THE CONSTITUTION AND BYLAWS OF THE
FREDERICK A. COLLER SURGICAL SOCIETY
Article I. Name
This Society shall be called the Frederick A. Coller Surgical Society.
Article II. Objective
The aim of the society is to perpetuate the ideals and philosophy exemplified by Doctor Coller with regard to the care of the patient, the continuing education of the surgeon, clinical and laboratory investigation and the perpetuation of friendships.
Article III. Membership
The Frederick A. Coller Surgical Society shall consist of Active, Retired and Honorary Members.
A. Active Members shall be those individuals duly elected who remain in good standing. The number of Active Members is to be determined by the Council and may be changed without altering the Constitution and Bylaws.
B. New Members shall be elected according to the following procedure.
1. In order to be eligible for consideration, an applicant for membership must have:
a. Had surgical training in a program in which a Coller Society member had a prominent role in the senior portion of that training which would qualify for Board Certification or Added Qualification after Certification; or had a full-time faculty appointment in the Department of Surgery at the University of Michigan for at least three years and have achieved the rank of Assistant Professor. A vital criterion for membership in either case is the high esteem of the candidate expressed in the recommendation by members of the Coller Society, with a reciprocal respect and strong interest evidenced by the applicant.
b. Demonstrated a commitment to Dr. Coller’s principles of teaching research and patient care.
c. Achieved certification by the American Board of Surgery or in the case of those engaged in one of the surgical specialties, by their respective Boards or their equivalent at the descretion of the Council.
2. A properly qualified candidate must be proposed by an active or retired member and endorsed by two other active or retired members. Application forms for membership may be obtained from the Secretary by the sponsor. These should be completed and pertinent letters filed with the Secretary prior to a date, set by the Council, of the year in which the candidate is to be considered for the first time. No application shall be considered complete unless letters from the sponsor and endorsers have been received with the completed application form prior to that date.
3. As soon as feasible after July 1 each year the Secretary shall submit to the members of the Society a list of candidates who have been proposed for membership along with pertinent data concerning these candidates. The secretary will request letters of recommendation or comment from members concerning the candidates whom they know and wish to support. It is the duty of each member to state in a confidential letter to the Secretary and reasons he or she may have regarding the unsuitability of a given candidate.
4. All applications for membership will be considered by the council prior to the annual meeting. Only the Council shall recommend for active membership the names of suitable candidates to be considered by the Society at the next Annual Meeting.
5. At this meeting election to membership shall be by written ballot and if three fourths of the ballots cast are favorable the candidate shall be declared elected.
6. The names of the candidates who are not recommended for active membership by the Council shall automatically come up for reconsideration a second time one year later and if the candidate is still not recommended by the Council he or she may be considered for a third time the year following. When the candidate is not recommended on the third consideration the name will be dropped. However, an unsuccessful candidate may again be proposed in the manner above described after a lapse of one year.
7. Following the Annual Meeting the Secretary will notify the sponsor and each successful candidate by letter explaining the aims, prerogatives and responsibilities of membership. In case a candidate fails to be recommended by the Council to the membership the Secretary will so advise the sponsor and if necessary give reasons and request additional information.
8. In case a candidate recommended by the Council is not elected by the Active Membership the application will be dropped from further consideration and the sponsor so notified. However, after a lapse of two years the candidate may be again proposed according to the manner herein described.
9. Final attainment of membership shall be met by attendance at the next or subsequent Annual Meeting of the Society unless excused by the Council. At that meeting, newly elected members will be presented the certificate of membership and the book: Frederick A. Coller—A Remembrance. Failure to attend two consecutive Annual Meetings or non-payment of two consecutive years’ annual dues following election to membership will be considered as not accepting membership in the Society.
C. Retired Members: An active member who plans to or has retired from the active practice of medicine may request transfer to retired membership by so notifying the Secretary. A retired member will retain all the rights, privileges and obligations of an active member except for the requirements of attendance and for payment of dues. The Secretary will keep an accurate list of retired members and make this list available to all Council meetings.
D. Honorary Members: Honorary Members shall be men or women of distinction who are identified with Medicine, Science or the Humanities, and who have contributed to or evidenced special interest in the Society. They must be proposed by members, endorsed and approved by the Council and elected by the membership. The Honorary Members do not pay dues, vote or hold office. It will be the duty of the Secretary to invite each Honorary Member to the Annual Meeting. On site expenses of Honorary Members at the Annual Meeting may be paid by the Society at the discretion of the Council.
Article IV. Termination of Membership
Membership in the Society may be terminated under the following circumstances:
A. The resignation of a member may be accepted by the Council and all members of the Society will be so notified.
B. An active member who is absent from three Consecutive Annual Meetings without adequate excuse presented to the Secretary in writing may be dropped from membership by action of the Council.
C. Matters pertaining to unethical or unbecoming conduct on the part of the member will be considered by the Council and appropriate disciplinary measures, e.g. reprimand, suspension, or expulsion, may be taken.
D. The Secretary-Treasurer will report to the Council at its Annual Meeting the status of all dues-paying members. The Council will consider what action will be taken concerning those members delinquent. The Council will drop from membership those members persistently delinquent without adequate reason. At the discretion of the Council any member may be kept on the active membership list despite delinquency of dues if the delinquency is caused by ill health or financial difficulties. A member may be reinstated at the discretion of the Council.
Article V. Officers
A. The officers shall consist of a President, a President-Elect, a Secretary-Treasurer and nine elected Counselors. The most recent Past-President shall serve as an additional Counselor for one year. The Counselors and the officers shall constitute the Council.
