The Associate Member Council (AMC) is the representative body of the Associate members of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR). The Associate member category was created in 1988, and is open to graduate students, medical students and residents, and clinical and postdoctoral fellows who are enrolled in educational or training programs leading to careers in cancer research.
Mission and Purpose
The AMC supports AACR's mission to prevent and cure cancer through promotion of the professional development of early career scientists throughout the world. The AMC will foster excellence in all areas of cancer research through communication, education, training, and collaboration.
Article I: Council Members and Officers
Section 1. The Associate Member Council shall be comprised of 12 individuals elected from the Associate membership of AACR. Each Council member shall serve a three-year term. Four members shall be elected annually to replace four retiring members. The newly-elected Council members shall assume office during the Council business meeting held at the AACR Annual Meeting, and shall retire during the Council business meeting held at the AACR Annual Meeting three years later.
Section 2. Officers of the Associate Member Council shall include a Chairperson, Chairperson-Elect, and Past Chairperson, each of whom shall serve a one-year term. Officers may not hold a particular office for more than one term.
Section 3. Council members or officers who advance to Active membership status may remain as members or officers of the Council until the expiration of their term of office.
Section 4. Duties and responsibilities of the Council members shall be to:
(a) Promote AACR, its programs, and its membership opportunities to early career scientists;
(b) Promote the professional development of the Associate members of AACR in accordance with the Mission Statement of this Charter;
(c) Represent the interests of early career scientists and act as a liaison and advisory body to the AACR Board of Directors;
(d) Encourage and maintain active participation of all Associate members;
(e) Attend the AACR Annual Meeting and serve as representatives of the Associate membership.
Section 5. Duties and responsibilities of the Council Officers shall be as follows:
(a) The Chairperson shall be the chief officer of the Council and shall preside over all Council meetings. The Chairperson shall prepare reports to the AACR Board of Directors; serve as the main point of contact between the AACR-AMC Staff Liaison and the AMC; oversee the AMC Committees; and direct the activities approved by the AACR Board of Directors;
(b) The Chairperson-Elect shall assume the duties of the Chairperson in his or her absence, and shall oversee those activities as delegated by the Chairperson; and
(c) The Past Chairperson shall serve as a mentor to the AMC to preserve programmatic and leadership continuity, and shall assist in the functions and programs of the Council as needed.
Section 6. A Council member or officer who has failed to attend three consecutive Council meetings shall be considered to have resigned. Reinstatement shall be considered by the Council upon receipt of a written petition from that member or officer.
Section 7. A Council member or officer may be dismissed upon unanimous vote of the Council for failure to perform his or her duties and responsibilities. Grounds for dismissal include, but are not limited to: the failure to perform duties and responsibilities as assigned by the Council Chairperson; the failure to attend three consecutive Council meetings; and the failure to act in accordance with this Charter or with the By-Laws of the AACR.
Article II: Nomination and Election Procedures: Council
Section 1. All Associate members are eligible to submit themselves as candidates for election to the Associate Member Council provided that:
(a) Dues are currently paid through December 31st of the nomination year; and
(b) Eligibility for transfer to Active membership status is not expected for at least two years past the nomination year.
Section 2. A Call for Nominations shall be issued to the Associate membership in the fall of each year. Nomination materials must include the following:
(a) The nominee's curriculum vitae;
(b) A 100-word description of the nominee's research area;
(c) A 250-word statement outlining the nominee's intended goals for the Associate Member Council; and
(d) A letter of support from an Active member in good standing of the AACR.
Section 3. Those nominees who meet the eligibility criteria will have summaries of the information provided in their nomination materials appear on a slate. This slate will be sent to the Associate membership of the AACR with an opinion poll asking for support of the nominees. Associate members can indicate the four candidates they wish to support for election. These results of the opinion poll will be tallied and then provided to the incumbent Associate Member Council.
Section 4. The incumbent Associate Member Council shall review the nomination materials of all nominees and shall vote to elect Council members to replace retiring Council members. Consideration will be given to those candidates receiving high support from the Associate membership through the opinion poll and in ensuring demographic, geographic, and scientific diversity. Run-off elections shall be held until all vacant seats on the Council are filled.
