The Alumnae & Alumni Association of Hood College Constitution and Bylaws

Association Name

The name of this organization shall be The Alumnae and Alumni of Hood College, hereafter referred to as the Association. The primary location for conduct of Association business is 401 Rosemont Avenue, Frederick, Maryland.

Mission and Objectives

The mission of the Association shall be to support and promote the College; to strengthen the relationship between the College, alumnae and alumni and students. The Association will assist the College in fulfilling its vision and mission through advocacy, volunteerism and financial support. The Association shall serve as a channel of mutual communication between the alumni and the College and support the College where needed.

Association Membership
Active Members

•Any person upon whom Hood College has conferred a degree, or prior to 1925, a diploma or certificate, or who has received a graduate degree, or any person who has attended Hood College and has left under honorable circumstances after having successfully completed twelve (12) credits at Hood College shall be an Active Member of this Association and shall be entitled to all the rights and privileges of the Association.

•Active members may nominate the Association Officers, Trustees of the College and Annual Alumni Award Recipients; vote for Honorary Members; attend the Annual Meeting and volunteer to serve and support the College.

Honorary Members

Honorary Members may be elected by a simple majority vote of the voting membership at annual Board meeting. The following individuals may be considered for designation as Honorary Members of the Association:

•Any person nominated for honorary membership by a majority vote of the Executive Board of the Association shall become an Honorary Member by majority vote of the Active Members present.

•Any person, who is not an Active Member, upon whom Hood College has conferred an honorary degree, shall automatically become an Honorary Member.

•Any person, who is not an Active Member, who retires from the faculty or staff shall become an Honorary Member upon approval by the majority of the Active Members present at the Annual Meeting.

•Students (no more than four), currently enrolled at Hood College, selected by the Association for this honor

•Honorary Members shall not hold office in the Association, nominate, vote or cast ballots in Association elections.

Advisory Members, Ex-Officio, and Emeriti

Advisory Members, Ex-Officio members, and Emeriti of the Association will not have voting rights nor are eligible to hold Officer positions. The following are considered to be advisory members, ex-officio, and/or Emeriti:

•Advisory members of the Association are employees of the College.

•The Director of Alumnae and Alumni Relations is an Ex-Officio member of the Association.

•Past Association Presidents are considered Emeriti.

Association Officers and Terms

The Officers of the Association shall consist of:

•The President, President-Elect, Vice President, and Secretary- Parliamentarian and Committee Chairs.

•The immediate past-president will serve as an ex-officio member and advisor, but not part of the Executive Board.

Terms of Office

The terms of office shall begin at the start of the College fiscal year. The length of the Officers’ terms shall be as follows:

•The President, Vice President and Secretary- Parliamentarian will serve for a two (2) year term and, upon completion of the term they may run for a second term.

•The President, Vice President and Secretary-Parliamentarian may serve no more than two (2) consecutive terms of office.

•The President-Elect will serve one year and then assumes the responsibilities of President of the Association.

•Committee Chair terms of office and duties shall begin at the start of the College fiscal year in conjunction with the terms of the President, Vice President and Secretary- Parliamentarian

•Committee Chairs may serve no more than two (2) consecutive two-year terms of office.

Duties of Elected Officers

President of the Association

The President shall:

•Call and preside at all meetings of the Association.

•Serve as a liaison between the College, students and the alumnae and alumni.

•Provide a report to the Board of Trustees at their meetings, when requested.

•Provide an annual report to the Association either at the Annual Meeting and/or by e-mail.

•The President will preside over the Advancement Chair.

President-Elect

The President-Elect shall:

•Fulfill those duties assigned to her/him by the President and shall assume the term of President in the case of a vacancy midterm.

•Perform the duties of the President in her/his absence at meetings or special events.

•Provides additional guidance and assistance to all chairs.

Vice President

The Vice President shall:

•Preside over the Alumni Representative Chair, Admissions Chair and the Campus Community Chair.

