Elections
Alongside a small team of employees, BISA is run by an Executive Committee of volunteer trustees, some elected and some co-opted. Those who stand for election are voted for by you – the members.
Elections are held when positions become available, usually once a year. Each full member receives one vote. Student, institutional and school members are not eligible to vote.
Being a BISA trustee is an exciting and rewarding opportunity that allows you to develop transferable skills, meet new people and understand more about the development of IR as a discipline. There is an element of commitment and responsibility to understand. If you’re considering standing for election here’s some key information:
Time commitment
The Executive Committee meets four times a year and this is often half a day of business held virtually. However we sometimes meet face-to-face, either in Birmingham or at the location of the annual BISA conference, for a day of business with an overnight stay if living outside a commutable distance. There is also work done – depending on your role – in between these meetings. Whilst the amount of time fluctuates across the year, it equates to an average of one day a month for an ordinary trustee and two days per month for an officer. You should bear in mind the commitment is not insignificant. You may wish to raise this with your line manager as commitments to professional associations are increasingly taken into account in workload allocation and progression and reward processes.
Timeline for nominations and elections
Nominations for our 2024 elections are now open. Read the call and then find out how to submit your nomination below.
- 13 March: call for nominations opens
- 12 April, 11.59pm (UK time): deadline for receipt of nominations
- 1 May: voting opens
- 12 May, 11.59pm (UK time): voting closes
- 24 May: BISA Executive committee endorses the election result
- 31 May: results announced
- 1 July: new trustees take up their positions
- September 2024: first Executive Committee meeting for new trustees
“Being a BISA trustee is a fantastic opportunity for service to the discipline. The role provides a bird's eye view to changes, challenges and opportunities in the discipline and the profession. I am proud to have served at a pivotal moment in the evolution of BISA, include providing greater support to early-career researchers through a dedicated PGR group, developing new areas of research through the working groups and research funding, and building a flexible, efficient and sustainable administrative core.”
How to nominate
To run for election, please send an e-mail to office@bisa.ac.uk with the subject line <Nomination for BISA Executive Committee>. Please include the following information:
- Your name and affiliation
- The name and email address of a seconder. This person will need to be a BISA member and be willing to publicly declare in your favour (they will be named alongside you in your personal election statement).
- A short personal statement of no more than 200 words outlining why you should be elected (this will be used on the BISA website once the election commences).
- A CV and photograph of you. Please note that both of these will be placed on this website to inform voting, so you should remove any personal information such as telephone number and date of birth, as well as any other details you would not be happy to have placed online.
- If you wish to take on a specific role rather than stand as a general trustee, please make that clear in your personal statement.
Campaigning
To allow for choice, we hope there are more candidates than vacancies. This means there will (and should be) an element of campaigning involved. If you are standing for election, do feel free to solicit support among your BISA colleagues (remember: only full BISA members can vote). We are happy for you to use email and social media for that purpose, but we do not condone any form of expenditure as part of the election.
Queries
Queries on the process of nomination or election can be directed to either BISA Chair, Kyle Grayson: kyle.grayson@newcastle.ac.uk or Vice-Chair, Juanita Elias: Juanita.Elias@warwick.ac.uk
“Being a BISA trustee is one of the most important contributions you can make toward supporting the international studies community. BISA works incredibly hard in connecting this community within and beyond the UK and it has been a privilege to serve the association as trustee and conference programme chair. It has also been my most important career development move, as it has expanded my professional networks and given me a much wider appreciation of the discipline. BISA’s biggest strength is its network of collegiality and this is definitely enhanced by working as a trustee.”
