By-Laws
Revised by the Board, July 6, 2016 & February 22, 2017; Ratified by the membership, February, 2017.
BY-LAWS
THE COUNCIL OF GRADUATE DEPARTMENTS OF PSYCHOLOGY
I. Name
The name of the organization shall be: The Council of Graduate Departments of Psychology, hereafter referred to as COGDOP.
II. Objectives
The objectives shall be:
1. To promote the development of psychology by providing a forum for discussion of education, training, and research in psychology and other matters of interest and concern to graduate departments of psychology in colleges, universities, and institutions of higher learning.
2. To interact with and to make recommendations to officers, boards, and committees of appropriate national organizations, representatives of government agencies, foundations, and other organizations and persons on topics relevant to the interests and activities of graduate departments of psychology.
III. Membership
1. Departments of psychology or their equivalents, as defined by the criteria in Appendix A, authorized to offer masters or doctoral degrees in psychology or both, in institutions accredited for such purposes by their regional accrediting association, are eligible for membership in COGDOP.
2. Departments that do not meet the criteria for membership as defined in Appendix A will be considered "special cases" and will be considered for membership on a case-by-case basis by the Executive Board.
3. The representative of the member department or its equivalent is normally the chair of the department. The chair of a department unable to be present at a meeting of COGDOP may appoint a designee to represent the department and notify the Secretary before the beginning of the meeting. Each department shall have a single vote, regardless of the number of programs therein.
IV. Executive Board
1. The Executive Board consists of six elected representatives and up to three appointed representatives (See Sections IV. 2 and 3) of the member departments, hereinafter known as members of the Executive Board. Two Board members will be elected each year. Except as noted in Section 3 below, the term of office is a three-year period beginning at the close of the annual general meeting. An Executive Board member who has served a full term can be considered for election after an absence from the Board of a least one year. The Secretary will send a call for nominations to the member departments and the board will review the responses to ensure that no fewer than half the persons on the ballot are selected from the top vote getters on the nominations ballot. A slate of no more than three nominees for each elected position is selected by the Executive Board taking into account the geographical distribution of the Executive Board members, and other characteristics relevant to service on the Board, such as diversity and willingness to serve. The Executive Board is guided by the nominations received but may add nominees when necessary to meet the above criteria. Election of Board members shall be by mail or electronic ballot using a ranking system of elections. Membership on the Board is terminated if the member is no longer the representative of the member department. The Secretary oversees the election process, unless the Secretary is on the ballot, in which case the Chair oversees the election process.
2. The Executive Board may select up to two members to serve for a term of one year. These appointments typically occur following the results of the Board election. No appointed member may be reappointed for more than 2 additional contiguous terms (i.e., no more than three years of contiguous appointments). Appointments are to ensure diversity and/or continuity of representation on the Board.
3. At the mid-year meeting of the Executive Board normally held in the summer, it shall elect from its membership a Chair, a Secretary, and a Treasurer. The term for each of these offices is one year beginning at the close of the annual general meeting. To foster continuity in the Treasurer position, the board may appoint the Treasurer to serve on the Board for up to two one-year terms beyond the normal three-year term to which board members are elected (up to a total of five contiguous years of Board membership). An appointed Treasurer does not count as one of the two members optionally appointed per section IV.2.
4. The duties of the Secretary include taking notes at all Executive Board meeting and meetings of the general membership, and ensuring that minutes of prior meetings are approved at subsequent meetings. The duties of the Treasurer include monthly reconciliation of COGDOP accounts, mid-year financial report at the annual meeting, and year-end financial report at the summer Board Meeting. The duties of the Chair include calling and presiding over all meetings.
5. Vacancies on the Board will be filled by appointment of the Executive Board by majority vote of the Board. Appointees will serve until the end of the term of the vacant position they fill.
6. The Executive Board shall prepare the agenda for the annual meeting and shall conduct the affairs of COGDOP between meetings.
V. Meetings
1. COGDOP shall hold its annual general meeting during the winter, at a time and place to be decided by the Chair with the advice of the Executive Board. The time, place, and agenda of the meeting will be announced to the membership. Appropriate issues will be discussed and voted upon at this meeting.
2. Two additional meetings may be held annually concurrent with the national meetings of APS and APA. Appropriate issues will be presented and discussed but not voted upon at these meetings.
3. A quorum to transact business at the annual general meeting shall consist of at least ten percent of the membership.
4. Conduct of Board meetings and business meetings shall be determined by a majority of the Board members present.
5. The Executive Board may conduct a ballot of the membership with circulation of adequate information on the issue involved. The issue will be decided upon by majority vote of ballots received by the deadline set, which shall not be less than four weeks after the provision of the ballots.
VI. Amendments
These Bylaws may be amended, after discussion of the proposed amendments at the annual general meeting, by a ballot of the general membership. An affirmative vote by two-thirds of those voting is required for passage.
APPENDIX A: Membership in Council of Graduate Departments of Psychology
Full membership will be granted to departments* that meet one or all of the following criteria: A or B.
A. Departments of Psychology with graduate degree program.
B. Other departments having programs that meet all of the following seven criteria:
1. The program must be clearly labeled and defined as a psychology/degree granting program.
2. The psychology program must stand as a recognizable, coherent organizational entity within the institution and be within a regionally accredited program.
3. Program must be integrated, organized sequence of study.
4. There must be an identifiable psychology faculty and a psychologist responsible for the program.
5. The program must have an identifiable body of students who are matriculated in the program for a degree.
6. Masters programs should be the equivalent of one post-baccalaureate year - 3 quarters or 2 semesters - full time study as a minimum. Doctoral programs should be three post-baccalaureate years of full-time graduate study as a minimum.
7. A core program appropriate to the degree and the sciences of psychology must be identified and the source of instruction, i.e., where the material is taught in the institution should be identified.
Departments which do not fully meet either A or B above will be considered "special" cases and will be considered for membership by the Executive Board on a case-by-case basis.
*(from Board notes) Schools and colleges of psychology that are integral members of a regionally accredited multi-disciplined university shall be accorded the status of department of psychology for membership purposes.