Bylaws of the Melville Society
I. Purpose of the Society
The Melville Society, founded in 1945, is a scholarly organization whose principal aims are to study, preserve, and share scholarship about the life, works, and historical context of Herman Melville. The Society publishes a journal and occasional works, sponsors conferences, maintains an archive, supports educational and cultural activities, manages endowments, and enters into affiliations with other cultural and scholarly organizations. It welcomes members from around the world who share its aims. It is managed by an Executive Committee that follows the policies prescribed in these bylaws.
II. Officers of the Executive Committee
The Executive Committee (EC) is the governing body of the Society and consists of nine officers. All officers except the Associate Editor and Communications Director have full voting rights and are expected to conduct day-to-day business at meetings (in person or electronically) as called by the Executive Director. Wherever possible, EC officers should seek institutional support for their activities on behalf of the Society, including teaching reductions, technical and clerical support, office space, postage, travel expenses, and other necessities. Each officer should maintain and transmit to their successor records related to their area of responsibility.
A. President
The President is an individual who has made significant contributions to Melville studies and who serves as an honorary officer. The President appoints one member of the Society's Hennig Cohen Prize Committee to a three-year term and serves the Society in other capacities as the EC suggests.
Term: one year; may serve more than once, but not in consecutive years.
B. Executive Director
The Executive Director is the Society’s chief executive officer and official spokesperson.
Duties include:
Convening and chairing the Executive Committee.
Coordinating and directing activities among the Society's officers, committees, and various constituencies.
Calling for and supervising all elections and tallying ballots.
Corresponding between the Society and all external groups.
Maintaining the Society’s status as an allied organization with the MLA and developing affiliations with other professional societies as appropriate, in consultation with the EC.
Maintaining an archive of the Society's official business, including files of the retiring Executive Director and other important documents.
Appointing a member annually to the Nominating Committee.
Serving on the Murray Endowment Committee.
Term: three years; may be nominated for successive terms.
C. Director for Programs and Conferences
The Director for Programs and Conferences is responsible for coordinating the Society's annual panels at the American Literature Association (ALA) and Modern Language Association (MLA) and for chairing the Travel Awards Committee for select international conferences.
Duties include:
Communicating with MLA and ALA program chairs and, in consultation with the Editor and Executive Director, reviewing CFPs to ensure effective panels that meet the Society's aims.
Collecting panel proposals in advance of MLA and ALA deadlines, reviewing them in consultation with the Editor and Executive Director, and submitting them to the MLA and ALA.
Communicating with MLA and ALA organizers regarding space, scheduling, and other practical details.
Convening occasional panels and lectures to represent the Society, in consultation with the EC.
Collaborating with the Communications Director to circulate and advertise CFPs and panel information.
Working with the EC to solicit proposals to host international Melville conferences.
Convening and chairing the Travel Awards Committee for international Melville conferences designated by the EC.
Term: three years; may be nominated for successive terms.
D. Editor
The Editor is responsible for all publishing associated with the Society, primarily Leviathan: A Journal of Melville Studies, and any special publications, single or serialized.
Duties include:
Managing editorial responsibilities professionally to ensure a fair and effective peer review process, high quality content, excellence in journal or book design, accuracy in copyediting, and the timely submission of copy for printing and distribution.
Appointing, at their discretion, an Associate Editor to assist in general editing or special projects, an Extracts Editor to coordinate and produce the Extracts portion of the journal, a Book Review Editor to commission and edit book reviews, and other individuals to perform specific editorial roles (special guest editor, advisory board, editorial board, international advisory board, etc.). The Associate Editor serves on the EC ex officio as a non-voting member.
Employing, at their discretion, assistants to help with manuscript submissions, correspondence, and filing. Such arrangements may be made with the Society and the Editor's home institution.
Serving on the Murray Endowment Committee.
Serving on the Melville Digital Projects Committee.
In consultation with the EC, appointing the next Editor.
Term: three years; may serve successive terms, typically no more than two terms total.
E. Treasurer
The Treasurer administers and supervises all financial accounts.
