Automated Software Engineering Conference Charter

Version History:

The Automated Software Engineering Conference (ASE) is dedicated to the free exchange of information among researchers and practitioners interested in applying automation such as artificial intelligence and knowledge-based techniques, to the challenges of software engineering.

I. History

ASE began in 1986 as a meeting of contractors on the U.S. Air Force Rome Lab (then RADC) Knowledge-based Software Assistant (KBSA) Project. The meeting was opened to the public in 1989, and in 1990 changed names to the Knowledge-Based Software Engineering (KBSE) conference, contracted with IEEE CS Press to publish the proceedings, and adopted a steering committee to guide the conference. KBSE continued annually with full sponsorship from Rome Lab until 1996, when full support from Rome Lab ended. In 1996, the steering committee decided to broaden the scope of the conference, and to seek sponsorship from a major professional society. The name was changed to ASE in 1997 to reflect the broadening in scope, and the IEEE Computer Society was selected as the sponsor.

II. Definitions

A year is defined to be the period of time from the start of one conference to the beginning of the next. This period will normally be close to a calendar year.

The “conference chairs” are the general chair(s) and the program chair(s) of a conference.

III. Steering Committee

The steering committee exists to guide the conference, preserve its flavor and integrity over the long term, and carry out the other responsibilities listed below in III.A.

Except where otherwise directed by this charter, the steering committee conducts its business and meetings under the latest edition of Roberts Rules of Order.

A. Responsibilities

The responsibilities of the steering committee include, but are not limited to:

  1. Providing a history and “organizational memory” for the conference, so that experiences can be passed from one year to the next.
  2. Selecting future conference chairs, locations, and dates.
  3. Directing changes in conference scope and sponsorship.
  4. Selecting and retiring its members and chair.
  5. Maintaining and evolving this charter.

B. Meetings

The steering committee will meet each year at the conference, with the central goal to select the chairs, location, and dates of the conference two years in advance. Other meetings and discussions will be held by email, subject to the conditions below.

Once selected, future conference chairs may attend steering committee meetings as nonvoting advisors.

C. Quorum and Voting

Quorum is defined in two ways: quorum at the meeting held each year at the conference, and quorum for meetings and votes held through electronic means.

During the annual meeting and only for the purposes of selecting the conference chairs, location, and dates for the conference two years from the meeting, quorum will simply be the steering committee members who attend the meeting. This is in order to simplify and expedite the selection process, to ensure that future conference chairs will have the opportunity to be notified during the conference, and to stress the importance of steering committee members attending the conference and meeting. The members present are responsible for reporting the results back to the entire committee by email. The steering committee chair will contact all steering committee members attending the conference to inform them of the time and location of the meeting at the conference.

For meetings and votes held through electronic means, quorum requires at least a one week advance notice, at least a one week voting period for any motions, AND at least 50% participation of the steering committee. These decisions include such issues as changes to conference chairs, locations, and dates, such as might be necessitated by the resignation of a conference chair or unavailability of suitable facilities at a location.

All decisions of the steering committee are made by majority vote, except in cases where this charter explicitly dictates otherwise (e.g. see Section VI, Amendments).

D. Membership

The steering committee will have a maximum of 20 members, and will begin with the members listed in the 2000 proceedings.

Each year, that year’s conference chairs and program chairs of the conference become eligible to join the steering committee. If positions are available, each candidate is approved separately by a majority vote.

Any steering committee member who misses two consecutive conferences will automatically be retired from the committee, unless they submit a request to remain on the committee. Such requests must be approved by a majority vote.

E. Committee Chair

The steering committee will elect a chair from within the committee to serve a term of two years. The responsibilities of the steering committee chair are to conduct its meetings and to represent the steering committee in any discussions with external entities. The chair has no special decision making power, and is responsible for keeping the entire steering committee informed of any discussions made in the capacity of committee chair.

IV. Internationality

In order to preserve the international flavor of the conference, each conference will have at least one conference chair who is from the United States or Canada and at least one who is not. “United States or Canada” for this purpose is decided by the steering committee, but is loosely defined as someone employed by an organization located in the U. S. or Canada, or living in the U. S. or Canada while self-employed or retired. (E. g., an IBM Italy employee would not count as U. S. or Canada, but a U. S. or Canadian professor on sabbatical in Australia would.)

The location of the conference should also reflect its internationality, and to the extent possible should alternate between U. S. or Canadian locations and locations elsewhere in successive years.

