Constitution for the Digital Humanities Collaborative of North Carolina – Digital Humanities Collaborative of North Carolina

Last Updated: July 30, 2022

I. Purpose
    A. Mission
    B. Goals
    C. History
    D. Not for Profit Status
II. Membership
III. Governance
    A. President
    B. President-Elect
    C. Communications Manager
    D. Secretary
    E. Institute Coordinator
    F. Treasurer
    G. Immediate Past President
    H. Executive Board
    I. Advisory Board
    J. Systems Administrator
    K. Executive Board Voting
    L. General Elections
    M. Meetings
    N. Terms
    O. Voting
    P. Bylaws
IV. Approval and Amendments
V. Dissolution

I. Purpose

A. Mission

The Digital Humanities Collaborative of North Carolina (DHC-NC) is a community of practice of digital humanities scholarly, technical, and creative practitioners, teachers, and learners. The mission of the DHC-NC is to promote digital humanities projects and practices across North Carolina in an inclusive and equitable fashion. (DHC-NC) members work to

advance the development of digital humanities projects;
grow and sustain an integrated network of support and collaboration among scholars, technical experts, and others interested in the use of digital technologies for humanities research and teaching;
promote outreach, engagement, and dissemination;
facilitate professional standards and training for learners in digital humanities work.

All those involved in developing, supporting, and learning more about ongoing digital humanities activities across North Carolina are welcome to join.

B. Goals

To support digital humanities institutes each year at various institutions in North Carolina.
To increase the diversity and representation of the digital humanities through our membership, leadership on the executive board, and the chosen venues and themes for the institutes.
To provide opportunities via both event coordination and web presences for inter-institutional communication and partnerships that showcase the power of the humanities to do public good for the people of North Carolina.

C. History

DHC-NC emerged from the work begun by the Triangle Digital Humanities Network (2015-2019) and grew as scholars from across the state joined together at institutes to discuss current practices in DH as well as the future of the field. The name was changed from “Triangle Digital Humanities Network” to “Digital Humanities Collaborative of North Carolina” in the fall of 2019 in order to reflect our statewide membership and participation.

D. Not-for-Profit Status

DHC-NC is a not-for-profit professional organization.

II. Membership

A. Any individual interested in Digital Humanities may join DHC-NC. There are no membership dues.

B. Any individual who has attended at least one DHC-NC event either in person or remotely has voting rights on general voting matters presented by the Executive Board and may run for any office in open elections.

III. Governance

A. President

The President serves a one-year term.
The President is responsible for coordinating all activities of the organization, including conducting the semi-annual in-person and/or virtual meetings of the officers and Executive Board; coordinating, with the assistance of the President-Elect, the duties of the Executive Board; coordinating general elections and meetings of the general membership with the assistance of the President-Elect and Communications Manager; leading fundraising and grant application efforts; guiding institute planning and other organizational initiatives; and representing the organization in professional settings. The President may designate others to take on these responsibilities as needed.
The President may call an extraordinary meeting, either live or by any practical media, of the officers and/or Executive Board should it be necessary to conduct the business of the organization outside of regular meetings. The President or President-Elect must provide sufficient notice of such a meeting so that other officers and Executive Board members can arrange to attend.
The President can be removed from office by a majority vote of the Executive Board. If the President is removed or withdraws voluntarily, the President-Elect becomes the new President. The new President shall then serve the remainder of the previous President’s term followed by the new President’s one-year term. Upon removal of a President, the Executive Board may also immediately conduct new elections of a President-Elect or include the President-Elect position in the next regular election of Executive Board members.
Unless removed, the President remains a non-voting member of the Executive Board as immediate past President for one year following service as President.

B. President-Elect

The President-Elect is elected by the membership of the organization for a one-year term unless elected to complete the term of a President-Elect who has withdrawn or has been removed.
The President-Elect is responsible for cooperating with the President in coordinating the duties of the Executive Board and guiding other activities of the organization and will also disseminate information to the officers and Executive Board, keep and disseminate the minutes of each board meeting, coordinate with the President to schedule board meetings and be the primary custodian for the executive board email list. The President-Elect will facilitate content creation for the website as necessary.
If the President cannot perform required duties or designates the President-Elect to do so, the President-Elect shall serve in the place of the President.
An elected President-Elect becomes President at the expiration of the previous President’s term. An appointed President-Elect becomes President at the expiration of the previous President’s term unless replaced by a newly elected President.
The President-Elect can be removed from office by a majority vote of the Executive Board.
If the office of the President-Elect becomes vacant, the Executive Board shall act promptly to appoint a new President-Elect. The Executive Board may also conduct new elections to ensure that the President and President-Elect positions remain elected positions.

