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UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA HUBERT H. HUMPHREY INSTITUTE OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS ALUMNI SOCIETY
CONSTITUTION AND BY-LAWS
Approved: April 7, 1989. Amended: July 1990, July 1992, June 1994, March 2004, June 2006, and July 2009
Article I – Name
Section 1: The name of this organization is the University of Minnesota Hubert H. Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs Alumni Society (the Institute and the Society, respectively).
Article II – Purpose
Section 1: The Society exists to be in service to Institute alumni and to connect them to each other, to the Institute leadership, faculty, and students.
Section 2: The Society enriches the alumni experience by connecting alumni to Institute programs and knowledge and strengthening their ties to each another, to current students, and to the administration and faculty of the Institute. It provides alumni with opportunities to serve the Institute and Humphrey students through programming, sharing professional expertise, and providing financial support. The Society links students with alumni and friends of the Institute, encouraging lifelong relationships with the college and the University.
Section 3: We fulfill our mission by:
- Building relationships among Institute alumni, students, prospective students, faculty, and friends;
- Facilitating alumni and student activities;
- Supporting the student experience through opportunities for professional growth and scholarship.
- Promoting excellence within the Institute and among its alumni.
Section 4: The Society shall also function as a collegiate alumni society of the University of Minnesota Alumni Association (UMAA).
Article III – Membership
Section 1: Eligibility: Membership in the Society is open to all University of Minnesota Humphrey Institute graduates, current and former students, fellows, and friends of the Institute.
Article IV – Board of Directors
Section 1: Composition: All of the business of the Society will be conducted by a board of directors consisting of:
- At least fifteen (15) but not more than twenty-five (25) voting Directors of the Society who are elected at-large to the board.
B. Five to six (5-6) non-voting Advisors as follows:
- The dean or his/her designee,
- A faculty or fellow advisor from the Institute, appointed by the dean,
- The staff member responsible for Institute Alumni relations,
- One or two Institute students appointed by the Public Affairs Student Association (PASA), one of whom will be the PASA president, and
- A designated representative from UMAA staff.
Section 2: Terms: Voting directors will be elected by the board for two (2) year terms, except where staggered terms are necessary to provide continuity.
The term of office begins July 1.
Beginning July 1, 2009, all members may serve three (3) consecutive terms or a total of six (6) consecutive years. Any person who has served on the board for three consecutive terms shall be ineligible for election to the board until one year after the third term has expired.
Non-voting directors will be appointed as outlined above and ratified annually by the voting members for renewable one (1) year terms.
Section 3: Vacancies: Director vacancies will be filled when a nominee selected by the Society nominating committee is elected by a majority vote of the board for the remainder of the un-expired term. Such terms will not count against the term limit set above.
Section 4: Attendance and Removal: Director attendance is required at all board meetings. Board members are required to notify the Institute staff member assigned to alumni relations prior to an absence. Participation by phone will be considered attendance. Elected board members who miss two (2) scheduled board meetings per year will be deemed to have resigned unless the board excuses such absence. Such positions will be considered vacant and filled accordingly.
Section 5: Officers: The board will elect the officers of this association from its own membership: president and president-elect.
Section 6: UMAA Representative: The representative is selected consultatively by the Society president, the Humphrey Institute dean, and UMAA. This member shall serve on both the Society and the UMAA national boards. This member shall serve a three‑year term and is eligible to serve a second three‑year term. The representative is a liaison between the Society’s board and the UMAA board and is responsible for understanding and communicating interests of each, to each.
Section 7: Humphrey Advisory Council Representative: At least one member shall be selected in consultation with the Institute advisory council nominating committee. This member shall serve a three‑year term and is eligible to serve a second three‑year term. This member shall serve on both the Society board and the Institute Advisory Council. The representative is a liaison between the Society board and the advisory council and is responsible for understanding and communicating interests between both groups.
Section 8: Meetings and Quorum: The board will meet at least quarterly with special meetings at the discretion of the president. Meetings for the board of directors will be open to all members of the Society.
A quorum will be deemed to be present when a majority of the board members are present, a sufficient number present to conduct business properly.
Procedural matters not addressed in these by-laws are governed by the most recent edition of Robert’s Rules of Order.
Section 9: Conflict of Interest: Directors shall disclose any potential conflict of interest and abstain from any discussion or vote on related matters.
Article V – Elections
Section 1: Elections: The election of directors shall be held every one to three (1-3) years at a time to be fixed by the board. For these purposes, the board may be divided into classes to allow for staggered terms of office.
Section 2: Nominating Committee: Approximately 60 days before the election, the board shall appoint a committee to receive nominations and recommend directors for election. At least 30 days before the election, the nominating committee shall make its recommendations known to the Society.
Section 3: Qualifications: Any Society-eligible alumni may nominate himself or herself or other alumni of the Institute for consideration by the nominating committee. Only graduates of the Institute are eligible to serve as directors. Former students or friends of the Institute may also nominate eligible graduates for the board. The board will make public the time period during which nominations will be considered and the qualifications sought in a director.
Section 4: Election of Directors: A two-thirds (2/3) vote of the board shall elect new directors from the slate recommended by the nominating committee.
Article VI – Officers
Section 1: Duties: The officers of the Society are president and president-elect, whose duties are as follows:
A. The president will preside over board and membership meetings and is responsible for general supervision of the Society. The president may appoint working committees, and is a non-voting member of each.
- The president-elect will preside over meetings in the absence of the president and will assume the duties of president in the succeeding term of office.
- The president-elect will work in cooperation with the Office of Career Services and Alumni Relations and PASA to plan and to execute activities in service to current students.
- Traditional secretary and treasurer duties (i.e. record and read the minutes of all official meetings of the Society and its board of directors, take care of correspondence, account for receipts and disbursements, and make appropriate reports) will reside with the Institute staff member assigned to alumni relations.
Section 2: Election and Tenure: The officers will be elected by the Board of Directors of the Society from the voting membership of the board, to serve a one (1) year term beginning July 1. The board will fill vacancies.
Article VII – General Membership Meetings
Section 1: Meetings of the Society membership may be called by the President or on order of the Board of Directors. Notice of regular, special or annual meetings of the members shall be sent thirty (30) to sixty (60) days prior to the day such meeting is to be held.
Article VIII – Committees
Section 1: Committees: The board may create or establish such committees or task forces as it shall determine.
Article IX – Disbursements and Staffing
Section 1: Disbursements: The Directors will work with the office of the dean to establish and to maintain appropriate budget and disbursement processes consistent with University policies and procedures and with the goal of maximizing director authority and control over Society funds. The board of directors will incorporate and update those processes into these by-laws by resolution from time to time as deemed necessary.
Section 2: Society Staffing: The directors will work with the office of the dean to ensure ongoing staffing is available to the Society and its board consistent with University policies and procedures and with the goal of maximizing alumni connection with the Institute. The board of directors will incorporate and update any resulting agreements into these by-laws by resolution from time to time as deemed necessary.
Article X – Fiscal Year
Section 1: The fiscal year and financial reporting schedule shall correspond with that of the Institute.
Article XI – Amendments
Section 1: This constitution and by-laws may be amended at any time by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the board or by two-thirds (2/3) vote of Society-eligible graduates and former students of the Institute.
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