The BSA President is nominated by the membership and appointed by the trustees.

The BSA’s current President, Professor Susan Halford, completes their term of office in December 2021. Nominations are therefore sought for the next President of the British Sociological Association. The Presidency will run from January 2022 to December 2024. Nominees must be members of the BSA. Nominations will be accepted from any member of the Association and must be accompanied by a short statement of up to 250 words describing why the nominee would be particularly suitable for the role (please seek their prior agreement to be nominated).  Where there is more than one nomination, the President is appointed by the BSA trustees. The process of appointment is via secret ballot of the trustees i.e. trustees individually submit their vote unseen by other trustees.

The trustees seek to achieve a good balance of people in key positions with respect to equality and diversity and request that members are mindful of this when nominating.

BSA President: Description of Duties

The Presidency of the BSA is an honorary position, which runs for three years and is held by an eminent and senior member of the Association. The President’s remit is to act as a public figurehead who promotes Sociology on behalf of the Association, focussing on the external perception and reputation of Sociology and the impact of the charity’s work to beneficiaries and to the outside world in the longer term. Acting as statesperson, the President represents the BSA at external events, leads on BSA responses to public events of direct concern to the future of Sociology, working with the Public Engagement Committee, and may convene or be called upon to chair occasional events. The President may be asked to act as media spokesperson, sits on prize judging panels and presides over award ceremonies.

Specific duties

  • Attend Board of Trustees meeting once a year (September).
  • Attend meetings of the BSA Advisory Forum (twice a year).
  • Participate in the judging each year of the entries submitted for the BSA Philip Abrams Memorial Prize (business conducted online from December to February).
  • Present the award of the BSA Philip Abrams Memorial Prize and the BSA Distinguished Service to British Sociology Award at each BSA Annual Conference (normally at conference or during the conference month in March or April).
  • Deliver a brief welcome at the start of the BSA Annual Conference.
  • Deliver a Presidential Address to the BSA Annual Conference once during term of office.
  • Represent the Association at external meetings, e.g. meetings of the International Sociological Association.
  • Take an active role in the work of the BSA Public Engagement Committee.
  • Act as a media spokesperson for the Association as required.
  • Provide ad hoc advice and support to the Chair, trustees and staff of the Association.

NB A small sum is provided in the Association’s annual budget to enable and ensure attendance at key events during the year.

If you would like to nominate someone for the Presidency, please email their name, confirmation that they are willing to be nominated and your reasons for nominating them to Kerry Collins, Company Secretary,at kerry.collins@britsoc.org.uk by no later than Thursday, 30 September 2021.