•Vice President assumes the President’s responsibilities in the absence of the President-elect.

Secretary- Parliamentarian

The Secretary-Parliamentarian shall:

•Advise the President and the Board regarding the interpretation of the Constitution and Bylaws of the Association

•Take and file, with the Office of Alumnae and Alumni Relations, minutes of the meetings of the Association and of the Executive Board.

•Conduct the necessary correspondence of the Association.

•Preside over the Student Activities Chair and have input and guidance for the advancement of Alumni Communications.

Committee Chairs

Committee Chair(s) shall:

•Serve as a member of the Executive Board of the Alumnae and Alumni Association of Hood College.

•As deemed desirable by the Executive Board, shall be appointed by the President of the Association in conjunction with the Office of Institutional Advancement.

•Shall secure volunteers/committee members to assist with their specific area.

•Provide progress reports on committee activities as requested by the Board.

•Be removed for cause.

•Shall submit an annual written report of the committee’s activities.

Standing Committees, Committee Chair, Volunteers and Duties

The Committees/Chairs of the Association shall consist of such committees as needed, at the discretion of the Executive Board and in conjunction with the Office of Institutional Advancement. Volunteers may be recruited from the active membership of the Association to serve on these committees; however, committee volunteers will not be members of the Executive Board. The name, duties and procedures of each Standing and Ad hoc Committee shall be governed by guidance from the Executive Board and the Office of Institutional Advancement and the Director of Alumnae and Alumni Relations.

The following committees are currently considered necessary and the duties of each committee chair are listed below:

Admissions Chair

The Admissions Chair:

•Serves as an ambassador of Hood College by attending Admissions events, such as Accepted Students Days, Move-in day and other Campus Admissions programs.

•Works closely with the Office of Admissions on campus.

•May assist and initiate Send-Off parties.

•May serve at local college fairs along with volunteer members.

•Assists, along with committee volunteers, in recruiting alumnae and alumni to assist with college fairs throughout the country.

•May serve as a resource for prospective parents and students to answer questions or discuss Hood College.

•Will continue, along with committee volunteers, to recruit and identify possible students for Hood College.

•Enlists the support of volunteers to serve on the committee.

Graduate School Outreach Chair

The Campus Community Chair will serve to promote and support the Graduate School and the Career Center as follows:

•Enlist committee volunteers and alumni to attend events in support of the Graduate School.

•Recruit and identify possible graduate school students and possible members of the Graduate School Advisory Council.

•Serve, along with committee volunteers, as a resource to alumni and students through the Career Center by offering internships, shadowing/mentoring opportunities or other career-related activities.

•Assist the College, along with committee volunteers, in establishing relationships with businesses for the purpose of career development, internships and financial support.

•Serve as a liaison for the faculty and the alumni of Hood College and work to encourage alumni as volunteers in the classroom, speakers at Career events.

Community and Career Development Chair

The Chair and committee volunteers will encourage financial support of Hood College through the following:

•Assisting the College staff, along with committee volunteers, in identifying prospective donors (individuals, corporations and foundations) whose philanthropic interests are consistent with Hood’s vision and mission.

•Assisting the Office of Institutional Advancement with identifying possible leadership and leadership gifts in conjunction with a campaign.

Student Activities Chair

The Chair, and committee volunteers, will be actively involved with campus activities and student awareness for events on the Campus. The Chair and committee volunteers:

•May provide input in an advisory capacity to the administration in terms of student life, athletics and activities.

•May help at on-campus events such as New Student Orientation and Fall Family Weekend.

•Serve as the liaison between the College and the Executive Board on student affairs.

•Support Convocation, Commencement and other student events.

•Continue to support the Council of Alumnae and Students Together.

•Assist the College in identifying effective methods for alumni communication and involvement.

•Provide programming feedback in order to enhance the College-Alumni-Student relationship.

