International Commission
on the History
of Mathematics

ICHM

Rules of Governance of the ICHM and its Executive Committee (EC)

The Constitution, Selection, and Replacement of Representatives to the EC

  1. The EC of the ICHM consists of four appointed officers—the Chair, Vice Chair, Secretary, Treasurer—seven appointed Members-at-Large, and two Members-at-Large elected by the IMU General Assembly. The Immediate Past Chair of ICHM, and the Editors of Historia Mathematica are ex-officio Members without voting rights.
  2. All EC officers and Members-at-Large serve a renewable term of four years.
  3. At least three months before an officer's term is to expire, the Chair of the EC will form a committee of at least three (with a chair) to serve as a selection committee to coordinate the process of renewing/replacing the officer(s) whose term(s) are about to expire. In years in which the Chair of the EC must be reconsidered, an ex officio member of the EC or some other member of the broader community of historians of mathematics (such as one of the IMU members of the ICHM) will be the chair of that committee; otherwise the Chair of the EC will serve as chair.
  4. The chair of the committee will solicit nominations for the office(s) from the members of the EC and will set a reasonable deadline for receipt of nominations. Nominations must include a few lines about the scholarly work of the candidate as well about the candidate's vision for the ICHM.
  5. The committee chair will compile a slate of candidates (with descriptions) and will circulate it to the members of the EC, including the current office holders whose terms are about to expire.
  6. Members of the EC will return their votes to the chair of the committee by a pre-set date.
  7. The chair of the committee will report the results to the full EC through the chair of the EC.
  8. Every four years, that is in the year in which the meeting of the International Congress for History of Science and Technology will be held, the Chair, the Vice Chair, and the Secretary of the EC will review the (non-IMU) membership of the EC with an eye toward activity in EC affairs, international coverage and representation on the EC, and rotation of participation on the EC. The Chair, Vice Chair, and Secretary will then make appointments as appropriate.

The ICHM International E-Mail List of Historians of Mathematics

  1. The ICHM has transformed what had been its cateogry of "national representative" into the broader and more inclusive ICHM international e-mail list. This list serves to send out information from the ICHM to historians of mathematics internationally. Any historian of mathematics may become part of this e-list simply by contacting the Secretary of the ICHM.

Procedure for Amending and Adding to the EC's and the ICHM's Rules of Governance

  1. Any EC member who would like to propose an amendment to any rule or an addition of a rule of EC governance may write the Chair with the proposed amendment or addition as well as a justification for that amendment or change.
  2. The Chair will include that proposal in the first e-meeting (meeting by email) following the receipt of the amendment/addition as a point of discussion.
  3. The amendment/addition will then appear as an action item for a vote at the first e-meeting following the discussion.

The Selection of the May Medalist(s)

  1. May Medals are awarded every four years to coincide with the International Congress for the History of Science (ICHS).
  2. In the year preceding the ICHS, the EC will form a committee consisting of the Chair of the EC and three internationally recognized historians of mathematics to consider the candidates for the May Medal(s).
  3. That committee, after giving careful consideration to the full range of historical scholarship in the history of mathematics internationally, will draw up a short list of no more than three candidates and will make a report to the EC for its consideration and vote. The EC and ICHM national members may make suggestions for consideration by the committee to the Chair. The Chair will announce by circular to the ICHM national members when May Medal deliberations will begin in order to give them time to offer suggestions for candidates.
  4. The committee's report will consist of reasoned arguments (including solid evidence of scholarly achievement such as books and significant articles published) for the selection of each candidate.
  5. The EC will then take a confidential vote on the basis of the committee's recommendations.
  6. Normally, only one May Medal will be awarded in a given year. In exceptional cases, the EC may decide to award two May Medals.
  7. The Chair of the EC will make arrangements for the casting of the medal and the notification of the recipient(s).