of ISCN information to members in their area that do not have access to the ISCN website and/or that require assistance with translation of information into the language of the area.

7.8.2 The recruitment of new members for the Society where possible and to assist with the collection of membership dues if necessary. Area representatives automatically become members of the Executive Committee.

7.9 EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

7.9.1 The Executive Committee’s functions shall be to meet immediately prior to each Congress. Additional meetings may also be called during the Congress by the President.

7.9.2 To propose the dues for the period from the start of the following Congress, together with a place and time for the next Congress. These proposals will require the approval by majority vote of the Executive Committee members present.

7.9.3 Make arrangements for publication of the proceedings of the current Congress by the President-Elect including any reprinting or supplementary proceedings as deemed necessary after determination of suitable funding and distribution arrangements.

7.9.4 Endorse nominations for President-Elect, Secretary, Treasurer and Membership Secretary to a general meeting held during the Congress.

7.9.5 Any action of the Executive Committee required by the President or the Executive Board between meetings may be decided or endorsed by a mail vote.

7.9.6 The Executive Committee shall have the responsibility of obtaining suitable information for publication in the Newsletters on the ISCN website which is available for all members.

7.9.7 The Executive Committee shall be responsible for the ongoing leadership and vision of the Society.

7.10 PROCEEDINGS EDITOR
To coordinate and edit the proceedings of the Society’s congresses. In future the proceedings of each congress will be published in CD format.

8.1 Conference Paper Definition
To compile guidelines to ensure that papers for presentation at congresses conform to the scientific and ideological requirements of the Society.

8.2 Society Future Focus
To provide future vision as well as facilitate that the Society conforms to its short and long term objectives.

8.3 Congress Site Definition
To compile guidelines to ensure that hosting countries are aware and capable of acquiring the facilities and meeting the congress requirements and objectives of the Society.

8.4 Operating Manual
To compile a manual on all aspects and requirements of the Society’sfunctions with particular emphasis on the practical and functional aspects of planning and hosting the Society’s congresses.

8.5 Nursery Practices and Principles
To review present and monitor future developments to ensure that the Society’s objectives are met.

8.6 Functions of Coordinator Question and Answer (Q&A) Forum

8.6.1 Collects questions throughout the course of an ISCN Congress that may or may not be related to the speakers, but that concerns the members.

8.6.2 Refers questions to a congress participant with expertise in that field in advance of the Q&A session.

8.6.3 Compiles the questions and answers according to subject for presentation and discussion at a suitable time towards the end of the congress.

8.6.4 Chairs the Q&A session in a manner to ensure an effective an efficient flow of information.

8.6.5 Refers any unanswered questions to the Secretary for posting on the ISCN website to obtain what information is available.

8.6.6 Maintains a record of the Q&A forum and forwards it to the Secretary for posting on the ISCN website so that those unable to attend the Congress share in this information.

Note: Committee members and other functionaries will be appointed at each congress with the power to co-opt additional specialists if necessary to meet their objectives.

9.1 A general meeting of all members will also be held during each with Congress of the ISCN at four yearly intervals, or as determined by the Executive Committee.

9.2 Three months prior to each ISCN Congress the Secretary shall call for nominations from all ISCN members for proposals to arrange and host the next Congress.

9.3 A short presentation shall be made by a delegate from each nominating candidate country at the first Executive meeting. This allows time for the Executive Committee members to discuss and consider the proposals based on the criteria below and to ensure that comprehensive presentations are made to the general meeting.

9.3.1 Invitations received from candidate countries.

9.3.2 Geographic location.

9.3.3 Sites or prior meetings.

9.3.4 Name and details of proposed President-Elect.

9.3.5 Other contributing factors.

9.4 A formal presentation shall be made by a delegate from each nominating candidate country at the general meeting to allow the ISCN members present to vote on the site of the following congress. After the ballot the President shall announce the location and year of the next Congress to the general meeting or at a time considered suitable.

9.5 English shall be the official language for published proceedings and other publications of the Society. At ISCN congresses papers may be read in other languages if the Organizing Committee can provide simultaneous translation into English. The Society may grant permission to reprint its official publications in other languages and may, under special situations, sponsor original publications in languages other than English.

9.6 The congress programme should include a balance of direct nursery papers as well as papers on scientific activity related to the nursery industry. All papers need to conform to the ISCN guidelines in order to reflect the basic ideology of the Society.

9.7 The proceedings of the ISCN meetings shall be published promptly.

9.8 The Congress Organizing Committee may request the Executive Board to appoint an Editor for the publication and distribution of the proceedings for the current congress. The Executive Board may also consider any request for the payment of an Editor honorarium and/or editorial expenses from ISCN funds.

10.1 Proposals for amendment(s) of these by-laws, if signed by six (6) members of the ISCN, may be submitted to the President of the ISCN at any time. Normally the President shall present any such proposals to the members in attendance at a regularly convened business session of the Executive Committee. If two-thirds of these members vote in favour of an amendment it shall be adopted.

10.2 Should the need for amendment(s) of these by-laws be of such urgency as to require action before a regular business session can be convened, the President of the ISCN is authorized to instruct the Secretary to proceed as necessary to present the proposed change(s) to the membership by mail for their acceptance or rejection.

11.1 All proceedings will be conducted according to Roberts Rules of Order.

12.1 The first edition was voted on and accepted by a special general meeting held on 12/6/1993 at the 4th ISCN Congress in the Republic of South Africa.

12.2 The second edition was discussed at Executive Committee meetings held at the 6th Congress in Brazil in 2001 and again at the 7th Congress in Egypt during 2005.