Article I Identification

Section 1.

The name of this SIGMAA is The Special Interest Group of the MAA on Business, Industry and Government which will usually be shortened to The SIGMAA on BIG. The group will usually be referred to as BIG SIGMAA.

Section 2. Mathematical focus and purpose

The purpose of this SIGMAA is to advance the mission of the MAA by serving as a unifying link between business, industry and government mathematicians, academic mathematicians, and mathematics students. Specific objectives include:

1. Facilitate discussion among mathematicians at all levels - from students to established professionals - regarding issues of concern to mathematicians working in business, industry and government.
2. Encourage a greater role within the MAA for mathematicians working in business, industry, and government.
3. Enhance the resources and services available to business, industry, and government mathematicians.
4. Provide a forum for input into curriculum development and reform from the perspective of mathematicians in business, industry, and government.
5. Provide a forum for mathematics students and academic professionals to become acquainted with mathematical opportunities in business, industry and government.

Article II Membership Section

Section 1.

Membership in the SIGMAA will be open to all MAA members. SIGMAA members will be all those who have paid the SIGMAA membership dues.

Article III Administration

Section 1. SIGMAA Officers and Executive Committee

Elected officers of the SIGMAA will be Chair, Vice Chair for Programs, Vice Chair for Membership, Vice Chair for Services and Secretary/Treasurer. The SIGMAA Executive Committee comprises these five officers.

A SIGMAA member with special expertise may be appointed by the SIGMAA chair, after consultation with other SIGMAA officers, to a two-year term as an ex-officio member of the SIGMAA Executive Committee to fulfill a special need for the SIGMAA.

Decisions of the Executive Committee will be by majority vote.

From time to time the Executive Committee may designate Officers and Members-at-Large to constitute committees of not less than two members, which will exercise such powers as the Executive Committee specifies. A majority of a committee will determine its actions, unless the Executive Committee specifies otherwise. The Executive Committee has the power at any time to change the number, members and powers of any committee.

Section 2. Duties of the officers

All officers will have the following responsibilities:

1. Communicate regularly with members.
2. Work with MAA's BIG Committee and serve on the Committee if asked.

The chair will

1. Preside at SIGMAA meetings.
2. Organize and direct the activities of the group.
3. Serve as liaison with the MAA associate secretary and staff and other organizations.
4. Be the chief spokesperson for the SIGMAA.
5. Regularly communicate with SIGMAA members about the activities of the Executive Committee and the SIGMAA in general.
6. Coordinate the activities of the SIGMAA officers.

The Chair will also perform other duties as may be prescribed from time to time by the Executive Committee.

The secretary-treasurer will

1. Keep records of official meetings of the SIGMAA and its Executive Committee.
2. Keep a record of the affairs of the SIGMAA.
3. Prepare written reports for submission to the Committee on SIGMAAs as required.
4. Be responsible for all finances of the SIGMAA and for preparation of financial reports as required by this SIGMAA’s Executive Committee and the MAA office.
5. Prepare and submit report on the SIGMAA when it is up for review by the Committee on SIGMAAs.

The Secretary/Treasurer will also perform other duties as may be prescribed from time to time by the Executive Committee.

The vice chair for programs will

1. Serve as the Program Coordinator.
2. Solicit proposals for sessions such as contributed paper sessions and minicourses at MAA MathFest, as well as other workshops, conferences, etc., from the SIGMAA membership.
3. Submit the proposals for sessions that are to be part of the MAA scientific program at MAA MathFest and/or other SIGMAA-sponsored events via MAA’s online proposal submission system by the posted deadlines.
4. Coordinate the implementation of those proposals approved by the Executive Committee. Criteria for accepting proposals will include whether the objectives of the proposal sessions are concordant with the missions of this SIGMAA and the MAA.
5. Arrange sessions at MAA MathFest that are directed primarily at the SIGMAA membership, such as guest lectures and business meetings, by following MAA protocols.
6. Organize any receptions and other programs created and held by the SIGMAA.
7. Serve as the liaison with the MAA associate secretary about arrangements at national meetings.

The vice chair for programs/program coordinator will also perform other duties as may be prescribed from time to time by the Executive Committee.

The vice chair for membership will

1. Maintain the membership roll.
2. Correspond with the members.
3. Have primary responsibility for membership development and retention.
4. Assist the secretary-treasurer, as needed, with correspondence and finances.

In the event that the chair is temporarily absent or unable to act, the vice chair for membership will perform the duties of chair, including presiding at meetings. The vice chair for membership will also perform other duties as may be prescribed from time to time by the Executive Committee.

The vice chair for services will be responsible for

1. Dissemination of information to the SIGMAA membership, primarily through electronic media.
2. Designing and preparing a minimum of two newsletters: one in the fall and another in the spring.
3. Keeping the SIGMAA’s website up to date with events, resources, officers’ list, etc.
4. Assisting the Nominating Committee in their task of soliciting suggestions and volunteers for the officers’ position, and for submitting the nominations to the MAA.
5. The vice chair for services will assist the secretary-treasurer, as needed, with correspondence, and recording and disseminating the activities of the SIGMAA.

The vice chair will also perform other duties as may be prescribed from time to time by the Executive Committee

Section 3. Terms of office, nominations, and elections

1. All five officers will serve two-year terms. The chair, vice chair for programs and secretary-treasurer will be elected in odd years with beginning of the terms in even years. The vice chair for services and vice chair for membership will be elected in even years with beginning of the terms in odd years. Officers will assume their duties according to the MAA’s timeline.
2. The Executive Committee will appoint a Nominating Committee of not fewer than two members. The committee will solicit suggestions and volunteers for serving as officers from the membership. The committee will submit their nominations to the vice chair for services two weeks prior to the deadline specified by the MAA.
3. Election of officers will take place by electronic ballot of the membership. The instructions for voting and the voting will happen according to MAA’s timeline published in the SIGMAA Officer Handbook. The electronic ballot will indicate that write-in votes are permitted. The winner will be the candidate receiving the most votes. Ties will be broken by a fair, unbiased random process supervised by the MAA.

