Bylaws of The Alumni Association of the College of Nursing Medical University of South Carolina

Revised March 25, 2019

Article I- Name and Purpose

Section 1-

The name of the Association shall be “The Alumni Association of the College of Nursing of the Medical University of South Carolina”.

Section 2-

The purpose of the Association shall be to engage and network with alumni, recognize alumni achievements, mentor students and advocate for issues important to the nursing profession through the legislative process and development efforts.

Section 3-

The Alumni Association of the College of Nursing members shall be an integral part of the Alumni Association of the Medical University of South Carolina and shall work toward the achievement of the goals and purposes of the Joint Alumni Board.

Article II- Membership

Section 1- Individual Membership

Graduates of the College of Nursing of the Medical University of South Carolina are eligible for membership.

Section 2-

The Dean of the College of Nursing is considered an honorary non-voting member during tenure as dean.

Article III- Annual Meetings

Section 1-

The Nursing Alumni Council date and time determined by the President of the Association.

Section 2-

Special meetings shall be called at the discretion of the President with all members notified within thirty (30) days of the meeting.

Article IV- Officers and Directors

Section 1- Number and Title

The officers of the Association shall consist of President, President-Elect, Past-President, and Secretary, and shall serve as the Executive Committee of the College of Nursing Alumni Council.   

The College of Nursing Alumni Council shall consist of no more than fifteen members.  The members include

• Four officers (President, President-Elect, Past-President and Secretary)
• Nine Directors (two Lowcountry, one Upstate, one Pee Dee, one Midlands, two out of State (SC), two Directors At Large)
• One New Graduate of the College of Nursing (begins term within 3 years of graduation)
• One Director of Student Services and Alumni Affairs  (CON)
• The Dean of the College of Nursing (Honorary non-voting member)
• One Student Representative from any College of Nursing Program (ex officio non-voting),
• One Director of Alumni Affairs and or Associate Director (ex officio, non-voting) 

All members of the Alumni Council must be a member in good standing of the Alumni Association of the College of Nursing of the Medical University of South Carolina. 

Section 2- Eligibility

All members in good standing shall be eligible for the offices of President, President-elect, Past-President and Secretary and the Nursing Alumni Council membership.

Section 3- Term of Office

Officers shall be nominated by the membership at large and appointed by the Nursing Alumni Council.  No person shall be appointed to serve in the same office for more than two consecutive terms.  Any member filling an unexpired term for one-half or more of the term shall be considered to have served one term. 

Section 4- Duties of the Officers and Directors

1. The President Shall:
   1. Serve as the principal officer of the Association and preside at all meetings of the Alumni Council and the executive committee.
   2. Appoint committees and their chairpersons, subject to the approval of the Alumni Council, and make other appointments as necessary.
   3. Serve as ex-officio member of all committees.
   4. Serve as a member of the Joint Alumni Board of the Medical University of South Carolina Alumni Associations.
   5. Represent the College of Nursing Alumni in matters relating to the Association and perform all other duties as may be directed by the Alumni Council.
   6. Serve as President for a period of two (2) years and succeeds to the office of Past-President the following year.  In the event that the President-Elect should be unable to move up to the President’s position for any reason, the current President may serve a second consecutive one-year term before moving to the position of Past-President, under which circumstances a new President-Elect would be elected and assume the office of President the following year.
2. The President-Elect shall:
   1.  Assume the duties of the President in the absence or disability of the President.
   2. Succeed to the office of the President in case of a vacancy in the office.
   3. Perform other duties as assigned by the President.
   4. Serve as President-Elect for a period of two (2) years and succeed to the office of President the following year.
   5. Chair the Appointment Committee.
3. The Past-President shall:
   1. Succeed to the office of Past-President for a term of two (2) years after serving as President.
   2. Serve as mentor for new Council members to orient to Council, review the By-Laws of the Council, responsibilities, and committees.
   3. Chair the Awards Committee
   4. Perform other duties as assigned by the President.
4. The Secretary shall:
   1. Keep, in permanent form, the minutes of the meetings of the Association and of the Council. A copy of these minutes shall be sent to the Dean of the College of Nursing, to the President of the Alumni Association, and to the members of the Alumni Council.
   2. Keep the minutes of the meetings of the Alumni Council and of the members and shall preserve all papers, letters, and records of all transactions.
   3. Send notice of all meetings, including a statement as to the purpose of the meeting.
   4. Assist the Alumni Office in other areas of correspondence.
   5. Chair the By-Laws Review Committee.
   6. Perform other duties as assigned by the President.
5. The Directors and Directors-at-Large shall:
6. Perform all duties as assigned by the President and supported by the Officers of the Council in accordance with the priorities and needs of the Association.

