BYLAWS OF THE MIDWEST REGION

OF THE DECISION SCIENCES INSTITUTE

BYLAW 1 -- CHARTER AND OFFICE

The Midwest Region operates in accordance with a charter issued by the State of Georgia. The Midwest Region’s principal office shall be at the Home Office of the Decision Sciences Institute located at Georgia State University, College of Business Administration, University Plaza, Atlanta, Georgia 30303.

BYLAW 2 -- NOTICES

A requirement for notice shall be deemed to be satisfied by appearing in a publication of the Institute or by a direct mailing made to all members 30 days before a scheduled meeting date.

BYLAW 3 -- TERMS

1. Tax Year. The fiscal and tax year of the Midwest Region runs from July 1 to June 30.

2. Membership Term. The membership term shall coincide with the fiscal year.

3. Officer Terms. The terms of office are: President, Past President, President-Elect, Program Chairperson, Vice Presidents, and Advisory Council, one year, Secretary and Treasurer, two year terms staggered, Archivist and Webmaster, four years. Terms shall begin immediately following the annual business meeting on the year of election and terminate at the conclusion of the annual business meeting one, two or four years hence except that the Treasurer’s term shall coincide with the tax year as specified in Bylaw 3.1. Should the regionally elected Vice President be unable to complete his/her term for whatever reason, the President shall appoint the Immediate Past President of the Midwest Region to serve as the regionally elected Vice President for the unexpired balance of the term of office. Should the Immediate Past President be unable to serve for whatever reason, the President shall appoint the Second Past President of the Midwest Region to serve as the regionally elected Vice President for the unexpired balance of the term of office.

BYLAW 4 -- EXECUTIVE BOARD

1. Composition. The Midwest Region Executive Board shall consist of the President, Past President, President-Elect, the Program Chairperson, the Treasurer, the Secretary, all Vice Presidents of the Region, the Vice President of the Institute representing the Midwest Region, Archivist and all Advisory Council Members. Vacancies occurring within the year will be filled by presidential appointment. Those appointed to fill vacancies shall serve for the unexpired term of the office. Filling an unexpired term will in no way prejudice an individual’s opportunity to be nominated and elected to office in his/her own right.

2. Authority. The Midwest Region Executive Board is authorized to establish budgets, goals and policies, and to appoint committees to meet the objectives of the Midwest Region.

Budgetary actions are subject to review by the Institute’s Board of Directors for consistency with overall goals, policies, and legal requirements of the Institute.

3. Meetings. The Midwest Region Executive Board shall meet at least once per year in conjunction with the annual meeting. A quorum requires the presence of at least five members of the Midwest Region Executive Board. In the event a quorum is not present, voting may take place by mail or phone. The Secretary must mail the results of mail or phone ballots identifying the vote of each member to all members of the Board within two weeks.

4. The Board may empower the President to act for the Board in routine matters between meetings of the Board. Actions taken by the President acting on the Board’s behalf are subject to review by the Board at its next meeting. In circumstances requiring a vote of the Board between meetings, the ballots shall be accompanied by briefs stating both sides of the question. The question will be decided by a majority vote of the Board members returning their ballot within 15 days of their posting, provided a majority of the Board members vote.

BYLAW 5 -- OFFICERS

1. Officers. The officers of the organization shall be President, Past President, President-Elect, Program Chairperson, Secretary, Treasurer, Vice President for Planning and Development, Vice President for Publications, Vice President for Member Services, Vice president for Student Liaison, Vice President for Industry Liaison, Vice President of the Institute representing the Midwest Region, Archivist, Webmaster, and Advisory Council Members.

2. Duties and Privileges.

(a) The President shall plan and supervise the affairs of the Midwest Region; shall be the Midwest’s chief representative before the public and in its relationships with other regions and organizations; shall appoint members to fill any vacancies in committees, subject to Midwest Region Executive Board approval and may create and staff ad hoc committees to assist in the exercise of his/her responsibilities, provided that their terms are within his/her own term of office and provided that they operate within their assigned jurisdiction. At the conclusion of his/her term the President shall report to the Board and the membership on the accomplishments of his/her term, and shall serve as a member of the Midwest Region Executive Board with the title of “Past President.”

