ARTICLE I. THE ASSOCIATION
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Section 1 Name | The corporate name of this Association shall be "the School of Education Alumni Association." |
Section 2 Location | The principal office of the Association is to be located in the office of the Dean of Education, SUNY Potsdam, in the village and town of Potsdam, County of St. Lawrence, State of New York |
Section 3 Purpose | The purpose of this Association is to constitute a group of alumni with membership composed of graduates and former students in the School of Education, as presently constituted, or from institutions which preceded SUNY Potsdam and from which it has developed or from such school or schools or departments as shall from time to time be the successor to the School of Education in the future; the Association to have, in general, the powers incidental to such organizations, and, in particular, to work actively and effectively to advance the interest of the School of Education, its faculty, students, and alumni |
ARTICLE II. MEMBERSHIP
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Section 1 | Membership shall be of three types: active, associate, and honorary, and such other kinds as shall be provided for by the bylaws of the Association |
Section 2 | Active membership shall include all graduates of the School of Education of SUNY Potsdam and graduates from this institution under previous names. |
Section 3 | Associate membership shall include all former students who make application to the Board of Trustees (hereinafter referred to as the Board), for membership and are accepted by consensus of the Board. Associate members shall enjoy all rights and privileges of the active members. |
Section 4 | Honorary membership shall include persons of distinction who are approved by the Board. Honorary members shall enjoy all the privileges and rights of active membership. |
Section 5 | Membership in this Association is based solely upon qualifications specified in Article I, Section 3; and as described in Article II, Sections 1, 2, 3, and 4. Admission to membership in the Association is made without regard to the race, color, creed, sex, or national origin of individuals |
ARTICLE III. AFFILIATE
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The School of Education Alumni Association, shall be an affiliate of the Alumni Association of SUNY Potsdam. | |
ARTICLE IV. MANAGEMENT AND DUTIES OF OFFICERS
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Section 1 | The management of this Association is vested in a Board of Trustees. The Association shall elect officers to the positions of president, 1st vice-president, secretary, treasurer, and trustees. |
Section 2 | The president shall act as presiding officer at regular and special meetings of the Association and of the Board. With the advice of the Board, the president shall direct the activities of the Association in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution and Bylaws. |
Section 3 | The first vice-president shall assume the responsibilities of the president at such time as the latter is unable for whatever reason to fulfill the duties of the office. The first vice-president is a president-elect and automatically accedes to the office of the president. |
Section 4 | The secretary shall record minutes of all meetings, shall handle such correspondence as may be delegated to this office, and shall conduct election of officers and trustees at the annual meeting |
Section 5 | The treasurer, under the direction of the Board, shall collect and disburse all funds of the Association. This officer shall maintain records of financial transactions, have custody over any and all assets of the Association, and prepare reports as directed by the president. The treasurer shall be ex-officio chairperson of the budget committee of the Board. |
Section 6 | An Executive Committee shall be comprised of the officers of the Association and the immediate past-president. The Executive Committee shall have the powers of the Board of Trustees when the Board is not in session. This committee shall have the authority to fill vacancies on the Board for the remainder of unexpired terms. Any action taken by the Executive Committee shall be by a majority of the full membership of the committee. |
Section 7 | The Board shall have the power to adopt bylaws, including therein the method of election and the term of office of trustees and shall have power also, by vote of two-thirds of all the members of the Board of Trustees, to change the number of trustees, to be not more than twenty nor fewer than ten. |
Section 8 | Membership of the Board shall consist of the Dean of the School of Education or his/her designee and any former Dean(s) who are able to serve on the Board. Every effort will be made to make the Board a representative body of the Association and will include at least two members who graduated from classes 25 years prior to the year of elections. Further, up to four memberships on the Board may be granted to Honorary members of the Association who are willing to serve as active and productive participants in the business of the Board. In addition, trustees positions may be granted to two currently matriculated students in the School of Education to be appointed by the president of the Association. If a Student Alumni Association for the School of Education, Honor Society, or Student Education Society is in existence, preference will be given to its members. |