B. The President and President-Elect are to serve for one year only. The Secretary-Treasurer may be re-elected in order to establish the continuity necessary for the proper conduct of the business of the Society. The Counselors will serve for three years and may be reelected after a lapse of one year.
C. Election of Officers: All officers and members of the Council shall be nominated by a committee which shall consist of the retiring Council members and whomsoever else the President may appoint. When making up the slate for election the Nominating Committee shall -take into consideration age, geographical residence and evidence of interest in the Society of the candidates. The President shall notify the Nominating Committee of its duties well in advance of the Annual Meeting. This committee will report its recommendation to the Council for approval. Following this, the slate of officers will be voted upon by the membership at this meeting and if a candidate receives the affirmative votes of 3/4 of those present shall be declared elected. The election of Counselors shall be so arranged that three of the nine Council members will retire each year and will be replaced by three new members.
BY-LAWS
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Article I. Duties of the Officers
The President shall preside at all meetings and shall appoint all committees not otherwise provided for, and shall be chairman of the Council.
In his or her absence the duties of the President will be assumed by the President-Elect. In the absence of both the President and President-Elect the chair is to be assumed by the most senior member of the Council who may be present as decided by the Council.
As Secretary, the Secretary-Treasurer will maintain all correspondence in the Society. He or she shall keep adequate files of such correspondence, prepare an agenda for any meeting called by the Council, notify Council Members of such a meeting and arrange for the necessary time and place. He or she will keep a file of significant actions taken by the Council and/or the membership such as amendments to the Constitution and Bylaws, policy decisions, and shall keep a file of policies not stated in the Constitution and Bylaws.
As Treasurer, the Secretary-Treasurer will maintain an active mailing list of all members with an accurate address.
A file will be kept with a listing of the dues schedule for each member. It is the duty of each member to inform the Treasurer of change of address. All checks will be made out to the Frederick A. Coller Surgical Society and sent to the Treasurer. The Treasurer will bill members annually. The Treasurer will close the books annually before the Annual Fall Meeting of the Society. The fiscal year will run from one Annual Fall Meeting to the next. At the conclusion of the fiscal year, he or she will render a report to the membership at large indicating the finanical status of the Society.
The duties of the Council Members are to attend all meetings as called by the President, and to keep themselves informed about the wishes of the Membership of the Society so that they can properly reflect the opinion and desires of the Society at Council Meetings. A Council Member who is unable to attend a Council Meeting must notify the Secretary. The President may appoint a substitute to replace him or her temporarily.
Article I I. Meetings
A. At least one Clinical Meeting will be held each year at a time and place designated by the Council. The duration and format of the non-scientific part of this meeting will be decided by the Local Arrangements Committee and approved by the Council. The scientific program and awards for scientific papers will be made by the Program Committee and approved by the Council.
B. Active and Retired Members may invite guests to meetings of the Society. The President may invite guests to participate in the Scientific Program. Guests will not attend the Annual Business Meeting of the Society.
Article I I I. Dues
There will be no initiation fee. The Council will determine the annual dues to be paid by active members. Proper consideration will be given to the nonprofit status of the Society and the educational goals of the Society.
An active member who is called to extended active duty in the armed forces will pay no dues during the time of that service.
It will be the duty of members to notify the Treasurer of a change of status, address or error in their billing. If the Secretary is notified that a member has retired there will be; no further payment of dues.
Dues are to be paid annually to the Secretary-Treasurer of the Society. The Treasurer and in his or her absence the President is empowered to draw upon this account for expenses incurred in the operation of the Society. An annual audit is to be completed by an Audit Committee appointed by the President. Funds of the Society will be on deposit in a bank to be chosen by the Treasurer.
Article IV. Educational Program
A. Clinical Tours: Clinical tours for surgical residents are authorized as part of the educational program of the Society and will be supported by funds of the Society. Surgical residents to be eligible for such a tour must be in a training program for which a member is wholly or in part responsible and must be far enough advanced in training to benefit from the experience. The resident should complete the tour prior to the last six months of his or her training. Tours will be to clinical institutions within the continental United States unless other arrangements are made with the Clinical Tour Committee in advance. Application forms for clinical tours may be obtained from the Secretary. They must be completed and filed before May 1 of each year. The number of clinical tours to be authorized in any one year is to be determined by the funds available as decided by the Council. The committee on clinical tours to be appointed by the President yearly will review the applications and determine the successful candidates. At the conclusion of a clinical tour the resident is to give a report in writing of his or her observations and impressions to the Secretary of the Society. The resident will be reimbursed for travel expenses incurred during this tour up to a level previously established by the Council and as documented by receipts submitted to the Secretary-Treasurer at the completion of the tour.
B. Other Educational Programs: At the discretion of the Council funds may be used to secure distinguished speakers for the programs of the clinical meeting or scholarships, awards, etc. The Council may authorize other educational programs that it may deem advisable.
Article V. Membership Certificate
There will be a certificate of membership available to each member.
Article Vl. Changes In Constitution and Bylaws
Portions of the Constitution or Bylaws may be amended or appealed only upon vote of the members of the Society at a regular Annual Meeting. Proposals for changes in the Constitution should be signed by three members, submitted to the Council and in turn to the members of the Society. After presentation to the members of the Society the suggested alteration will not be voted upon until the following year. For it to become effective an affirmative vote of 3/4 of the ballots cast by the members present will be required.
All matters not specifically covered in the Constitution or Bylaws are to presented to the Council for consideration, recommendation or action.
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