جماليا مجلة ثقافية عربية في الأدب والفنون والفكر

INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR THE STUDY OF THE LIFE AND WORKS OF KAHLIL GIBRAN

 

1)                    NAME

The title of the Association shall be The International Association for the Study of the Life and Works of Kahlil Gibran

2)                    OBJECTIVE

Subject always to Article 19, the purpose of the Association shall be to encourage study and research of the life and works of Kahlil Gibran and related fields of study.  The Association shall concern itself with the holding of conferences at regular intervals; with periodical publication of papers and bulletins, relating particularly to the study and research of Kahlil Gibran; with travel and exchange facilities for scholars who wish to study and conduct research on Kahlil Gibran; with the collection of information about the nature and location of source materials; and through the promotion of comparative studies in English and Arabic, particularly in the areas of translation and textbook preparation.

3)                    AFFILIATION

(a)                             The Association shall seek affiliation with organizations of similar aims.

(b)                             The basis of such affiliations shall be determined by the Advisory Board.

4)                    ELECTION OF MEMBERS

Applications for membership shall be received by the Secretary for election by the Committee at its sole discretion.

5)                    MEMBERSHIP

Membership of the Association shall be divided into the following categories:

(a)                             Ordinary, i.e., for individuals

(b)                             Corporate, i.e., for institutions, libraries, publishing houses, societies.

(c)                             Such other categories (i.e., temporary membership, membership of the Association for members of affiliated organizations, etc.) as the Committee may from time to time determine.

6)                    SUBSCRIPTIONS

(a)                             The annual subscription shall be such as may be determined periodically by the Committee in respect of each category of member.

(b)                             The Committee shall have the power to allow reduced subscriptions following an Ordinary Member’s retirement from normal professional duties, for undergraduate students and for graduates engaged in full time work for a higher degree.

(c)                             Subscriptions shall be due on 1st January each year and the Committee may without further notice after due warning terminate the membership of any member who is more than three months in arrears with his subscription.

7)                    COMMITTEE AND OFFICERS

(a)                             The executive business of the Association shall be dispatched by a

Committee consisting of the President, the Vice-President, the Secretary, the Treasurer and six other (Ordinary) Members of the Association who shall be elected annually at the Annual General Meeting.  The Chairman (or his nominee) of the Kahlil Gibran National Committee shall be an ex-officio member of the Committee.  The first President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer and other members of the Committee shall hold office until the first Annual General Meeting, but shall then be eligible for re-election.

(b)                             The Committee may co-opt up to a maximum of ten additional members and may fill any casual vacancies among the officers of the Committee, but any officer or member of the Committee so appointed shall hold office only until the next following Annual General Meeting and shall then be eligible for re-election.

8)                    SUB-COMMITTEE

The Committee may periodically appoint from among their number such Sub-Committees as they may deem expedient, and delegate them such of the Committee’s powers and duties as they think appropriate.  All Sub-Committees shall report their proceedings to the Committee and shall conduct their business in accordance with the directions of the Committee.

9)                    TREASURER AND AUDITORS

It shall be the duty of the Treasurer to keep proper and sufficient accounts, and to present to each Annual General Meeting accounts for the year ended on the previous 31st December which shall be audited by two members of the Association.  The first Auditors shall be appointed by the Committee to hold office until the first Annual General Meeting, and thereafter the two Auditors shall be elected at each Annual General Meeting to hold office until the next Annual General Meeting.  Copies of the duly audited accounts shall be sent to each member with the Notice convening the Annual General Meeting.

10)              TRUSTEES

The Committee may, if it finds it necessary, nominate not fewer than two or not more than four Trustees in  whom  the property of  the Association (other than cash, which shall be under the control of the Treasurer) may be vested, to be dealt with by the Trustees as the Committee shall from time to time direct, and the Trustees so appointed shall hold office until death or resignation or until removed from office by resolution of the Committee, and the Committee shall have power to appoint additional Trustees (up to the said maximum) from time to time.

11)              ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

An Annual General Meeting of the Association shall be held no later than during the month of September in each year and no more than 15 months shall elapse between one Annual General Meeting and another.  At the Annual General Meeting the following business shall be conducted:

(a)                             The presentation and (if accepted) the passing of the accounts for the previous financial year ended 31st December, which shall first have been audited.

(b)                             The election of the President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer and other members of the Committee.

(c)                             The election of the two Auditors.

(d)                             Such other business as shall have been communicated to the Secretary and included in the Notice of the meeting sent by him to the members.

12)              EXTRAORDINARY GENERAL MEETING

An Extraordinary General Meeting may be convened by the Committee at any time and shall be convened within 21 days at the written request of one-fifth of the members entitled to vote.  Such request must state the purpose for which the meeting is required.

13)              NOTICE OF MEETING

The Secretary shall at least one month before any General Meeting send to every member, at his address as recorded in the Association’s books, a Notice of the meeting stating the time and the place of the Meeting and the business to be conducted.

14)              BUSINESS AT GENERAL MEETING

The business at a general meeting shall be limited to that provided for in these Articles and any further matters set out in the Notice convening the meeting.

15)              VOTING

At General Meetings of the Association the members shall be entitled to vote either in person or by post, and the Committee shall have power to make such regulations as they shall think expedient for the conduct of postal voting.  For the purpose of voting, Corporate Members shall nominate in writing a representative to attend meetings or to vote by post, and the person purporting to be duly nominated on behalf of a Corporate Member shall be deemed to have been properly nominated if his nomination purports to be signed by the Secretary or other proper officer of the Corporate Member so nominating him.

16)              CHAIRMAN

The President of the Association shall preside at all meetings of the Committee and at all general meetings of the Association, and in the case of equality of votes he shall have a casting vote.  If he shall not be present within 15 minutes after the time appointed for the meeting, or he has signified his inability to be present at the meeting, the members present shall choose one of their number to preside over the meeting in his place.

17)              AMENDMENTS

Subject always to Article 19, these Articles may be amended, repealed, altered or added to by a majority vote at a General Meeting, for which not less than one month’s notice containing the proposed amendment has been given.

18)              DISSOLUTION

If the Committee decides at any time that it is advisable to dissolve the Association, it shall call an Extraordinary General Meeting and if their decision shall at such an Extraordinary General Meeting be confirmed by a simple majority, the Committee shall have power to dispose of any assets held by or in the name of the Association provided that any assets remaining after the satisfaction of any proper debts and liabilities shall (subject to Article 19) be applied towards such objects as the Committee may determine and as may be approved by the Minister of Education and Science.

19)              CHARITABLE INTENT

Notwithstanding anything hereinafter contained, it is hereby declared that the Association is established for charitable purposes only and that under no circumstances shall any funds or assets of the Association be applied towards non-charitable purposes.

20)              HEADQUARTERS OF THE ASSOCIATION

The headquarters of the Association shall be located at the office of the Kahlil Gibran Professor, Dr. Suheil Bushrui who will act as the co-coordinator and manager of the activities of the Association, in addition to any office he may be elected to serve. The other coordinator will be Dr. Henri Zoghaib, in Beirut, Lebanon.

21)              THE ASSOCIATION’S ADDRESS

The address of the Association shall be the Kahlil Gibran Professorship, the Center for International Development and Conflict Management, Tydings Hall, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742.