Florida Conference of Historians
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History
The Florida Conference of Historians began in 1962 as the Florida College Teachers of History (FCTH).  FCTH founders included Sister Mary Rice of Barry University and Maurice Vance and Tom Campbell of Florida State University.  They conceived of an organization covering all historical fields that would give historians an opportunity to share their scholarship and develop a sense of collegiality among historians teaching history in Florida's colleges and universities.  In 1992, the organization changed its name to the Florida Conference of Historians (FCH) to encourage participation by historians outside the state's colleges and universities.  In 1993, the FCH began publishing the Selected Annual Proceedings of the Florida Conference of Historians.  In 2011, the Executive Council members agreed to change the name of the annual proceedings to the FCH Annals: Journal of the Florida Conference of Historians.  The FCH is also a federally recognized 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, and contributions (including bequests, gifts, etc) are tax deductible.  Since the organization's first conference in 1963, more than thirty different institutions of higher education have hosted the FCH's annual meetings. 

Governance
According to the FCH Constitution, participation in the annual meeting is open to persons interested in any field of history or any area of study of historical interest.  The Executive Council of the organization includes a president, a president-elect, a vice president, a secretary, and a treasurer. Each year at its annual business meeting, the attending members choose a president-elect to be the person who will host the annual meeting during the following year.  The vice president automatically becomes the president-elect the next year, i.e., the year that she or he hosts the annual meeting.  The president's responsibility is to organize and host the annual meeting.  The secretary and treasurer serve three year terms of office in order to provide some stability to the organization.  Officers are advised as needed by an "Executive Council" composed of past presidents, the treasurer, and the secretary.  Officers receive no compensation.


Officers
Sean McMahon, President
Florida Gateway College
Sean.McMahon@fgc.edu

Anna Caney and Richards Plavnieks, Co-Presidents Elect
Florida Southern College
acaney@flsouthern.edu
rplavnieks@flsouthern.edu

David Proctor, Secretary
Tallahassee Community College
proctord@tcc.fl.edu

Jesse Hingson, Treasurer
Jacksonville University
jhingso@ju.edu

Michael Cole, Senior Editor, FCH Annals
Florida Gulf Coast University
mcole@fgcu.edu

Ex-Officio Members
Dr. Blaine Browne
Dr. Julian Chambliss
Dr. Jay Clarke
Dr. James M. Denham
Dr. Mike Epple
Dr. Patricia Farless
Dr. Nicola Foote
Dr. Brendan Goff
Dr. David Harvey
Dr. Rowena Hernández-Múzquiz
Dr. Sean McMahon
Dr. Joseph Patrouch


CONSTITUTION AND BY-LAWS OF THE FLORIDA CONFERENCE OF HISTORIANS

Article I. Name

The name of the organization shall be “The Florida Conference of Historians,” organized as a non-profit corporation according to the laws of the State of Florida.  

Article II. Purpose

The purpose of The Florida Conference of Historians (hereafter, FCH) shall be to strengthen the historical profession and to enhance the professional lives of historians in Florida by any of all of the following:

·         Holding an annual conference focusing on historical topics about any region and era.

·         Promoting historical research, preservation, record keeping, and publication.

·         Publishing the annual conference proceedings.

·         Encouraging and promoting high standards in the scholarship and teaching of history.

·         Sponsoring the appearance in Florida of outstanding historians.

·         Recognizing excellence in historical research and publication by appropriate awards.

·         Encouraging and promoting public history.

·         Fostering professional and social communication among historians.

·         Encouraging and promoting historians in training, including graduate and undergraduate students interested in historical research.

·         Engaging in other appropriate activities which are in keeping with the purpose of the organization.

Article III. Membership

Membership in the FCH shall be open to professional historians and historians in training upon payment of the current dues to the Treasurer.  

Article IV. Officers

Section 1. The officers of the FCH shall be a president, a president-elect, a vice-president, a secretary, and a treasurer.

Section 2. The president shall serve a term of one year.  A retired president is eligible for the office of president-elect after the expiration of two years.  The president shall:

·         Oversee the day-to-day operations of the organization as needed.

·         Be the executive head of the organization and shall be responsible for carrying out its policies and functions.

·         In the event of the absence, resignation, or death of a president, the duties of the office shall devolve successively upon the president-elect, vice-president, the secretary, and the treasurer.

·         Chair the Executive Council and preside at all meetings of the FCH.

Section 3. The president-elect shall be elected at the annual meeting, shall serve a term of one year, and shall succeed to the office of president without election.  The duties of the president-elect shall be to:

·         Serve as the Chair of the Local Arrangements Committee.

Section 4. The vice-president shall serve a term of one year and advise the president and president-elect as needed.

Section 5. The secretary shall be elected at the annual meeting, shall serve a term of three years, and may be re-elected. The duties of the secretary shall be to:

·         Take the minutes of the annual meeting and all other meetings and disseminate them to the Executive Council and the membership within a reasonable time.

·         Serve as secretary of the Executive Council.

·         Coordinate with officers, committee chairs, and executive council members.

·         Maintain the organization’s website.

·         Provide for the preservation of the permanent records of the organization.

Section 6. The treasurer shall be elected at the annual meeting, shall serve a term of three years and may be re-elected.  The duties of the treasurer shall be to:

·         Oversee the collection of all dues and other funds.

·         Oversee the maintenance and disbursement of all funds, maintaining records to document receipts and disbursements.

·         Manage finances for all donations and grants received.