(b) Past President. The Past President shall serve as a member of the Executive Board and the Planning and Development Committee.

(c) Program Chairperson. The Program Chairperson shall be responsible for planning and supervising the program at the annual professional meeting of the organization.

The Program Chairperson shall serve as a member of the Executive Board and the Planning and Development Committee.

(d) The President-Elect shall, in the temporary absence of incapacity of the President, preside at Midwest Region Executive Board meetings and represent the Institute before the public and in the relationships of the Midwest Region with other regions and organizations. At the close of his/her term of office, or if the President is no longer able to serve, the President-Elect shall automatically become President. Thirty days prior to becoming President, he/she shall submit a budget covering his/her year as President to the Midwest Executive Board. In the event the President-Elect must take over the Presidency or is otherwise unable to complete the term, the Midwest Executive Board shall appoint a successor. The successor will not automatically become President at the completion of his/her term, but shall be eligible for nomination to the Presidency as part of the regular election procedure of that year.

The President-Elect shall serve as a member of the Executive Board and the Planning and Development Committee.

(e) The Treasurer shall be responsible for conducting the financial affairs of the Midwest Region in accordance with the Constitution and Bylaws of both the Midwest Region and the Decision Sciences Institute as well as the Guidelines for Regional Financial Management. He/she shall be responsible for assessing the financial implications of proposed programs, activities, projects, and office practices in the light of the financial resources of the Midwest Region; shall forecast trends in revenue and cost; shall monitor all Midwest Regional contracts, and the financial operations of the annual programs; shall be authorized to co-sign with the President checks and withdraw slips for Midwest; shall assist other officials in the preparation of the financial implications of their planned programs; and shall assist the President-Elect in preparing his/her budget. In the event the Treasurer is unable to complete his/her term, a successor will be appointed by the Midwest Region Executive Board for the remainder of the year. An election will be held at the annual business meeting to fill the office for either one or two years whichever is necessary to maintain the staggering of terms with the Secretary. An appointed successor is eligible for nomination as Treasurer at this election.

The Treasurer shall serve as a member of the Executive Board.

(f) The Secretary shall manage the keeping of a record of all proceedings, actions and meetings of the Midwest Region, recording the votes and minutes; shall give due notice of all meetings of members; shall insure that a current list of all Midwest members in good standing is maintained by the Midwest Region; shall have custody of the Midwest Constitution, Bylaws and all amendments thereto; and shall manage the keeping of such other records and perform such other duties normally assigned to an organization secretary as well as those specified in the Bylaws. In the event the Secretary is unable to complete his/her term, a successor shall be appointed by the Midwest Region Executive Board for the remained of the year. An election will be held at the annual business meeting to fill the office for either one or two years whichever is necessary to maintain staggered terms with the Treasurer. An appointed successor is eligible for nomination as Secretary at this election.

The Secretary shall serve as a member of the Executive Board and the Planning and Development Committee.

(g) Vice President for Planning and Development. The Vice President for Planning and Development shall be responsible for site selection activities and recommendations to the Executive Board for locations for future professional meetings of the organization. He/She shall also be responsible for long-range planning in the Midwest Region including the generation of innovative new approaches to insure that the Midwest Region is a vibrant organization closely in tune with the long range objectives of the Institute. The Vice President for Planning and Development shall be responsible for examining the Constitution of the Midwest Region periodically to insure it properly reflects the current objectives and actions of the organization and the Institute. The Vice President for Planning and Development shall coordinate his/her activities with the President. The Vice President for Planning and Development shall serve on the Executive Board and shall serve as chairperson of the Planning and Development Committee.

(h) Vice President for Publications. The Vice president for Publications shall be responsible for the acquisition and dissemination of relevant information of interest to the general membership of the Midwest Region. Information shall be disseminated in the form of a periodical regional newsletter, special news memoranda, and/or items appearing in Decision Line. The Vice President for Publications shall serve as Liaison between the region and the Editor of Decision Line. The Vice President for Publications shall serve as a member of the Executive Board.

