The Association is able to send out email “blasts” to all of the members of a MAA Section, or to particular subgroups (i.e., those with particular ZIP codes or in a particular state). These messages are visually appealing and professional-looking, with the MAA logo as a header and whomever you designate listed as the sender.

To make this process efficient and effective, the Association follows the following policies and procedures:

• MAA Sections may not create or maintain their own private email lists for the general MAA Section membership, using any information available under the Member Lookup feature on the web site. Any message of general interest to the MAA Section – meeting announcements, requests for nominations for awards, distribution of the newsletter – must be sent through the MAA office, so that all current members are included.
• In some cases MAA Sections may create and use their own subgroup-lists for specific purposes, if the recipients hold appropriate positions in the Section and have opted in by giving their consent. (This statement can be as simple as an email message stating, “I agree to receive email messages from [name of group]. I may withdraw my permission at any time by contacting [Section officer].” The Section officer in charge of the group should keep these permissions as long as the group exists.) Some examples:
  • MAA Section officers
  • Members of a committee
  • Department liaisons or representatives (one per department)
• There are legitimate reasons why a Section might want to contact a particular group of people in their Section – members or non-members. For instance, a Section wishes to email all math department chairs to solicit nominations for a teaching award. Or they want to encourage graduate program directors to tell their grad students about the opportunity at a Section meeting to give talks or posters. The MAA office does not maintain email lists of non-members and cannot send out an email from your Section to them. (They can tell you who is a departmental member in your Section, and can provide you with physical mailing addresses for math departments.) To identify appropriate people to populate an email list, we recommend using the AMS Directory of Institutions. That list, organized by state, includes names and email addresses of department chairs, and you may use it to create your own list. We caution, however, about sending out emails indiscriminately and risking being identified as spam. The most effective contacts will be with someone you know at an institution.
• Sections are encouraged to communicate with their members; we can guarantee processing and sending up to two emails per month to the general membership of the Section. Please try to collaborate with others to combine messages, and make sure that only one person is submitting a particular message.
• If special circumstances require a Section to send out more than two messages in one month, especially to an appropriate subset of their membership (all of the members who live in one state, for instance), we will try to accommodate that request if time allows.
• The MAA reserves the right to amend this policy at its discretion. In case of amendments, users will be informed appropriately.

• A designated Section officer (the chair, secretary, or communication officer) must submit each message to communities@maa.org, with the following information:
  • Your name and email address
  • Your position/office in the Section
  • Who should be listed as the sender of the message/ the person to contact if members have questions. Be sure to include their name, position, and email address.
  • Subject line for the message
  • The text of the message, exactly as you would like to see it
• A staff member in the MAA Office will format the message, add a banner and logo, enter it into the MAA email system, and send a draft to the sender for approval.

The MAA office has developed a procedure to insure all MAA Section emails are reviewed and approved in a timely manner. This procedure will give readers engaging and timely information from their Sections. We ask that MAA Section officers take note of these guidelines involving an MAA Section email request.

• Tuesdays will be “Section Email Day,” meaning this is the weekday on which all section emails will be sent. Having this on the calendar will allow the MAA communications staff to effectively distribute all communications to members as evenly as possible throughout each month.
• To meet the Tuesday send date, an email request from the designated MAA Section officer (the section secretary, by default) for the upcoming week should be sent to communities@maa.org by 2 p.m. ET on Monday 2 weeks prior to the requested date.
• The designated MAA Section officer will receive the draft message for approval by close of business Friday the week before it is scheduled to go out.
• The MAA Section officer will then send approval of the draft to communities@maa.org by the following Monday at noon ET.
• Any email correspondence that misses the deadlines detailed above will be considered part of the next week’s email cycle.
• Section officers should continue to be proactive in the gathering information from all stakeholders so that as much information as possible is included in each section email. (In particular, it should be due only to rare, occasional oversight that we might have instances of sending email to a particular section membership two weeks in a row.)
• Please note that we cannot always guarantee this timeframe. (It may not be possible when all of the staff is at MAA MathFest, for instance.) Please let us know if your message is an emergency — a Section meeting has been canceled, or all meeting attendees need a particular piece of information – and we will let you know if we can send the message out right away.

Emails to your MAA Section members reflect upon the MAA, which places a high value on having every message meet a standard of consistency, clarity, and conciseness.

