Constitution

Constitution

Article I

Name

The name of this organization shall be the Penn State Lehigh Valley Alumni Society (Society).

Article II

Purpose

The Society is to serve at the will of the Chancellor to support the needs of the students, alumni, and activities of the Lehigh Valley campus. The society seeks to nurture and foster strong relationships with all Penn State alumni living and working in the Lehigh Valley, and provides additional avenues for identification, contact, and representation of alumni within the Penn State Alumni Association and the Society, and stimulates the continued interest of all graduates and former students of the Lehigh Valley campus. The Society also may act as an informal advisory board to the Chancellor of the College, as well as a strong force in helping to meet needs of the campus, the students and those of the Lehigh Valley campus in general.  The mission of the Society is to act as ambassadors for the University and the Lehigh Valley campus by engaging Alumni, Students, and the Community.

Article III

Membership

  1. Dues as set and paid to the Penn State Alumni Association (PSAA) shall provide a basis of eligibility for membership in the Penn State Lehigh Valley Alumni Society. The Society may consist of all alumni of Penn State University, including any campus or college within the University who is an active member of the PSAA.
  2. Faculty members, parents of students or alumni, students, and other loyal friends may be members upon payment of the Alumni Association’s associate member dues.
  3. The Lehigh Valley Campus Student Government Association (SGA) President or a representative thereof, the Lion Ambassadors, or a representative thereof, the Blue and White Society, or a representative thereof, or a current student representative of the Penn State Lehigh Valley campus will serve as Ex-officio Directors of the Society.
  4. The Lehigh Valley Campus Executive Officer, Development Officer, Alumni Liaison, Faculty Representative, Alumni Association Representative will serve as Ex-officio Directors of the Society.

 

Article IV

Finance

  1. The Penn State Alumni Association will provide an annual financial allocation for Penn State Lehigh Valley alumni relations programming. Some of these funds are to be used for Society operation.
  2. The Office of Alumni Relations shall administer the University account. The Alumni Relations Office or its designee shall be responsible for depositing and accounting for all donations or other incidental monies that result from meetings or other events conducted by the Society.
  3. Officers of the Society and members of the Board may be reimbursed for expenses incurred while on Society related business with previous approval. Such reimbursements shall conform to existing University guidelines.

Article V

Board of Directors

  1. All affairs of the Society shall be conducted by a Board of Directors (Board) consisting of Elected Directors and Ex-officio Directors as set forth in the by-laws.
  2. The Board will elect the Society officers as set forth in the by-laws.
  3. All actions of the Board shall be decided by majority vote with the concurrence of the campus Chancellor or delegate. A majority vote is defined as a majority of those present at any regular or duly called meeting of the Society Board of Directors.

Article VI

Elections and Removal of Board of Directors

  1. The members of the Board shall be elected for a term of two (2) years.
  2. All Board members and At-large Directors shall be nominated by a nominating committee, and shall be elected by the Board of Directors. Exceptions may be held for special elections held to replace vacant directors’ positions between regular elections.
  3. In the event a director is absent for three (3) unexcused board meetings, or with failure to maintain membership in the PSAA, the Board will review the director’s status according to procedures as set forth in the by-laws.
  4. Elected terms will begin July 1 and end June 30. Nomination and election procedures shall be completed by April 30.

 

 

 

Article VII

Officers

  1. The Society Executive Board shall consist of the President, Vice President, and Secretary.
  2. Terms of all officers shall be two (2) years, commencing on the first of July following the time of election. The Board of Directors shall elect the Society’s officers pursuant to Article V.
  3. Officers shall be afforded the opportunity to serve two consecutive terms provided they are selected by a majority vote during the voting process at the end of each term.
  4. When there is a vacancy on the Executive Board, within fifteen (15) days the Nominating Committee shall notify all members of the vacancy and the candidates in consideration. All members shall have fifteen (15) days to vote if they choose and the vacancy will be filled by strict majority of votes received. Such interim appointment shall not count toward the two (2) term limit, if applicable. If there are no nominee for an officer position, the Board may, upon vote, extend the term of the incumbent as necessary.
  5. Employees of the Penn State Lehigh Valley campus shall not serve as elected officers of the Society.
  6. A representative of the Office of Alumni Relations will serve as the liaison between the Offices of Development and University Relations and will be responsible for the preparation of meeting materials, mailings, and reports.