(i) Vice President for Member Services. The Vice President for Member Services shall assume a leadership role in generating and retaining members for the Midwest Region and the National organization. He/She shall prepare and supervise the execution of an annual membership drive for obtaining new members and retaining old members of the Midwest Region. He/She will actively seek ways of enhancing regional and national benefits of membership. He/She shall coordinate activities with the Chair of the Institute’s Member Services Committee and the Institute’s Member Services Coordinator to operationalize the Campus Representative Program and other Institute’s member solicitation/retention activities. He/She shall keep and maintain a membership roll for the Midwest Region, in conjunction with the Midwest Region’s Secretary, and shall be responsible for the procedures associated with membership renewal each year. The Vice President for Member Services shall serve as a member of the Institute’s Member Services Committee and the Midwest Region’s Executive Board and Planning and Development Committee.

(j) Vice President for Student Liaison. The Vice President for Student Liaison shall be responsible for generating student participation in the Midwest Region. He/She shall, in conjunction with the Vice President for Membership, supervise the solicitation of students for membership in Midwest, and in conjunction with the Program Chairperson, encourage student participation in Midwest meetings. The Vice President for Student Liaison shall serve on the Executive Board.

(k) Vice President for Industry Liaison. The Vice President for Industry Liaison shall be responsible for encouraging the involvement of decision scientists form industry and government in the activities of the Midwest Region. He/She shall, in conjunction with the Vice President for Membership, supervise the solicitation of decision scientists from industry and government for membership in Midwest. In conjunction with the Program Chairperson, the Vice President for Industry Liaison shall encourage industry and government practitioner participation in the annual meetings. The Vice President for Industry Liaison shall serve on the Executive Board.

(l) Archivist. The Archivist shall be responsible for maintaining a history of the organization and a collection of documents prepared and distributed by the organization. To this end, the Archivist will maintain files of meeting announcements; programs; Proceedings; minutes of officers’ meetings and business meetings; a roster of past presidents; annual listings of officers and council members; a list of prior meeting sites and dates; a list of recipients of the Stan Hardy Award; and other materials as needed to document the history of the organization.

The Archivist shall be appointed by the Executive Board (except for the Archivist himself/herself) and shall serve a four year term. He/She may be reappointed for additional terms without limit. The Archivist shall serve as a member of the Executive Board.

(m) Advisory Council Members. Each of the ten Advisory Council Members shall serve as advisor to the Executive Board. The role of the Advisory Council is to provide guidance and a perspective on historical precedents to the Executive Board. Advisory Council Members may be drawn from any past officers of the Midwest Region and are appointed by the Executive Board.

(n) Webmaster. The Webmaster shall be responsible for identifying current events and maintaining a history of relevant events and news items of the organization and a collection of documents prepared and distributed by the organization on the MWDSI.org website. These events, news items and documents include, but are not limited to meeting information and announcements; newsletters; MWDSI Constitution and Bylaws; a roster of past presidents; annual listings of officers and council members; a list of prior meeting sites and dates; a list of past program chairs; a list of MWDSI Fellows; a list of recipients of the Stan Hardy Award; and other materials as needed to document the history of the organization.

The Webmaster shall be appointed by the Executive Board and shall serve a four year term. He/She may be reappointed for additional terms without limit. The Webmaster is not a member of the Executive Board.

3. Removal of Officers. By simple majority vote of the Midwest Decision Sciences Institute Executive Board, a currently elected officer may be removed from office for ineffective performance. The President shall then appoint an immediate successor for the remainder of the term of office as specified in the Bylaws.

BYLAW 6 -- NOMINATIONS AND ELECTIONS

1. Method of Nomination.

(a) The Nominating Committee shall be constituted at the annual meeting and shall be instructed by the Secretary as to the officers to be elected for the ensuing year. At this time, it shall actively solicit the names of Midwest members who are interested in being considered for nomination to offices.

(b) Not less than six months before the date of the next annual meeting the Nominating Committee shall submit the names of at least one but no more than two candidates for each office to be filled to the Midwest Region Executive Board. The Midwest Executive Board may add the names of no more than one other candidate for each office.

(c) The Nominations Committee shall nominate at least two (2) candidates for the office of the Vice President of the Institute representing the Midwest Region. This shall be done in conjunction with the nomination of candidates for the offices of the Midwest Region during those years when such Vice Presidential nominees are required by the Institute. The chairperson of the Nominations Committee shall subsequently notify the Home Office of the nominees to be placed on the national ballot.

