Statistical Computing Charter

ARTICLE I. NAME

The name of this organization is the Section on Statistical Computing (hereafter called the “Section”) of the American Statistical Association (hereafter called the “Association”).

ARTICLE II. OBJECTIVES

The principal areas of interest of the Section include:

  • Encouraging the application of computer hardware, software, and systems to statistical problems.
  • Encouraging the application of statistical techniques in the design, maintenance, and evaluation of computer hardware, software, and systems.
  • Encouraging the joint application of statistical techniques and computer technology in other fields.
  • Serving as a focal point for computation-oriented activities within the Association including cooperation and liaison with computer-oriented organizations and developers and vendors of statistical software.
  • Encouraging research in statistical computing and communication of the results of this research.

ARTICLE III. FUNCTIONS

In support of the Section’s objectives, the Section will perform the following functions:

  • Sponsorship, or joint sponsorship with other organizations, of meetings, seminars, and courses which involve Statistical Computing.
  • Sponsorship of Awards in Statistical Computing.
  • Planning, in cooperation with the Program Committee of the Association, sessions on statistical computing at Annual or Regional meetings of the Association.
  • Promote literacy in computational statistical analysis, for example by organizing dataanalysis competitions.
  • Publicizing the activities of the Section and other items of interest to the Membership, for example by maintaining a Section webpage.

ARTICLE IV. MEMBERSHIP

Members of the Association may join the Section by paying Section dues.

Section dues are set by the Executive Committee and may be altered annually in consultation with the Treasurer of the Association. (The Executive Committee is defined in Paragraph 3.a of Article VI.)

The membership year for each member of the Section shall coincide with that member’s membership year within the Association.

ARTICLE V. OFFICERS

The officers of the Section include the Section Chair, Section Chair-Elect, Past Section Chair, Program Chair, Program Chair-Elect, Program Chair for Data Competitions, SecretaryTreasurer, Publications Officer, Awards Chair, and Representative(s) to the Council of Sections. The number of Representative(s) to the Council of Sections is determined by the Association’s Council of Sections Governing Board.

With the exception of the Awards Chair, all Section officers must be members of the Section. The Awards Chair must be a member of the Section on Statistical Computing or the Section on Statistical Graphics.

The Section Chair-Elect, Program-Chair Elect, Secretary-Treasurer, and the Representative(s) to the Council of Sections are elected by the membership of the Section in the Association’s annual election. The Awards Chair shall be jointly nominated by the Section Chair-Elect of the Section on Statistical Computing and the Past Section Chair of the Section on Statistical Graphics, and confirmed by the Executive Committees of both Sections. The Publications Officer shall be nominated by the Section Chair-Elect of the Section on Statistical Computing and confirmed by its Executive Committee.

The term of the Section Chair-Elect shall be one year, and the Section Chair-Elect shall automatically succeed the Section Chair on January 1 of each year. The term of the Section Chair shall be one year, and the Section Chair shall automatically succeed the Past Section Chair on January 1 of each year. The term of the Past Section Chair shall be one year.

The term of the Program Chair-Elect shall be one year, and the Program Chair-Elect shall automatically succeed the Program Chair on January 1 of each year. The term of the Program Chair shall be one year, and the Program Chair shall automatically succeed the Program Chair for Data Competitions on January 1 of each year. The term of the Program Chair for Data Competitions shall be one year.

The terms of the Secretary-Treasurer, Publications Officer, and Awards Chair shall all be two years. The terms of the Secretary-Treasurer and Publications Officer shall start on January 1. The term of the Awards Chair shall start on March 1. The Publications Officer shall be nominated in odd number years to start in even numbered years. The Awards Chair shall be nominated in even numbered years to start in odd numbered years.

The terms and starting dates of Representative(s) to the Council of Sections are prescribed in the Charter of the Council of Sections.

An individual may hold no more than one office within the Section at a given time.

If the office of Section Chair becomes vacant, the Past Section Chair shall become the Section Chair for the duration of the term of the vacating Section Chair. with the term extending through the following year. If the office of Awards Chair shall become vacant, it shall be filled by joint nomination of the Chairs of the Sections on Statistical Computing and on Statistical Graphics and confirmed by the Executive Committees of both Sections. Vacancies in other offices shall be filled by nomination from the Section Chair and confirmation by the Executive Committee.

ARTICLE VI. COMMITTEES

1. Types of Committees

The Committees of the Section shall consist of Standing Committees as provided by this Charter, and Standing and Current Committees as established by the officers of the Section. Current Committees may be established in order to satisfy a particular need or interest of the Section.

A quorum of 50% of voting members must be present at official meetings for all committees, and an opportunity for discussion of matters requiring vote must be allowed. Formal motions and financial disbursements must occur during official meetings of committees.

2. Membership

Unless not otherwise stipulated in this Charter:

  • The term of membership on Standing Committees and Current Committees shall be three years.
  • Initial terms for new committees shall be set by the Section Chair for one, two, or three years so that, as nearly as possible, one-third of the members shall be appointed each year.
  • Each committee shall be governed by a chair appointed by the Section Chair.
  • All members of Standing Committees and the chairs of Current Committees shall be members of the Section.