The goal of MAA Section emails is to deliver important, engaging, and timely information to members. In addition to the general guidelines below, you can see good examples of past emails here.

• Edit content for clarity and conciseness. Shorter emails are easier to digest and more likely to be read. Limit your paragraphs to 3-4 sentences to help readers process information.
• Only include pertinent information that will increase attendance for your event or help fulfill the call to action for your message. Provide links to websites with more information and hyperlink within the text of the email.
• Keep the tone active and professional and the language engaging. Include a call to action if you would like readers to do something such as register for a Section meeting or nominate someone for an award.
• Formatting tips
  • Abbreviate and bold dates to make them stand out. i.e. Aug. 1-4, 2018
  • Include a salutation. You can request that the MAA customizes emails with first names. i.e. Dear James, or Dear MAA colleague,
  • Include links to websites and documents to give readers access to more information and link within the text of the message.

Questions? Comments? Contact communities@maa.org or Lisa Marano, Council on Sections at lmarano@wcupa.edu.

Revised January 2024

For reimbursements due to speakers at Section Meetings, use the MAA Reimbursement Form.

Send all forms to communities@maa.org or mail hard copies to MAA Sections, Attn: MAA Communities Coordinator, P.O. Box 90973, Washington DC, 20077.

Updated 9/28/2017

The MAA Executive Committee has implemented a policy to support official Section representatives’ travel to MathFest and the Section officers meeting there each year.

This policy:

• recognizes that participation in the Section officers meetings is voluntary and contained within the timeframe of the general meeting itself
• recognizes that the Section officers meetings are a shared opportunity by the Association and the Sections to address the needs and advance the priorities of the Sections.

Each Section will receive $250 in addition to its July subvention payment, if it had an official representative (other than the Section Representative of the MAA Congress) at the Section officers meeting at MathFest in the previous year. The Section will be responsible for reimbursing its official representative this amount plus any additional amount that the Section feels appropriate.

Please note: The official representative MUST attend and sign in at the Section officers meeting for the Section to be eligible for funding for the following year.

If you have any questions please contact Lisa Marano.

To request checks for other purposes, use the MAA Check Request Form.

Questions about Sections? | email MAA Communities at communities@maa.org

The Local Arrangement Chair/Committee (LAC) for a Section Meeting should be appointed a year in advance of the meeting, should be faculty at the host college, and should be familiar with the structure of past section meetings.

The LAC will be responsible for:

• Reserving meeting rooms at the site
• Arranging for technology (Audio/Visual) needed
• Providing space for vendors
• Arranging for maps to the site and parking for the day(s) of the meeting
• Planning any food events (with the support of vendors)
• Developing a list of hotels near the site
• Preparing the handouts (bags, folders, programs) for the day of the event
• Updating the Section Leaderingship of the meeting costs
• Providing a Section Meeting Report to MAA Headquarters

FROM MAA MEETINGS MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE AND EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

The following statements are provided to all governors; Section governors should share this information with the Section.  These statements were approved by the MAA Executive Committee on October 28, 2016, to be included in future MAA MathFest hotel contracts:

It is the Group’s official position that it will make every reasonable effort to schedule its national meetings in localities which respect the participants’ human rights and freedom from discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender, race, national origin, creed, or color. The Mathematical Association of America encourages the free expression and exchange of ideas in an atmosphere of mutual respect and collegiality. The MAA strives to foster a welcoming environment for all.

While MAA does not control the behavior of third parties, the MAA requests that all individuals involved in MAA, its Sections, or its Special Interest Groups, conduct themselves professionally and respectfully toward its conferences’ participants, staff, and vendors. Through this contract the Hotel and/or Convention Center represents to the MAA that they will do everything in their power to create a welcoming environment based on MAA’s above stated policies.

As hosts of the event, the LAC should also:

• Provide support for registration and MAA books sales
• Assist guest speakers
• Share important information (dates, times, location, etc) with the Section Webmaster and Newsletter Editor

Following the meeting the LAC will submit all registration information and monies to the Section Treasurer.

Questions about Sections? | email MAA Communities at communities@maa.org

Section newsletters should be published once or twice per year. These newsletters may be electronic or on paper. They should be distributed to the Section membership to convey relevant information (see below for some possible topics to include) and should announce Section meetings at least three (3) months prior to the meeting.

