Copyright © 2008 - International Mycological Association  
 

 

Old Statutes (and dues, rates)

The present Statutes were approved by the General Assembly of the IMA held during the Fourth International Mycological Congress at Regensburg, Germany, on September 3, 1990.

Preamble

1. The Association shall be called the International Mycological Association (IMA).

Objective

2. The objective of the IMA, a non-profit making organization, is the encouragement of mycology in all its branches, particularly through the sponsoring of International Mycological Congresses, the representation of mycological interests at an international level, and encouraging liaison with, and development of national, regional and international bodies which have mycological interests.

Management

3. The affairs of the IMA are managed by:

3.1 The General Assembly, convened by the President on the occasion of an International Mycological Congress. All full congress registrants may participate and vote at the General Assembly, which has no continuing responsibility. Votes taken at a General Assembly are subject to ratification by two-thirds of the Sustaining Organization Members and Organization Members, each Organization having a single vote (except in the case of Statute changes; see 9.1). Such ratification can be effected by either mail ballot, pro- or retroactive, or by a vote of representatives, one per Organization or nominated to act in this capacity at the General Assembly. In the event that a motion passed at a General Assembly is not ratified, that motion lapses.

3.2 The Executive Committee, composed of: (a) a maximum of twelve non-office holding members elected by the General Assembly on the recommendation of the Executive Committee from nominations received not later than a date notified to Congress participants from Sustaining and Organization Members, Individual Members, or the Executive Committee; and (b) a representative of each Sustaining Organization; (c) the Officers.

3.3 The Officers, comprising a President, two to four Vice-Presidents, a Secretary-General and a Treasurer.
The Officers are elected by the General Assembly from nominations made by the Executive Committee. When necessary in the period between two General Assemblies the Executive Committee may appoint any of these Officers.
The term of office of each Officer terminates at the close of an International Mycological Congress, with the exception of the Secretary-General and Treasurer who may be re-elected without restriction.

3.4 Committees for special purposes may be appointed either by the General Assembly or the Executive Committee.

4. The Executive Committee shall ensure that the affairs of the IMA are conducted in accordance with the decisions of General Assemblies.

Membership

5.1 Membership of the IMA is open to: (a) national or international societies, associations or other groups having mycological interests, and (b) individuals having mycological interests. Such memberships shall be recognized as Sustaining or Affiliated Organization Members, and Individual Members respectively.

5.2 Sustaining Organizations shall pay dues as defined in para 6.3 and may appoint a single voting member to the Executive Committee; Organization Members shall pay dues as defined in para 6.3, and do not have the power to appoint a voting member to the Executive Committee.

5.3 New Sustaining and Organization Members shall be recognized by a majority vote of the Executive Committee.

5.4 Honorary Presidents may be elected by the General Assembly on the proposal of the Executive Committee, provided that the number at any given time does not exceed five. Honorary Presidents are elected for life, receive all Committee papers, and are not required to pay dues; they are non-voting members of the Executive Committee.

Finance

6.1 The income of the IMA may come from any source, but principally consists of: (a) subscriptions from Sustaining and Organization Members and Individual Members; (b) a levy included in the registration fees of any surpluses from International Mycological Congresses; (c) donations; and (d) interest on funds held.

6.2 The expenses of the IMA consist of (a) administrative expenses of the Officers, and (b) all other expenses approved by the Executive Committee.

6.3 The subscriptions of an Individual Member shall be one unit, that of Sustaining Organization Members twenty units, and that of Organization Members three units. The value of the unit is fixed by the General Assembly on the recommendation of the Executive Committee, subject to ratification as in para. 3.1.
The unit value of € 30 was set at the Cairns Congress in 2006. Current dues, therefore, are as follows:

  • Sustaining Organization Members € 600 annual
  • Organization Members € 90 annual
  • Individual Membership € 30 for the period between congresses, collected with registration fees at each Congress

6.4 The subscriptions of Sustaining and Organization Members are due annually. Those of Individual Members become due at each International Mycological Congress, and cover the period to the next Congress. Full Congress members paying a levy as in para. 6.1(b) are automatically Individual Members until the subsequent Congress.

6.5 A Sustaining or Organization Member two years in arrears, or an Individual Member who has not paid the subscription due within two years of an International Mycological Congress, shall, on notice having been given by the Treasurer, be deleted from membership.

6.6 Administration of the funds of the IMA is the responsibility of the Treasurer who shall present accounts annually and forward estimates for at least one year ahead to the Executive Committee and all Sustaining and Organization Members. A summary of the accounts for the period between Congresses is be presented to the General Assembly at each International Mycological Congress. The accounts shall be audited by an auditor nominated by the Executive Committee but who is not a member of that Committee, or of any other Committee established by the IMA, or an Officer of the Association.

International Mycological Congresses

7.1 The IMA will encourage national and regional mycological groups to offer to host International Mycological Congresses (IMCs) at intervals to be determined by the Executive Committee.

7.2 Proposals to host future congresses must be received by the Secretary-General not less than five months before each IMC.

7.3 The venues and dates for future IMC's will be selected by the Executive Committee from the proposals received by the due date, and their decision will be announced to the General Assembly of the IMA.

7.4 The IMA Executive Committee will appoint a minimum of one and a maximum of three representatives to the Organizing Committee established for each IMC by the proposing national or regional groups.

Regional Committees

8.1 Regional Committees are appointed as in para. 3.4.

8.2 Such Committees comprise a national representative for each country in the region; a Chairman and Secretary are to be elected by the national representatives from amongst their number.

8.3 Procedures for the establishment and methods of operation of Regional Committees are subject to ratification by the Executive Committee.

8.4 Regional Committees will be encouraged to hold at least one meeting between each IMC.

Statutes

9.1 The Statutes of the IMA can be modified only by a two-thirds majority of those eligible to vote at a General Assembly and are subject to ratification by Sustaining and Organization Members within twelve months of the meeting of the General Assembly. In ratifying modifications to the Statutes, each Sustaining and Organization Members will have a number of votes equivalent to the square root of their membership, and ratification shall require a two-thirds majority of votes.

9.2 Any proposals to modify the Statutes must be received by the Secretary-General at least five months before the General Assembly and shall be circulated to the Executive Committee and Sustaining and Organization Members at least three months before the Assembly. In cases of extreme urgency, the Executive Committee shall have the right to suspend a particular paragraph of the Statutes until the following General Assembly which shall have the right to approve or reject the changes.

General

10. A motion to dissolve the IMA must be approved by a two-thirds majority of those present and eligible to vote at a General Assembly, including nominated representatives of at least half of the Sustaining and Organization Members. If the IMA is dissolved any funds remaining after all outstanding liabilities are discharged shall be used for scientific purposes in the field of mycology as agreed by the dissolving General Assembly.