The Asian Regional Section (ARS) of the International Association for Statistical Computing (IASC) is established by the Council in accordance with art. 12 of the IASC Statutes in 1993 by the name of the East Asian Regional Section (EARS) and the name is changed to the Asian Regional Section in 1998. It is composed of the members of the IASC residing in Asia.

The Asian Regional Section (ARS) of the International Association for Statistical Computing (IASC), IASC-ARS, has been established by the Council in accordance with Article 9 of the IASC Statutes in 1993 by the name of the East Asian Regional Section (EARS) and the name has been changed to the Asian Regional Section in 1998. The IASC-ARS shall be composed of the members of the IASC residing in Asia-Pacific, according to continent specifications by the International Statistical Association (ISI). The IASC, including the IASC-ARS, are part of the ISI family.

• The mission of the Asian Regional Section is to promote regional co-operation in pursuing the aims of the IASC. In particular, the IASC-ARS will, in the Asia-Pacific context, aim to further the progress of the theory, methods, and practice of statistical computing and data science and to foster interest and knowledge in effective and efficient statistical computing and data science through international contacts among statisticians, data scientists, computing professionals, organizations, institutions, governments, and others.

• To achieve its mission, the IASC-ARS may:

  1. organize international or regional seminars, conferences, and meetings. In particular, the IASC-ARS shall be responsible for arranging Asian meetings on computational statistics and data science, which are abbreviated to IASC-ARS meetings hereafter;
  2. promote research and training programmes on theoretical and practical aspects of computational statistics and data science;
  3. foster evaluations of statistical computing techniques and programs;
  4. publish scientific periodicals and books, reports and newsletters, independently or in cooperation with other organizations;
  5. collaborate with other bodies having similar objectives.

ARS-ORGANS

The principal organs of the ARS are:

• The Regional Assembly;

• The Board of Directors (BoD);

• The Officers of the BoD.

The REGIONAL ASSENBLY

• The members of the IACS-ARS, in accordance with Article 1, assembled at a meeting or casting their votes by e-mail on questions referred to them, constitute the Regional Assembly.

• The decisions of the Regional Assembly shall be made by a majority of votes cast at a meeting or by e-mail. Each individual member and each institutional member has one vote.

• A Regional Assembly will be convened annually and, if possible, conjointly with an IASC-ARS meeting.

THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS (BOD)

• The BoD shall consist of:
  • The Chairperson;
  • The Chairperson-Elect;
  • The past Chairperson of BoD;
  • The Scientific Secretary and the Treasurer;
  • The President of the IASC (ex officio);
  • Individual members (at most 25 members, half of them will retire every two years);

• The Chairperson-Elect and the individual members of the BoD shall be elected by and from the membership of the IASC-ARS. The period of membership will be four years. BoD members (up to two) can be immediately re-appointed only once in each consecutive term, but the period of re-appointment of BoD member shall be two years. No more than six BoD members shall be from the same country. To ensure continuity, the Chairperson will remain a member of the BoD for the two years after his/her chairpersonship.

• The BoD shall promote the objectives of the Association, administer the affairs of the IASC-ARS and, for these purposes, shall:

  • elect the Scientific Secretary and the Treasurer from the 25 (24 or 26) elected BoD members. The Scientific Secretary may also serve as the Treasurer;
  • appoint committees, working groups, etc. for assigned tasks and delegate its power to such committees or to one or more officers or members of the BoD for assigned purposes;
  • appoint necessary staff and incur necessary expenditure for the work of the IASC-ARS.

• The Chairperson can appoint Advisors (up to three) to provide advice on the development of the IASC-ARS. The Advisors do not have to be IASC members. The Advisors can attend the BoD meeting as observers, but do not have any voting rights. The term of an Advisor is two years; an immediate reappointment is not possible.

• The BoD shall conduct its business at ordinary meetings to be held during the IASC-ARS meeting on computational statistics, at special meetings, at virtual meetings, or by e-mail as and when necessary. At least one month's notice of a special meeting shall be given to all members of the Board of Directors. The quorum of the BoD shall be 1/2 of the members, including proxy members. Proxies have to be IASC members. The BoD will decide its rules of procedure with a simple majority.

