Do you want to advance the profile of ecology, evolution, and conservation in Canada? Do you want to get things done on behalf of the broader community? Do have ideas, energy and a little bit of time? Then run for CSEE Council!
The positions
With four Council members nearing the end of their terms, the Society for Ecology and Evolution is now seeking nominations for the positions of:
- Secretary
- Regular Councillor 1
- Regular Councillor 2
- Graduate Student Councillor
What the jobs entail
Councillors contribute to directing the business of the CSEE and advise the Executive Council as to how to advance the purposes of the CSEE. These positions are not unduly time-consuming. At the minimum, they involve two council meetings a year (in December and at the CSEE spring/summer meeting). Councillors are occasionally asked to vote on proposals (via email) and every councillor joins at least one sub-committee (Membership, Awards, Outreach, Biodiversity & Conservation, Newsletter, or Website). Regular Councillors are appointed for a three-year term; Graduate Student Councillors, for a two-year term.
The Secretary is member of the Executive Council, and as such, has more responsibilities. These include communication with the membership, keeping the records and archives of the Society and the list of members, giving notice of Council meetings and the General Business meetings, administering elections, taking minutes of the Council meetings and the General Business meetings and distributing these to the Council. The Secretary is appointed for three years.
We expect Council members to become the CSEE spokesperson for their institution, which means sending the occasional internal email to advertise our summer conference or other activities.
The perks?
Being on Council is a great opportunity to play an active role in the largest scientific society in Canada – one that advocates for the importance of ecology, evolution and conservation. Of course, it also looks great on your CV, and you get to know and hang out with the rest of the cool people on the Council.
The positions are voluntary, but the CSEE provides financial help to the Graduate Student Councillor to attend the council meetings. You have to be a CSEE member to serve on Council.
How to nominate yourself (or someone else) and nomination deadline
It’s dead easy! Email a short bio (7-10 lines about you, what you will bring to the CSEE, and what you hope to accomplish) and a headshot to the CSEE Vice-President (Isabelle Côté, imcote@sfu.ca). You can nominate someone else (if they agree).
Nominations will be accepted until 7 December 2016.
Election timeline
The nominations will be posted on the CSEE website soon after the deadline. Elections will be held in March 2017. New positions start at the Annual General Meeting (in May 2017).
