In order to be recognized as an ISPAH Council in good standing, a series of steps must be followed. First, a Petition for Council Membership must be completed by the convener(s) of the Council. The Petition should include the following information:
- Proposed name
- Proposed initial leadership (including at a minimum Chair, Vice-chair and Secretary);
- A rationale as to the need for the proposed Council (no more than 2 pages of single-spaced text), a statement of purpose that includes a clear, concise mission statement and 3-6 clearly stated goal statements. These statements should clearly indicate the alignment of the proposed Council with the overall ISPAH mission as well as the international nature of the organization.
The petition should be developed in consultation with the ISPAH vice-president who holds responsibility for liaison activities between the Board of Directors and the Councils.
Second, upon completion, the petition should be forwarded to the ISPAH Board of Directors for consideration. Upon acceptance, a new Council is formally established as an ad hoc Council of the Society. The ad-hoc designation of a Council will last for one year or until at least 20 members of the Society (see Council Membership below) voluntarily affiliate with the Council. The names and ISPAH membership identification numbers of the 20 founding Council members shall be forwarded to the Board for verification. Should a Council be unable to affiliate at least 20 ISPAH members during the 1-year ad-hoc period, the petition will be tabled by the Board and the Council will not be eligible for permanent status.
Finally, upon successful completion of the one-year ad-hoc period, a Council will be notified of its permanent status in ISPAH.
If you are interesting in chartering a council, please contact ISPAH President Harold W. Kohl, III (Bill), University of Texas at Austin.
