Constitution and Bylaws

The Alumni Executive Committee, consisting of President Quynh Do, Parliamentarian Paula Margolis, Secretary Leslie Knachel, Treasurer Ron Reynolds, and Ex Officio member Lisa Anderson, have finalized the association's draft constitution and bylaws. Please review these in preparation for an assoication vote to finalize these documents. If you have input, please provide your comments to phaa@vcu.edu for consideration.

Constitution & Bylaws of the Alumni/ae Association of the School of Public Health
Medical College of Virginia Campus

CONSTITUTION

ARTICLE I.  NAME

The name of this organization shall be the Public Health Alumni/ae Association, Virginia Commonwealth University, Medical College of Virginia Campus (“the Association” or “Association”).

ARTICLE II.  PURPOSES

This Association is organized and operated exclusively for charitable and educational purposes.  Further, the Association shall:

1. Organize the alumni of the Graduate Public Health Programs (Master of Public Health and PhD in Epidemiology) of Virginia Commonwealth University for the promotion of the welfare of these programs;
2. Maintain a strong relationship between the alumni and the Department of Epidemiology and Community Health (“the Department”), home of these graduate public health programs;
3. Support the Department in its alumni/ae, charitable and educational initiatives;
4. Help strengthen the long-term financial health of the Department through support of its fundraising efforts;
5. Identify and develop resources to assist alumni, students and faculty in their careers;
6. Support and advance the cause of public health.
7. Perform such other charitable and educational purposes as shall be consistent with the purposes herein described, and receive and administer assets exclusively for charitable and educational purposes, no part of the earnings of which shall inure to the benefit of any private shareholder or individual.

ARTICLE III.  MEMBERSHIP

The Membership of the Association shall be:

1. Degree Members;
2. Honorary Members.
3. Associate members, who shall be current public health graduate programs students.

ARTICLE IV.  OFFICERS AND MEMBERS AT LARGE OF THE ASSOCIATION EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

1. The Association will have an Alumni/ae Association Executive Committee (“AEC”) charged with implementing activities which support and accomplish the purposes of the Association.
2. The AEC shall consist of Officers and a maximum of nine Members-at-Large.  The Chair of the Department of Epidemiology and Community Health, or his/her designee, shall serve as an ex-officio member of the AEC.  
3. The Officers of the AEC shall be:
   • Past-President;
   • President;
   • President-Elect;
   • Secretary-Treasurer.
4.  All Members of the Association are eligible to serve as Officers and Members-at-Large of the AEC. 

ARTICLE V.  AMENDMENTS

1. To amend or change the Association Constitution or Bylaws, an Association Mailing ballot documenting the proposed amendment or change must be disseminated to all Members of the Association at their last known physical or e-mail address at least thirty (30) days prior to the date the proposed amendment or change is to take effect.  The adoption of the proposed amendment or change requires a majority vote of all ballots cast in response to the Association dissemination.
2. All Members of the Association may propose amendments or changes to the Constitution or Bylaws.  The AEC will consider all such proposals at its next AEC meeting, provided the proposals are received in writing at least thirty days prior to this next AEC meeting.  The AEC, at its discretion, may also convene a special meeting to consider proposed amendments or changes.  Approval of an amendment or change by at least a two-thirds (2/3) majority vote of the AEC triggers an Association Mailing ballot vote by the Association as described in the Constitution Article V, Section 1.

BYLAWS

ARTICLE I.  DEFINITIONS

AEC or Alumni/ae Executive Committee – the Executive Committee of the Alumni/ae Association of the Department.

AEC Annual Meeting – First Meeting of the AEC which takes place no later than 60 days into the start of a term.

AEC Meeting – a meeting of the AEC.

Annual Meeting(s) of the Association or Association’s Annual Meeting -  Meeting(s) of the Association Members for the purpose of conducting the business of the Association.

Association or The Association – the Alumni/ae Association of the Department.

Association Dissemination – A communication sent to all Members of the Association via regular or e-mail.

Degree Member – An individual who has satisfactorily completed a Graduate Public Health Degree Program.