Duties include:
Collecting all monies, exclusive of dues and subscriptions, that accrue to the Society, the journal, the MSCP, and any other Society entity, including the Murray and Cohen Endowments and funds designated for travel awards, depositing them in one or more accounts under the Society's name and tax identification number, and disbursing them as the EC, MSCP, or other budgeted entities of the Society direct.
Maintaining accurate and up-to-date financial records for all Society funds, accounts, and budget lines.
Filing Federal income tax returns and such documents as are necessary to retain non-profit status; filing annual reports with the Society's state of incorporation and such documents as are necessary with the Society’s registered agency in the state of incorporation.
Submitting an annual budget for the Society, including the MSCP, to be approved by the EC, as directed by the Executive Director. Significant variations from the budget must be approved by the EC.
Preparing an annual report on the Society's fiscal health that is published in the Society's journal.
Serving as point of contact with sponsoring agencies for grants received by the Melville Society and administering grant funds and reporting expenditures according to agency requirements, federal laws, and laws within the state of incorporation.
Serving on the Murray Endowment Committee.
Maintaining an archive of the Society's financial records and transmitting them to future treasurers. Facilitating the transfer of Treasurer responsibilities to a successor at term-end, including access to existing accounts and/or creation of new accounts, and supplying guidance and information to the new Treasurer when needed throughout their succeeding term.
Term: three years; may be nominated for successive terms.
F. Communications Director
The Communications Director is an ex officio (non-voting) member of the EC appointed by the Executive Director with the approval of the EC. The Communications Director develops effective and engaging communications for the Society, coordinating with and delegating tasks to Communications Committee members as necessary. Duties include:
Updating and maintaining the website to communicate Society business such as current officers and committees, upcoming conferences, and submission deadlines for conference panels, the Hennig Cohen Essay Prize, the Walter Bezanson Fellowship, and other Society programs.
Administering and maintaining the Society’s email listserv, including the timely approval or rejection of messages, depending on their relevance to Society business.
Administering and maintaining the Society’s social media accounts and other digital forms of promotion.
Assisting the Executive Director in running elections.
Publicizing via the website, listserv, and social media accounts the Society’s upcoming events and programs, or those with which it is affiliated, such as the Society’s ALA and MLA conference panels and the Melville international conferences; webinars and online book discussions hosted by Leviathan; and the activities of the Melville Society Cultural Project and affiliated digital projects.
Supporting and participating in the Society’s fundraising.
Coordinating with the Treasurer to ensure the website’s financial support.
Term: three years; may be nominated for successive terms.
G. Member At-Large
The Executive Committee member at-large shall be a member of the Melville Society who holds no other concurrent office or duties. The member at-large is an equal member of the EC with voice and vote on all EC matters and shall attend meetings, correspond regularly with the EC, and perform such occasional duties as the Executive Director may direct.
Term: three years; may be nominated for one additional term.
H. Melville Society Cultural Project Representative
The MSCP Representative acts as a liaison between the MSCP Committee and the EC. Duties include:
Reporting the activities of the MSCP to the EC and consulting with the EC regarding upcoming and potential MSCP activities.
Coordinating with the Treasurer on MSCP expenses.
Term: Two years; may be nominated for successive terms.
III. Standing Committees
Committees are listed in the order in which they were added to the Society.
A. Nominating Committee
The Nominating Committee consists of three persons selected from the membership at large who do not serve on any other committees. Every year the Executive Director in consultation with the EC appoints one member to serve one three-year term. The senior member chairs the committee and receives instructions from the Executive Director regarding vacancies, deadlines, and other procedures. The committee nominates one person for each vacancy and submits its slate to the Executive Director, who prepares a ballot that is submitted to Society members. Duties include:
Nominating one person for each vacant position on the EC, with the exception of the Editor, the Communications Director, and the MSCP Representative.
Nominating one trustee for the Murray Endowment Committee.
Nominating chairs for the Melville Society’s annual programs at MLA and ALA, who hold one-year terms and may serve no more than once every three years.
Term: Three years; may be appointed more than once but not for consecutive terms.