If fewer than 20 members vote, the current officers will remain in office until further deliberate actions are taken to achieve a quorum (see section V.1 for the definition of quorum.)

Note: The use of the term "electronic" throughout this document will be understood to refer to any widely accepted form of electronic communication, such as email, discussion board, conference call, or survey.

Article IV Activities

Section 1.

SIGMAAs are a program of the MAA and are not separate entities from the association. For this reason, all administrative, financial and programmatic activities of the SIGMAAs must operate in a manner consistent with MAA operating procedures in order to maintain the tax-exempt status of the association. To the extent that any SIGMAA charter contradicts the policies and procedures of the MAA, the MAA policies and procedures will supersede.

Section 2.

This SIGMAA will engage in activities including, but not limited to, the following:

1. Hold an annual meeting in connection with MathFest.
2. Sponsor a reception and special or contributed paper sessions at selected meetings of the MAA.
3. Maintain and monitor electronic services for sharing information.
4. Publish articles, news, and information of interest to its members.

Section 3. Interactions within the association

1. A member of BIG SIGMAA will be an ex officio member in the MAA Council on Communities.
2. As opportunities arise, this SIGMAA will cooperate with organizations such as SIAM, INFORMS and others to promote the interests and activities of mathematicians in business, industry and government.
3. Any product of the SIGMAA belongs to the MAA; therefore, the SIGMAA chair should collect signed copyright agreements from the creators of the product.
4. Reports of SIGMAA activities will be included in an annual report submitted by the SIGMAA chair to the MAA Committee on SIGMAAs chair.

Article V Membership Meetings

Section 1. Quorum

A quorum at any membership meeting, including electronic meetings, will consist of at least 20 members, at least two of whom are officers.

Section 2. Frequency and location of meetings

The SIGMAA will have at least one business meeting each year. Business meetings will take place at MAA MathFest and/or through a synchronous virtual platform accessible to members. Other activities may also be scheduled for MAA section meetings. All official business outside the required annual meeting will be conducted electronically, provided a quorum is attained.

Section 3. Conduct of meetings

The SIGMAA chair will preside over the business meetings. The chair will circulate an agenda via e-mail one week in advance and will request additional agenda items at that time. During the meeting, the chair will allow ample time for discussion and will seek to achieve consensus. If a consensus is not reached, decisions will be made by a vote in accordance with Robert's Rules of Order.

When the SIGMAA Executive Committee decides that an issue requires the attention of the entire SIGMAA in advance of the next membership meeting, the committee may decide to convene a meeting electronically. The quorum definition in section V.1 applies to any vote conducted electronically, and ample time for discussion will still be allowed. Members will be given at least two weeks to vote on any issue requiring an electronic vote.

Article VI Finances.

Section 1.

An annual MAA dues supplement will be assessed of each member of the SIGMAA. The dues supplement will be used to support the activities of the SIGMAA. The MAA Board of Directors will determine the manner of collection and disbursement of these funds. The SIGMAA may formally submit a request to the MAA Committee on SIGMAAs to change the dues supplement. If approved, the committee will forward a recommendation to the MAA Board of Directors for final approval. The MAA Board of Directors may also initiate a change in the dues supplement.

Section 2.

The SIGMAA does not accumulate funds from year to year, so current expenses are limited to current revenues unless the SIGMAA submits a request as detailed in section VI.3.

Section 3.

The SIGMAA may apply to the MAA for specific funding beyond that provided by the dues supplement. All requests for funds will be substantiated in a budget for the proposed expenditures and must be approved by the MAA Communities Department.

Article VII External Funding

Section 1.

The SIGMAA may initiate grant proposals to be submitted by the MAA. The SIGMAA will follow the policies and procedures of the MAA for all such submissions.

Section 2.

Neither the SIGMAA nor any officer nor any representative thereof will have any authority to contract debts for, pledge the credit of, or in any way bind the MAA.

Article VIII Changes to Charter

Section 1.

Changes to this charter may be initiated by the SIGMAA as follows: The SIGMAA Executive Committee will provide notice of the proposed changes to membership electronically, allowing at least one month for discussion. If such changes are approved by two-thirds of the members voting, provided a quorum is attained, the changes will be submitted for consideration to the Committee on SIGMAAs. The Committee on SIGMAAs will then forward a recommendation for approval to the MAA Board of Directors or a recommendation for revisions to the SIGMAA Executive Committee. If substantial revisions are necessary, the SIGMAA Executive Committee will submit the revised changes to membership for discussion and vote, as described above. The SIGMAA Executive Committee is encouraged to work in close consultation with the Committee on SIGMAAs at all steps in this process so as to prevent delays.

Section 2.

Changes to this charter may also be initiated by the MAA Board of Directors, which will forward such a request to the Committee on SIGMAAs. In turn, the committee will work with the SIGMAA to develop specific new language for the charter that is acceptable to the SIGMAA (as indicated by a two-thirds majority of the members voting, provided a quorum is attained) and the MAA Board of Directors. The Committee on SIGMAAs will then forward the revised charter to the MAA Board of Directors.

Article IX. Dissolution

Section 1.

The SIGMAA will be dissolved for either of the following reasons:

1. Failure to maintain at least 20 members for two consecutive years.
2. Vote by the MAA Board of Directors (on its own or based on a recommendation by the Committee on SIGMAAs).

Section 2.

If dissolved, any unspent funds of this SIGMAA will be returned to the general fund of the MAA.