(d) Upon approval by the Midwest Region Executive Board, the Secretary shall publish the slate of candidates at least 120 days prior to the annual meeting in an appropriate publication such as Decision Line or the Call for Papers. The notification shall contain brief biographical sketch of all candidates and identify the offices for which they have been nominated.

(e) Additional nominations may be proposed by the membership within 60 days after publication of the slate of candidates by the Secretary. Each additional nomination shall be forwarded in writing to the Secretary and must be signed by at least 20 members in good standing. Nominations received later than 60 days after publication of the initial slate officers will not be used on the ballot.

(f) No less than 30 days prior to the annual meeting the Secretary shall inform the membership of the complete slate of officers and their qualifications. Notification may be effected either by mail or through a publication such as Decision Line or by the program for the annual meetings. In either case the notice shall include:

(1) Names and brief biographical sketches of the candidates for each office;

(2) A brief statement of the duties of each office; and

(3) A ballot.

Similar information shall be posted conspicuously at the annual meeting and ballots shall be distributed at the time of registration.

2. Method of Election.

(a) The election of officers shall take place at the annual meeting. Members may return ballots by mail or deposit them in receptacles provided at the meeting. All ballots must be received before 10:00 a.m. on the last day of the conference. For a two-day, Thursday-Friday, conference this means 10:00 am. Friday morning.

(b) Counting of the ballots shall be supervised by the Nominating Committee and a representative of the Institute. To be counted, a ballot must be signed by an eligible voter and must identify unambiguously no more than on candidate for each office. If an eligible voter submits more than one ballot only the ballot with the earliest date/time of receipt will be counted. The candidate with the largest number of votes for the office to be filled shall be declared elected. In the event of a tie vote for any office the members of the Midwest Region Executive Board shall choose between the tie candidates by written ballot.

(c) The names of the newly elected officers shall be announced before the end of the conference and preferably at the Presidential luncheon.

BYLAW 7 -- FINANCES

1. Audit. The Midwest Region is subject to audit as part of the Decision Sciences Institute. Upon request, all supporting records and information shall be made available to the firm or individual designated by the Executive Director of the Decision Sciences Institute to prepare the audit.

BYLAW 8 -- COMMITTEES

1. Standing Committees.

(a) Nominating Committee

The Nominating Committee shall be constituted at the annual meeting with the outgoing President as Chairperson. Two other members shall be appointed by the new President. One of them must be selected from the remaining Past Presidents. The other may be selected from the membership at large but may not be a Past President.

Duties of the Nominating Committee are described in Bylaw 6. It shall be their responsibility to identify candidates for the offices to be filled in the ensuing year, to supervise the conduct of the election and to oversee the counting of the ballots in conjunction with a representative of the Institute.

(b) Planning and Development Committee

The Planning and Development Committee shall consist of the Vice President for Planning and Development who shall serve as Chairperson, the Secretary, the Vice President for Membership, the President-Elect, the current Program Chairperson, the immediate past Program Chairperson, and the Past President.

It shall be their job to:

(1) develop and maintain mailing lists for promotion of subsequent Midwest conferences;

(2) develop and maintain a procedures manual for Midwest conferences; and

(3) identify suitable sites, sponsoring schools, and program chairpersons for at least three years ahead. It shall submit its site recommendations to the Midwest Region Executive Board 30 days prior to the annual business meeting.

(4) The committee shall identify new opportunities to fulfill the educational objectives to the Midwest Region. It shall present innovative and specific plans for carrying out its proposals to the Midwest Region Executive Board no later than 60 days prior to the next annual meeting.

The Stan Hardy Award Committee shall be chaired by the president-Elect and consist of five persons appointed by the President for their stature within the field of Production/Operations Management. This committee will select the outstanding paper published in the field during the preceding year to receive the Stan Hardy Award at the annual meeting of the Midwest Region.

This committee will poll the editors of the following “high quality” academic journals in Operations Management (OM) and ask the editors to provide the committee with a copy of the top two OM articles published in their journal during the most current year:

Production and Operations Management

Decision Sciences

Manufacturing and Service Operations Management

Journal of Operations Management

International Journal of Production Research

The committee will then evaluate these articles and select, by simple majority vote, the Stan Hardy Award winner.