Alumni Representative Chair

The Chair, and committee volunteers, will represent the Hood College alumni group as a whole. The Chair and committee volunteers shall:

•Function as a liaison between the Board and the College--assisting with Special Interest Groups, Reunion Weekend, and Communications.

Support and advise the following, but not limited to, the following special interest groups--Hood Moms, African American Alumnae and Alumni Network, Adult Learners, Reunion and other special interest groups deemed appropriate to the mission of the College.

•Seek new and innovative means of communication between the alumni and the College; ie: Facebook, LinkedIn, etc.

Executive Board of the Association and Duties

The Executive Board shall be the governing Board of the Association. The following constitutes the make up of the Board:

•Elected Officers and the Committee Chairs.

•The Trustees, who are alumnae or alumni, shall be ex officio members of the Executive Board for their term on the Board of Trustees.

•The Director of Alumnae and Alumni Relations and Associate Director of Alumnae and Alumni Relations shall be non-voting members of the Executive Board.

•Past Association Presidents are considered Board Member Emeriti.

•Executive Board (President, President Elect, Vice President and Secretary-Parliamentarian and Committee Chairs) will be required to financially contribute to the College for the duration of their term.

•The Executive Board President, Vice President, and Secretary- Parliamentarian) shall make recommendations for chair positions to the Vice President for Institutional Advancement and the Director of Alumni Relations.

It is expected that these Officers shall be representative of the diversity and shared interests of the Hood College alumni population. The Board along with the Office of Institutional Advancement shall determine if and when additional Board representation may be needed.

Association Meetings

The following provides guidance regarding Association meetings:

•The Executive Board shall hold meetings at the discretion of the President of the Association but no more than three (3) times per calendar year and with advance notice to the Executive Board Members.

•Any members of the Executive Board who fail to attend two (2) regular consecutive meetings without presenting an acceptable excuse shall no longer serve on the Executive Board.

•Committees will meet at the discretion of the Committee Chair and as needed to complete goals and projects.

•Parliamentary authority: The Constitution and Bylaws of this organization shall govern the conduct and procedure at all meetings. Robert’s Rules of Order shall be used to conduct meetings except where it conflicts with the Constitution or with the Bylaws.

•Quorum: To conduct business; a simple majority of the total voting membership must be presented at the meeting. A simple majority of the total voting membership must be present for all elections.

•Motions dealing with Bylaws amendments and/or the removal of officers or members will require a 2/3 majority vote of the total voting membership. All other motions require a simple majority vote of the quorum to pass.

•The Annual Meeting of the Association shall be held during Reunion Weekend.

• Special Meetings of the Association shall be called by the President upon petition of five percent (5%) of undergraduate and graduate alumnae and alumni. No business shall be transacted except that stated in the call (notice) of the Special Meeting. The President shall notify the membership of the place, date, and time of the meeting (no later than thirty (30) days prior to the meeting date). Method of communication to the membership shall be at the discretion of the President in conjunction with the Office of Institutional Advancement and the Director of Alumnae and Alumni Relations.

Trustees, Terms and Duties

In accordance with the bylaws of the Board of Trustees of Hood College:

•Alumnae and alumni may, at any time, nominate active members of the association or individuals from outside the Hood community as nominees for trustee candidacy.

•These nominations may be made directly to the Trustee and Governance Committee of the Hood College Board of Trustees or via the College website nominations form.

•Trustees, who are alumnae or alumni, shall serve as a liaison between the Association and the Board of Trustees. These trustees shall serve as ex officio members of the Association Executive Board and may be invited to attend all Executive Board meetings.

Nominations & Election

Active Members of the Association shall be provided an opportunity to submit nominations for each office/position to be filled. The following provides guidance on the nomination process for election of officers to the Association:

•The call for nominations will be made to the entire Association membership via mail and/or email.

•Nominees for office shall be Active Members of the Association.

