Alumni/ae Society Constitution and By-Laws
CONSTITUTION
Article I – NAME
The name of this organization shall be the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy Alumni/ae Society (the “Society”) of the Alumni Association of the University of Michigan.
Article II – PURPOSES
The purposes of the Society shall be:
(1) To stimulate among its membership a continuance of interest in the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy and the University of Michigan;
(2) To encourage the continued flow of outstanding student candidates to the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy;
(3) To assist the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy in keeping its curriculum and educational programs relevant to the needs of public policy practitioners;
(4) To serve as a support network for graduates of the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy in the advancement of their careers;
(5) To serve as a support network for students of the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy in their internship placement and in the advancement of their careers;
(6) To assist officials of the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy in alumni development (fundraising) efforts ; and
(7) To promote the improvement of public policy decision-making at all levels of government and within those elements of the private and non-profit sectors concerned with public policy outcomes.
Article III – MEMBERSHIP
The membership in the Society shall include the following:
(1) All alumni/ae and former students of the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy and its predecessors: the School of Public Policy, the Institute of Public Policy Studies and the Institute of Public Administration; and
(2) Past and present Faculty who have taught classes for the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy.
The Board of Governors may also add others to the membership who demonstrate a commitment to fulfilling the purposes of the Society.
Article IV – GOVERNING BOARD AND OFFICERS
A. Board of Governors.
1)The governing body of the Society shall consist of a Board of Governors of no more than twenty-two members. The Dean of the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy and two others whom the Dean may designate, and the President and CEO of the Alumni Associationof the University of Michigan shall be ex-officio members of the Board of Governors without vote. Eighteen members of the Society shall be elected to the Board. Six members shall be elected each year. Each elected member shall serve three years. A nominating committee shall be appointed by the Board each year and shall canvass the membership of the Society to identify interested candidates. The nominating committee will submit a slate of at least six eligible candidates for election. Voting will be conducted by a mailed ballot (which may take the form of an electronically mailed ballot) to be held in January each year. Eligible candidates from the respective graduate-level degree programs and the Bachelor of Arts degree program, as described in Article IV (B) herein, having the highest number of votes shall be elected.
2)In the event of a vacancy on the Board of Governors, the Nominating Committee shall also identify candidates for approval by the Board of Governors to serve for the remainder of the departing member’s term. Approval of such candidates may be obtained via a special meeting, conference call, or email communication of the Board.
3)One class representative from the Masters’ program and one class representative from the Bachelor of Arts program will be selected by their respective graduating classes of the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy to serve as a voting member of the Board for one year, commencing with the Spring meeting following the annual elections of the board.
- Eligibility and Voting.
All members described in Article III shall be eligible to serve on the Board of Governors, with the following exceptions and subject to the following procedures:
(1) No member shall serve more than two consecutive terms.
(2) Society members must have accrued a minimum of two years of professional work experience, as determined by the nominations committee, prior to the deadline for nominations to be eligible to seek election to the Board of Governors.
(3) Beginning with the Fall 2011 election cycle and ending on or before the Fall 2020 election cycle, Society members shall vote for up to one candidate drawn from the Alumni whose highest Ford School degree is the Bachelor of Arts degree and for up to five candidates drawn from the Society members awarded a Ford School graduate-level degree.
(4) The By-Laws of the Society may also include limits on Board eligibility based on attendance by Board Members at the Board’s meetings.
C. Officers of the Society.
At the first meeting of the Board of Governors following the election, the Board shall elect from its members a Chair and Vice-Chair (Officers). The vote for the Chair and Vice-Chair will occur at the conclusion of the Spring Meeting. Board members in the first year of their first term or in the last year of their second term are not eligible to run for Chair or Vice-Chair. Any member elected to serve as Chair in the third year of their first term will be expected to run for a second termin order to serve as Chair at the subsequent Spring meeting. Any Chair fitting such criteria who does not succeed in being re-elected to a second term will have their term automatically extended by six months so as to be able to serve as Chair at the first (Spring) meeting following the Board elections. All vacancies occurring in the officership of the Society shall be filled by the Board of Governors, and Officers so appointed shall hold office until the meeting following the next ballot of the Society.
Article V – MEETINGS
Meetings of the Society (Note: This means all alumni.) shall be held at such times and places as the Board of Governors and officials from the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy may designate. Proper notice of the meetings shall be given to all active members.