Article VIII

Duties of the Officers

  1. President
    The President shall preside at all meetings and shall be responsible for the general supervision of all work on the Society.

    1. All committee chairs shall be appointed by the President with the approval of the Executive
    2. The President may serve on all committees as an ex officio member.
    3. The President or designee shall serve as the Society’s delegate to the Penn State University’s Alumni Council.
  2. Vice President
    The Vice President shall perform such duties as may be assigned by the President. The Vice President also shall assume the duties of the President in the event of incapacity or the absence of the President. The office of Vice President shall also serve as the Treasurer with the capacity to compile and report on financial aspects of the group.
  3. Secretary
    The Secretary shall record and read the minutes of all meetings and will work with the Office of Alumni Relations to assure that all correspondence is handled in a timely manner.

 

Article IX
Meetings

  1. At least one regular meeting of the Society shall be held each year to be known as the annual meeting. The annual meeting shall be held on a date and at the place fixed by the Executive Board
  2. Special meetings of the Society shall be called at the direction of the President. Written notices of the annual meeting and of the special meetings shall be sent out by the office of Alumni Relations at least two (2) weeks in advance of the meeting.
  3. The Executive Board shall meet at the call of the President or at the request of a majority of the members of the Executive Board.
  4. Committees shall meet on the call of the committee chair or at the request of the Society President.
  5. The President will create a meeting schedule at six (6) month intervals, subject to modification, with proper notification to all members.

Article X
Amendments

  1. The constitution and by-laws may be amended by a two-thirds vote of the society members present at the annual meeting provided that:
    1. The amendments shall have been placed before the members of the Society at least one month prior to the meeting at which such amendment is acted upon.
    2. The amendment or amendments adopted shall, previous to their adoption, have been acted upon favorably by a majority of the Board at a regular or special meeting of the Board.
  2. By-laws or amendments must not conflict with the mission and bylaws of the Penn State Alumni Association.

 

 

 

 

By-Laws

Article I

Attendance and Resignation

  1. It is the responsibility of each Board member to attend all regular meetings of the Board. In the event that a Board member misses three consecutive meetings, the Executive Board will review the member’s status and recommend action to the Board. The Office of Alumni Relations shall notify the member in writing of the Board’s decision.
  2. Failure to comply with the attendance requirements or failure to act in the best interest of the Society shall be grounds for dismissal.

Article II
At-large Directors

  1. At-large Directors shall consist of a maximum of twenty-five members.
  2. At-large Directors shall consist of the president or a representative of each Chapter, Affiliate Program Group, and Affiliate Interest Group.

Article III
Ex-officio Directors

  1. Ex-officio Directors shall have all the privileges of membership except the right to vote.
  2. Ex-officio Directors may include, but not be limited to:
    1. The Campus Chancellor
    2. The Campus Director of Development
    3. The Campus Director of Alumni Relations
    4. The Student Government Association President or representative from the Lehigh Valley campus
    5. The Lion Ambassador President or representative from the Lehigh Valley campus
    6. The Society’s immediate past President
    7. Any faculty/staff member of the Penn State Lehigh Valley campus
    8. Blue and White Society President or representative from the Lehigh Valley campus.

Article IV
Committees

  1. Standing committees of the Board shall consist of but not be limited to: membership and volunteer development, marketing and communication, events and programming, stewardship.
  2. The Nominating Committee will be chaired by the immediate past President who will assemble members as needed.

Article V

Meetings

  1. Written notice of all meetings held by the Board shall be given by the Secretary or Office of Alumni Relations at least two (2) weeks prior to such meetings.

 

Reviewed and approved by the Penn State Alumni Association, November 2017.

Reviewed and approved by the the PSULV Board of Directors:                    April, 2018.