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SIGMAA Officer Handbook

SIGMAA Officer Deadlines

Below are deadlines for mandatory annual elections and receipt of Annual Report.

September 25
October 8-22
SIGMAA Officer Elections Open
October 15

MathFest Session Proposal Deadlines

Below are deadlines for session proposals relevant to SIGMAAs.

October 15
October 31
December 15
January 31

For detailed information on submitting proposals to organize events at MAA MathFest, see our Propose a Session Guidelines or contact MAA Associate Secretary Nancy Neudauer.

Annual Reports

The deadline for submission of Annual Reports is October 15, to report on the preceding period of September 1-August 31. The purpose of this Annual Report is to collect information about the operation and activities of all the SIGMAAs (Special Interest Groups of the MAA) in an effort to establish a record for archival purposes. This information will be maintained by the MAA Communities Department and shared in a variety of forms with the SIGMAAs, various MAA administrative units, and with the MAA general membership. This effort will enable the Communities Department, along with the MAA Committee on SIGMAAs, to better serve the needs of SIGMAAs and their members as well as provide SIGMAAs an opportunity to share best practices, new ideas, and concerns.

Please use the link below to submit your Annual Report, due October 15. Respond as completely as possible, keeping in mind the objectives of this form mentioned above. 

Click here to submit your Annual Report.

SIGMAA Finances

Budget and Financial Reports

SIGMAAs should plan each year based on income from the previous year (see the FAQs above for more detailed information). Financial reports are sent annually from the MAA Communities Coordinator and are placed in the MAA SIGMAA Officers community library on MAA Connect. If your SIGMAA does not receive yours or needs an update, let us know.

Planning Events and Projects

For routine events within your budget (small receptions at a meeting, prizes given annually, etc.), we don't need to know ahead of time. Just submit the proper forms for reimbursement.

For non-routine events or large projects, please submit a Project and Event Proposal Form.

The MAA Board of Directors has approved a proposal from the Committee on SIGMAAs to spend up to 50% of their budgets at non-MAA-sponsored events for a two-year trial period, specifically during 2024 and 2025. As with the current practice, plans for all SIGMAA expenditures require prior approval from the Communities staff.

Requesting Payments from SIGMAA Accounts

For payments going to people, use the MAA Reimbursement Form.

To request checks for other purposes, use the MAA Check Request Form.

Send all forms to communities@maa.org or mail hard copies to MAA SIGMAAs, Attn: MAA Communities Coordinator, P.O. Box 90973, Washington DC, 20077.

SIGMAA Election Procedures

The national office will administer all SIGMAA elections online each Fall. Elections are to run during the months of October or November and end before the MAA winter break. The approximate timeline for elections is below. If your SIGMAA cannot meet these deadlines, please let us know as soon as possible.

  • September 4 - Secretaries and Chairs receive an email reminder about election dates and procedures. 

  • September 25 - Deadline to send all candidate information to the MAA Communities Coordinator via the SIGMAA Officer Nomination Submission form. Please include titles of office, names of candidates, and brief bios, and email address (for membership verification).

  • October 3 - Deadline for non-member candidates to establish membership. All candidates will be checked for current membership in both the association and SIGMAA. Those candidates without current memberships will be contacted and requested to renew. Those candidates that do not reestablish their memberships will be removed from the ballot to keep all elections on schedule.

  • Once all memberships have been checked, a SurveyMonkey ballot will be created and sent to the Chair or Secretary for approval. The approved ballot will be sent to all members of the SIGMAA for voting. The ballot will remain open for two weeks.

  • October 8 - Ballots open.

  • October 22 - Last day to vote

  • October 23 - Election results will be submitted to the Chair. The Chair may then choose how to announce the results. Results should also be noted in the SIGMAA Officer spreadsheet.

  • All scheduled elections MUST take place, even in the event of an uncontested slate, and include the option for write-in candidates.

Membership For SIGMAA Officers

All SIGMAA Officers are required to have current membership with the Mathematical Association of America and the Special Interest Group in which they hold office. If you have any questions about an officer's membership status, please email the MAA Communities Coordinator.

SIGMAA Review Process

SIGMAAs are reviewed on a rotating four-year schedule by the MAA Committee on SIGMAAs. The review process is designed to ensure that SIGMAAs are providing value to their members and also to assist SIGMAAs in being effective. Full details on the SIGMAA review process can be found here.

Changes to SIGMAA Charter

At any time, a SIGMAA may make changes to its charter. To properly make these changes, the following rules must be observed:

  • Substantive changes must be sent to the Committee on SIGMAAs for approval before being voted on by the membership.
  • Any changes made to bring a SIGMAA's charter in-line with the MAA's model charter do not need to be voted on by the membership. Please note: this does not mean that the membership has to be excluded from such a vote, only that they aren't required.
  • All changes need to be sent to the Committee on SIGMAAs, even after voting has occurred. They will then forward the proposed changes on to the Executive Committee of the MAA for final approval.

A sample charter to use as a template may be found here.

SIGMAA Member Communications

Membership and Mailing Lists

We can send you membership list of your SIGMAA at any time (note that it will not include email addresses). To request a list, either the Chair or Secretary of the SIGMAA should email communities@maa.org. Please note that these lists can include mailing addresses but cannot include email addresses. If your SIGMAA is sending out a hard-copy mailing, we are happy to suggest vendors, please reach out to communities@maa.org.

If you are an MAA member and would like to join a SIGMAA, call 1-800-331-1622 and we can update this for you. SIGMAAs are $12 per year. An MAA membership is required to participate in a SIGMAA. This type of update cannot be made through the website.

MAA Connect

MAA Connect is the new online community for members to connect, communicate and collaborate with peers. It’s your platform to share ideas, ask questions, and network. When you join a SIGMAA you are automatically admitted to the SIGMAA's exclusive online community using MAA Connect. If you are a member and you do not receive digest emails, please reach out to our MAA Customer Service team using the "Contact Us" in the upper right corner of MAA Connect, or giving us a call at 1-800-331-1622. 

Officer Communications

All SIGMAA Officers are added to the SIGMAA Officers group on MAA Connect. If you do not have access and believe you should, please reach out to MAA Communities

Strategic Planning Work Group On SIGMAAS Updates

The full SPWG (Strategic Planning Work Group on SIGMAAs) report is in the members-only portion of the web.