Officers, Committees, Editors, and Other Functions
Executive Secretary
The Executive Secretary is an ex-officio, non-voting member of the Board. This Officer serves at the pleasure of the Board to coordinate the work of the organization in an advisory capacity, function as a liaison with other professional organizations, provide a repository of historical documents and records of the Association, maintain a current compilation of policies and procedures approved by the Board, and perform business and communication functions as directed by the Board.
Elected Officers
President
The President presides at all regular and special meetings of the Association and all regular and special meetings of the Board during a one-year term of office. The President appoints committees and editors for MSERA publications, prepares the annual budget, represents the Association at regular and special functions, speaks for the Association, and ensures the coordination of all activities of the Association.
Vice President/President-Elect
The Vice President/President-Elect is to assist the president and to update and distribute revisions and additions to the Manual and serves as chair of the Distinguished Awards Committee. The Vice President/President-Elect serves in this office for one year before automatically advancing to the position of President.
Past President
The President occupies this office for one year after serving as President of the Association. The Past President serves as chair of the Nominations Committee.
Secretary-Treasurer
The Secretary-Treasurer conducts correspondence for the Association, keeps minutes and records for all regular and special meetings of the Association and the Board, and maintains the membership records of the Association. The Secretary-Treasurer also keeps account of and reports all monies received, writes checks as authorized by the Board, and supervises registration at the Annual Meeting. The Secretary-Treasurer distributes minutes to members of the Board within six weeks after the conclusion of the meeting. The Secretary-Treasurer is responsible for obtaining volunteers to help with registration, monitoring registration activates, and providing forms and name tags needed for registration and writes receipts. The term of office for the Secretary-Treasurer is two years, but an individual may serve more than one consecutive term in this office.
Directors
The primary responsibilities of the Directors are to stimulate interest in the membership of the Association and to perform such responsibilities as designated by the President. Directors are elected to two-year terms of office and may be re-elected for a second term in a specific Directorship The six state Directors are elected at the Annual Meeting in even-numbered years; the four at-large Directors and the Directors representing state and local education agencies are elected in odd-numbered years. Each state Director is elected by MSERA members attending the Annual Meeting who reside in the state that the Director is to represent. The absence of a Director at two Board meetings during a term of office constitutes the office vacant.
Archives Committee
The Archives Committee serves as a liaison between MSERA and the educational agency or institution that serves as a repository for the Association The committee is responsible for collecting a copy of each paper presented at the Annual Meeting, delivering the papers to the educational agency or institution that maintains the archives, and transmitting to the membership (through the Researcher) the procedures through which documents in the archives can be accessed.
Budget Advisory Committee
The Budget Advisory Committee tracks the expenditures and receipts of the organization over a period of time. Through its analysis, the committee recommends budget categories and expenditures to the President for the establishment of the annual budget.
Constitution and Bylaws Committee
The Constitution and Bylaws Committee prepares proposed amendments for action by the Board of the Association. The committee serves as a channel through which any member of the Association, including committee members, can submit proposed revisions of the Constitution and Bylaws to the Board. Amendments may also be proposed directly to the Board if the requirements of the Constitution are met.
Development Committee
The purpose of the Development Committee is to seek funds from institutions of higher learning and other sources to undergird the efforts of the Association. Contributions provide donors access to membership benefits for designated individuals and the offices of the educational units of the institutions.
Distinguished Awards Selection Committee
The Distinguished Awards Selection Committee is to invite submissions for the MSERA awards and to ensure the fair, unbiased and worthy selection of a distinguished research paper and a distinguished dissertation/thesis. The committee transmits the call for submissions to the editor of the Researcher for dissemination with the Annual Meeting Call for Papers (February issue). The committee is responsible for verifying the membership status of the first author of each paper submitted, selecting the award recipients, securing the awards (plaques and checks), and notifying the winners at the Business Meeting of the Annual Meeting.
Evaluation Committee
The overall goal of the Evaluation Committee is to provide data for improving future sessions and for informing the actions of the Board. Members of this committee collect data to evaluate the effectiveness of the Annual Meeting, collect information regarding proposed changes to the policies or procedures of the organization, and report the results of the evaluation to the Board and to the membership. Evaluation instruments are used to collect information regarding individual sessions as well as the overall meeting. The committee is responsible for reviewing existing evaluation instruments, recommending changes to the Board as appropriate, reproducing the evaluation instruments for use at the Annual Meeting, disseminating and collecting the evaluation instruments, analyzing the data, and providing reports of the data for the Board and the Researcher.
Future Site Selection Committee
The Future Site Selection Committee recommends to the Board states that will serve as hosts of the MSERA Annual Meeting. Selection of a state is restricted to the six MSERA member states. In odd-numbered years, the Annual Meeting will be held in member states on a rotating alphabetical basis. A state may pass when its turn occurs in the rotation. In even numbered years, the Future Site Selection Committee will recommend to the Board which state would provide a suitable location for the Annual Meeting. The committee will identify the selected state at least three years in advance of the Annual Meeting date.
