Bylaws of West Virginia University School of Nursing Alumni Association 2014

Article I: Name

Section 1.

The name of this organization shall be the “West Virginia University School of Nursing Alumni Association.”

Article II: Mission

Section 1.

The West Virginia University School of Nursing Alumni Association, a non-profit organization,   promotes the West Virginia University School of Nursing to foster a spirit of camaraderie, scholarship and loyalty among students, graduates, faculty, and honorary alumni of West Virginia University School of Nursing.

Article III: Membership

Section 1.

All graduates from West Virginia University School of Nursing programs (including undergraduate, graduate and certificate) hereinafter shall be called Alumni, and shall be eligible for full membership status.

All Alumni shall receive Association publications and invitations to Association events.

Section 2.

The levels of membership and benefits are heretofore described.

Full Active Membership

  1. Must be West Virginia University School of Nursing Alumni
  2. Membership dues are up to date
  3. Is eligible to vote
  4. Is eligible to hold membership on the Board of Directors
  5. Is eligible to receive Association event discounts

Affiliate membership

  1. Faculty, students, and other friends of  the West Virginia University School of Nursing who are not graduates of West Virginia University School of Nursing
  2. Membership dues are up to date
  3. Is eligible to receive Association event discounts

Honorary Membership

  1. Persons who have made outstanding contributions to the nursing profession or to the mission of this Association may be elected to honorary membership.
  2. Is eligible to receive Association event discounts

Article IV: Board of Directors

Section 1. Duties and Responsibilities

The Board of Directors shall be the governing body of the Association, and shall be responsible for its management, control, and development. The Board of Directors shall prescribe the order of business for all meetings of the Association. The Board may amend the Bylaws as hereinafter provided. The Board shall be authorized to assist the School of Nursing in ways consistent with the mission of the Association. The duties of the Board members shall include regular participation in meetings, prompt response to all communications, and other duties as designated by the Board consistent with the mission of the Association and the mission of the West Virginia University School of Nursing.

Section 2. Number of Members

The Board shall be composed of the following:

Voting Members:

  1. Past President
  2. President
  3. Vice President
  4. Eight elected members

Non-Voting Members:

  1. Dean of the School of Nursing
  2. Development Officer - School of Nursing
  3. Director Alumni Affairs - School of Nursing/Secretary/Treasurer
  4. President and Vice President(s) of the Student Nurses Association
  5. Graduate Student Representative
  6. Assistant Dean for Student Affairs

Section 3. Term

The voting members of the Board of Directors will be elected for a term of three (3) years. Elections will be held by electronic ballot in the fall of odd numbered years with the number to be elected in rotating order according to their year of election. There will be a three (3) year rotating term with voting every other year. The Past President serves one (1) additional year.

Section 4. Vacancies

A vacancy in office of President shall be filled by the automatic succession to that office by the Vice President. The President shall appoint member/s to fill vacancies in offices or on the Board for unexpired terms or until the next scheduled election.

Section 5. Removal from Office

No member of the Board may be removed from office or the Board during the term for which he/she is elected except for official misconduct, incompetence, neglect of duty, or inability to meet requirements of the office or Board.

Article V: Officers

Section 1. Types of Officers

The officers of the Board of Directors shall be officers of the Association. The officers of the Board of Directors shall consist of a President, Past President, Vice President, and Secretary/Treasurer.

Section 2. Election and Terms of Officers

The President and Vice President shall each be elected by and from the Board of Directors for a two (2) year term. Election of officers shall occur at the first meeting of the Board of Directors in the even years.

Section 3. Officers

Past President

The Past President shall be Chairperson of the Bylaws Committee. The term of office shall be two (2) years, immediately following their term as President.

President

The President shall preside at all meetings of the Association, and of the Board of Directors and perform such other duties as may pertain to the office. At the conclusion of the two (2) year term, she/he will become Past President.

Vice President

In absence of the President, the Vice President shall perform the duties of the President.

Secretary/Treasurer

The Secretary/ Treasurer will be the Director Alumni Affairs - School of Nursing and shall keep the official records of the meetings of the Association. She/he will arrange an annual audit of the funds of the organization. The Secretary/Treasurer is a non-voting member.

Article VI: Meetings

Section 1. Regular Meetings

The Association shall have at least one (1) meeting annually. Notification of the meeting location and time shall be communicated through one or all of the following: telephone, U.S. Mail, e-mail and/or the alumni website at least fifteen (15) days prior to the meeting date.

