Constitution
ARTICLE I
The name of this Association shall be THE SOCIETY OF UNIVERSITY SURGEONS.
ARTICLE II
The object of the Society shall be the advancement of the art and science of surgery by: (1) the encouragement of its members to pursue original investigations both in the clinic and in the laboratory; (2) the development of methods of graduate teaching of surgery with particular reference to the resident system; (3) free and informal interchange of ideas pertaining to the above subjects.
ARTICLE III
SECTION l. Qualifications for membership. (a) An individual under 55 years of age at the time of election during the Annual Business Meeting: (i) who has occupied a faculty position in a university department of surgery and its affiliated teaching hospital, following completion of a graduated university residency training in surgery and (ii) who by their work as surgeon, teacher, and investigator gives promise of a successful career in academic surgery may be nominated for election to the Society. (b) However, individual exceptions to the above qualifications shall be made at the discretion of the Council.
SECTION 2. Procedure for nomination. (a) An application form shall be filed in the Administration Office at least 6 weeks before the date of the Membership Committee meeting; (b) The application form must be accompanied by letters from the nominators (two (2) SUS member sponsors) and from the Chair of the department from which the candidate derives their appointment. These letters should describe fully the past and present activities of the candidate as they may bear on his/her future promise as a University Surgeon; (c) At least 3 weeks before the meeting of the Membership Committee (2002), information will be distributed to the membership of the Society concerning all of the nominees. Confidential letters of concern about the qualification of any nominee for membership will be used solely for the guidance of the committee and will not become part of the permanent records of the Society.
SECTION 3. Procedure for recommendation. The Chair of the Membership Committee will distribute complete files on the candidates to the committee 2 weeks before the meeting. (a) Committee members will score all applicants and carry out additional investigation of the candidates as appropriate and forward their scores to the Administrative Office at least one week prior to the meeting.
All members of the committee will be assigned several candidates by the Chair whom they will be responsible for discussing at the meeting. (b) The Membership Committee will meet and rank all candidates based on their accumulative scores and deliberations. (c) All 55 year old candidates will be discussed and a summary of the discussion including their final rank prepared by the Chair. (d) The Chair will recommend to the Executive Council at their Annual Meeting, election of those candidates who seem most qualified. The Chair will also present the summary statement of each 55 year old candidate to the Executive Council. (e) The Executive Council will review, discuss, and approve the final list of recommended candidates for membership that will be submitted to the membership at the business meeting for election.
SECTION 4. Procedure for election. The Society will vote by secret ballot on the candidates recommended by the Council. The affirmative vote of four-fifths of the members present and voting will constitute election.
SECTION 5. Procedure for re-application. A nominee not recommended for election, or not elected, can be reconsidered by the above procedure for up to three successive meetings, but must re-apply.
If a candidate is unsuccessful after consideration at three successive meetings, an interval of at least one year must pass before he/she receives further consideration.
ARTICLE IV
SECTION 1. The Honorary Members of the Society shall be nominated by the Council and elected by the Society. They shall enjoy all the privileges of other members except that of voting and holding office.
SECTION 2. Any Active Member upon reaching the age of 55 years shall become a Senior member. Senior Members shall continue to pay dues only until the age of 65, and shall continue to vote, but shall not have the privilege of holding office.
ARTICLE V
The Officers of the Association shall be a President, a President-Elect, a Secretary, a Treasurer, and three Councilors-at-Large, elected by ballot. No officer may be elected who will attain Senior membership during their term. The President and President-Elect shall be elected for one year, and the President-Elect shall automatically become President. The Secretary, Treasurer and Councilors-at-Large shall be elected for three years. The Secretary shall be elected one year in advance of the Secretary’s three year term.
ARTICLE VI
The Executive Council shall consist of the President, the President- Elect, the Secretary, the Secretary-Elect, the Treasurer, the Chairs of the Standing Committees, the three most recent Past Presidents, three Councilors-at-Large, the SUS representatives to the Council of Academic Societies/Association of American Medical Colleges (CFAS/AAMC), American College of Surgeons (ACS) Board of Governors and Surgical Research Committee (SRC), National Association for Biomedical Research (NABR), American Board of Surgery (ABS), the Surgery Journal Editorial Board appointee, and the President of the SUS Foundation. It is the function of the Council to meet annually prior to the annual Business Meeting for consideration of matters to be presented to the Society at Large. The Council shall also receive the recommendations of the Membership Committee, and shall recommend candidates for election, according to the procedure outlined in Article III. All resolutions shall be referred to the Executive Council and shall be presented to the Society for vote upon recommendation of the Council.
ARTICLE VII
SECTION 1. It shall be the duty of the President to preside at all meetings of the Society, to give the deciding vote, to see that the rules of order and decorum are properly enforced in all deliberations of the Society, and to sign the approved proceedings of each meeting.
SECTION 2. In the absence of the President, the President- Elect shall preside, and in his/her absence the Secretary shall preside.