The Section newsletter may be prepared by the Secretary or Secretary-Treasurer of the Section, or by another individual as appointed by the Executive Committee. The Newsletter Editor should communicate with the Section Chair, the Section Governor, Program Chair, Local Arrangements Chair and any other individuals in the Section to gather relevant information for the newsletter.

Electronic newsletters, distributed via email or posted to the Section website, are encouraged to save costs. The Section may opt to continue to mail paper copies of the newsletter to members who have that preference; and may also choose to announce the availability of the newsletter (along with dates of the Section Meetings) by mailing a postcard to all members.

Appropriate topics for the Section newsletter should be decided by the Newsletter Editor in conjunction with the Executive Committee of the Section. Notice that the announcement of Section meeting dates is required to be presented to the general membership at least three (3) months prior to the meeting.

The list below includes topics used by many Sections in their newsletters, but should not be considered an exhaustive list nor a required list:

• announcements of upcoming Section meetings, including registration forms, program, and directions to the meeting site, or links to websites providing this information;
• minutes of previous Section business meetings;
• Executive Committee activities and decisions;
• reports from the Section Governor, Chair, Secretary, Treasurer, and Committee Chairs;
• news from the campuses within the Section;
• a problem section;
• editorials;
• a call for recommendations for nomination;
• the slate of nominees for Section positions;
• a calendar of future Section and MAA meetings, workshops, and other activities;
• a calendar of future regional meetings of AMATYC, AMS, AWM, NCTM, and SIAM or other appropriate organizations to be held within the Section boundaries;
• announcements of Section awards and student awards (Putnam, high school contests);
• articles on special topics;
• visiting lecturers exchange.

Questions about Sections? | email MAA Communities Coordinator at communities@maa.org

In some Sections these are two separate offices, and in others they are combined. In any case, these are two very important roles in the Section, as they involve communication both within the Section and between the Section and the larger Association. Candidates for these offices should understand the crucial role and duties involved before they agree to stand for election. Because the position is so important, the term of office for Secretary or Treasurer should be at least three years with an option for re-election.

The Secretary is responsible for all communication between the Section and the MAA headquarters office, for facilitating communication between the Section officers, and for communication between Section officers and the membership of the Section.

Communication between the Section and the MAA

The secretary is responsible for:

• submitting the Section’s annual report
• submitting the Section’s meeting report
• submitting the name of the Section’s annual teaching award winner
• submitting the Section’s nomination for the Haimo Distinguished Teaching Award
• communicating with the Committee on Sections about any proposed revisions to the Section bylaws
• arranging with the headquarters office to make occasional announcements to the Section membership via the MAA’s email list.

Communication among the Section officers

The Secretary is responsible for:

• coordinating communication among Section officers throughout the year via a list-serve or other means
• making sure the Section’s executive committee meets at least once per year, and that all officers have a chance to contribute to the agenda for this meeting
• arranging for  minutes of the meeting to be taken and distributed afterwards
• ensuring that all Section officers and committee chairs, especially those in their first year of service, know their duties and deadlines.

Communication between the Section’s Executive Committee and the membership

Finally, the secretary is responsible for coordinating communication between the Section’s executive committee and the membership of the Section, especially regarding Section meetings, but also about elections, nominations for section awards, proposed bylaw changes, and other section business.

The secretary should make sure that:

• Section meetings are well advertised
• In particular, the date and location of each Section meeting is announced to the membership at least three months before the meeting
• The meeting schedule is announced at least three weeks before the meeting.

A Section website hosted by MAA and a Section newsletter published once or twice per year are highly recommended for publication of upcoming meetings and other Section activities and business; these duties may be assigned to other officers of the Section. If the Section has a tradition of communication with its membership by regular mail, then the Secretary must be able to produce such mailings or ensure that they are produced.

The Treasurer of the Section receives all monies paid to the Section, deposits such monies into the Section’s established bank account, and pays all bills of the Section out of the same bank account. The Treasurer keeps all accounts and financial records of the Section, and submits an annual financial report to the national office on or before January 31. In many Sections, the Treasurer is also the book sale representative for the Section and is responsible for the sale of books at each of the section meetings.