• The President of the IASC or a representative named by the President of the IASC will take part at all BoD meetings (regular, special, virtual, or by e-mail) and at the Regional Assembly as an ex officio member. The IASC President and the Scientific Secretary of the IASC shall be informed about each meeting of the BoD and the Regional Assembly and shall receive the agendas and minutes of these meetings for archival and further dissemination among the members of the IASC Executive Committee and the members of other Regional Sections of the IASC.

• The Officers of the BoD (the Chairperson, the Chairperson-Elect, the Past-Chairperson, the Scientific Secretary, and the Treasurer) are members of the BoD. The term of office shall be two years. The Chairperson-Elect is elected by IACS-ARS members according to Article 7.2 below. Upon the expiration of his/her term of office, the Chairperson-Elect shall assume the duty of Chairperson for the following two-year term. Similarly, upon the expiration of his/her term of office, the Chairperson shall assume the duty of Past-Chairperson for the following two-year term. The Scientific Secretary and the Treasurer shall be elected by and from the BoD members. The term of Officers shall run from the end of the IASC-ARS meeting to the end of the following IASC-ARS meeting.

• The Chairperson shall represent the IASC-ARS on all official occasions and shall preside over the meetings of the Regional Assembly and the BoD. The Chairperson shall have general responsibility for the execution of the policies and decisions of the Regional Assembly and the BoD.

• The Officers shall assist the Chairperson in the formulation of the policy of the IASC-ARS and in all other important decisions.

• The Scientific Secretary shall be responsible, under the guidance of the Chairperson, for co- ordination of the IASC-ARS activities involved in arranging conferences, courses, websites, and publications. The Scientific Secretary shall also be responsible of the preparation of BoD meetings and the Regional Assembly, including the preparation of reports, the recording of minutes of meetings, and shall circulate all required materials and announcements to BoD members. The Treasurer shall be responsible for the maintenance of the accounts of the IASC-ARS.

• In order to guarantee the continuity of the management of the IASC-ARS, the Chairperson shall keep the Chairperson-Elect closely informed with respect to all relevant management and policy activities. The Chairperson-Elect shall utilize his/her term to get acquainted with the business of the IASC-ARS.

• At the conclusion of their term of office, it shall be the responsibility of the Chairperson and the Scientific Secretary to prepare a comprehensive report to the IASC-ARS about its activities during the previous two years (or since the last report). This report shall be presented to the Regional Assembly at the ordinary meeting of the IASC-ARS, at which time the outstanding funds and the relevant correspondence shall be transferred to the new Scientific Secretary and the new Treasurer. A copy of the report shall also be provided to the IASC President and the Scientific Secretary of the IASC for further dissemination among the members of the IASC Executive Committee and the BoD members of other Regional Sections of the IASC.

• During the year prior to an election, the BoD shall set up an Election Committee (EC). The EC will invite all members of IASC-ARS to suggest candidates for the BoD as well as for the Chairperson-Elect. The EC shall prepare a list of candidates for the BoD which shall include:

  • all candidates who have been nominated at least by five IASC-ARS members;
  • additional members proposed by the EC in order to assure a sufficient geographical representation.

  The EC will also indicate candidates for the position of Chairperson-Elect, chosen among prominent scientists in the field of computational statistics and data science. Candidates must have expressed their willingness to serve on the BoD.

• The elections shall be held every two years. The elections shall be held at least two months prior to the next IASC-ARS meeting. Elections shall follow general election rules, as specified by ISI and IASC, to guarantee a fair, anonymous, and secure vote to each IASC-ARS member.

• The Scientific Secretary and the Treasurer shall be elected by the BoD members with the vote taking place at the ordinary BoD meeting held during the IASC-ARS meeting or at virtual meeting.