SECTION 3. It shall be the duty of the Secretary to keep a true and correct record of the proceedings of the meetings, to preserve all books, papers, and articles belonging to the Society, to keep an account of the Society with its members, to keep a register of the members with the dates of their admission and places of residence. He/she shall report unfinished business at previous meetings requiring action, and attend to such other business as the Society may direct. He/she shall also supervise and conduct all the correspondence of the Society. He/she shall also be reimbursed for such expenses as he/she may have encountered in the proper execution of his/her duties.
SECTION 4. It shall be the duty of the Treasurer to collect the dues of the Society and to make disbursements for expenses. He/she shall present an annual report of the financial condition of the Society. The accounts of the Treasurer shall be audited once yearly by a committee appointed by the President.
ARTICLE VIII
Vacancies occurring in the offices of the Society other than that of the President shall be filled by appointment by the President until the next meeting. They shall also appoint members to all committees.
ARTICLE IX
This Constitution shall take effect immediately from the time of adoption, and shall not be amended except by a written resolution, which shall lie over one year and thereafter receive a vote of two-thirds of the members present.
ARTICLE X
Extenuating Circumstances
During a state of emergency, resulting from an attack on the United States or on a locality in which the organization conducts its business or holds its meetings, or upon any disaster, catastrophe, or similar condition, as a result of which the quorum for a meeting cannot readily be convened, the President, President-Elect, Secretary, and Treasurer will preside as the governing body of the Society. In the state of emergency, the annual meeting, election of new members, and election of officers can be suspended if in the best interest of the SUS as determined by the President, President-Elect, Secretary, and Treasurer. In the event there is no in-person meeting or during a state of emergency, the President, President-Elect, Secretary and Treasurer can adjudicate membership issues, including but not limited to, membership activation.
BY-LAWS
ARTICLE I
The Society of University Surgeons shall meet annually at such place and time as previously designated at a preceding meeting.
ARTICLE II
The members present shall constitute a quorum for business.
ARTICLE III
The fiscal year begins on January first. The annual dues of each member shall be determined by the Executive Council with approval of the membership, payable on January first of each year. Each member of the Society who reaches the age of 65 years shall automatically have his dues rescinded.
ARTICLE IV
Robert’s Rules of Order shall govern the sessions of the Society.
ARTICLE V
All questions before the Society shall be determined by the vote of the majority of those present at any regular meeting.
ARTICLE VI
The President shall deliver an address at the annual meeting.
ARTICLE VII
It shall be the duty of the Secretary, six weeks prior to the annual meeting, to notify the members of the Society and to urge their attendance.
ARTICLE VIII
The authors of papers shall provide the Chair of the Publications Committee with titles and abstracts of their essays at least four months prior to the meeting, so that the Committee may, at its discretion, incorporate them in the preliminary program. The Program Committee Chair shall notify those whose papers have been accepted for presentation.
ARTICLE IX
Surgical Education Committee
The Surgical Education Committee shall consist of the President-Elect, a representative from the American Board of Surgery (ABS), the two American College of Surgeons (ACS) Board of Governors representatives, and a representative from the Council of Academic Societies/Association of American Medical Colleges (CFAS/AAMC), and five additional members appointed by the President. The five appointed members shall serve for two years. The Chair of the Committee, appointed by the President with approval of the Executive Council, shall serve for a period of three years. A member of the Committee succeeding to the Chair position shall begin a three year term at the time of accession. The duties of the Committee shall be: to study and report to the Society on the status of those influences affecting education in surgery in the United States and Canada which may appropriately concern it.
ARTICLE X
Publications Committee
The Publications Committee shall consist of the President, a Chair appointed by the President with the approval of the Executive Council to serve two years, and twenty four additional members, each additional member, aside from the Chair, serving for two years. The terms of these additional members shall be staggered so that at least two replacements shall be appointed each year by the President. The members should be diverse in their clinical and research interests to accurately reflect the broad membership of the SUS.
The Publications Committee shall review the abstracts of all papers submitted and select those to be read before the Society. A designated Councilor-at-Large shall (a) collect the papers presented before the Society and pass upon them for publication; (b) forward them to the journal selected by the Society; (c) edit transcripts of the discussion of papers. The Councilor shall refer controversial matters to the Chair and members of the Committee for vote.
ARTICLE XI
The Society shall have the power to drop from its rolls any member who: l) fails to fulfill the obligations as set forth in the Constitution and By-Laws; (2) absents themselves from three consecutive meetings without justifiable excuse (this does not apply to Senior or Honorary Members); (3) fails to pay their dues for more than one calendar year; (4) for any reason fails to retain their good standing in the medical profession. New members must attend and present at a meeting following election to membership in order to activate membership.
ARTICLE XII
The reading of papers shall be limited to an assigned time length, determined by the Chair on Publications. There shall be no formal discussions on the program. In the case of joint authorship, any one of the authors may deliver the paper.
ARTICLE XIII
These By-Laws may be amended at any meeting of the Society by majority vote. The amendment must be submitted to the Secretary 1 month prior to the meeting of the Executive Council, approved by them, and recommended to the Society for vote.