V. Sponsorship and Finances

This section formalizes the relationship between the conference and its sponsoring organizations.

A. Motivations and Rationale

The conference exists as described above, to promote the free exchange of information among researchers and practitioners. It should not become political nor a source of extensive income. Any such alteration would be considered a violation both of this charter and the spirit in which it was drafted.

In addition, the steering committee will select sponsors annually, based on circumstances and issues of internationality, within the bounds laid out below.

In reality, fiscal responsibility is important for the long-term viability of the conference, and sponsoring organizations require a quid pro quo for endorsing and promoting the conference and for accepting financial and legal liability. To the extent that this may affect the integrity of the conference, the steering committee has set forth these sponsorship principles.

B. Specific Relationships

The primary conference sponsor each year will be the IEEE Computer Society’s Technical Council on Software Engineering (TCSE), at a minimum of 60% financial sponsorship, except as noted below.

No permanent change to TCSE sponsorship, as stated above, can be made without the consent of TCSE. Temporary changes in conference sponsorship, as covered below, can be made through the normal course of conference approval under normal IEEE Computer Society processes.

Each conference will abide by the rules of the IEEE Computer Society for the conduct of conference business operations and will act in compliance with the nonprofit, tax exempt status of its sponsors.

C. Exceptions

Exceptions to this sponsorship may occur in the following circumstances. In general, these exceptions will be made on a per meeting basis.

  1. When the conference is held outside the U. S., some level of sponsorship (usually not more than 50%) will often be sought from regional organizations such as provincial or national governments, professional societies of the host nation, etc. In these cases, TCSE and other sponsors would share what is left, with TCSE having at least 60% of that remainder. Such local sponsorship should not normally exceed 50%, and a proposal in excess of 50% would require approval of TCSE.
  2. As discussed in the History section, the conference was started with funds from the U. S. Air Force. If it again becomes possible for the conference to be sponsored by a U. S. government agency (e. g., NSF, DARPA, U. S. Air Force), the steering committee reserves the right to make this choice for any particular meeting. In these cases, if the U. S. government agency requires sole sponsorship or a particular share of the sponsorship, it may be necessary to reduce TCSE and other sponsorships respectively, as called for above.

VI. Amendments

Amendments to this charter must be approved by two-thirds of the steering committee and by the chair of the TCSE.

****** AMENDMENTS ******

AMENDMENT A1: Establishment of Fellow of Automated Software Engineering

Adopted: January 2005

A. ASE Fellow The honorary title of ASE Fellow will be awarded from time to time by the ASE Steering Committee to individuals who have made outstanding, long-term scientific and service contributions to the ASE Community. It is expected that the list of ASE Fellows will grow slowly over time, with the honor bestowed sparingly by the Steering Committee. The term “Fellow” is chosen for its historical prestige value only, and does not in any way imply any gender restriction or a priori presumption on individual eligibility.

B. Selection of Fellows The Steering Committee may consider a nomination for designating an individual ASE Fellow at any time. Potential Fellows will be nominated by existing Steering Committee members or existing ASE Fellows along with a short description of the candidate’s long-standing contributions to the ASE Community. The Steering Committee will discuss and then vote on any such nomination under the usual discussion and voting procedures. In order to award the designation ASE Fellow the candidate must be approved by at least two thirds vote. An individual may not be considered more than once per year. At the annual ASE conference any new ASE Fellowships will be announced and the new Fellow(s), if present, will be awarded a certificate of recognition by a Steering Committee representative. ASE Fellows will be listed off the ASE web site along with a short biography and summary of their contributions to the ASE community.

C. Term of Fellowship An ASE Fellow is designated for life. Under extraordinary circumstances, where it is discovered that the original election rationale was based on incomplete, incorrect, or fraudulent information, the SC may through a 2/3 vote, revoke the Fellow designation.

D. Participation by Fellows At any time, an ASE Fellow may choose to participate in Steering Committee discussions as an observer. This includes the right to be placed on the SC mailing list, to contribute to email discussions, to be notified of and attend SC meetings, and to participate in discussions at the SC meetings. The ASE Fellow (unless otherwise a voting member of the SC) does not have a vote in SC business, however.

AMENDMENT A2: Increase in membership limit

Adopted: November 2010.

The maximum number of members of the Steering Committee is 25 voting members. This replaces the limit specified in section III.D above.