INTERNATIONAL COUNCIL OF PSYCHOLOGISTS: PROPOSAL FOR BYLAWS REVISION

Background

On July 14, 2022, the Board of Directors of ICP approved a draft ICP Bylaws revision and recommended their approval by the membership. The revisions were drawn up to reflect a governance structure congruent with the contemporary needs and practices of the ICP. Several changes are substantive in nature, whereas others are merely “housekeeping” revisions, comprised of language changes and clarifications of regulations.

Overview of Proposed Changes

Substantive changes to the Bylaws include (Rationale in parentheses)

  1. Granting students the right to vote in elections (rationale: student members will be able to vote in elections for ICP Board Members and for bylaws changes; this will promote engagement in ICP)
  2. Changing the terms of office to two years for President, President-Elect, and Past-President positions (rationale: this will promote continuity in leadership and stability in ICP’s addressing its strategic plan)
  3. Changing the term of office for all positions to coincide with the calendar year  (this changes from a turnover at the time of the Annual Meeting – which meets at varying times – to a predictable governance term schedule that coincides with ICP’s fiscal year)
  4. Specifying term limits for Director-at-Large positions (the limit of 2 terms requires a 1-year break before any future board service as Director-at-Large. This promotes the engagement of a broader pool of ICP members)
  5. Designating the Secretary-General as a voting member of the Board (The Secretary-General, who must be an ICP Member in good standing, would also have a voice in ICP policy decisions. The Secretary-General serves as de facto Executive Officer of ICP)
  6. Adding the Long Range Planning Committee as a Standing Committee (This committee has been a long-standing ICP Committee and is charged with reviewing ICP adherence to its strategic plan. The purview is broadened from one of only addressing future conference sites to addressing all of ICPs strategic goals and making recommendations to the Board)
  7. Establishing a way to sunset ad hoc committees and task forces (This allows ICP to remain current and flexible in its ongoing activities and initiatives)
  8. Providing succession plans for resignations or failure to attend Board meetings (This corrects an oversight in the previous bylaws and provides for a smooth transition in case of resignation of one of the presidential trio – president-elect, president, or past-president)

Housekeeping Changes

Other revisions are proposed to clarify terms, maintain consistency in language and across articles, and to incorporate the current strategic plan into the Bylaws. These items are referred to as “Housekeeping” items.

The Board of Directors reviewed each proposed change in the Draft ICP Bylaws, and approved sending the proposal to the membership for approval.

The Board of Directors urges the approval of these revisions to ensure a more effective governance structure that is consistent with the strategic plan and values of the organization.

 Revising the Bylaws requires a majority vote of the voting membership.
Your vote is important; PLEASE VOTE!

You can read a “marked up” copy of the revised Bylaws here – proposed deletions have the text struck through and proposed additions are in bold 

https://icpweb.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/2022-ProposedBylaws-final.pdf