Graduate Student Advisory Committee
The purpose of the Graduate Student Advisory Committee is to place the needs and accomplishments of graduate students before the rest of the MSERA membership. The committee organizes the graduate student activities at the Annual Meeting and schedules them with the chair of the Program Committee. The Committee disseminates information regarding the reception through the Researcher. The committee may also organize other sessions that would be of particular interest to graduate students at the Annual Meeting. The committee is responsible for submitting and scheduling these sessions with the Program Committee. One specific responsibility of the committee is to help host the New Member/Graduate Student Breakfast at the Annual Meeting.
Local Arrangements Committee
The Local Arrangements Committee is responsible for all on-site preparations for the Annual Meeting, which include recommending to the Board a hotel to serve as the convention hotel, negotiating rates for accommodations and food, and selecting meeting rooms. The contract with the hotel is signed by the Executive Secretary.
The Local Arrangements Committee chair becomes the official contact person for MSERA with the hotel. The Local Arrangements Committee chair, in coordination with the Program Committee chair schedules specific rooms for all official Annual Meeting functions. If local tourist bureau services are utilized, the Local Arrangements Committee chair coordinates their activities The Local Arrangements Committee chair works with the hotel catering service to make arrangements for refreshments for all Annual Meeting functions within the limitations of the budget.
Membership Committee
The purpose of the Membership Committee is to recruit new members, sustain continuing members, and encourage professional growth among all members. The committee has responsibility for promoting activities that encourage the affiliation and participation of beginning researchers, particularly as they complete their graduate status. A further mission is to seek out researchers in institutions whose faculty are not currently affiliated with MSERA and to encourage their participation. The overall goal is not just to increase numbers of participants but also to make MSERA a representative, responsive research group. One specific responsibility of the committee is to help host the New Member/Graduate Student Breakfast at the Annual Meeting.
Nominations Committee
The Nominations Committee has the responsibility to select candidates for the positions as Officers and Directors of the Board of MSERA. The committee notifies the membership through the Researcher of the process by which members can submit the names of prospective candidates to the committee for consideration. The committee selects two candidates for each office (eight candidates for the four at-large representative positions) and notifies the editor of the Researcher of the selections so that this information can be conveyed to members prior to the Annual Meeting. The committee chair prepares and distributes the ballots at the Business Meeting. The chair and committee conduct the election and count the votes at the annual Business Meeting. Both the selection process and the conduct of the election of Officers and Directors should be unbiased and fair.
Program Committee
The purpose of the Program Committee is to plan the program of the Annual Meeting. The committee is responsible for transmitting to the editor of the Researcher the Call for Papers to be included in the February issue. The Committee is also responsible for reviewing proposals submitted for the Annual Meeting for papers, display sessions, symposia, and training sessions, and for notifying submitters regarding the status of their proposals. The committee solicits the participation of MSERA members to serve as session chairs. The Program Committee, in coordination with the Local Arrangements Committee, schedules all events related to the Annual Meeting, notifies participants, and transmits the completed program schedule to the editors of the Researcher and the Proceedings.
Publications and Communications Committee
The purpose of the Publications and Communications Committee is to prepare and recommend to the Board publication policies for each of the MSERA publications (Researcher, Research in the Schools, MSERA Web Page, and Proceedings). It is the responsibility of the committee to prepare and submit to the Board any recommendations for changes in existing publications, policies, and procedures, and to coordinate the development of proposals for new publications.
Editor, MSERA Researcher
The purposes of the Researcher are: 1. To serve as the major vehicle of communication among the membership of the organization and 2. To provide a medium for sharing of research and creative efforts related to research that are of interest to the membership. The editor assumes responsibility for the compilation, reproduction, and distribution of the Researcher on a regular basis: February - Call for Papers, May -Leadership, August - Membership Directory, and October - Annual Meeting Program. The editor is also responsible for disseminating the Call for Papers to members of AERA and LERA as well as to deans of teacher preparation institutions in the constituent states who are not members of MSERA.
Editor, Proceedings
The editor produces the Proceedings of the Annual Meeting, which is to be published on the MSERA Web Page. The Proceedings includes abstracts of paper presentations, symposia, displays, and training sessions and an Index of Participants.
Editor, Research in the Schools
The editor produces a quality journal of educational research designed to enhance the exposure and prestige of the Association. Two issues are published yearly and are provided to the membership as part of their dues.
Editor, MSERA Web Page
The editor of the MSERA Web Page is responsible for maintaining the world wide web site for MSERA. The editor assumes responsibility for compilation, editing, and posting of information on the web site in a timely manner.
ERIC Liaison
The ERIC liaison is the official contact person for MSERA with the Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC) system. The liaison facilitates submission of papers presented at the Annual Meeting to the ERIC system for subsequent review and acceptance or rejection for inclusion in the Resources in Education (RIE) microfiche data base. The liaison makes available copies of the ERIC form that must accompany submissions, provides a box at the Annual Meeting into which members may deposit their submissions, and transmits the submissions to ERIC.
MSER Foundation
The Mid-South Educational Research Foundation is dedicated to furthering educational research by encouraging quality educational research and promoting the application of the results of quality educational research in elementary and secondary schools and higher education institutions in the Mid-South. The MSERA President, Vice President, and Executive Secretary serve as ex officio members of the Foundation's Board of Directors. The Foundation operates independently but in cooperation with MSERA.