The treasurer need not be a financial whiz, but he/she should be comfortable with handling money. For instance, handling the finances of one’s local PTA, homeowner’s association, or animal shelter would be a valuable experience for a section treasurer, giving him/her the kind of “financial savvy” that is helpful for this office. The treasurer should be comfortable with financial paperwork (such as setting up a bank account) which can be difficult to interpret. For legal reasons, the section treasurer should not set up a personal bank account in his/her name to do the section’s business. Sections are also increasingly being called upon to deal with issues of insurance at section meetings.

It is the treasurer’s responsibility to keep important documents pertaining to the section, i.e., tax identification number, sales tax certificate, insurance certificate, bank statements, IRS correspondence and notices. These section documents should be kept safe and provided to the next elected treasurer. The treasurer need not do all of this alone. For additional help or financial advice, please email finance@maa.org any time. Sections are encouraged to ask about any legal or financial issue that is not immediately apparent.

As non-profit organizations, Sections must meet especially high standards of transparency, accountability, timeliness, and accuracy. The treasurer must of course place loyalty to the Section above his or her own personal gain.

Questions about Sections? | email MAA Communities at communites@maa.org

The Mathematical Association of America as well as all sections are recognized by the IRS as not-for-profits under the IRS code 501(C)3. This means that all can accept donations that are tax deductible to the donor to the extent allowed by law and that the financial transactions arising from conducting business within our non-profit mission is not subject to income tax. There are certain exceptions but this rule governs the vast majority of any actions that would likely be taken within our mission.

If a section is considering having a fund-raising program that includes soliciting contributions, this must be coordinated through the MAA national. There are significant regulatory issues that arise on a state level that the section would find difficult to administer given their limited resources and familiarity with such programs.

The IRS designation of 501(C)3 for the sections is within a group exemption ruling. This means that the status of the MAA national as a 501(C)3 is conferred onto the sections as long as they continue to operate within their non-profit mission. There is a mandatory obligation on the part of the MAA national to monitor the sections to ensure continued compliance with the requirements of a 501(c)3 which includes such items as monitoring financial activity (on a broad scale) and ensuring that no prohibited activities are undertaken by the sections including political campaigning, the expression of religious content or private inurement.

This IRS designation is federal and does not affect the tax status of any of the sections at the state or local level. Sales tax exemption is conferred on an entity on a state basis and is separate from the IRS designation as a non-profit. The sections do not have permanent addresses, do not employ any staff and usually do not meet the state criteria for organizations considered suitable for sales tax exemption. Unfortunately, each state has their own set of regulations governing this area with widely disparate requirements. For this reason, sales tax exemption for the sections has not been pursued as applying to all of the relevant states would have a limited likelihood of success.

None of the sections are incorporated but are considered unincorporated associations. The sections are linked to the MAA national through the bylaws and governance structure but are considered separate legal entities under the law.

Sections are asked to revise their bylaws periodically to reflect current practice in the Section and current MAA policies.

It is the duty of the executive committee of the Section to revise the bylaws, but other members of the Section may assist. While Sections should tailor their bylaws for their particular needs, each Section’s bylaws must be in accord with the bylaws of the Mathematical Association of America and the template provided here. In particular, to preserve the tax-exempt status of MAA and its Sections, it is important to follow the suggested format as closely as possible for Articles I, II, and V. The Committee on Section Bylaws has prepared a to help the process go smoothly.

Sections contemplating changes in bylaws should consult the Committee on Section Bylaws early in the process. The Committee on Section Bylaws will provide recommendations after reviewing a preliminary version of the proposed Section bylaws. Once the executive committee of the Section and the Committee on Sections agree on the recommendations, the executive committee then presents the proposed by-laws to all members of the Section (this is often done electronically) prior to the next Section meeting. At the business meeting of the next Section meeting, all members of the Section who are present vote on the proposed bylaws. If the members approve the proposed bylaws, the Section sends the approved bylaws to the Committee on Sections, who will forward them to the Board of Directors for final approval. A suggested timeline is provided below.

Ten-Year Review Schedule

In the year that a Section is reviewing bylaws, the Section should follow certain procedures in a timely fashion. Before Section members vote on a bylaws proposal, the Section’s executive committee should carefully study the bylaws template and consult with the Committee on Section Bylaws.

The following table shows a suggested schedule for a Section that plans to vote on a bylaws proposal at a meeting between March and June. If a Section intends vote on its bylaws proposal at a business meeting held before March, this schedule can be adjusted to accommodate that action.