Degree Program or Graduate Public Health Degree Program – one of Virginia Commonwealth University’s graduate public health programs that confers degrees upon its graduates, including, but not limited to, degrees with nomenclature such as Master of Public Health and PhD in Epidemiology.

Honorary Member – An individual with honorary membership.

Honorary Membership – An individual membership to the Association conferred upon a person, selected by the AEC and the Association to membership in the Association, who has not completed a Graduate Public Health degree program but has performed outstanding achievements in public health practice or research.

Associate Member – a student in one of the Graduate Public Health Degree Programs.

Term – that period of time starting September 1 of one year and ending August 31 of the next year.

ARTICLE II.  MEETINGS

SECTION 1.  The AEC shall meet at a minimum twice per term.  One of these meetings shall be the AEC Annual Meeting. 

SECTION 2.  At all meetings of the AEC, a majority of AEC Officers and Members-at-Large shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business.  The act of a majority of the AEC members present at any meeting at which there is a quorum shall be the act of the AEC. 

SECTION 3.  A member of the AEC may participate in a meeting of the AEC by a conference telephone or similar telecommunications equipment by which all persons participating in the meeting may hear each other if all of the participants are advised of the communications equipment and the names of the participants in the conference are divulged to all participants.  Participation in a meeting pursuant to this Section constitutes presence in person at the meeting. 

SECTION 4.  For purposes of conducting the business of the Association, an Annual Meeting of the Association shall be held at a time and at a place to be selected by the AEC.  The Association will meet at a minimum once per term. 

SECTION 5.  Regional meetings of the Association shall be encouraged and promoted whenever possible, especially in conjunction with conferences of the various regional associations.  Any Member of the Association may call a meeting of the Members of his/her region, but no official action of the Association may be taken at any such meeting.  Any Association Member calling a regional meeting shall notify the Chair of the Department and the President of the Association and shall invite their participation.

ARTICLE III.  MEMBERSHIP

SECTION 1.  Members in the Association include all Degree Members and Honorary Members.

SECTION 2.  Any Member of the Association may make a written recommendation to request the AEC and the Association Membership confer upon an individual Honorary Membership into the Association.  If the written recommendation is received by the Association President at least thirty (30) days prior to an AEC meeting, the written recommendation will be considered by the AEC at that upcoming meeting.  If the written recommendation is received less than thirty (30) days prior to an AEC meeting, or if there is significant time until the next AEC meeting, the AEC at its discretion, may convene a special meeting to consider a recommendation.  Approval of the individual recommended for Honorary Membership by at least a two-thirds (2/3) majority vote of the AEC triggers an Association Mailing to all Members of the Association.  Honorary Membership will be conferred on the individual if a majority all of all ballots cast is in favor of such conference.

ARTICLE IV.  ELECTION OF OFFICERS AND MEMBERS-AT-LARGE

SECTION 1.  The President-Elect of the Association shall be elected for a one-year term, which is to be followed immediately by a one-year term as President, and thereafter a one-year term as Past President.  The Secretary-Treasurer of the Association shall be elected for a one-year term, which is to be followed by the next three immediate terms of President Elect, President, and Past President of the Association per the track described in this Section.  Officers may serve as Members-at-Large after their AEC Officer track described herein has completed, pursuant to the Constitution Article IV, Section 2.

SECTION 2.  Members-at-Large of the Association shall be elected once and serve for three consecutive one-year terms (“three-year term”).  No Member-at-Large may serve more than two consecutive three-year terms.  Following two consecutive three-year terms, an individual may be re-elected as a Member-at-Large after at least one term’s absence from the AEC. Members-at-Large may serve as Officers after any number of terms as a Member-at-Large.

SECTION 3.  Association Officers and Members-at-Large for the next upcoming term are to be recommended from the Association Membership, each year, as needed, by the current AEC’s Nominating Subcommittee.  These recommended Association Members are to be approved by at least two-thirds of the AEC.  Upon such approval, the recommended slate shall be proffered to the Association through an Association mailing ballot at least thirty (30) days prior to the end of the current term.  Ballots shall contain the slate of recommended candidate names as well as a space for a write-in candidate.  Pending the Association Member’s acceptance of the same, Officers and Member-at-Large positions will pass to those Association Members receiving a majority of all ballot votes cast.

