By-Laws
of the
Northeastern Regional Association
of State Agricultural Experiment Station Directors
ARTICLE I - Name
The name of this organization shall be the Northeastern Regional Association of State Agricultural Experiment Station Directors, hereinafter called the Northeastern Regional Association (NERA).
ARTICLE II - Purpose
The Northeastern Regional Association, one of four such Regional Associations, shall represent the administrators of the State Agricultural Experiment Stations (SAES) in the Northeastern region in their collective dealings. The Regional Association is a collective extension of the roles and responsibilities of individual directors. These include but are not limited to responsibilities to meet the needs of their state's agriculture through research, to carry out responsibilities under federal legislation and state mandates and to pursue the purposes of their respective institutions. Additionally, the Association has responsibilities for regional research under the Hatch Act, for assessing needs for research in the region, for coordination of research among the states and between them and USDA research agencies operating in the region for cooperation and coordination with the Experiment Station Committee on Organization and Policy (ESCOP), and through ESCOP, with the Experiment Station Section of the Board on Agriculture of the National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges.
These and some other functions of the Northeastern Regional Association are spelled out more completely as follows:
- Arranges for and independently conducts its own affairs, elects members to ESCOP, makes recommendations to ESCOP and to the Section, reacts to proposals of ESCOP and the Section and participates in the handling of interim business of the Section;
- Participates with the Committee of Nine, and other Regional Associations, in programming and conducting cooperative regional research supported by the Regional Research Fund (RRF) authorized by Section 3(c)3 of the Hatch Act, Public Law 84-352;
- Facilitates cooperation among its member SAES, with Cooperative Extension, federal agencies, industry and others in the planning, programming, financing, implementing and performing of all agricultural research;
- Employs, and pays salaries and/or benefits of, the Northeastern Regional Executive Director and other staff;
- Collects and disburses dues, enters into contracts with cooperators and/or granting agencies to cover the costs of the program agreed upon within the Northeastern Regional Association.
ARTICLE III - Membership
- Regular members shall consist of the director, associate director(s) and assistant director(s) of each of the fifteen (15) SAES's eligible for funding under the Hatch Act, as amended in 1955 (69 Stat. 671): Connecticut-New Haven, Connecticut-Storrs, Washington, D.C., Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York-Cornell, New York-Geneva, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont and West Virginia.
- Each SAES is entitled to one vote which may be cast by the director, or, at his or her discretion, a designated representative.
- Non-voting, ex-officio members of the Northeastern Regional Association shall consist of the AssociationÕs Executive Director; the Administrator of the Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service (CSREES) - USDA; the Deputy Administrator, Northeast Region, ARS - USDA; comparable representatives from ERS - USDA; and FS - USDA; the Director of Governmental Relations for Agriculture and Science, NASULGC; the Director of the Northeast Regional Center for Rural Development; the ATR's from the College of Environmental Science and Forestry, Syracuse, and the School of Natural Resources, University of Vermont; and the Directors of Research at the University of Maryland, Eastern Shore, and Delaware State College.
ARTICLE IV - Meetings
- The (3) regular meetings shall be scheduled each year. They shall consist of: a. Summer meeting - usually in July or August; b. Fall meeting - usually in conjunction with the annual meeting of NASULGC during November; and c. Winter or spring meeting - usually in February, March or April.
Special meetings may be scheduled with approval of the Executive Committee with one month notice of time, place and agenda being given to the voting membership.
- The place of meetings shall be agreed upon by the membership who may delegate the decision.
ARTICLE V - Officers
- The officers of the Northeastern Regional Association shall be a chair, vice-chair (chair-elect), past chair, and secretary-treasurer, each for one year terms that begin with the conclusion of the Association meetings each fall and end at the same time, one year later.
- Elections. The officers, members of the Executive Committee and other designees of the Northeastern Regional Association shall be elected at the summer meeting and will assume their duties following the conclusion of business connected with the fall meeting. Nominations shall be by a nominating committee named by the chair. Nominations of other willing candidates may be made from the floor. A simple majority vote is required for election. In the event the chair, vice-chair, and secretary-treasurer resign or are otherwise unable to serve, the remaining members of the Executive Committee shall arrange a special election to complete the year's term.
