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McComish Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science

Guidelines and Bylaws

Center for Power Systems Studies (CPSS) Bylaws

Membership Definition


MEMBER:

A member organization

  1. Has traditionally (but not a requirement) been an electric utility.
  2. Appoints a contact person to receive and distribute communications and to serve on the CPSS Advisory Council.
  3. Has voting rights and a voice in policy determined at the fall and spring meetings of the CPSS Advisory Council.
  4. Makes an annual monetary contribution as determined by the voting membership.
  5. Cooperates in campus seminars, field trips, student design projects and potential research projects of value to the organization.

ASSOCIATE MEMBER:

An associate member organization

  1. Is an organization within the regional electrical industry which, because of legal restraints or for other reasons, does not or cannot make annual financial contributions required of members, but wishes to support the CPSS by other means such as hiring graduates, providing summer employment opportunities, supplying seminar speakers, supporting field trip tours, supporting scholarships or smaller annual monetary contributions.
  2. May be an organization or individual such as a federal agency, a state agency, a rural electrical cooperative, a municipal electrical utility, a planning group, a consulting engineer, an electrical manufacturer, an electrical supplier, a contractor or a surrounding utility.
  3. Appoints a contact person to receive and distribute communications.
  4. Suggested annual monetary contribution is determined by the voting membership.
  5. Is invited to attend the fall and spring meetings of the CPSS Advisory Council, attends whenever possible, and participates in the informational sessions and dialogue. Associate members do not have voting privileges, but may hold committee or other special positions.

Membership Application

Procedure for officially becoming a Member or an Associate Member of the CPSS.

  1. The interested organization desiring to initiate membership shall submit a written letter to the CPSS Coordinator stating its wish to officially join the CPSS, and which type of membership is desired.
  2. The CPSS Coordinator will present this request, either by email or at the next business meeting of the Advisory Council for a formal acceptance.
  3. Upon formal acceptance as a member, the joining organization shall identify an individual of this organization to serve as a contact person and representative on the CPSS Advisory Council.
  4. Regular members shall indicate their desire to submit their contributions either semiannually or annually. The CPSS Coordinator shall send a statement to each organization when the contribution is needed and due.
  5. All member organizations of CPSS have a responsibility and are encouraged to attend the two meetings of the organization held each year.

Advisory Council Representation

  1. Each member and associate member organization shall supply a member of the Advisory Council. Only representatives of member organizations shall possess official voting rights.
  2. This contact individual will be selected and identified by the organization.
  3. This contact individual will be the recipient of CPSS communications from the CPSS Coordinator on the South Dakota State University campus, and will be the official company / cooperative / organization / representative with the University on CPSS matters.
  4. The SDSU representative will cooperate with anyone selected. The University would appreciate that the selected individual be one with a technical background and with as high management responsibilities as possible.
  5. It is not suggested that the individual need be an electrical engineer or a SDSU alumnus.

General

  1. The Fall Meeting of CPSS shall typically be held during the month of October, on the SDSU campus.
  2. The Spring Meeting of CPSS shall typically be held during the month of April, on the premises of one of the supporting members of the CPSS. Preferably, a member of the CPSS will offer an invitation at the fall meeting and it will be accepted by a formal motion. In case of more than one invitation, either a majority vote or an approved motion to accept a particular invitation shall determine the invitation to select.
  3. The Coordinator of the CPSS is designated by the Dean of the College of Engineering and/or the Head of the Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Department of SDSU.
  4. The Fiscal Year of CPSS shall be July 1 to June 30 of the next calendar year.
  5. The Proposed Annual CPSS Budget shall be presented at the spring meeting by the Coordinator, and with prior consultation and assistance of a Budget Committee for approval by the Advisory Council. The Annual CPSS Financial Report (for the recently ended fiscal year) shall be presented at the fall meeting by the Coordinator, and with prior consultation and assistance of a Budget Committee for approval by the Advisory Council.
  6. The Budget Committee shall consist of the CPSS Coordinator and two industry members, one of which shall normally be selected at the fall meeting by a nomination/ballot procedure and shall be for a term of two years. The CPSS Coordinator is a permanent member of this committee.
  7. The Special Projects Committee shall consist of the CPSS Coordinator and two industry members, one of which shall normally be selected each year at the fall meeting of a nomination/ballot procedure, and shall be for a term of two years. The CPSS Coordinator is a permanent member of this committee. This Committee selects CPSS-funded special annual projects.
  8. The Conference Committee shall consist of the CPSS Coordinator and two industry members of which shall normally be selected each year at the fall meeting by a nomination/ballot procedure, and shall be for a term of two years. This committee advises and assists the CPSS coordinator in selecting appropriate conference topics and arranging conferences that are useful to the electric industry.
  9. The Awards Committee is defined under the The Wayne E. Knabach Award for Excellence in Power section.

