By-Laws

Article I. Name

The name of this organization shall be the Midwestern History Association (MHA).

Article II. Purpose

The MHA is committed to:

1.     Advocating the study of the history of the American Midwest, a region which has been greatly neglected by professional historians in recent decades;

2.     Re-building the infrastructure necessary to promote the study of the history of the American Midwest;

3.     Promoting the study of the history of the American Midwest by way of organizing and supporting academic discussions and conference presentations and panels related to the history of the American Midwest;

4.     Serving as the support system for the journal Middle West Review, which will serve as a forum for the discussion and advancement of Midwestern history;

5.     Partnering with existing scholarly organizations;

6.     Establishing prizes to be awarded for scholarship in Midwestern history and the MHA’s annual meeting.

Article III. Membership

Membership of the MHA shall include all those who have paid dues during the calendar year. Membership is active for the calendar year once it has been received. Each member of the MHA is entitled to one vote. Subscription to the journal is not required for membership.

Article IV.  Membership Meetings

The MHA shall meet annually either in conjunction with the meeting of an existing scholarly organization or in a stand alone meeting. Priority will be afforded to the holding of annual meetings in the American Midwest. The President, in cooperation with the MHA’s officers and Conference Organizing Committee, shall designate the time and place of the MHA’s annual meeting and so notify MHA members. The MHA’s official business shall be conducted at the annual meeting.

Article V.  Officers and Directors

The MHA shall have the following officers and directors who are charged with the duties set forth below:

1.     President – the duties of the President shall be:

a.     setting the annual meeting of the MHA;

b.     presiding at the MHA’s annual meeting;

c.     helping to organize conferences, conference panels, and other conclaves designed to promote Midwestern history;

d.     providing general leadership for the MHA.

2.     President-Elect – the duties of the President-Elect shall be to assist the President and to prepare to serve as President of the MHA upon expiration of the President’s term in office.

3.     Treasurer – the duties of the Treasurer shall be to maintain the finances of the MHA, handle all tax-related paperwork, and ensure the continuation of the organization’s business registrations.

4.     Secretary – the duties of the Secretary include coordinating with Press Director to maintain the website, ensuring information circulates to members in a timely and regular fashion, and overseeing the management of the membership.

5.     Board of Directors – the Board of Directors shall:

a.     be composed of fifteen MHA members;

b.     be selected by the Nominating Committee and approved by a vote of the MHA membership in an electronic election called by the President every fourth spring;

c.     offer advice and recommendations about policy for the MHA.

d.     constitute a quorum when majority of the members of the Board of Directors are assembled.

6.     Press Director—the duties of the Press Director are to maintain the MHA website, issue press releases to newspaper and other media contacts, and to coordinate with the Social Media Director to publicize all relevant news about the MHA on social media.

7.     Social Media Director—the duties of the Social Media Director are to curate the MHA’s presence on social media, post announcements in a timely manner, and coordinate with the Press Director to publicize all relevant news about the MHA on social media.

Article VI.  Terms of Office

The officers of the MHA shall serve the following terms in office:

1.     President – two years

2.     President-Elect – two years

3.     Treasurer – two years, with the option to stand for reelection for another two-year term

4.     Secretary – two years, with the option to stand for reelection for another two-year term 

5.     Directors – four years

All officers and directors, except for the Treasurer and Secretary, shall be limited to two consecutive terms in office. The outgoing President calls for electronic elections every other spring. The officer terms begin at the close of the MHA annual conference that occurs in the same year as the spring elections.

Article VII.  Vacancies

A vacancy in the office of the President shall be filled by the President-Elect unless they are unable to serve, at which time the vacancy shall be filled by election of the members by a majority of votes cast. A vacancy in the office of the President-Elect shall be filled by election of the members by a majority of votes cast. A vacancy in the office of the Treasurer and/or Secretary shall be filled by way of appointment by the President until an election for the position can be held via electronic vote. A vacancy on the Board of Directors shall be filled by way of appointment by the President until an election for the position can be held via electronic vote.

Article VIII.  General Committees

The President shall appoint such standing, special, or ad hoc committees as they find necessary. Committee chairpersons shall be appointed by and responsible to the President.

A vacancy on a committee shall be filled by appointment of the President.

Nominating Committee

The President shall appoint members of the MHA to serve on a Nominating Committee to select members of the Prize Committees and members of the Board of Directors. Two people shall serve on the Nominating Committee for a two-year term.

Prize Committees

The Nominating Committee will appoint people (members and non-members of the MHA) to serve on the Prize Committees, which will adopt the necessary procedures to award the prizes set forth in Article II. The prizes shall be awarded for publications during a calendar year and shall be announced by the President at the MHA’s annual meeting. Prizes shall commence with the calendar year 2013.

Conference Organizing Committee

The president shall appoint members of the MHA to serve as the program organizing committee for each annual MHA conference, or to coordinate a conference meeting with an affiliate organization. The committee will consist of five members, one of whom should be a graduate student at the time of the nomination. The committee will work in coordination with MHA officers and site organizers to ensure academic rigor and equal representation at MHA conference events.

Article IX.  Parliamentary Authority

The rules contained in Robert's Rules of Order, Revised, shall govern the organization in all cases to which they are applicable and in which they are not inconsistent with the bylaws or the special rules of order of the organization.

Article XI.  Amendments

Proposed changes to these bylaws will be announced to the membership one month prior to the vote, which will be conducted by electronic ballot. The proposed changes require 2/3 approval of votes cast.

*This version of the MHA Bylaws approved December 16, 2019*

People

Officers

President - Megan Birk, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (megan.birk@utrgv.edu)

Author of Fostering on the Farm and The Fundamental Institution, historian of rural social welfare and the Progressive Era.

Vice President and President-Elect - Jennifer Stinson, Saginaw Valley State University (jstinson@svsu.edu)

Secretary - Cory Haala, University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point (cory.haala@uwsp.edu)

A historian of Midwestern political history, especially populism, progressivism, and grassroots activism in the Democratic Party since the 1970s. His book, "How Democrats Won the Heartland: Progressive Populism in the Age of Reagan" is in editing stages with the University of Illinois Press.

Treasurer - Patrick Pospisek, Grand Valley State University (pospisep@gvsu.edu)

Press Director - Camden Burd, Clemson University (cburd@clemson.edu)

A historian of capitalism and the environment in America during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. He is the author of The Roots of Flower City.

Social Media Director -  Joshua Kluever, Alvernia University (joshua.kluever@alvernia.edu)

A historian of socialism, state-level politics, and third-party movements. His current project examines how socialist state legislators gained and retained political power across the United States in the late 19th and early 20th century. 

Board of Directors

Emiliano Aguilar, Notre Dame University (2024-2028)

Elizabeth Demers, Michigan State University Press (2024-2028)

Kristy Nabhan-Warren, University of Iowa (2024-2028)

Ramya Swayamprakash, Grand Valley State University (2024-2028)

Greg Rose, Ohio State University (2024-2028)

Ted Karamanski, Loyola University Chicago (2024-2028)

Nicole Etcheson, Ball State University (2024-2028)

Edward Frantz, University of Indianapolis (2020-2026)

Paula Nelson, University of Wisconsin-Platteville (Emeritus) (2022-2026)

James Madison, University of Indiana Bloomington (2022-2026)

Joy Ellison, Ohio State University (2022-2026)

Ashley Howard, University of Iowa (2022-2026)

Doug Kiel, Northwestern University (2022-2026)

Andrew Offenburger, University of Miami Ohio (2022-2026)

Crystal Moten, National Museum of American History (2022-2026)