Article III: Nomination and Election Procedures: Chairperson
Section 1. Council members who have served on the Council for at least one full year but whose term of office will not expire at the next Council business meeting are eligible to submit themselves as nominees for the office of Chairperson-Elect.
Section 2. Each candidate will prepare a short written statement outlining their intended goals if chosen to be Chairperson-Elect.
Section 3. In the event that more than two Council members submit nominations, the AMC Nominating Committee will select two individuals to serve as candidates for office. The AMC Nominating Committee shall be comprised of the incumbent Chairperson, Chairperson-Elect, Past Chairperson, and the AACR-AMC Staff Liaison, who shall serve ex officio without vote.
Section 4. The candidates' statements will be provided to Council members, and each Council member will submit their vote. The candidate receiving the highest number of votes will be named the Chairperson-Elect.
Article IV. Meetings
Section 1. The Associate Member Council shall hold at least three meetings during the course of a year:
(a) A business meeting held during the AACR Annual Meeting to install new Council members and elect Council Officers;
(b) A planning meeting held during the AACR Annual Meeting to review Council activities, appoint Committee chairpersons, and discuss future plans; and
(c) A meeting held in the late summer/early fall with the AACR Chief Executive Officer to review the proposed Council activity plan, which will be submitted to the AACR Board of Directors for consideration.
Section 2. Other meetings may be called at the request of the Council Chairperson.
Article V. AACR-AMC Communications Policy
Section 1. An AACR-AMC Staff Liaison shall be appointed by the AACR Chief Executive Officer to serve as the facilitator of communication between AACR and the AMC, and to perform the administrative functions necessary to successfully execute the initiatives of the AMC, in keeping with the policies of AACR.
Section 2. AACR must be informed of and approve of all activities well in advance of initiation. Approval is based on feedback from the AACR Board of Directors, the compatibility of the proposed agenda items with those of AACR, staff availability to complete the tasks necessary to implement the project, and the overall feasibility of the item contingent upon financial resources. Written proposals for programs along with an estimated budget must be submitted to the AACR Chief Executive Officer prior to submission to the Board of Directors.
Section 3. All official communications coming from the AMC must first be approved by AACR. All e-mails, faxes, and letters generated by the AMC should be copied to the AACR-AMC Staff Liaison. Issues related to development and fundraising should be directed to the AACR Director of Development, and copies should be sent to the AACR-AMC Staff Liaison.
Section 4. To further facilitate interactions between the AMC and the AACR Board of Directors, several options may be considered:
(a) The Council may submit the names of Council members to the AACR Chief Executive Officer for consideration by the AACR President and Committee Chairpersons as ex officio, non-voting members on AACR standing committees, as appropriate;
(b) The Council may give reports of AMC activities to the relevant AACR Committees via written statements; and
(c) The Council may receive reports of AACR Committee activities, as appropriate.
Article VI. Committees
Section 1. The following standing Committees shall be established:
a) Membership;
b) Newsletter;
c) Communications;
d) Development; and
e) Annual Meeting Programs.
Section 2. Other standing Committees may be proposed by any Council member, but must be voted into existence by 2/3 of the Council members, and submitted for approval to the AACR Chief Executive Officer prior to the AACR Board of Directors.
Section 3. The Chairperson of the AMC shall appoint the Chairpersons of all AMC Committees. The Chairperson of the AMC shall serve as the Chairperson of the AMC Annual Meeting Programs Committee.
Article VII. Annual Budget
Section 1. An annual budget for the subsequent year of operations and programmatic priorities must devised by the Associate Member Council Finance Committee in conjunction with appropriate AACR staff and approved by the AACR Board of Directors.
Article VIII. Amendments
Section 1. This charter may be amended according to the following procedure:
(a) Any Associate Member in good standing may submit a proposal to amend the Charter of the Associate Member Council. However, only a member of the Council may raise the amendment for consideration by the Council.
(b) The proposed amendment must be submitted in writing to the full Council for a review and vote. A 2/3 vote is necessary in order for an amendment to be considered for further disposition by the AACR Chief Executive Officer and the Board of Directors.
(c) The proposed amendment must be reviewed and approved by the AACR Chief Executive Officer prior to formal adoption by the Board of Directors.
Effective Date: August 12, 2001