Governance & Guiding Documents
The Society and its members abide by the following documents.
The Constitution is the Society’s highest governing document, followed by the Bylaws and Rules of Policy and Procedure. Each level of governing document contains more detail about Society operations than the one preceding it, from high-level organizational structure in the Constitution to regular administrative matters in the Rules.
The Constitution contains elements related to the size of the Board of Direction, the membership grades and voting rights, designates Officers and their terms, etc. These are important components of the Society on which the membership should have a say, and therefore any revisions to the Constitution must be approved by the membership.
The Bylaws mirror the structure of the ASCE Constitution, providing more detail. Bylaws may be amended by the Board of Direction, with advance notice to the membership.
The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Code of Ethics is the model for professional conduct for ASCE members.
The Rules of Policy and Procedure provide the most detail about the Society’s structure and operations. The Rules may be amended by the Board of Direction upon 30 days notice.
The Board of Direction convened on January 16, 2025, and approved on second reading an amendment to the Constitution (Article 2: Membership) to consolidate the Affiliate, Associate and Member Grades into one Member Grade. The amendment will now be presented to the membership for approval on the 2025 election ballot.
The Board of Direction is next scheduled to meet March 28-29, 2025.
All proposed amendments to these governing documents have been reviewed by the Governing Documents Committee.
The Board of Direction will receive for first reading and consideration the following amendments to the Bylaws. These amendments will be presented to the Board for second reading and approval on July 10-11, 2025 Board of Direction meeting.
- Bylaws (various articles) to consolidate the Affiliate, Associate and Member Grades into one Member Grade and consider the changes acceptable for submitting the matter to the membership for a vote.
- Bylaws (Article 6: Officers, Directors and Governors) to change the qualifications for President-elect to those members who are a Fellow or have a P.E. designation.
- Bylaws (Article 5.3.2 and 9.2.2) to change the name of the Committee on Technical Advancement to the Center for Technical Advancement.
If you have questions regarding the Board of Direction meeting, please contact Wendy Dinwiddie