C. Communications Manager

The Communications Manager is elected by the membership of the organization for a one-year term and may be re-elected to serve one additional term.
The Communications Manager shall maintain the email list, organize and edit the newsletter, manage social media, produce and/or solicit content for accounts, and be the primary custodian for the organizational email account.
By a majority vote of the Executive Board, the Communications Manager may be replaced by other willing candidates.
The Communications Manager is entitled to participate in all activities of the Executive Board.

D. Secretary

The Secretary serves a one-year term and may be re-elected to serve one additional term.
The Secretary shall take minutes of Executive Committee and Advisory Board meetings, assist the President in creating meeting agendas, disseminate information to the officers and Executive Board, provide updated lists of officers and board members, maintain organization records, and assist with yearly elections.
By a majority vote of the Executive Board, the Secretary may be replaced by other willing candidates.
The Secretary is entitled to participate in all activities of the Executive Board.

E. Institute Coordinator

The Institute Coordinator shall be appointed by a vote of the Executive Board for a one-year, renewable term.
The Institute Coordinator shall identify willing hosts for each institute and present their proposals to the Executive Board for approval. They will also coordinate to ensure good communication between the Executive Board and local institute programming committees and maintain the DHC-NC website’s Institute page. When hosts lack sufficient in-house staff for training, the Institute Coordinator should help recruit instructors.
By a majority vote of the Executive Board, the Institute Coordinator may be replaced by other willing candidates.
The Institute Coordinator is entitled to participate in all activities of the Executive Board.

F. Treasurer

The Treasurer is elected by the membership of the organization for a two-year term and may be re-elected to serve one additional term.
The Treasurer shall collect membership dues, keep track of membership, file taxes related to nonprofit status, facilitate fundraising, maintain the website’s hosting and domain costs, and facilitate the use of funds through a bank account and PayPal account.
By a majority vote of the Executive Board, the Treasurer may be replaced by other willing candidates.
The Treasurer is a voting member of the Executive Board and entitled to participate in all activities of the Executive Board.

G. Immediate Past President

The Immediate Past President is the president who most recently left office after serving a full term. Presidents who withdraw or are removed from office will not serve as Past President.
The Immediate Past President shall serve as an advisor to the Executive Board and to the current President.
The Immediate Past President is entitled to participate in all activities of the Executive Board, but shall remain a non-voting participant.
The Immediate Past President coordinates activities of the Advisory Board including facilitating communication between the Executive Board and the Advisory Board, and organizing any necessary meetings with Advisory Board Members.

H. Executive Board

The Executive Board shall consist of six members, three of whom are elected each year. Board members should represent, when possible, the diversity of the members of the organization in such areas as gender, race, ethnicity, geography, type of institution, and size of institution. Representation of the independent scholar community by at least one Executive Board member is encouraged.
Executive Board members shall be nominated and elected by the general membership of DHC-NC to serve a two-year term of office. Any member in good standing can appear on the slate of nominees and self-nomination is welcome.
An Executive Board member may be nominated during or after a term of office for the position of President-Elect.
If an Executive Board member is unable to complete an elected term, the President shall select a candidate from among the members of DHC-NC to be approved by a majority consensus of the Executive Board to complete the term.
Executive Board members and all collaborative officers are expected to attend all meetings of the board held during their terms of office and serve diligently on the board’s committees and initiatives.
An Executive Board member may be removed by a majority vote of the board should that person fail to fulfill obligations to the organization or fail to follow the community’s code of conduct. An example of failing to fulfill obligations would be if a member is absent from three consecutive regular meetings of the Executive Board.
Immediate past Executive Board members may serve a one-year term on the Advisory Board.
Executive Board members may run for re-election for one additional term following their year on the Advisory Board.

I. Advisory Board

The Advisory Board for DHC-NC will consist of Immediate Past Executive Board members and be coordinated by the Immediate Past President.
Advisory Board members serve a one-year term.
There will be no regular meetings of the Advisory Board, but the Immediate Past President may choose to organize an extraordinary meeting of the Advisory Board.
Advisory Board members may attend an Executive Board meeting at the invitation of the President and will participate as non-voting members.
Advisory Board members will be available for consultation by any of the current Officers or Executive Board members and will provide guidance to the best of their ability.
Advisory Board members are considered part of the general membership and may vote in general elections.