Section 2. Meetings of the Board of Directors

The Board of Directors shall hold at least three (3) meetings each year. The call for meetings, designating the time and place, shall be issued by the President and Director Alumni Affairs – School of Nursing at least fifteen (15) days in advance of the meeting. Seven (7) voting members of the Board of Directors shall constitute a quorum for meetings of that body. Attendance may be by electronic or telephonic means. When there is not a quorum, proposed actions must be approved by mail ballot or electronic means prior to implementation.

Section 3. Special Meetings

Special meetings of the Association or Board may be held as circumstances warrant. A special meeting of the Association may be called by the President, two members of the Board, or twenty members of the Association. The membership of the Association shall be notified of such special meetings at least three weeks prior to the meeting.

Section 4. Voting at Regular and Special Meetings

Voting privileges at meetings shall be confined to Full Active Members of the Association. Proxy voting shall not be permitted. A minimum of fifteen (15) members present at the meetings shall constitute a quorum. When there is not a quorum, proposed actions must be approved by mail ballot or electronic means prior to implementation.

Section 5. Rules of Order

The most current version of Robert’s Rules of Order and general parliamentary law shall be the general guide in the conduct of the business of all meetings.

Article VII Committees

Section 1.

The Board of Directors shall select the membership of the standing committees and other committees as needed. The standing committees of the Association shall be as follows.

Nominating Committee

The Nominating Committee shall consist of three (3) members, one of whom will be designated as Chair. The Nominating Committee shall secure the consent to serve and prepare a slate of nominees for the Board of Directors.  

Finance Committee

The Finance Committee shall annually prepare and recommend to the Secretary/Treasurer and the Board of Directors a budget and plans for management of Association funds. The Committee shall consist of the three (3) members, one of whom will serve as Chair, and the Secretary/Treasurer.

Bylaws Committee

The Bylaws Committee shall review the Association Bylaws and recommend changes as needed. The proposed changes shall be submitted to the Board for action. The committee shall consist of the Past President and at least two (2) members, one of whom will serve as Chair.

Awards Committee

The Awards Committee shall recommend to the Board of Directors the student award winners and the alumni honorees of the year that the Association might wish to confer including honorary memberships. The committee shall recommend the criteria for all awards identified. The committee shall consist of at least three (3) members.  The Alumnus of the Year, Honorary Alumnus Award winner, and the Distinguished Alumnus of the Year, when awarded, will be chosen from nominees at a Board of Directors meeting.

The Special Committees shall include:

Events Planning Committee

The Events Planning Committee shall recommend to the Board of Directors plans to correlate with the West Virginia University Homecoming Activities and the West Virginia University Alumni Reunion Activities.  The committee will be chaired by a voting member of the Board of Directors.  The Secretary/Treasurer and a representative of the Student Nurses Association shall be members of the committee.  The committee shall consist of at least three (3) members.

Section 2. Committee Chairperson

The Chairperson of each standing Committee shall be a member of the Board elected by the membership of the committee and shall serve as Chair for the term of their time on the Board. The Chairperson of each special committee shall be named by the Board of Directors.

Section 3. Terms of Office

A member of a standing committee shall serve a two-year term, commencing at the first meeting of each year. There is no restriction on the number of terms a member can serve. The members of special committees shall serve the term designated at the time of their appointment

Section 4. Quorum

Quorums for committees shall be a simple majority of its members.

Section 5. Committee Membership

Any alumnus can be a member of a special committee.

Article VIII: Fiscal Year

The fiscal year of the Corporation shall begin on July 1st of one year and terminate on June 30th of the following year.

Article IX: Amendments

These Bylaws may be amended by a vote of the majority of the voting members of the Board of Directors. Notice of the proposed amendments shall be given to the members of the Board of Directors at least fifteen (15) days prior to the meeting.

Article X: Repeal of Former Constitution and Bylaws

Section 1.

All provisions of the former Constitution and Bylaws of the Association and amendments thereof, are hereby repealed.

Section 2.

The Constitution and Bylaws shall become effective December 4, 2014.

Article XI

Upon the dissolution of the Association, the Board of Directors shall, after paying or making provisions for the payment of all the liabilities of the Association, distribute all assets of the Association exclusively for the purpose of the Association to the West Virginia University School of Nursing. However, should the above named beneficiary not be qualified or not be in existence or unwilling or unable to accept the assets of the Association, the Board of Directors shall distribute all assets of the Association exclusively for the purposes of the Association in such manner or to such organization(s) organized and operated exclusively in charitable, educational or scientific purposes as shall at the time qualify as an organization(s) described in section 501c (3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as the Board of Directors shall determine.