·         Present a report of the organization’s finances at the annual meeting of the Executive Council.

Article V. Committees

Section 1. The standing committees of the FCH shall be an Executive Council, the Local Arrangements Committee, and the Editorial Board of the annual proceedings.  All officers, committee chairs, and committee members must be members in good standing.

Section 2. The Executive Council shall be composed of the officers, the immediate past president ex-officio, the standing committee chairs ex-officio, the managing editor of the Selected Annual Proceeding of the Florida Conference of Historians, and three additional members at large for terms of three years.  The Executive Council shall meet at the call of the president, and eight members shall constitute a quorum. The duties of the Executive Council shall be to:

·         Generally direct the activities of the association.

·         Set the time and place for the annual meeting and such special meetings as may be called.

·         Fill vacancies that may occur in any office or committee chair between annual meetings.

·         Formulate and propose to the FCH plans for putting its purposes into effect.

·         Recruit new members.

·         Nominate members to serve as officers and editorial board members.

·         Submit nominees for honors and awards.

Section 3. The Local Arrangements Committee shall plan and carry out the program of the annual meeting.  The president-elect shall serve as chairperson and may appoint members of the committee.

Section 4. The Editorial Board of the annual proceedings shall be responsible for the publication of the FCH’s refereed journal.  The editorial board shall consist of at least five members representing different fields of historical scholarship.  These members shall serve staggered three-year terms renewable annually.  Members of the Editorial Board may be reappointed to additional terms at the discretion of the President and Managing Editor.

Section 5. The President may appoint such other non-standing committees as deemed necessary for carrying out the functions of the FCH.

Article VI. Meetings

 Section 1. The FCH shall hold an annual meeting at a time and place to be determined by the Executive Council.

Section 2. The FCH shall hold at least one business meeting during the annual meeting. The treasurer shall present a financial report, and the secretary shall take minutes of the meeting and disperse them to the membership within a reasonable time.

Section 3. Special meetings of the FCH may be called by a simple majority of the Executive Council.  Calls for special meetings shall be issued by the Executive Council in writing at least thirty days in advance.

Article VII. Amendments

Amendments to this Constitution may be proposed by the Executive Council.  Proposed amendments shall be circulated to the Executive Council at least fourteen days prior to the annual meeting at which they will be considered.  Amendments shall go into effect upon ratification by a simple majority of the members present.

BY-LAWS OF THE FLORIDA CONFERENCE OF HISTORIANS

Dues shall pay for the expenses associated with the regular annual meeting and the proceedings.  Life membership may be purchased by regular members for $500.00.  The membership year shall extend from regular annual meeting to regular annual meeting.

Robert’s Rules of Order shall be the guide to the conduct of business meeting of the FCH.

Terms of office for officers and committee members shall begin on the first day of the annual meeting. 

A quorum of the Executive Committee shall consist of eight members, or twenty percent of the membership, whichever is smaller.

The By-Laws may be amended by vote of a majority of those present and voting at any official business meeting of the FCH.

The Thomas M. Campbell Award shall be given in recognition for the best article appearing in the Annual Proceedings beginning in 1999.  This award is given in honor and memory of historian Thomas M. Campbell, professor of US Diplomatic History at Florida State University, founder of the Florida Conference of Historians, at that time called The Florida College Teachers of History, and long-time supporter of the FCH.

The J. Clarke III Award shall be given in recognition for the best undergraduate paper presented at the annual meeting of the Florida Conference of Historians.

The Blaine Browne Award shall be given in recognition for the best graduate paper presented at the annual meeting of the Florida Conference of Historians (approved January 31, 2014).

The Douglas Astolfi Award shall be given in recognition for the best poster presented at the annual meeting of the Florida Conference of Historians (approved February 23, 2019).

The Selected Annual Proceedings of the Florida Conference of Historians will change its name to the FCH Annals: Journal of the Florida Conference of Historians (approved March 24, 2011).

(The Constitution and By-Laws of the Florida Conference of Historians was adopted February 27, 2010)


“Article II. Purpose” is being amended to add the following:

Said organization is organized exclusively for charitable, religious, educational, and scientific purposes, including, for such purposes, the making of distributions to organizations that qualify as exempt organizations under section 501 (c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code, or corresponding section of any future federal tax code.

Upon dissolution of the organization, assets shall be distributed for one or more exempt purposes within the meaning of the section 501 (c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code, or corresponding section of any future federal tax code, or shall be distributed to the federal government, or to a state or local government, for a public purpose.  Any such assets not disposed of shall be disposed of by the Court of Common Pleas of the county in which the principle office of the organization 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.

We adopt this amendment by two or more members of our governing body on April 15, 2011

___________________________                              _______________________________

Blaine Browne, President                                           Jesse Hingson, Treasurer


Under penalty of perjury, I declare that I have examined this information, including accompanying documents, and, to the best of my knowledge and belief, the information contains all the relevant facts relating to the request for the information, and such facts are true, correct, and complete.

___________________________

Jesse Hingson, Officer (Treasurer)

Date: June 10, 2011

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Telephone

904-256-7215

Email

jhingso@ju.edu
  • FCH Home
  • About Us
    • History & Governance
    • Past FCH Presidents
    • Past FCH Programs >
      • Past Meetings
    • Future FCH Meetings
    • Friends of the FCH
    • News and Resources
  • Annual Meeting
    • Special Interest Sections
    • Participant Guidelines
  • FCH Annals
    • Past & Current Volumes
    • Style Sheet
  • Awards
  • Support the FCH