B. Murray Endowment Committee
The Murray Endowment, established in 1987 with a $20,000 bequest from Henry A. Murray, is a permanent endowment whose funds were designated in part to support new publications of the Society, improvements to the Society's journal, and a stipend to the Editor.
The Murray Endowment is managed by a committee of six consisting of the Executive Director, the Treasurer, the Editor, and three independently elected trustees. Each trustee is nominated by the Nominating Committee and serves a staggered three-year term. This committee oversees all decisions about the use and investment of funds, with disbursements made by the Treasurer.
Term: Three years; may be nominated more than once but not for consecutive terms.
C. Hennig H. Cohen Prize Committee
The Cohen Prize honors the memory of Hennig H. Cohen with a cash award given annually for the best journal article or book chapter about Melville. The Cohen Prize Committee solicits nominations and self-nominations, reviews submissions, selects the winner, and works with the Executive Director to announce the winner. The committee consists of three persons serving staggered three-year terms, with the senior member serving as chair. The award is typically made in the year after the article or chapter is published. Preference will be given to newer scholars in the field of Melville studies (graduate students or those within ten years of receiving the PhD), and no one may win the award more than once.
Term: three years; may be appointed more than once but not for consecutive terms.
D. The Melville Society Cultural Project
The MSCP consists of at least four members whose selection is advised and approved by the EC. Duties include:
Managing the archives and artifacts that accrue to the Society through donations, bequests, and purchases, such as books, documents, and artworks.
Promoting educational programming, including teacher institutes, conferences, symposia, and other public events devoted to Melville's writings, life, and times.
Arranging exhibitions, musical and dramatic performances, lectures and lecture series, and other special events associated with Melville.
Advising affiliated organizations, such as the New Bedford Whaling Museum, on Melville exhibitions, Melville museum walks or tours, or other activities consonant with the purposes of the Melville Society.
E. Communications Committee
The Communications Committee consists of a Communications Director and at least two members, typically graduate students or junior scholars, appointed by the Communications Director in consultation with the Executive Director. The committee coordinates and develops effective and engaging communications for the Society. Members should be proficient in digital communications and social media platforms.
Term for Communications Committee members aside from the Communications Director: one year, renewable up to three years.
F. Melville Digital Projects Committee
The Melville Digital Projects Committee is a subcommittee of the Executive Committee created to promote excellence in and access to digital humanities projects in Melville studies. The committee facilitates collaboration across digital projects. It consists of members approved by the EC, including but not limited to the Editor, a representative put forward by the Melville Society Cultural Project, and one representative each put forward by Melville’s Marginalia Online, the Melville Electronic Library, and Melville’s Print Collection Online. The committee assists the EC as needed in evaluating new projects, seeking affiliation, and adding representatives to the committee.
Term for MDPC members, aside from the Editor: three years; may serve consecutive terms.
G. Travel Awards Committee
The Travel Awards Committee consists of the Director for Programs and Conferences as Chair and three additional members appointed by the Director for Programs and Conferences in consultation with the Executive Director. The Committee fundraises, communicates with conference committees, solicits applications, selects and corresponds with award winners, and completes other tasks as necessary.
Term for Travel Awards Committee members, aside from the Director for Programs and Conferences: two Society-affiliated international conferences (non-renewable)
IV. Elections
Election of officers is held every year by electronic ballot emailed to the membership. Elections should be completed by September 15. The Executive Director, in consultation with the EC, determines election deadlines and runs elections. Terms of office begin on January 1 of the year following the election. Additional votes of the membership are required to approve revisions of the bylaws, affiliations with other organizations, or any departures from these bylaws in principle or practice as determined by the EC.
V. Vacancies
The Executive Director, with the advice and consent of the EC, may appoint members to fill out the remaining term of any position that becomes vacant by either resignation or neglect.
VI. Terms of Society Membership
All individuals (not institutions) are automatically considered voting members of the Society if they have paid for their annual membership. It is expected that all officers, program chairs, and committee members will be members of the Society and keep their memberships current.
VII. Ratification and Amendment of Bylaws
These bylaws will take effect when they are ratified by a majority of those voting in an election called for that purpose. They may be amended by the Executive Committee with the ratification of a majority of those members voting in an election called for that purpose.