ARTICLE XIV
Nominating Committee
Commencing 2019, the Nominating Committee for elected officers of the Society shall include each member attaining Senior member status in that year, and who has attended 3 of the last 5 annual meetings and present at the time of the meeting, plus the President, President-Elect, the three Past Presidents, the most recently appointed Councilor, and two at-large members to be self nominated and voted by the membership.
ARTICLE XV
Social and Legislative Issues Committee
The Social and Legislative Issues Committee shall consist of the Chair, a representative from the American Board of Surgery (ABS), the two American College of Surgeons (ACS) Board of Governors representatives, a representative from the Council of Academic Societies/Association of American Medical Colleges (CFAS/AAMC), and six additional members appointed by the President. The six appointed members shall serve for two years. The Chair of the Committee, appointed by the President with the approval of the Executive Council, shall serve for a period of three years. A member of the Committee succeeding to the Chair shall begin a three year term at the time of accession. The duties of the Committee shall include the study of social and legislative issues which may affect academic surgeons in the United States and Canada. The Committee will report its findings to the Executive Council and the Society; and, in addition, shall make recommendations for responsive action by the Society.
ARTICLE XVI
Scholarship Committee
The Scholarship Committee shall consist of two Councilors-at-Large, the President-Elect, the three Past Presidents, the American College of Surgeons(ACS) Surgical Research Committee (SRC) representative and eight additional committee members appointed by the President on an annual basis. The charge of this Committee will include the pursuit of funding to support research fellowships and in the selection of SUS Foundation fellowship awardees when appropriate funding is available.
ARTICLE XVII
Membership Committee
The Membership Committee is charged to score, collate and rank in order (based on their cumulative scores and deliberations), all eligible applications (See Article II, Section 1 of this Constitution) for SUS membership. The Chair of the Committee will present to the Executive Council of the Society this rank listing of applicants for approval at the February meeting of the Executive Council. The Council will recommend to the members at the business meeting.
The Membership Committee shall consist of a Councilor-at-Large who shall serve as Chair, a second Councilor-at-Large, the President, the three intermediate Past Presidents, the Secretary, and twelve additional members, appointed by the President. The appointed members will serve staggered two-year terms. The President will appoint (with approval of the Executive Council) four new members each year. The Membership Committee shall meet during the October meeting of the American College of Surgeons to review the scores and rank the applicants at a time and place to be determined by the Chair.
ARTICLE XVIII
Academic Global Surgery Committee
The Academic Global Surgery Committee shall consist of the Chair, six active SUS members, and two Senior SUS members. The Chair of the Committee, appointed by the President with approval of the Executive Council, shall serve for a period of three years. The Committee members shall serve a period of two years. The terms of the members shall be staggered so that at least two replacements shall be appointed each year by the President. The purpose of the Committee is to promote excellence in surgical education, research, clinical care, collaboration and outreach, through national and global institutional partnerships.
ARTICLE XIX
Audit Reports
The accounts of the Society and Foundation shall be audited by an external agency authorized by the Treasurer at least every three years during year one of the Treasurer appointment or more frequently as determined by the Executive Council.
ARTICLE XX
Ethics and Conflict of Interest Committee
The Ethics and Conflict of Interest Committee shall consist of the Chair, and six additional SUS members appointed by the President. The Chair of the Committee, appointed by the President with approval of the Executive Council, shall serve for a period of three years. The six appointed members shall serve for a period of two years. The terms of the members shall be staggered so that at least two replacements shall be appointed each year by the President. A member of the Committee succeeding to the Chair shall begin a three year term at the time of accession. The duties of the Committee shall be: to review and manage all conflicts of interest and bias as they relate to the Society, to the SUS Foundation, and to the Academic Surgical Congress and to serve in an advisory and educational capacity for ethics policies and practices as they relate to the Society, SUS Foundation, and the Academic Surgical Congress.
Article XXI
Research Committee
The Research Committee shall consist of the two Co-Chairs, the National Association for Biomedical Research (NABR) Representative, and twelve additional members representing multiple diverse fields of surgical research who will be recommended by the Co-Chairs and appointed by the President. The Co-Chairs of the Committee, appointed by the President with approval of the Executive Council, shall serve staggered two-year terms. The twelve additional members will serve staggered two year terms. The charge of the committee is to support and promote high-quality surgical research through education, advocacy, collaboration, and mentorship.
Article XXII
Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee
The Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee shall consist of the Chair, President, President-Elect, Immediate Past President, and eight additional members who will be appointed by the President. The Chair of the Committee, appointed by the President with approval of the Executive Council, shall serve for a period of three years. The eight additional members will serve staggered two year terms. The charge of the Committee is to assist the SUS to adopt inclusion, diversity, access and equity as core values of the Society of University Surgeons, develop a formal roadmap of guiding principles, disseminate effective Awareness Campaign strategies to achieve diversity, equity and inclusion both within the organization and in the field of Surgery and advise the SUS on strategies and metrics to assist in recruitment and increase engagement of diverse groups in the organization.
rev. 03/2023