Operating Code for the Standing Committee on Membership

1. The Membership Committee is a standing committee of the Academy appointed to conform to the provisions set forth in the By-Laws, Article IX, Section 5(a).
2. The Committee shall consist of nine (9) members. The term of each member shall be for three years, with rotating membership. Three new members are added and three third-year members dropped each year. Unexpired terms shall be filled for the remainder of the original appointment.

• The Chair of the Committee shall be designated by the President and shall not be eligible to immediately succeed another term as Chair.
• In appointing members to the Committee, consideration should be given to an equitable representation of male and female Fellows and of the various areas of specialization in Kinesiology.

3. The Chair shall send copies of all correspondence with Committee members relative to the functions of the Committee to the President. In addition, copies of correspondence to the Fellows which may affect the functions of the Committee should also be sent to the President.
4. The Chair will prepare an annual report for distribution at the Academy’s Annual Business Meeting. In addition, the Operating Code should be reviewed annually and if revisions are needed, recommendations for changes are to be submitted to the Executive Committee.
5. Following the Annual Meeting, the Committee Chairperson shall turn over to the incoming Chairperson those contents of the Committee’s files that are judged to be helpful to the work of the new Committee.
6. The membership functions of the Committee are derived from Articles I and II of the By-Laws and fall into four general categories: Criteria for Fellows; Nomination of Fellows; Election of Fellows; and Induction of Fellows. Operations specific to these functions are presented under the appropriate headings.

1. The Membership Committee shall evaluate candidates for membership according to the criteria established by the membership according to Article II, Section 2 of the By-Laws.Active Fellow. To be considered for the status of Active

1. Be currently engaged in professional and/or scientific work in kinesiology.
2. Have demonstrated competence in Kinesiology over a period of at least 15 years post terminal degree to include all of the following:

• significant contributions to the scholarly literature through the study and/or application of the art and science of human movement and physical activity (e.g., peer-reviewed, refereed journal articles).
• significant contributions to the professional literature in this field (e.g., refereed and non-refereed journal articles, textbooks).
• leadership activities in professional associations and learned societies (e.g., elected office, important chairmanships, task force leaders).
• other evidence of leadership in the field of kinesiology to be documented by the nominator.

3. Must be willing to participate in the Academy meetings and work in furthering the goals of the Academy.

International Fellow. The designation of International Fellow is reserved for individuals who have achieved the criteria for Active Fellow, but who reside outside the United States of America. International Fellows may serve on any Academy Standing Committees.

2. The Business Office shall maintain an updated listing of the names of all nominees and the year of nomination. This listing is to determine the eligibility of resubmission of nominees in conformity to the ruling that the name of the unsuccessful nominee may not again be submitted the year immediately following the unsuccessful submission. There is no limit on the number of times an individual may be nominated. The age of the nominee or imminence of retirement should not be considered when making recommendations.

1. It is the responsibility of the Committee to develop a nomination form which will afford the concise presentation of the vita appropriate to the criteria and facilitate review. These nomination forms should be reviewed periodically and approved by the Executive Committee.
2. The Committee in conjunction with the Business Office shall prepare a call for nominations to appear in the Fall newsletter together with the nomination forms. This statement should include specific information that will be helpful to the Fellows in determining potential nominees. Nominator should directly contact potential nominees to obtain required information and to make the nominee aware of the responsibilities involved in being an Active Fellow in the Academy.
3. The Chair will instruct the Business Office to circulate copies of the Call for Nominations statement, criteria, and the nomination form to all Active Fellows at least 9 months before the Annual Meeting. The nomination form should include the following statement, “In preparing nomination materials for a new Fellow, please carefully and accurately communicate the candidate’s credentials. Unintentionally misrepresenting a nominee’s achievements may result in disqualification of the nomination.
4. The deadline for receipt of nominations by the Chair should be no later than February 1st of the same year to facilitate the work of the Committee in processing the nominations. The closing date for receipt of nominations should be specified on the nomination forms. Dates for sending the Call for Nominations and the deadline for receipt of nominations should be determined according to the dates of the Annual Meeting and the deadlines for publication of the announcement of the new Fellows in the NAK newsletter.
5. In case more than one Fellow makes the same nomination, the first Fellow proposing a given candidate shall perform this duty. The Chair shall check the listing of nominees to determine if the name of the submitted nominee appears within the listing of unsuccessful nominees submitted during the year prior to the current nomination. The biographical records of the unsuccessful nominees will not be kept on file as it is anticipated that their record will need revision during the two-year interval.

