Bylaws of the International Federation of Comparative Endocrinological Societies (IFCES)*

1. Name and Objectives

The International Federation of Comparative Endocrinological Societies (IFCES) is instituted to promote and advance high quality research in Comparative Endocrinology, to facilitate the interchange of ideas among scientists worldwide, and to encourage and foster the careers of junior scientists.

2. Membership

The societies that comprise the IFCES are the Asia and Oceania Society for Comparative Endocrinology, the European Society for Comparative Endocrinology, the North American Society for Comparative Endocrinology, the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology, the Japan Society for Comparative Endocrinology, and the Indian Society of General and Comparative Endocrinology. The members of the constituent societies of the IFCES shall constitute the membership. Any other individuals or groups may be registered to receive information on the activities of IFCES.

3. Membership Fees

Constituent societies of the IFCES shall pay annual dues on a per capita basis of their membership. To remain a member in good standing of the IFCES, each participating society must pay annual dues by January 31^st of the current calendar year, accompanied by a current membership list.

4. Purpose

The purpose of the IFCES is to foster the organization of international symposia on Comparative Endocrinology, such as the International Congress of Comparative Endocrinology (ICCE), to occur normally on a quadrennial basis. The IFCES may undertake other activities, such as sponsorship of workshops or more specialized symposia, as it deems appropriate.

5. Officers and Council

a) The officers of the IFCES Council shall be the President, the Vice-President and the Secretary-Treasurer. There shall be twelve additional members “at large” of the Council elected from the membership and registered individuals. The President shall hold office for a term of four years; the Vice-President shall be elected from the membership for a four-year term and then accede to the office of President; the most current Past-President is an ex-officio member of the Council, and as such, has the same rights as the other members of the Council. The Secretary-Treasurer shall be elected from the membership for a four-year term, and may be re-elected to the same office once. The twelve members at large of the Council shall be elected for a term of four years each, and may be re-elected to the Council once. Special attention shall be given to geographic and research area representations.

b) In addition to the officers and members at large, the Council will comprise the current president/chairperson of the constituent societies.

c) The Council will elect special members with the same rights as other members of the Special members shall be elected from the membership for a four-year term, and may be re-elected to the Council once.

d) The Council may elect honorary members who have served IFCES in outstanding leadership positions.

e) If the President should resign or die, the Vice-President shall accede to the Presidency, for the balance of the term; the Council shall elect a new Vice-President from the membership. If the Vice-President or Secretary-Treasurer should resign or die, the Council shall elect a new officer from the membership for the balance of the term(s).

f) The Council shall appoint a Nominations Committee, which shall present a slate of nominees to the Council, and the nominees for the different positions receiving the greatest number of votes shall be declared elected. As the timing of the elections is dependent on the timing of the quadrennial ICCE, the length of the elected terms may vary accordingly. The Nominations Committee is charged with insuring a wide geographical distribution of nominees as well as an optimally balanced representation of nominees of both genders and of nominees with vertebrate and invertebrate scientific research backgrounds.

6. The quadrennial International Congress for Comparative Endocrinology (ICCE)

a) The quadrennial ICCE shall be held in alternating continents.

b) Proposals to host the next ICCE will be solicited by the President in advance of the quadrennial meeting. Proposers will present their proposal to the Council during the Council meeting at the ICCE. The Council will decide who will host the next ICCE.

c) The Chairman of the Local Organizing Committee (LOC) shall be appointed by the Council, and the members of the LOC shall be appointed by the Chairman of the LOC in agreement with the officers of the Council.

d) The LOC is responsible for organizing the ICCE, with the exception of the scientific program that will be organized by the International Program Committee (IPC) in collaboration with the LOC.

e) The Chairman of the LOC shall submit a detailed budget estimate for organizing all aspects of the ICCE to be approved by the Council, during the first Council Meeting at the preceding ICCE.

f) The budget for the ICCE is the sole responsibility of the LOC. Neither the IFCES nor its constituent societies will be held responsible for any deficit resulting from the organization and assembly of the ICCE. The disposition of residual funds remaining after the ICCE will be determined by the Chairman of the LOC.

g) The IFCES Council shall appoint the IPC, which is responsible for the scientific program of the ICCE. Members of the IPC will include the officers and the members of the IFCES Council, the Chairman of the LOC of the upcoming ICCE, and up to six additional members appointed for a four-year term. The Chairman of the LOC will serve as Vice-Chairman of the IPC. The IFCES Council will appoint the Chairman of the IPC.

h) Each participating society should sponsor one symposium organized and supported by the member society. Officers of the member society should confer with the IPC about the topic of the symposium and participants so that the program for the ICCE is diverse and inclusive.

7. The Bargmann-Scharrer and Grace Pickford Medal lectures

The Bargmann-Scharrer Lecture and the Grace Pickford Medal Lecture shall be held during each ICCE. The IFCES Vice-President shall announce a call for nominations for each lecture two years in advance of the meeting. The Bargmann-Scharrer lecturer shall be a prominent comparative neuroendocrinologist. The Grace Pickford medalist shall be a comparative endocrinologist under the age of 45. Nominations can be made by all IFCES members to a Selection Committee composed of the IFCES Vice-President as the Chairman and two additional IFCES members who are elected by the IFCES Council. The Selection Committee elects one candidate for each lecture by simple majority. Candidates must be approved by the members of the IFCES Council by simple majority.

8. Amendments

These Bylaws may be changed or amended at any Council meeting by two-thirds vote of those present, or by at least two-thirds of the Council members responding to a mail or electronic ballot, provided that notice has been given to all members sixty (60) days in advance.

9. Other matters

In all matters where these bylaws do not foresee, the officers of the Council will decide.

Latest update: 06/05/2017

These bylaws are based on the original version approved by the International Committee on Comparative Endocrinology, 17 May 1989, and the General Meeting of registered participants of the XI International Symposium on Comparative-Endocrinology, Malaga, Spain, 20 May 1989.

This modified version has been approved by the IFCES Council at the XVIIth International Congress of Comparative Endocrinology, Barcelona, Spain, July 18, 2013.

* This modified version has been approved by the IFCES Council at the XVIIIth International Congress of Comparative Endocrinology, Lake Louise, Alberta, Canada, June 5, 2017.