After review is completed at the Section level, the Committee on Section Bylaws also reviews any proposed changes (or lack thereof).  The revised bylaws are then approved by the Section membership and subsequently by the Board of Directors.  This entire process should take no longer than 18 months (January, year n to August year n+1).

This decennial review process is essential for two reasons.  First, it provides the Section the opportunity to ensure that their practices are consistent with the bylaws by either reforming the practice or amending the bylaws.  Second, the review process assures that Section bylaws are compliant with current MAA policies and any legal requirements.

Therefore, each Section will be given a 24 month window in which to complete this process.  That is, if they miss having the bylaws ready for board approval at Mathfest, they are expected to have revisions ready fafterby the following December.  If they fail to meet this deadline, their subvention payments will be forfeit in each year following until the bylaws revision process is completed.  Exceptions may be granted by the chair of the Committee on Section Bylaws.

After a ten-year review, limited amendments to Section bylaws may be proposed in the years when a ten-year review is not scheduled. In this case, only the amendment and related parts of the bylaws, not the entire document, will be considered. The procedure is analogous to that for complete review: the Section consults with the Committee on Section Bylaws, the Section members vote on the proposed change, the Committee approves, and finally the MAA Board of Directors approves.

Policy for Assuring Section Bylaws Review and Revision
(11/25/2013, incorporating suggestions from the Executive Committee)
Each section of the Mathematical Association of America (MAA) is expected to review and revise its bylaws once every ten years. After review is completed at the section level, the Committee on Sections also reviews any proposed changes (or lack thereof). The revised bylaws are then approved by the section membership and subsequently by the Board of Governors. This entire process should take no longer than 18 months (January, year n to August year n+1).

This decennial review process is essential for two reasons. First, it provides the section the opportunity
to ensure that their practices are consistent with the bylaws by either reforming the practice or amending the bylaws. Second, the review process assures that section bylaws are compliant with current MAA policies and any legal requirements.

Therefore, each section will be given a 24 month window in which to complete this process. That is, if they miss having the bylaws ready for board approval at Mathfest, they are expected to have revisions ready at the following Joint Mathematics Meeting. If they fail to meet this deadline, their subvention payments will be forfeit in each year following until the bylaws revision process is completed.

Exceptions may be granted by the chair of the Committee on Sections.

The website for the Mathematical Association of America is designed to advance its mission both with MAA members and with the general public. To achieve these goals requires a continual commitment for providing the highest level of quality in content, design, and presentation. Overall responsibility for the MAA web presence rests with the Chief Business Officer under the direction of the Executive Director of the MAA.

Similar goals should also be pursued by each activity or service of the Association to include Sections, SIGMAAs, NExT, WeBWorK and committees. Since many of these auxiliaries of the MAA utilize volunteer web personnel, special efforts need to be made so that these separate websites reflect well upon the particular organization and upon the national organization. Except where otherwise arranged by the Executive Director, each of these organizations shall officially designate an appropriate individual to provide local oversight under the direction of the organization’s designated leader.

For the website of an auxiliary to maintain an official connection to the national website, several items are required and should appear on the local site’s front page and on as many subpages as appropriate.

• The words “The Mathematical Association of America” as well as the Association’s logo prominently displayed.
• Clicking on the logo should provide a link to the national organization’s front page.
• A link to a disclaimer describing the limits of MAA’s responsibility for content.

MAA offers hosted websites, with ready-made fully branded templates. When you are ready to begin converting your website to one of these templates, you can fill out our form linked here. Please note that each webmaster will be given full admin privileges, and they can allow other officers contributor permission to help with the transfer. The conversions will be the responsibility of the section officers, and the last step will be moving your domain name and this will only be done once your site has been reviewed. For any questions related to the conversion process, please contact MAA Communities.

Questions about Sections? | email MAA Communities.

As we move forward with the task of branding the Mathematical Association of America, step one within the process was to create a set of standards that will:

• Provide guidelines to build unity and clarity
• Make a clear statement of who the Association is
• Present a consistent look and feel
• Offer scalable logo options
• Provide flexibility for various applications

These guidelines are meant to serve as a general guidance as you navigate your way through various projects and MAA communications.

MAA Logo Guidelines [PDF]
Click here to open the MAA’s Graphic Library.

Questions about Sections? | email MAA Communities at communities@maa.org

Committees are urged to keep these practices in mind as they choose invited speakers, nominate teaching award winners or candidates for office, suggest new members for their committees, and undertake many other tasks. While these Guidelines were developed in the context of prizes and awards, they will be helpful to virtually every MAA committee, at the Section as well as the Association level.