- Duties. The chair shall preside at business meetings of the Northeastern Regional Association, at meetings of its Executive Committee and on all other occasions where the head of the organization is to be recognized. He is the chief executive officer of the Northeastern Regional Association. The chair becomes a member of ESCOP upon assuming the chair.
The vice-chair (chair-elect) shall undertake such duties as the chair prescribes. He or she shall become chair for the remainder of the term should the chair resign or otherwise is unable to serve. He or she shall preside in the absence of the chair.
The secretary-treasurer sees to it that the secretarial duties of the Northeastern Regional Association are fulfilled; he or she also serves as the secretary of the Executive Committee and fulfills the responsibilities of treasurer when need arises. In the absence of the chair and vice-chair, he or she will preside.
All officers and designees of the Northeastern Regional Association are responsible for maintaining and then passing on to their successors complete sets of official documents of a continuing directive nature.
ARTICLE VI - Executive Committee
The Executive Committee shall be comprised of the chair, vice-chair, past chair, senior member of ESCOP, and secretary-treasurer.
The Executive Committee through the chair executes the program of the Northeastern Regional Association and gives managerial direction to the AssociationÕs Executive Director and other staff. The Executive Committee also is empowered to handle the immediate affairs of the Northeastern Regional Association between business meetings.
ARTICLE VII - Committees and Designees
Committees may be established and administrative advisors and other designees named at the will of the Northeastern Regional Association. Administrative advisors shall be named from among the membership of the Northeastern Regional Association; committee members may include anyone desired (members or not) who is willing to serve. A list of committees and designees for the coming year is to be prepared by the secretary-treasurer and circulated to the membership as part of the minutes of the summer meeting of the Northeastern Regional Association.
Standing Committees consist of the following:
- Northeast Agricultural Research Committee (NeARC):
Voting Membership:
- Chair, Executive Vice-Chair (ED)
- Regional Research Committee (C/3)
- Agricultural Industries Representative
- Production Agriculture Representative
- Northeast Association of State Departments of Agriculture Representative
Liaison Representatives: One representative each from the following:
- NAPFSC
- Commission on Veterinary Medicine
- ARD (1890 Colleges)
- CSREES
- ARS
- ERS
- FS
- Regional Research Committee (RRC):
Three (3) elected members who serve staggered three (3) year terms, and the NERS members on the Committee of Nine (C-9). One (1) alternate, elected each year, serves in the absence of any regular member during the year, and becomes a regular member the following year. The senior member serves as chair. Representatives are named to the following committees:
- Committee of Nine (C/9):
Two (2) members serving three (3) year terms, and one (1) alternate, serving a one (1) year term.
- ESCOP Representatives:
Three (3) members serving staggered three (3) year terms, one (1) alternate, serving a one (1) year term.
- ESCOP Subcommittee Representatives:
Membership to be named to conform with ESCOP subcommittee regional membership requirements.
- National Agricultural Research Committee (NARC):
The chair of the Northeast Agricultural Research Committee and the Executive Director serve as representatives from the Northeast.
ARTICLE VIII - Quorum
For the purpose of doing business of the Northeastern Regional Association, a quorum shall consist of a minimum of eight (8) voting members. A simple majority resolves all issues except amendment of the by-laws.
ARTICLE IX - Parliamentary Authority
The emphasis in all meetings shall be on orderly process to achieve an objective decision by those present and voting. Should there be a parliamentary challenge, however, it shall be answered by reference to Roberts Rules of Order.
These by-laws may be amended at any business meeting of the Northeastern Regional Association provided the proposed amendment has been mailed to all members one (1) month in advance of that meeting and is passed by a two-thirds majority of the voting members present at the meeting. The chair may authorize changes in titles of organizations, institutions or committees identified in the by-laws of the Association to conform the by-laws with such changes as they occur. The chair shall report all such changes in writing to the next meeting of the Association.
Adopted - July 18, 1975
Amended - November 11, 1975
Amended - November 16, 1976
Amended - July 14, 1981
Amended - February 16, 1984
Amended - February 13, 1986