VSSN members will receive an email with further information, copied below …
Message from Andri Soteri-Proctor, VSSN Secretary
Please consider supporting the VSSN by nominating yourself for the VSSN Steering Group or the VSR Editorial Management Board.
As a volunteer-led organization, our success relies very much on the commitment and donated time of the VSSN Steering Group and the VSR Editorial Management Board. We are now inviting self-nominations to both.
There are two separate elections (each by single transferable vote), one for the VSSN Steering Group (trustees) and one for the VSR Editorial Management Board.
Please consider self-nominating if you are:
interested in supporting the work of VSSN;able to contribute a few hours a month of your time;have views on how VSSN and VSR should develop;have editorial, chairing, website, secretarial, marketing skills and experience.
VSSN Steering Group
There are currently three vacancies for the VSSN Steering Group. The roles that elected members take are decided between them consensually after the election. These include: chair, secretary, web services, membership and marketing, treasurer, research directory, and the annual conference. This year, we are particularly keen to attract individuals who are keen to continue the development of VSSN”s new website, chairing skills and familiarity with financial reporting. This said, commitment to VSSN”s continued success is as valuable and we encourage self-nominations whatever your expertise.
Terms of office may vary but will normally be for three years in the first instance (and six years in total). Details of existing Steering Group members and our roles can be found at www.vssn.org.uk/about/people.
VSR Editorial Management Board
There are two vacancies for the VSR Editorial Management Board (EMB).
Terms of office will normally be for three years in the first instance (and six years in total). Once elected, the EMB will select the Editorial Team; who may be drawn from within the EMB or from VSSN members outside it. Our agreement with the publishers, The Policy Press, is that Peter Halfpenny will continue to serve as the principal Editor until 2013, after which a new Editor will be appointed by the Board. Additional details about the roles and responsibilities of the EMB can be found at the end of the attached nominations form.
Please note: For your nomination, to either body, to be considered we must have received your VSSN membership fee for 2011-12 before the election opens on 28th October. Please allow a few days for this to arrive, whether paying by cheque or bank transfer.
You are further reminded that standing for a VSSN SG role means becoming a trustee of the organisation. You may stand for both groups, but will need to complete separate nomination forms for each. These can be downloaded for completion from the links below:
VSSN SG elections nomination form 2011 VSR EMB elections nomination form 2011
All nominations must be received by 22nd October 2011 as an email attachment sent to execofficer@vssn.org.uk with a signed copy sent to VSSN Office, PO Box 7917, Swadlincote DE11 1ET, UK (to be received by 26 October).
All members will be notified of the nominations received and, if elections are necessary, details of an online ballot will be notified to all members at the end of October. Results of the election will then be announced at the VSSN Annual General Meeting, which will be held on 1 December 2011 at Southampton University, at which point new members will formally become active.
In addition to these roles within the formal governance structures of VSSN and VSR we are also keen to draw more of you into other areas of work – to make use of your skills and expertise in developing the network. We already involve several volunteers in this way – Angela Ellis-Paine is now supporting VSSN through moderating the email discussion list, Nick Plant continues his commitment in supporting the development of the VSSN website and Matthew Hill contributes towards supporting New Researchers. All of them provide a valuable and much appreciated service to the Network. We now need more of you to volunteer for similar activities in order to develop the Network to its full potential. We will get back to you about this after the elections; so this is really a forewarning of our intentions to ask again for your help.
If you have any questions about the self-nomination process, please do not hesitate to contact me by email to secretary@vssn.org.uk, otherwise we shall look forward to receiving your nomination forms as soon as possible!
Best wishesAndri Soteri-Proctor, VSSN Secretary