The MAA gives awards to mathematicians to recognize excellence in teaching, writing, scholarship and service. We choose speakers for national and Section meetings who are excellent expositors. We elect leaders who are knowledgeable and hard-working. Those selected are regarded as role models, so it is important that each selection process recognize a group who reflects the breadth of the Association membership and of the profession. Diversity in recognition gives visible evidence of the Association’s commitment to equity. While selection committees strive for fairness in selecting winners based on established criteria, studies have shown that unconscious, unintentional assumptions can sometimes influence judgment — this is the problem of implicit bias. For instance, data gathered across many professional societies show that women do not receive recognition at a rate commensurate with their numbers in the profession. In recent years, MAA data on gender show that women are more likely to receive awards for teaching or service than for writing or as a named lecturer. While the reasons are unclear and deserve further study, implicit bias may be one possible factor. The following guidelines may help selection committees avoid implicit bias.

Appoint diverse selection committees and committee chairs. Diverse committees provide access to a wider set of networks from which to cultivate nominations and suggestions. Committee members and chairs from underrepresented groups may cushion against unintentional stereotyping.

“Nominations” can refer to a site for a Section meeting, an invited lecturer for MathFest, or the recipient of a Meritorious Service Award, for instance.

Generate a large and diverse pool of nominees. Pólya Lecturers, Section officers, and teaching award winners are selected based on established criteria, so this step is crucial to ensuring that the pool of nominees contains as many eligible candidates as possible (especially those whose work is outstanding but less well-known). When appropriate, committees should consider including a call for nominations in electronic newsletters, using listservs (e.g., SIGMAAs and Project NExT), and other ways to generate nominations. Where the list of possible nominees is not constrained to a relatively small group (as in a set of articles appearing in a specified journal), committees should invite nominations for awards with notification of their deliberations in FOCUS and on the MAA website. Increasing awareness of an award among all MAA members has the side benefit of increasing interest in the award and making the selection process more transparent and inclusive.

In particular, publicize the award or position among underrepresented groups. When
appropriate, encourage groups such as AWM, the Committee on the Participation of Women, NAM, SACNAS, and institutions exemplary in their support of women and minorities to make nominations.

Periodically review and discuss practices for building a pool of nominees. Examine lists of nominees, short-lists of nominees, and past “winners” for historical patterns with an eye towards gender or other under-represented groups.

Periodically review the description and guidelines. Particular attention should be paid to the language used to describe the award or position — e.g., are the words used associated more often with males than females? — as well as restrictions that could disproportionately affect certain groups— e.g., do age limits affect women who take time off to raise a family? For suggested changes, make recommendations to the Council on Prizes and Awards.

Committees are urged to keep these practices in mind as they choose invited speakers, nominate teaching award winners or candidates for office, suggest new members for their committees, and undertake many other tasks. While these Guidelines were developed in the context of prizes and awards, they will be helpful to virtually every MAA committee, at the Section as well as the Association level.

The MAA gives awards to mathematicians to recognize excellence in teaching, writing, scholarship and service. We choose speakers for national and Section meetings who are excellent expositors. We elect leaders who are knowledgeable and hard-working. Those selected are regarded as role models, so it is important that each selection process recognize a group who reflects the breadth of the Association membership and of the profession. Diversity in recognition gives visible evidence of the Association’s commitment to equity. While selection committees strive for fairness in selecting winners based on established criteria, studies have shown that unconscious, unintentional assumptions can sometimes influence judgment — this is the problem of implicit bias. For instance, data gathered across many professional societies show that women do not receive recognition at a rate commensurate with their numbers in the profession. In recent years, MAA data on gender show that women are more likely to receive awards for teaching or service than for writing or as a named lecturer. While the reasons are unclear and deserve further study, implicit bias may be one possible factor. The following guidelines may help selection committees avoid implicit bias.

Appoint diverse selection committees and committee chairs. Diverse committees provide access to a wider set of networks from which to cultivate nominations and suggestions. Committee members and chairs from underrepresented groups may cushion against unintentional stereotyping.

“Nominations” can refer to a site for a Section meeting, an invited lecturer for MathFest, or the recipient of a Meritorious Service Award, for instance.

