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President

General Responsibilities

  1. The President will assume office at the close of the Society's annual meeting.​
  2. With assistance of APS Council and the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and staff, the President leads and supervises all society affairs. The President, Officers, and Editors-in-Chief carry the major burden of establishing policy and conducting society business. The CEO is responsible for implementing these policies, as well as for operation of the society headquarters and supervision of its staff. The President, however, is ultimately responsible to the membership in all the foregoing matters.
  3. The President maintains ongoing dialogue and exchanges information and ideas regarding current issues with the CEO and appropriate APS staff and assists in developing priorities relevant to the current strategic plan.
  4. The President presides at all meetings of APS Council and the Society. With assistance from APS Staff the President reviews and finalizes the agenda for Council meetings. APS staff will distribute final agenda and materials to APS Council ahead of scheduled meetings. 
  5. Is the presiding officer of APS Council, and serves as a member on the Headquarters Operations Committee and the APS Public Policy Board.
  6. Notifies appropriate persons of Council decisions on requests for fund expenditures.
  7. Invites appointees designated by Council to any task force, ad hoc, or special committee. 
  8. Along with full Council, will reviews the activities of all task force or special committees to ensure their charges were met and, if so, recommends dissolution of the of the task force or special committee. 

Preparation for Annual Meeting and Council Meetings

  1. Maintains liaison with the Program Chair (president-elect) on all decisions relating to program planning and organization. Develops theme for annual meeting held at the end of their term of office.
  2. Maintains liaison with the Chief Executive Officer, the director of the Annual Meetings Board, and the director of meetings on appropriate matters related to planning for the annual meeting. Organizes and selects speakers for the plenary/keynote sessions in consultation with the Immediate Past President, President-Elect, and Vice President.
  3. Receives the report of the Awards and Honors Committee that is shared with Council members. The President will contact awardees to congratulate them and confirm that the awardee will attend the annual meeting to receive their award. Obtains the approval of a majority of Council members to approve nominees for the Award of Distinction.

Conduct of Annual Meeting

  1. Presides at the annual business meeting of the society and, with the assistance of the APS staff and the Internal Communications Officer (ICO), prepares the society update presentation to members.
  2. Presents awards to the awardee during the annual meeting award ceremony. 
  3. Introduces the plenary/keynote session speakers and aids in moderating as needed.
  4. Attends or designates a fellow officer to attend the senior editor meeting.
  5. Attends or designates a fellow officer to attend the Sustaining Associates meeting to provide an update on the affairs of APS.

Activities Immediately After the Annual Meeting and Divisional Meetings

  1. Sends message of appreciation to:
    1. Outgoing Officers and Councilors, task force or special committees, and if applicable any society representatives.
    2. Plenary session speakers, guest lecturers and other participants in society functions, as appropriate.
    3. Division president and local arrangements chair following each division meeting attended by the president.
  2. Notifies chairs of task forces or special committees appointed by the previous president of their immediate dissolution or reappointment by the incoming president.

Nominations and Appointments

The APS Nominations Committee will provide nominee recommendations to APS Council for any society officer position and/or other key leadership roles that require appointment approval by Council. In addition, any APS member may also suggest nominees or self-nominate for appointment consideration by APS Council. 

Nominees for Council appointed society offices of Treasurer and International Communications Officers should be selected early during the final year of service of the outgoing officer to allow orderly transfer of responsibilities. ​It may be desirable for these officers-elect of Council, to "shadow" their predecessor for up to one year in a non-voting role before assuming their official duties of office.

All newly Council appointed officers shall be informed of their duties of office and onboarded appropriately. Individuals shall not serve more than two 3-year terms consecutively. Current Council members should not be appointed to other society leadership roles that would begin prior to the end of their current term. ​

Council appointed Society Officer and Leadership Roles:

  1. APS officers: Treasurer and Internal Communications Officer
  2. APS Divisional Councilor and Publications Councilor
  3. Editors-in-Chief
  4. Other Leadership Roles designated in the APS Manual of Operations 
  5. Society Representatives
    1. The President appoints, with the approval of Council, representatives to other organizations in which the society is entitled to be represented and in which representation is to the society's advantage. (See Representatives section).
    2. Representatives to meetings or events. APS receives many invitations to send representatives to important national or scientific meetings or events. In addition, requests are received soliciting nominees for various awards, lecture programs, etc. In consultation with the Council, appropriate committee chairs and others, the president selects members for such recognition or participation when it is in the best interest of the society.
    3. The President works with the Chief Executive Officer to approve staff participation at other meetings and events.