CONSTITUTION
BERRY ALUMNI ASSOCIATION
ARTICLE ONE - Name
The name of this organization shall be the Berry Alumni Association, hereafter referred to as Association.
ARTICLE TWO - Mission Statement
The mission of the Association is to advance the interests of Berry College and to create opportunities for alumni to participate fully in the life and vitality of the global College community. The Association is an integral part of Berry College and serves as a support organization for the College. It has no identity or incorporation apart from the College and is entitled to all rights, privileges and responsibilities granted to other components of the College.
ARTICLE THREE - Membership
Section One: Membership in the Association includes all former students who have attended Berry
(The Mount Berry School for Boys, The Martha Berry School for Girls, Berry Academy, and Berry College) for at least one academic year and/or have earned a minimum of 24 semester hours (36 quarter hours).
1. Associate membership, with all privileges of a member except the right to vote and hold office, is conferred upon the spouse of an association member.
2. Honorary membership may be conferred upon individuals who have given distinctive service to the College and who are elected as honorary members by the majority vote of the Alumni Council, hereafter referred to as Council. Honorary members shall enjoy all privileges of members except the right to vote and hold office. Honorary membership is not conferred upon associate members.
ARTICLE FOUR - Executive Committee
Section One: The elected officers of this Association shall be president, president-elect or immediate past president, and five vice presidents as designated in the bylaws of the organization, all of whom shall be members of the Executive Committee.
1. A president-elect shall be elected biennially and serve for a period of one year in that office. Thereafter, the president-elect shall succeed to the office of president for a period of two years without right of succession.
2. Two vice presidents shall be elected in the same year as the president-elect and shall serve for a period of two years. Three vice presidents shall be elected biennially in alternate years to the election of the president-elect and shall serve for a period of two years. Vice presidents may serve a maximum of four consecutive years.
Section Two: Any vacancy occurring in any elective office of the Association after the election shall be filled by majority vote of a quorum of the Council at its next meeting after the vacancy has occurred. The Executive Committee will recommend nominees for such vacancies.
Section Three: The historian, the parliamentarian, the secretary and the chaplain shall be appointed by the president of the Association for the duration of the president’s term and shall be members of the Executive Committee.
Section Four: Officers shall hold the office to which elected until successors are duly selected and take office.
Section Five: The director of alumni relations shall serve as an ex officio member of the Executive Committee.
ARTICLE FIVE - Alumni Council
Section One: There shall be within this organization a Council which shall fulfill the provisions of this constitution and its bylaws.
Section Two: The membership of the Council shall be reflective of the alumni body and shall consist of the following:
- The Executive Committee of the Association shall be members of the Council and shall serve that body in their respective capacities during the years for which they are elected or appointed. The president of the Association shall serve as a member of the Council and the Executive Committee for one year following the expiration of the presidential term.
- The president of an officially recognized affiliate organization of the Association shall be a member of the Council. The President of an officially recognized affiliate organization may designate another member of the organization to serve as an alternate to attend meetings of the Council.
- In addition, twenty Alumni to will be elected to the Council for terms of two years, and may be re-elected once. Effort will be made to provide for diversity in the Council reflective of the alumni body and needs of the College.
- A vacancy on the Council will exist when a member fails to attend at least two meetings out of three. Executive Committee can fill the vacancy as provided by Article 4, Section 2.
- Ex officio members of the Council will include current class presidents (sophomore through senior class), the president of the student Alumni Association, and the current Student Government Association president. Ex officio members will have voice but no vote.
- Past presidents of the Association through 2007 will be invited to continue as members of the Council on an annual basis.
- Lifetime Council members shall be members of the Council with all rights, privileges, and responsibilities. Nominees for this distinctive membership will be made by the Executive Committee, and approved by the Council.
ARTICLE SIX - Meetings
Section One: The Association shall hold its annual meeting on the campus during Alumni Weekend.
Section Two: The Council shall meet at least three times annually. Notice of the regular meetings of the Council shall be given to the members thirty days in advance. Special meetings may be called by the president.
Section Three: Seventy-five members of the Association (including Council members) shall constitute a quorum at the annual meeting of the Association. Two thirds of the members of the Council shall constitute a quorum at Council meetings.
ARTICLE SEVEN - Constitutional Amendments
Section One: By appropriate resolution and by a two-thirds majority vote of those voting at any regular meeting, provided a quorum is present, the Council may recommend to the Association that the constitution be amended. The proposed amendment, or amendments, shall be presented to the Association at its next annual meeting. A majority of those voting, provided a quorum is present, shall be sufficient to approve the amendment.
ARTICLE EIGHT - Administrative Year
Section One: The administrative year of the Association shall be the same as the fiscal year (July 1 through June 30) of Berry College.
ARTICLE NINE - Elections
Section One: The procedure for election of officers of the Association and the members of the Council, except those expressly provided herein, shall be the method provided in the bylaws. Persons elected or appointed to office or membership on the Council will be introduced and installed at the annual meeting of the Association. They will officially assume office on the first day of the administrative year (July 1).
ARTICLE TEN - Bylaws
Section One: The Council shall have the authority to amend the bylaws by a two-thirds majority of those voting in a quorum at any official meeting of the Council.
Revised February 2007