SECTION 4.  Officers and Members-at-Large shall be installed, and assume their duties, at the beginning of a term.

ARTICLE V.  DUTIES OF OFFICERS

SECTION 1.  The President of the Association shall preside at all meetings of the Association and AEC.  The President shall appoint, with the advice and consent of the AEC, all Subcommittee members, and shall be an ex officio member of all committees.   He/she shall perform such other duties as usually pertain to the office of president.

SECTION 2.  The President-Elect shall assume the duties of the President in his/her absence or disability.   He/she shall be responsible for the promotion of regional and/or educational activities.

SECTION 3.  The Secretary-Treasurer shall keep minutes of all the proceedings of the Association and the AEC and make an accurate and proper record of the same.   He/she shall be responsible for sending notices and other communications to the AEC and the Association.   He/she shall be responsible for the supervision of all financial matters of the Association in accordance with the authorization of the AEC. He/she shall have input into any departmental specific fund raising activities. He/she shall present to the AEC a report of the financial operations of the Association at the end of the term.  The fiscal year shall be from September 1 – August 31. 

ARTICLE VI.  DUTIES OF THE AEC

SECTION 1.  The AEC shall exercise all of the rights and privileges of the Association in the conduct of business except as herein or hereafter reserved by the Association. 

SECTION 2.  In the event of a vacancy between elections in any elective office, the AEC may fill such office for the unexpired term.

SECTION 3.  All income and expenditures of the Association shall be under the control of the AEC and it shall be the duty of the AEC to safeguard the funds of the Association. 

SECTION 4.  The AEC shall receive a report of monies contributed by alumni/ae to the department and periodically report expenditures to the Association.

SECTION 5.  The AEC shall present a report of activities to the Association at the Association’s Annual Meeting.

ARTICLE VII.  SUBCOMMITTEES

SECTION 1.  Standing Subcommittees.  The President, with the approval of the AEC, shall appoint the following standing Subcommittees:

Nominating Subcommittee:  This subcommittee shall be chaired by the immediate Past-President and consist of two additional members of the AEC.  The duties shall be to nominate from the membership of the Association one candidate for the office of Secretary-Treasurer, knowing that the candidate will also complete the three-year term as President-Elect, President, and Past-President, thereafter.  It shall further be the duty of the Nominating Subcommittee to nominate additional Members-at-Large, as deemed appropriate by the AEC, so that there are up to nine Members-at-Large on the AEC.  These candidates shall be representative of the Association at large and be from separate graduating classes and/or degree programs, if possible.

Awards Subcommittee:  This subcommittee shall be chaired by an AEC member, to be appointed by the President, and consist of two additional AEC members at a minimum.  The duties shall be to select the recipient of that year’s Department’s Outstanding Alumnus/a Award.

Resource Development Subcommittee:  This subcommittee shall be chaired by an AEC member, to be appointed by the President, and consist of two additional AEC members at a minimum.  Members must be representative of various public health fields and may invite the participation of non-association members given the approval of the AEC.  The duties shall be to assist the Department with the development and implementation of a fundraising strategy using, and within, the resources that are available to the Department.

Events Subcommittee: This subcommittee shall be chaired by an AEC member, to be appointed by the President, and consist of two additional AEC members at a minimum.  The duties shall be to assist the AEC in the planning and execution of AEC events.

SECTION 2.  Special Subcommittees.  The president shall, from time to time, appoint such special committees as necessary. 

SECTION 3.  Special Committee Dissolution. Standing and special subcommittees may be dissolved by a two-third majority vote of the AEC when the purposes for which they were appointed have been completed. 

SECTION 4.  Committee Attendance via Conference Call. Participation in a Subcommittee meeting via a conference telephone or similar telecommunications equipment is permissible, as outlined in the Bylaws Article II, Section 3. 

ARTICLE VIII.  AMENDMENTS

These Bylaws may be amended in the same manner as the Constitution of the Association.

ARTICLE IX.  CONDUCT

Except as otherwise provided in the Constitution or Bylaws, Roberts’ Rules of Order, Newly Revised shall govern the conduct of the business of the Association and Subcommittees.