•Nominees will be required to submit proper credentials and paperwork in conjunction with the nomination.

•Nominations, from Active Members of the Association, for officers will be submitted on or before April 1 for the election to be held in June.

•Nominations, for officer positions, received will be submitted to the Alumni Representative Chair/Committee and the Office of Alumnae and Alumni Relations.

•Nominations submitted after April 1 shall not be considered.

•Candidates for all elected officers positions shall be reviewed and considered by the Alumni Representative Chair/Committee.

•The Alumni Representative Committee will present the Executive Board with a single slate of candidates for each Association officer position and such committees as the Board requests.

•Following approval by the Executive Board and endorsement by the President of the College, the slate for elected positions on the Executive Board may be published in the Hood Magazine prior to the Annual Meeting and may be presented online.

•Officers (with the exception of President) shall be elected by a plurality of votes cast by written or electronic mail ballot. If the election is conducted by mail ballot alone, the simple majority of ballots must be returned to constitute a quorum.

•Tellers (no more than three) shall be appointed by the President for the purpose of counting ballots.

•The Alumni Representative Committee Chair shall be responsible for reporting the results to the Executive Board and announcing the results at the Annual Meeting.

•The result(s) of any election(s) shall be published online and made available by request.

Hood College Office of Alumnae and Alumni Relations

The Association serves as a channel of mutual communication between the alumni and the College. The Association, through the Office of Alumnae and Alumni Relations, provides guidance and support for, alumni organizations and programs on behalf of the College. As part of this responsibility:

•The Office of Alumnae and Alumni Relations will designate a formal representative to the Association.

•The designee will function as a liaison for the Association between the Association and the College.

•The designee shall perform those duties pertaining to alumnae and alumni relations in conjunction with the Executive Board and the College.

The College Ring—Standardization and Eligibility

The Hood College ring, the design of which has been approved by the Association, shall be the standard ring. No change in its design can be made without the majority approval of the Active Members of the Association. Eligibility for rings shall be the following:

•Attainment of junior status as defined by the College.

•Graduate Students who have petitioned to graduate, as defined by the College, may order their rings at any time.

•Recipients of Honorary Degrees as awarded by the College may order or be presented with a ring at any time.

•Rings may be presented at the discretion of the Alumnae and Alumni Executive Board as deemed necessary.

Bylaws and Amendments

This document serves as the approved Constitution and Bylaws of The Alumnae and Alumni Association of Hood College. Throughout these Bylaws, wherever the context requires or permits, designation by gender shall be interchangeable.

Amendments to these bylaws may be made at any Board meeting, providing notice of the proposed amendment has been supplied in writing to all members no less than thirty (30) days in advance of the meeting. The following provides guidance on bylaws amendments:

•Amendments shall be ratified by a simple majority vote of the Board.

•The Executive Board shall have power to make, alter, or repeal bylaws with a 2/3 affirmative vote. Notice must be given to the total voting membership at least thirty (30) days prior to the election meeting.

•Bylaws shall be amended by written ballot or through on-line submissions. The ballots or website information shall be provided to Active Members upon request at least thirty (30) days prior to the date set by the Executive Board for the counting of the ballots. Ballots shall be submitted to the Office of Alumnae and Alumni Relations not less than two (2) days prior to the date set for counting the ballots. A two-thirds majority vote of all those voting is required to effect an amendment.

•Tellers (no more than three) shall be appointed by the President of the Association for the purpose of counting the ballots.

•The Alumni Representative Committee Chair shall be responsible for reporting the election results to the Executive Board, announcing them at the Annual Meeting, publishing online, and making available by request.

•Roberts’ Rules of Order (Revised) shall be the parliamentary authority and shall govern on all matters not covered specifically or by necessary implication by the Constitution or By Laws of the Hood College Alumnae and Alumni Association.

Alumnae and Alumni.

The Alumnae & Alumni Association of Hood College Constitution and Bylaws

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