Generate a large and diverse pool of nominees. Pólya Lecturers, Section officers, and teaching award winners are selected based on established criteria, so this step is crucial to ensuring that the pool of nominees contains as many eligible candidates as possible (especially those whose work is outstanding but less well-known). When appropriate, committees should consider including a call for nominations in electronic newsletters, using listservs (e.g., SIGMAAs and Project NExT), and other ways to generate nominations. Where the list of possible nominees is not constrained to a relatively small group (as in a set of articles appearing in a specified journal), committees should invite nominations for awards with notification of their deliberations in FOCUS and on the MAA website. Increasing awareness of an award among all MAA members has the side benefit of increasing interest in the award and making the selection process more transparent and inclusive.

In particular, publicize the award or position among underrepresented groups. When
appropriate, encourage groups such as AWM, the Committee on the Participation of Women, NAM, SACNAS, and institutions exemplary in their support of women and minorities to make nominations.

Periodically review and discuss practices for building a pool of nominees. Examine lists of nominees, short-lists of nominees, and past “winners” for historical patterns with an eye towards gender or other under-represented groups.

Periodically review the description and guidelines. Particular attention should be paid to the language used to describe the award or position — e.g., are the words used associated more often with males than females? — as well as restrictions that could disproportionately affect certain groups— e.g., do age limits affect women who take time off to raise a family? For suggested changes, make recommendations to the Council on Prizes and Awards.

Discuss the process and criteria that will be used to evaluate nominees before reviewing nominations. Develop a rubric that matches published criteria. Research has shown that implicit bias can enter via unintentional “criteria-shifting” after nominees are discussed.

Make a personal list of top nominees before hearing the recommendations of any other members. This avoids the undue influence of one member and ensures that the list of viable nominees is as large as possible before discussion begins.

Look for hidden gems. Pay special attention to suggestions from atypical sources. Some department chairs have lots of experience and are pros at writing letters of recommendation; others are not. Take the time to look carefully at every nomination.

Create short lists via inclusive rather than exclusive methods. For instance, select candidates that are outstanding, rather than finding reasons to eliminate candidates from consideration.

Ensure that every committee member’s voice is heard. Do not let any committee member remain silent.

Take adequate time to make a decision. Research has shown implicit bias is mitigated when committees have time for thoughtful reflection and discussion, instead of making snap judgments.

Avoid potential conflicts of interest. Often candidates are so well-known that associations with selection committee members are unavoidable. In all discussions, members should make clear any connection they may have with a person under consideration, and recuse themselves if appropriate. And of course committee members are expected to abide by the MAA Conflict of Interest Policy as described on the MAA website.

February 7, 2013

The IRS designation of 501(C)3 for the sections is within a group exemption ruling.  This means that the status of the Mathematical Association of America (MAA) as a 501(C)3 is conferred onto the sections as long as they continue to operate within their non-profit mission.

There is a mandatory obligation on the part of the MAA to monitor the sections to ensure continued compliance with the requirements of a 501(C)3.  This includes monitoring such items as financial activity and ensuring that no prohibited activities are undertaken by the sections.  Prohibited activities include, but are not constrained to, political campaigning, the expression of religious content, or the use of financial resources to fund private gains.

This monitoring is achieved by having each section of the MAA submit at least three reports to the Association every year.  These reports, their due dates, and receiver are:

1. Financial Report January 31          Chief Financial Officer
2. Meeting Reports June 25 *            Chair of the Committee on Sections
3. Annual Report June 25               Chair of the Committee on Sections

Information about the required content of the reports and the method of submission will be distributed broadly and any changes will be publicized appropriately.  In addition to monitoring 501(c)3 requirements, information gathered in the reports will be used by the MAA to further support the mission of the Association and of the sections themselves.

Since the monitoring is required as part of federal regulations, an enforcement mechanism needs to be in place.  Therefore,

1. For each of the reports, if a section misses the deadline, the responsible party at the MAA will email the section governor, chair, secretary and treasurer once to notify them that the report is late and needs to be submitted.
2. If the reports are all filed on time, the section will receive its subvention payment by July 30. If any one of the reports is missing, the subvention payment will not be sent until all three reports are submitted.

This policy will take effect on January 1, 2014.

* There should be a meeting report submitted shortly after each distinct meeting of a section.  June 15 is the date by which all meeting reports must be submitted.