1. The Committee is responsible for screening the nominees to ensure that they meet the stated criteria. The Committee shall meet via conference call to discuss voting procedures and the candidates’ credentials prior to voting. The number of nominees to be presented each year via ballot shall be determined by the personal and professional qualifications of the available candidates, especially their scholarly attainments. Publications should be separated into refereed and non-refereed categories.
2. The screening system involves independent reviewing and voting by each Committee member. Members who have or may have conflicts of interest (e.g., former advisees, employment at the same institution as a candidate, relative/spouse, etc.) shall disclose conflicts/potential conflicts to the committee chair. The chair will review potential conflicts and decide if the conflict warrants exclusion of the member from discussion/voting on a particular candidate. A scoring grid for voting by committee members exists to ensure continuity of evaluation procedures to include all criteria for becoming a Fellow. The voting is based on either acceptance or rejection of each nominee. A minimum of six acceptance votes is required for Committee approval. The Chair will summarize the results and inform all Committee members. The Chair will send an email letter to each Fellow who nominated a candidate informing that person of the Committee decision regarding his or her nominee. The Chair will also inform the President of the outcome of committee voting.
3. The Chair in conjunction with the Business Manager shall prepare the necessary ballots for distribution by email to the Active Fellows, together with the biographical data forms (nomination forms), but excluding the Membership Committee rating of each candidate. The names of the candidates appearing on the ballot shall be listed in alphabetical order by category of membership. These shall be mailed by no later than 5 months prior to the Annual Meeting with a deadline date of 4 months prior to the Annual Meeting. Deadline dates should be selected according to the dates of the Annual Meeting and deadline dates for publishing information in the NAK Newsletter. The email ballot shall be preceded by the criteria for selecting nominees as Academy Fellows.
4. The ballot shall be returned via an online voting system to the Business Manager by the due date. The Business Manager will notify the Committee Chair and the President of voting results.
5. Election is based upon a majority of votes cast according to Article II, Section 3 of the By-Laws. If nominations for Fellow exceed vacancies, nominees will be placed in rank order according to the number of “Yes” votes received. Vacancies will be filled in that order for all who received the necessary majority vote. [pending changes fall 2000 By-Laws Article II, Section 3]
6. The Chairperson will send a letter to each Fellow who nominated a candidate who was not elected informing that person of the decision regarding his or her nominee.
7. The President will write a formal letter of congratulations to each new Fellow elected, noting their responsibilities to the Academy and the dates of the Annual Meeting at which they will be inducted. Sample letters are passed on from President to President.
8. The Business Manager is to retain ballots until following the meeting where Fellows are inducted.

1. The candidates who have been elected are informed of their election by the President (Article VI, Section 5 of the By-Laws).
2. Members of the Committee shall be notified of the results of the election each year at the time the Academy President is so informed. However, they shall not extend congratulations to the new Fellows until after the President has announced the election results, acceptances have been received, and members have been informed.
3. The Chair is responsible for securing a host (usually the sponsor of the newly elected Fellow) who will also welcome the elected Fellow, serve as their host at the meetings, and present the elected Fellow during the induction ceremonies at the Academy Meeting Banquet. The President and the Academy official in charge of the banquet shall be notified of the names of the Fellows who will host the elected Fellows.
4. Each sponsor shall prepare a 250 word written statement for the new Fellow they nominated. The statement shall be used for summarizing the Fellow’s accomplishments during the induction ceremony at the Banquet, for the record and for public relations.
5. Membership induction ceremony at the Annual Meeting:

1. The sponsor should submit one copy of the statement to the Membership Committee Chair at least 2 weeks prior to the Annual Meeting, who then shares these statements with the Business Office who is responsible for inscribing the medallions and plaques. These Induction Statements will be placed in the Academy Archives.
2. The Induction Ceremony protocol is as follows:

• The Membership Chair will stand at the podium on the dais to announce the name of the new Fellow and the sponsor(s), indicating which sponsor will read the statement if there is more than one sponsor.
• A microphone and podium will be placed in front of the dais with a small table to the right of the podium which will have the awards placed in alphabetical order.
• The sponsor should sit with the new Fellow at the banquet. When the new Fellow’s name is announced the sponsor will escort the new Fellow to the podium. The sponsor should direct the new Fellow to stand to the right of the sponsor. Both are to face the members of the Academy.
• The sponsor will introduce the new Fellow and read the Recognition Statement.
• At the completion of the statement, the sponsor will present the new Fellow to the President by saying: Madame/Mister President, I have the honor to present (name of new Fellow) for induction as an Active Fellow in the National Academy of Kinesiology.
• The President will give the new Fellow the plaque, medallion and inscribed scroll and pose for a picture with new Fellow.
• The sponsor and new Fellow will return to their seats.

6. The Chair of the Membership Committee or President will select one of the new Fellows to respond for all new members at the Banquet. This person’s name will be shared with the Business Office that the respondent’s name can be included on the printed banquet program.
7. After elections have been held, the Chair shall send the biographical sketches of elected Fellows to the Historian for the Academy Archives.
8. Active Fellows must be present to be inducted. If the circumstances which prevent a prospective Fellow’s attendance are acceptable to the Membership Committee, the presentation may be made the following year (Article II, Section 4 of the By-Laws). In the event of inability to attend the following year, the elected nominee will be dropped from the listing of prospective Fellows.
9. The Certificate of Fellowship will be presented to the new Fellow at the induction ceremonies. The NAK Business Office is responsible for the printing of the Certificate of Fellowship.