Financial resources of the IASC-ARS shall consist in part of conference fees, conference and course benefits, publications royalties, gifts, donations, and legacies, grants from public or private bodies, and any other acceptable sources.

The BoD shall have the power to draw up By-Laws for purposes mentioned in the IASC-ARS Statutes. The By-Laws of the IASC-ARS shall not contain any regulations that contravene to the ISI, the IASC, and the IASC-ARS Statutes.

• Proposals to amend the IASC-ARS Statutes and By-Laws may be made in writing to the Chairperson by any five members of the BoD or by any ten members of the IASC-ARS. Officers of the ISI and IASC can also propose updates to the IASC-ARS Statutes and By-Laws to realign these regional Statutes to changes in the ISI and IASC Statutes, By-Laws, and operating principles.

• members of the BoD, and by the Executive Committee of the IASC. Any change in the By-Laws shall be approved by a two-thirds majority of the votes cast by the members of the BoD.

• The approved amendments shall be published in the newsletter of the IASC and on public IASC and IASC-ARS websites.

• Members of the IASC-ARS are all IASC regular members (institutional and individual) residing in Asia-Pacific without any restriction on the number.

• An institutional member shall be entitled to designate a representative who may attend meetings of the IASC-ARS and take part in the activities of the IASC-ARS and IASC with the same privileges as the individual members.

• Individuals or institutions who are not members of the IASC and are interested in the activities of the IASC-ARS may become members by applying and paying any prescribed dues to the IASC.

• The business transactions of the Regional Assembly shall include:

  • consideration and adoption with or without modification of reports of the Chairperson, Scientific Secretary and others of the BoD on the activities and finances of the IASC-ARS;
  • consideration of reports of any committees appointed by the Regional Assembly, and proposals regarding policy and programmes of the IASC-ARS;
  • all other business necessary for the promotion of the objectives of the IASC-ARS.

• A notice specifying the place, date, time and the agenda of a Regional Assembly shall be communicated (by e-mail and via the IASC newsletter and website) to all members of the IASC-ARS not less than three months before the date of the Regional Assembly.

• BoD members shall be IASC members for the entire length of their BoD term. They shall renew their annual IASC membership at an early stage of the annual membership renewal process. BoD members who do not join IASC by the time of their election or who do not renew their IASC membership despite reminders from other BoD members, IASC, or ISI officers shall be replaced by the Chairperson as specified in Article 4.3 of the By-Laws

• The BoD shall meet annually and, if possible, conjointly with an ordinary IASC-ARS meeting. The BoD shall meet twice during the ordinary IASC-ARS meeting, the first meeting of the outgoing BoD and the second meeting of the incoming BoD. To assist in the transition, all members of both BoDs are encouraged to attend both meetings. Both meetings can be held jointly.

• The BoD shall hold an interim BoD meeting, if possible, midway between two consecutive IASC-ARS meetings. This BoD meeting may coincide with a regional meeting that is cosponsored by the IASC-ARS. Decisions of the BoD required between meetings may be taken by e-mail.

• The BoD members who are unable to attend meetings are encouraged to appoint a representative who may attend and speak at the meeting in the member's place, but who may not vote on questions before the BoD.

• When an issue arises that would normally be dealt with by the BoD but which requires action before an e-mail vote or the next BoD meeting, the Chairperson shall be empowered to act on behalf of the BoD. In doing so, the Chairperson shall consult with the Officers and members of the BoD to the extent possible, and shall submit the action for confirmation by the BoD as soon as possible.

• In the Chairperson's absence, its role shall be filled by the Chairperson-Elect, Past-Chairperson, or by some other member of the BoD nominated by the Chairperson (Chairperson-Elect, or Past-Chairperson in case the higher-ranked officer is unable to nominate a replacement). If no member of the BoD is able to be present at a meeting organized or sponsored by the IASC-ARS, the Chairperson may nominate a member of the IASC-ARS to act as his/her representative for that occasion and to maintain liaison with the Scientific Secretary.