3. Standing Committees

Each Standing Committee must submit an annual report to the Section Chair.

a. Executive Committee

The Section Chair shall serve as Chair of the Executive Committee. The Executive Committee shall be composed of all of the officers of the Section along with the Section Chair of the Section on Statistical Graphics. All members of the Executive Committee are voting members and may vote on financial matters and official business of the Section.

b. Nominations Committee

The Section Chair-Elect shall serve as Chair of the Nominations Committee. The Section Chair and the Past Section Chair shall also serve on this committee. Each year the Nominations Committee shall submit to the Secretary of the Association and the Section Chair at least two nominations for each position to be filled. The Association's general deadline for submission of nominations shall apply.

In addition, any Section member nominated by petition of at least 2.5% of the membership of the Section shall also appear on the annual ballot, provided that the petition is presented to the Section Chair and to the Secretary of the Association within the Association’s balloting timelines. Balloting shall be carried out as part of the Association's annual election for Association and Section officers.

c. Student Awards Committee

The Awards Chair shall chair the Student Awards Committee. The committee shall be composed of five members, including the Awards Chair. The other four members shall include a member of the Executive Committee, a Section member, and two members appointed by the Executive Committee of the Section on Statistical Graphics. All Committee members shall be a member of the Section on Statistical Computing or the Section on Statistical Graphics. The Section ChairElect shall in alternating years appoint either one Section Officer or one Section member to the committee. The term of all members shall be two years.

The Committee is charged with selecting the winners of the Student Paper Competition. All five members shall have an equal vote in the selection of the winners of the Student Paper Competition.

d. John Chambers Award Committee

The Awards Chair shall chair the John Chambers Awards Committee. The committee shall be composed of four members, including the Awards Chair. The other three members shall include a member of the Executive Committee and two Section members. Each year, the Section ChairElect shall appoint either one Section Officer or one Section member to the committee in such a way that the Committee maintains the specified composition.

The Committee is charged with selecting the winners of the John Chambers Award. The Awards Chair does not vote on the winner of the John Chambers Award. The other three members shall have an equal vote in the selection of the winners of the John Chambers Award.

e. Statistical Computing and Graphics Award Committee

The Section Past Chairs of the Sections on Statistical Computing and on Statistical Graphics shall serve as co-Chairs on the Statistical Computing and Graphics Award Committee. The Section Chairs of the Sections on Statistical Computing and on Graphics shall also be members of the committee. All four members shall have an equal vote. The Awards Chair shall convene the committee in the Spring of even numbered years, but shall not have a vote.

The committee shall meet at the Annual Meeting of the Association (during even numbered years) to select the winner of the Statistical Computing and Graphics Award.

f. Charter Committee

The Charter Committee is composed of four voting members: the Section Past Chair, the two most immediate former Section Past Chairs, and one of the Section Representatives to the Council of Sections. The committee is chaired by the current Section Past Chair. The term of Section Past Chairs shall be three years. The term of the Section Representative to the Council of Sections shall expire when his or her term as Section Representative to the Council of Sections expires. Any vacancies on the committee are filled by appointment of the Section Chair.

The committee shall review and if necessary propose revisions to the Section Charter for discussion by the Executive Committee at the Annual Meeting of the Association.

g. Fellows Committee

The Section Past Chair shall serve as Chair of the Fellows Committee. The Section Chair and the Section Chair-Elect shall also serve on this committee. The Fellows Committee shall identify Section members deserving of election to the ASA Fellowship and encourage their nomination.

ARTICLE VII. MEETINGS

The Annual Business Meeting of the Section shall be held in conjunction with the Annual Meeting of the Association and shall be announced in advance, preferably in the program of the Annual Meeting. A year in review of activities, plans for future activities, Program Chair’s Report, and Treasurer’s Report will be presented at this meeting. Business may also be conducted by e-mail or other electronic communication.

An Executive Committee Meeting shall be held in conjunction with the Annual Meeting of the Association and shall be announced to members of the Executive Committee in advance. Newly elected officers are invited to this meeting which should always be held in advance of the Annual Business Meeting of the Section. At least one additional Executive Committee Meeting shall be held each year. These additional meetings shall typically be held electronically. A quorum of 50% of committee members must be present at any meeting of the Executive Committee.

Between business meetings, the management of the affairs of the Section shall be in the hands of the Executive Committee, subject to such standing rules as the business meeting shall from time to time provide.

ARTICLE VIII. AMENDMENTS

Amendments to this Charter may be proposed by the officers of the Section, or via a petition signed by at least five percent of the membership of the Section and submitted to the Section Chair. The proposed amendment shall be submitted to the members of the Section for a vote at the time of the Association’s annual election.

Amendments to this Charter that affect joint activities with the Section on Statistical Graphics must be submitted to the Executive Committee of the Section on Statistical Graphics for comment before being submitted to the members of the Section for a vote.

If approved by a majority of members voting, the amendment shall take effect immediately, or at such other time as specified in the amendment. Copies of approved amendments shall be filed with the Secretary of the Council of Sections and with the Secretary of the Association.


This charter was last revised in 2019.