Article VI – AMENDMENTS
This Constitution may be amended by a two-thirds vote of the members of the Society’s Board of Governors. Amendments may be proposed by the Board of Governors or by written petition from twenty members of the Society and must be submitted in writing to the Board of Governors at least four weeks prior to the next Board of Governors meeting. Such amendments shall become effective when approved by the Board of Directors of the Alumni Association of the University of Michigan.
Article VII – APPROVAL OF THE CONSTITUTION
The procedures for the ratification of the Constitution shall be determined by the Alumni/ae Board of Governors established by the Dean of the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy. The Constitution shall take effect upon an affirmative vote by two-thirds of the members responding to a mailed ballot and upon ratification by the Board of Directors of the Alumni Association of the University of Michigan.
BY-LAWS
Article I – OFFICERS AND COMMITTEES
- The Chairperson shall preside at all meetings of the Board of Governors and of the Society, and shall exercise the general powers of the Chairperson.
- In the absence or disability of the Chairperson, the Vice-Chairperson shall perform the duties of the Chairperson.
- The designee of the Dean of the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy shall be responsible for the recording and reading of the minutes of all the meetings.
D. The Board of Governors shall select an active member of the Society to serve on the Alumni Leadership Council of the Alumni Association of the University of Michigan in accordance with the terms of the Association’s Bylaws. The Dean shall submit the name of this candidate for approval by the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy Board of Governors. This representative will be a voting member of the Board of Governors and serve for a period of three years and shall be eligible for re-selection, but shall not serve more than two consecutive terms.
E. A Nominating Committee of at least three members shall be appointed each year by the Chairperson of the Society to oversee the nomination process for the Board of Governors elections and to perform such other duties as may properly devolve upon the Committee. All committees not otherwise provided for shall be appointed by the Chairperson. If desirable, the Board of Governors may also approve the appointment of other members of the Society to serve as ex officio members of the Board.
Article II - POWERS AND DUTIES OF THE BOARD OF GOVERNORS
- The Board of Governors shall exercise the general management of the Society within the framework of policies and programs established by the Alumni Association of the University of Michigan. It shall strive to advance the purposes of the Society, as set forth in the Constitution, in every way possible and shall adopt policies and programs to that end. Such policies and programs must be consistent with the policies and programs of the Alumni Association of the University of Michigan.
- The Board of Governors shall have the privilege of reviewing all actions of the Alumni Association of the University of Michigan which directly or indirectly affect the Society’s organization, objectives, or programs. In the event of disagreement with any action taken by the Alumni Association, the Board of Governors is empowered to appeal such action to the Association’s Board of Directors.
- The Board of Governors of the Society shall hold regular meetings at least twice a year. Such regular meetings of the Board of Governors shall be held at such times and places as the Board of Governors, in consultation with officials of the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy, may designate. Proper notice of these regular meetings shall be given at least three months in advance.
- A member of the Board of Governors is expected to attend in-person at least 50 percent of the regular Board meetings held during his or her three-year term. Any member who fails to meet this requirement may not be eligible to serve on the Board of Governors for the three years following the expiration of his or her term. Members may submit a request to the Board asking for special consideration to be exempted from this requirement. It is at the Board’s discretion to either approve or reject the request.
- The Board of Governors may also meet subject to the call of the Chairperson or at the request of six voting members of the Board of Governors. Such meetings shall be considered special meetings of the Board of Governors and shall not count toward fulfillment of the minimum attendance requirement for regular meetings described in subsection II (E).
- Society board members and officers will be defended and indemnified if they become party to a legal proceeding by reason of the fact that they were a Board member or officer of the Society, provided they were acting on behalf of the Society, acted in good faith, and in a manner they reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the Society, and, with respect to criminal act or proceeding, if they had no reasonable cause to believe their conduct was unlawful. The University of Michigan’s Standard Practice Guide 601.9 on defense and indemnification will apply in such a situation in the same manner and to the same extent it would apply to a University employee in a similar situation.
Article III – QUORUM
The majority of the elected Board of Governors (at least 10 voting members) shall constitute a quorum at any Board of Governors meeting.
To the extent practicable, members of the Board may participate in any meeting of the Board by means of conference telephone or similar communications equipment that allows all persons to hear each other, and shall be counted as present for purposes of a quorum.
Article IV – PROCEDURE
Robert’s Rules of Order shall govern parliamentary questions at any meeting of the Society or the Board of Governors.
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Updated 9-7-10 with UM Alumni Association Approval