• If the chairpersonship becomes vacant or the Chairperson is for any reason unable to fulfill his/her responsibilities, the Chairperson-Elect shall serve for the remaining term of the Chairperson or until the Chairperson shall again be able to serve, as the case may be.

• If, for any reason, an office or BoD position becomes vacant, a new officer or BoD member shall be nominated by the Chairperson and approved by the majority of the members of the BoD.

• The Election Committee (EC) shall consist of four members who shall be selected among the members of the BoD. The BoD shall designate one member of the Election Committee to act as Chairperson.

• The first step of the election procedure shall consist of the preparation of the list of nominations. In order to obtain suggestions from the IASC-ARS members, a call for candidature must be sent out via e-mail, in the newsletter of the IASC, and on the web site of the IASC-ARS by the EC at least six months before the next Regional Assembly.

• The list of nominations along with short biographical details of the candidates (i.e., affiliation, present position, membership in international societies, service to statistics at the international level, special field of statistical work) shall be provided to the IASC-ARS members at least three months before the election. Elections shall follow general election rules, as specified by ISI and IASC.

• The BoD, the IASC President and IASC Scientific Secretary, and the membership of the IASC-ARS shall be notified of the results of the elections.

• No gift or legacy may be accepted unless approved by the BoD.

• The funds of the IASC-ARS may be used to meet the normal operating expenses of the BoD, the expenses of conferences, courses, publications, and other activities of the IASC-ARS.

• Officers and members of the BoD shall serve without compensation. They may be reimbursed for travel expenses associated with official functions.

• The BoD may authorize the provision of grants or financial assistance for research or developmental projects consonant with the objectives of the IASC-ARS. The BoD is expected to maintain reserves sufficient to meet prior commitments; it may transfer funds to assist activities of the IASC; it may request and receive funds from IASC for specific activities.

• Any expenditure of funds shall be for a purpose consistent with the Statutes and By-Laws of the IASC-ARS, and shall be authorized by the Chairperson. Recurring expenditures for the same purpose may be authorized by the Chairperson on a continuing basis. The Chairperson may revoke such a continuing authorization. If the appropriateness of the expenditure might reasonably be questioned, the Chairperson shall submit the matter to the BoD for approval.

• The Treasurer shall make suitable arrangements for signing contracts, agreements and other relevant documents, for maintenance of bank accounts, etc. and for all procedural matters relating to transactions, meetings, conferences, publications, and other activities of the IASC-ARS.

• At each annual meeting of the BoD, the accounts of the Treasurer shall be audited, consistently with the practices and standards of the ISI and the IASC, by two members of the IASC-ARS and their report shall be presented to the BoD for acceptance by a majority of votes.

• The BoD may arrange seminars, summer schools, conferences, etc. and other programmes on its own responsibility or in collaboration with other organizations.

• Ordinary meetings of the IASC-ARS (i.e., the IASC-ARS meetings) shall be convened normally every two years. The ordinary meeting of the IASC-ARS shall be held at such times and places as the BoD may direct.

• For IASC-ARS meetings as well as for each official meeting (seminar, summer school, etc.) of the IASC-ARS, the Chairperson in consultation with the BoD shall appoint a Scientific Program Committee (SPC) and a Local Organizing Committee (LOC). In order to assure a suitable coordination between the SPC and the BoD, at least one member of the BoD shall be appointed as a SPC member. SPC and LOC shall prepare brief reports on the progress of the event they are organizing, at least every six months, to the BoD Chairperson.

• The LOC (on the behalf of the Host Institution) is responsible for the finances of the meeting (seminar, summer school, etc.).

• IASC-ARS Sponsorship can be provided to non-IASC-ARS meetings that are pursuing the same objectives as the IASC-ARS under the condition that a representative of the BoD be a member of the SPC of the non-IASC-ARS meeting.

• The BoD may make necessary arrangements for publishing in a suitable way the IASC-ARS proceedings and lectures presented at meetings or summer schools organized or sponsored by the IASC-ARS, or make arrangements to publish a newsletter of the IASC-ARS.