BYLAW 9: MWDSI FELLOWS

1. Purpose: The designation of Midwest Fellow may be awarded to Members of the Midwest Decision Sciences Institute in recognition of distinguished service to this regional subdivision of the Decision Sciences Institute. This designation is for recognition only and does not constitute a class of membership or any other official status in the regional Institute.

2. Criterion for Selection: The designation of MWDSI Fellow is awarded to active or historical supporters of the regional Institute for outstanding service to the regional Institute. An active or historical supporter of the regional Institute is anyone who has contributed directly to the regional Institute’s endeavors beyond the paying of membership dues. Examples of support include serving at the regional level in capacities such as a session chairperson or discussant, serving on ad hoc or standing committees, or holding other appointed or elected positions or contributing to the regional Institute’s publications. Membership in the regional Institute over a period of years is a necessary prerequisite for consideration as a MWDSI Fellow.

3. Nomination and Election: MWDSI Fellows are nominated by a variety of sources noted below, recommended by the MWDSI Fellows Committee, and elected by the regional Institute’s Executive Board of Directors. A nominee for MWDSI Fellow must not receive more than two negative votes to be recommended by the MWDSI Fellows Committee and must be approved by two-thirds vote of the region’s Executive Board of Directors to be elected. No more than two members of the region’s membership may be elected as MWDSI Fellows in any one year.

4. MWDSI Fellows Committee: The MWDSI Fellows Committee shall have six members consisting of five MWDSI Fellows who are not members of the Executive Board of Directors, nominated and approved by the Executive Board of Directors, and the President as an ex-officio member. The term of appointment of the five committee’s MWDSI Fellows shall be two years and terms shall be staggered (e.g. 2 in one year and 3 the next) to provide continuity. Chair of the MWDSI Fellows Committee shall be decided by vote among Committee members.

5. Until such time as the MWDSI Fellows Committee may be composed following item 4 above, temporary composition of the MWDSI Fellows Committee’s membership in its initial years of existence shall be comprised of the following seven MWDSI Executive Board members: (1) President, (2) Immediate Past-President, (3) President-Elect, (4) Secretary, (5) Treasurer, (6) Vice President of the Decision Sciences Institute representing the Midwest Region, and the (7) Vice President for Planning and Development. The order of departure of these seven members from this temporary MWDSI Fellows Committee shall be in reverse order of the listing above. Departure of each member shall coincide with an existing MWDSI Fellow’s acceptance and approval to serve on the Fellows Committee.

6. Procedures: The MWDSI Fellows Committee shall operate on a majority rule basis with the Chairperson breaking ties.

Each year the MWDSI Fellows Committee shall collect a preliminary list of nominees from a variety of sources including MWDSI officers, MWDSI Fellows, MWDSI members, and self-nominations. A call for nominations shall be placed in the MWDSI newsletter and the annual meeting announcement.

Nominators are required to submit a statement of qualifications which highlights the nominee’s service contributions to the MWDSI. This requirement will be published in the calls for nomination. All nominations received throughout a given year shall be judged for recommendation to the Executive Board by the MWDSI Fellows Committee prior to the annual MWDSI Program. Whatever nominations are available to the MWDSI Fellows Committee should be considered by the committee during the current year. All other nominations received after that time shall be considered by the next MWDSI Fellows Committee.

Recommendation for new MWDSI Fellows by the MWDSI Fellows Committee shall be transmitted to the President a minimum of one month prior to the annual MWDSI program. Recommendations for new MWDSI Fellows shall be accompanied by the statement of qualifications. The vote for each nominee shall not be included. The MWDSI Fellows Committee Chair will send acknowledgment letters to all nominators after final Executive Board approval of MWDSI Fellows nominees. Providing guidance and feedback to nominators whose MWDSI Fellows candidates were not selected is considered inappropriate because to do so might establish or raise the nominee’s level of expectation for future selection.

A letter should be sent annually to existing MWDSI Fellows requesting nominations for new MWDSI Fellows.

7. Miscellaneous: The names and contributions of all new MWDSI Fellows shall be read at the President’s Luncheon at the first available annual regional meeting, whether the new MWDSI Fellow is in attendance or not.