How to Start or Reactivate a Local Chapter

Dark blue background with white text showing a simple diagram for starting an AMS local chapter

Regular Local Chapters

Any group of at least five members of the Society that want to form a local chapter may petition the Council to do so. The petition should include:

  • A statement about the purpose of the organization
  • A tentative plan for the type of organization the chapter will have
  • The planned frequency of meetings
  • Expected meeting places 
  • An estimate of the potential membership
  • The geographic area that the chapter will serve 

The petition should be sent to the Local Chapter Contact at AMS Headquarters in Boston. Materials can be mailed to Headquarters or scanned and submitted digitally to [email protected].

If the petition meets the minimal conditions stated above and all petitioners have been verified as active members of the Society, it will be sent to the members of the Council for vote. The results of the Council's decision will be forwarded to the petitioners by the Local Chapter Contact.

To help recruit local chapter members, new chapters can request a contact list of existing AMS members within the immediate area of the chapter from headquarters. To do so, send a list of the zip codes within the chapter's geographic area to the Local Chapter Contact.

Student Local Chapters

Any group of five student members of the Society that wants to form a student chapter may petition the Council for authorization to do so.

  • In addition to the signatures of five student members, the petition must also be signed by two faculty representatives that are also AMS members. One faculty member must be designated as the faculty advisor for the student chapter.

The petition requirements are the same as that of a regular chapter (see list above). The petition should be sent to the Local Chapter Contact at AMS Headquarters in Boston. Materials can be mailed to Headquarters or scanned and submitted digitally to [email protected].

If the petition meets the minimal conditions stated above and all petitioners have been verified as active members of the Society, it will be sent to the members of the Council for vote. The results of the Council's decision will be forwarded to the petitioners by the Local Chapter Contact.

Pre-College Local Chapters

Any group of at least five students that wants to form a pre-college student chapter may petition the Council for authorization to do so.

  • In addition to the signatures of five students, a teacher or other adult advisor must also sign the petition. The signing adult must already be a member or be willing to join the Society. This is necessary for the chapter to receive important AMS-related materials. Each pre-college chapter must have a participating adult advisor. Appropriate adult advisors may be teachers, librarians, school principals, scout leaders, etc.

The petition format is the same as that used to form regular local chapters (see list above). Once completed, the petition should be sent to the Local Chapter Contact at AMS Headquarters in Boston. Materials can be mailed to Headquarters or scanned and submitted digitally to [email protected].

If the petition meets the minimal conditions stated above and the petitioning adult advisor is verified as a member of the Society, the petition will be sent to the members of the Council for vote. The results of the Council's decision will be forwarded to the petitioners by the Local Chapter Contact. 

Reactivation of a Local Chapter

Any group of at least five members of the Society that wants to reactivate a local chapter may petition the Council for authorization to do so. The petition should be sent to the Local Chapter Contact at AMS Headquarters in Boston. The results of the Council's decision will forwarded to the petitioners by the Local Chapter Contact.

Sample Petitions

The initial petition should be sent to:

AMS
Attn: Local Chapters
45 Beacon St.
Boston, MA 02108-3693