Spring Meeting

  1. The site of the spring meeting is selected from invitations from the CPSS organization membership by action of the Advisory Council at the prior fall meeting.
  2. The date of the meeting is selected by action of the Advisory Council at the prior fall meeting.
  3. The host organization is responsible for determining the program and agenda, except for the CPSS business meeting which includes the selection of the Annual CPSS Budget, other items referred from the fall meeting, student project reports or urgent items requiring immediate action. The CPSS Coordinator shall conduct the business meeting.
  4. The host organization shall extend invitations and distribute information concerning this meeting.
  5. Typically, the host organization will arrange speakers and/or tours pertaining to their organization, particularly if they are of unique nature and of special interest to the group. Because of the distinctly different operating philosophies of the membership, the program should be sensitive to these differences.
  6. In the past, the host organization has provided the noon luncheon at no charge to the participants. If the host organization prefers that each individual pay for their luncheon, this is very agreeable and should be announced.
  7. If there is a specific activity that the host organization would like to schedule the evening prior to the meeting, this is an acceptable consideration.
  8. The host organization may wish to invite special employees, friends or alumni to part or all of the activities. Visiting member organizations should be encouraged to bring other interested individuals other than the Advisory Council member.
  9. The Coordinator of the CPSS is available for consultation and assistance with the meeting plans.

The Wayne E. Knabach Award for Excellence in Power

Purpose

  1. This award is given annually to an individual or a company that contributes to the advancement of the power industry and/or to the CPSS.
  2. This award is designed to highlight the exceptional achievements that either companies or individuals have given to further the industry and/or the CPSS.

Form of Recognition

The recipient will receive a plaque.
The recipient will be recognized at the fall awards banquet.
The winner of the award will be admitted to the fall CPSS meeting events free of charge.

Frequency of Award

To ensure that the award is given to appropriately qualified recipients and to maintain the prestigious nature of the award, it might not be awarded every year.

Eligibility

This award is eligible to all employees of CPSS members and associate members.
It may also be available to anyone within the power industry that has contributed to the overall advancement of the power industry.

Deadline for Nomination

The deadline for all nominations is the spring meeting.
All nominating forms need to be to the awards committee prior to the CPSS spring meeting.

Nomination Procedure

Nomination of candidates can be made by any employee of a member or associate member of the CPSS, or past recipients.


Nomination form

Nomination form should be submitted to either to the CPSS Coordinator, who will distribute to the Awards Committee or directly to the committee members.


Awards Committee

  1. The committee will have four individuals:
    • Two individuals from CPSS members.
    • One individual from a CPSS associate member.
    • The winner of the previous year's award.
  2. In the case of a tie vote of the committee, the Coordinator of the CPSS will cast the deciding vote.
  3. The committee membership will be appointment-staggered in its membership, with overlapping appointments, i.e., each year only one new member will be nominated to replace a retiring committee member.
  4. Each of the committee members, other than last year's winner, will serve a three year term.
  5. The previous year's award position will rotate each year, except in the case where an annual award was not given in the previous year.

Selection Criteria

  1. Selection of the award winner will be based upon the dedication, expertise, and outstanding efforts of the individual or company.
  2. Of particular importance is evidence of the candidate's
    • Promotion of the importance of the power engineering profession and the people practicing in it.
    • Work in encouraging industry involvement with university power engineering programs.
    • Encouragement of young engineers through mentoring and career development programs.
    • Involvement in recognition programs for power engineers.
    • Encouragement of professional activities by practitioners.
    • Involvement in other power engineering activities important to the promotion of the power engineering profession.