Section 9 | The Board shall be responsible for policy and programs of the Association and shall advise the Executive Committee in the performance of their duties. The Board shall also perform specific duties that are assigned to it from time to time by the president of the Association. |
Section 10. | The President of SUNY Potsdam is designated as the representative of the Association upon whom process in any action or proceeding against it may be served |
ARTICLE V. COMMITTEES
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Section 1 Nominating Committee | A nominating committee shall be elected by the Board during the first meeting of the school year. This committee shall be comprised of three members of the Association. Membership on the Board is not a prerequisite for membership on the Nominating Committee. Members of this committee shall serve for a term of three years and shall not be eligible immediately to succeed themselves. |
Section 2 Standing Committees | The president shall appoint standing committees and chairpersons of same from the membership of the Board. Other members of the Association may be asked by either the president of the Board or the chair to serve on the committees, but may not serve as chairpersons. Ordinarily these committees are appointed during a regular meeting of the Board. Standing Committees may include, but not be limited to, the following: Alumni Weekend, Budget, Awards, Alumni Scholarship, and External Affairs. |
ARTICLE VI. MEETINGS
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Section 1 Meetings of the Association | There shall be an annual meeting of the Association and such other meetings as the Board might prescribe. All meetings of the Association shall be held at SUNY Potsdam at Potsdam, NY, unless otherwise properly announced by the Executive Committee of the Board. The annual meeting of the Association shall be held in conjunction with the annual college reunion program. The call for the annual meeting shall be announced to each member of the Association at least sixty days prior to the meeting. The president shall preside over the business session of the annual meeting; however, the secretary shall conduct the election of officers and trustees. |
Section 2 Meetings of the Board | There shall be a minimum of three meetings of the Board each year. Meetings of the Board shall ordinarily be held at SUNY Potsdam at Potsdam, NY, unless otherwise specified by the president of the Association. Any member unable to attend a meeting will contact the Dean's Office or the president of the Association. A member of the board who has two unexcused absences during the Board's fiscal year shall be deemed to have resigned from the Board. The member will be ineligible for re-election for one year. This section, or any part thereof, may be set aside by the Board for extenuating circumstances. |
Section 3 Quorums | At any meeting of the Association which has been properly called, those persons present shall constitute a quorum. At any meeting of the Board which has been properly called, a simple majority shall constitute a quorum. |
ARTICLE VII. NOMINATIONS AND ELECTIONS
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Section 1 Nominations | The nominating committee shall nominate one candidate for each office and may nominate one candidate for each vacancy on the Board. Nominations other than those of the nominating committee may be made by any member of the Association. Such nominations received by the secretary not fewer than thirty (30) days before the annual meeting shall be valid nominations and shall be presented along with and in the same manner as those of the nominating committee. No further nominations are to be presented at the annual meeting. |
Section 2 Elections | Officers and trustees shall be elected at the annual meeting of the Association. All officers shall serve for two-year terms. As stated in Article IV, Section 3, the vice-president is the president-elect. However, should the vice-president be unable to accede to the presidency, a person shall be elected to be president. Trustees are elected to terms not to exceed four years. If only one candidate is named for an office or trusteeship, election shall be by voice vote. If more than one nomination is made, the secretary shall prepare printed ballots for use at the election. |
BYLAWS
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Section 1 | The fiscal year of the Association is from September 1 through August 31. |
Section 2 Procedure | Business shall be conducted using Robert's Rules of Order, Newly Revised. |
Section 3 Amendments | Amendments to the Constitution and Bylaws of the Association may be made only at the annual meeting. Amendments shall be proposed to the Board and received in writing by the Board in time to be included with the announcement of the annual meeting. The amendments shall be published and available to the membership at large during the annual meeting, at which action may be taken. Amendments shall be read by the secretary at the annual meeting along with recommendations of the Board. Amendments shall be adopted by a majority vote of those members of the Association in attendance at the annual meeting. |