Section 5- Duties of the Alumni Council Members

1. All the powers of the Association are vested in and shall be exercised by the Members of the Alumni Council. .
2. Regularly scheduled meeting of the Council shall be held at such times as deemed necessary by the President or a majority of the Council.  The President shall determine the date and place of meeting in consultation with the Alumni Affairs Liaison of the University.
3. Supervise the affairs of The Alumni Association and devise measures for its growth and prosperity.
4. Approve appointments not otherwise provided for in these By-Laws.
5. Approve appointments to special committees and create additional committees as deemed necessary to accomplish the purpose of the Alumni Association.
6. Fill vacancies of all elected officers and directors except the President, President-Elect, and Past-President.
7. In case of an emergency, votes by referendum vote or by conference call may be taken by the Alumni Council, provided the contents are conveyed in the same words to each member.
8. The above enumeration of duties shall in no way necessarily serve as prohibition on other possible appropriate duties.

Section 6- Executive Committee of the Nursing Alumni Council

1. Executive Committee of the Council shall be composed of the President, President-Elect, Past-President, and Secretary.
2. The Executive Committee shall have all the powers of the Council that may lawfully be delegated between meetings of the Council for business of emergency nature.
3. All action taken by the Executive Committee shall be reported, in full, to the Alumni Council at its next regularly scheduled meeting.
4. The Executive Committee may conduct emergency business by telephone, WebEx or mail.
5. Three members of the Executive Committee shall constitute a quorum, one of whom shall be the President or President-Elect.

Article V- Elections

Section 1- Election of Officers

The President-Elect shall be elected every two (2) years and succeed to the office of the President the following year.  The Secretary shall be elected every two (2) years.  Should the President-Elect be unable to move up to the President’s position for any reason, the current President may be elected to serve a second consecutive term, under which circumstances a new President-Elect would also be elected and would succeed to the office of the President the following year.

Section 2- Election of Directors

Directors will be elected by a majority vote of the Council and will be asked to serve a three (3) year term.  At the request of the President and a majority vote of the Council may be asked to serve a second three year term.  To assure the momentum of the Council, at no time should greater than fifty percent (50%) of the Directors be turned over at one election.

Article VI- Council Committees

Section 1

1. There shall be the following standing committees:
   1. Student Mentoring
   2.  Alumni Engagement 
2. There shall be the following ad-hoc committees to be convened when needed:
   1. Alumni Awards Committee
   2. Appointment Committee
   3. By-Laws Review Committee

Section 2- Quorum for Committees

A quorum for committee meetings shall be a majority of its members.

Section 3 – Student Mentoring

1. The Student Mentoring Committee shall be composed of (2) Council members with an expressed interest in this area.  If additional committee members are needed, they shall be appointed from the current Members-at-Large.

Section 4 – Alumni Engagement

1. The Alumni Engagement Committee shall be composed of (2) Council members with an expressed interest in this area.  If additional committee members are needed, they shall be appointed from the current Members-at-Large.

Section 3- Alumni Awards (Ad Hoc)

1. The Alumni Award Committee shall be composed of a minimum of three (3) Council members to be appointed by the President.  If additional committee members are needed, they shall be appointed from the current Members-at-Large.
2. The Alumni Award Committee may annually recommend to the Council up to four (4) alumni who have made significant contributions to the nursing profession.  Each award would focus on a specific area of nursing practice:  Clinical, Education, Research, and Administration.

Section 4 - Appointment Committee (Ad Hoc)

1. The Appointment Committee shall be created when there is a vacancy on the Nursing Alumni Council that needs to be filled.  The Committee will be composed of a minimum of three (3) members that are appointed by the President.
2. The Appointment Committee will ensure a Call for Appointment Applications is issued annually.
3. Appointment Applications may be completed by members of the College of Nursing Alumni Association for a seat on the Council.  Appointment recommendations may also be submitted by Alumni members, the Nursing Alumni Council, the Director of Student Affairs Alumni Association (CON) or the Dean of the College of Nursing.
4. The Appointment Committee will review applications and present the slate of candidates to the Nursing Alumni Council for consideration.

Section 5- By-Laws Review Committee (Ad Hoc)

The By-Laws Review Committee will be chaired by the Secretary and will be composed of a minimum of three (3) members.  The committee will meet yearly to review the By-Laws and make any necessary changes to be voted on by the Alumni Council.

Article VII- Parliamentary Authority

The rules contained in Roberts Rule of Order, Newly Revised, shall govern the Association in all cases which they are not inconsistent with these bylaws.

Article VIII- Amendments

Section 1- Bylaws

1. The Council shall be responsible for reviewing the By-Laws annually and updating and revising the By-Laws as deemed necessary and appropriate.
2. The By-Laws may be amended at any regular meeting by a majority vote of the Council present and voting provided a copy of the proposed amendments has been made available to each member at the meeting for review prior to the vote.

Section 2

Proposed amendments shall be submitted to the Council electronically five (5) days prior to the Council meeting for consideration. .

Section 3-

Amendments to the By-Laws of the Alumni Association of the College of Nursing adopted at any regular meeting which directly relate to the business of the Association shall promptly be incorporated in the By-Laws.