J. Systems Administrator

The Executive Board will appoint a member of DHC-NC with knowledge of web-hosting, systems administration, and/or web development to serve as systems administrator for DHC-NC. The systems administrator role may be filled by a current Executive Board member, Officer, Advisory Board member, or general member.
This position may be held by the appointee for as long as they are active with the DHC-NC and available to serve.
The systems administrator will ensure that the DHC-NC website applications are kept up to date and secure, will ensure that website content is backed up on a regular basis, will notify the Communications Manager of any technical problems with the website or hosting services, and will be available for consultation and intervention in the event of a technical malfunction or emergency related to the website or the DHC-NC’s web hosting service.
The systems administrator is not an active member of the Executive Board but may attend Executive Board meetings as a non-voting member at the invitation of the President.

K. Executive Board Voting

The President, President-Elect, Communications Manager, Institute Coordinator, Treasurer, and Executive Board Members vote as part of the Executive Board so that all reference to a vote by the Executive Board means a vote by its six Executive Board members and five voting Officers.
Unless otherwise specified in its Constitution or Bylaws, all actions of the Executive Board require a simple majority vote.

L. General Elections

Elections for three Executive Board members, the President-Elect, and Communications Manager will be held annually to coincide if possible with an institute meeting.
Election for Treasurer will be held biennially in conjunction with the Executive Board election.
A nomination period for available positions will be announced at least one month prior to elections.
Elections will be conducted online via a secure, anonymous system. Elections will be held over a one-week period.
The general membership will be notified of the nominees and voting period in advance via the DHC-NC newsletter.
The general membership will be notified of the beginning and end of a voting period via the DHC-NC newsletter.

M. Meetings

Executive Board: The officers and Executive Board meet twice yearly to coordinate the activities of the organization. These meetings should be held at six-month intervals if possible and may coincide with Institutes or other organizational meetings. The Executive Board may meet in person, virtually, or via a combination of live media. The officers and Executive Board may also meet additionally as needed in person or by any effective media to consider specific matters.
Membership: DHC-NC will hold at least one annual institute. During this institute, the President will coordinate a town-hall-style meeting of the general membership. These meetings will be an opportunity for the membership to learn about DHC-NC initiatives and issues, and to provide input. At any institute, members may propose items for consideration or action by the Executive Board. The board may also provide for other membership meetings during the year, including special meetings of the membership for votes on petitions and proposals. Special meetings may be called and held by any practical means that will permit full and effective notice to the members and full and effective participation by the members.
Petitions and Proposals: Any member may petition to have a matter brought before the organization by addressing a letter of request to the officers and Executive Board. The member will be given time with the Executive Board to discuss the matter in the letter unless the Executive Board has already taken the action proposed in the letter of request. All votes on such petitions shall be made by the Executive Board within one month of receipt of the letter. The Bylaws may specify additional procedures for member petitions and membership votes. The Executive Board may also, at its discretion, submit proposals to the members for adoption by a vote of the members. Any vote on a petition or proposal shall be determined by a simple majority of all votes cast, unless a larger majority is required by the Constitution, Bylaws, or the particular petition or proposal.

N. Terms

Unless otherwise arranged and approved by the Executive Board due to extenuating circumstances, expiring elected terms of office end on June 30 and new elected terms of office begin on July 1 in the applicable year.

O. Voting

Unless otherwise provided in the Constitution or Bylaws, all elections and votes may be conducted by any practical and effective means, including online notices and votes.

P. Bylaws

The Executive Board shall be entitled to adopt Bylaws further governing DHC-NC by a vote of a two-thirds majority of the board’s voting membership. The Bylaws may not overrule the provisions of this Constitution.

IV. Approval and Amendments

This Constitution may be approved by a majority of vote of the Executive Board following a review and feedback period for the general membership. Upon approval, this Constitution becomes effective and takes the place of all earlier DHC-NC governing documents. Amendments to this Constitution may be made by a majority vote of those members who cast votes in balloting conducted by the board using a medium that enables full participation by the members.

V. Dissolution

Upon dissolution of DHC-NC, a matter which requires assent of three-quarters of the general membership, the Officers shall, after paying or making provisions for payment of all the liabilities of the DHC-NC, dispose of all the assets of the DHC-NC exclusively for the purpose of the DHC-NC in such manner, or to such organization or organizations organized and operated exclusively for educational purposes or shall at the time qualify as an exempt organization or organizations under section 501 (c) (3) of the United States Internal Revenue Code of 1954 (or the corresponding provision of any future United States Internal Revenue law), as the Executive Board shall determine. Any such assets not so disposed of shall be disposed of by the Court of Common Pleas of the country in which the principal office of the DHC-NC is then located, exclusively for such purposes or to such organization or organizations, as said Court shall determine, which are organized and operated exclusively for such purposes.

Table of Contents