The Bylaws of the
Geneva College Alumni Association

Article I - Name

The Association shall be known as the "Geneva College Alumni Association," hereafter referred to as the Association.

Article II - Mission Statement

The Association is an organization of graduates and former students who are committed to assist, advance, support, and promote the Christian, educational, and cultural mission of Geneva College and to provide a means by which the alumni may both serve its students and secure Geneva′s future. The Association seeks to promote communication and a sense of community among alumni, to continue friendships, and to provide services, with the assistance and cooperation of the administration, which benefit the alumni and future alumni of Geneva College. The Association also exists to foster communication between alumni and the college and between alumni and students.

Article III -Association Goals

1) Affirm Geneva′s commitment to Christian higher education in traditional, adult and graduate programs.

2) Provide financial and volunteer support from the alumni of the College.

3) Involvement in the College′s effort to recruit and advise, with the administration, qualified and worthy individuals of all races, color, religious creed, ancestry, national origin, age, handicap, or sex to enroll as students at Geneva.

4) Adopt and create programs and services with the alumni to further the goals of Geneva that will encourage the return of alumni to the campus.

5) Develop and implement programs that recognize alumni and friends for their outstanding personal achievements and exemplary support of the College.

6) Develop and implement programs to create awareness of the Association among new graduates and current students and encourage them to become active alumni.

7) Develop an effective program for soliciting gifts from alumni through class reunions, class representatives, and other activities to generate annual support from those alumni and friends.

8) Assist in career development and networking programs.

9) Oversee the creation and governance of regional alumni chapters and affinity groups.

10) Initiate, encourage, and promote activities and communication related to these groups. (See Addendum A)

Article IV - Alumni Council

Section 1. Name
The governing board of the Association shall be the Geneva Alumni Council, hereafter referred to as the Council or GAC.

Section 2. Membership
The Council shall consist of nine (9) elected members from the Association and two (2) ex-officio members; a trustee and the Director of Alumni Relations. Members of the Council shall be alumni in good standing as determined by the Office of Alumni Relations.

Section 3. Duties
The Council shall be vested with full authority to act on behalf of the Association. Their duties shall be to determine the policies and regulate the activities of the Association. The Council shall, from time to time, request that representatives from the various constituents of the College community (i.e. faculty, staff, students, trustees,) attend meetings and participate in discussions. As needed, the Council may request that these representatives form as an ad hoc committee to facilitate event, recognition, and communication functions.

Section 4. Election
At the time of the adoption of these Bylaws, nine (9) members of the Council will be elected, three for three-years, three for two-years, and three for one-year terms. Thereafter, each year at the annual business meeting of the Council, three (3) members shall be elected to the Council for a three-year term. No member may be elected to more than two consecutive terms on the Council.

Article V - Officers and Executive Committee

Section 1. Officers
The officers of the Association shall perform such duties as are indicated by their respective titles: President, Vice President, and Secretary/Historian. The administrative affairs of the Council shall be delegated to the Director of Alumni Relations, who is elected by the College Board of Trustees. Election of officers shall be held annually at the spring meeting with the terms beginning June 1^st of that calendar year.

Section 2. Executive Committee
The Executive Committee shall consist of the three (3) elected officers of the Association. The Director of Alumni Relations shall be a member ex-officio. The Executive Committee shall serve as an interim advisory body in the transaction of the business of the Association in accordance with the policies outlined by the Council.

Section 3. Officers′ Duties
The President will be the Association and Council (GAC) spokesperson, conduct the meetings, assign tasks, call Ad-hoc meetings and exercise the removal clause.

The Vice President will be the liaison to the committees and shall encourage financial support of the College′s mission through new and established fund-raising programs.

The Secretary/Historian will provide meeting notes for review, conduct elections and maintain a history of the Association.

Officers cannot chair committees.

Section 4. Vacancies
In the event of the incapacity of or at the request of any officer, the Council may declare that a vacancy exists in the office held by such person and elect another to fill that office.

Article VI - Standing Committees

The President shall appoint the following committees annually:

a) Events

b) Recognition

c) Communication

The President and the Director of Alumni Relations shall be ex-officio members of each committee.

It is recommended that the chairpersons of each committee be named from among the membership of the Council. The Committee members shall be any graduate, former student or College friend, preferably non-Council members.

Article VII - Alumni Trustees

Section 1. Board of Trustees Alumni members
In keeping with the bylaws of the College, alumni nominees to the Board of Trustees shall be chosen by the Council on behalf of the Association for election by the Board of Corporators (Geneva College Bylaws, Article 3, section B-1.1 and B-4).

Section 2. Alumni Trustees Report
Those Trustees representing alumni shall provide a written report at the Spring meeting of the Council, which shall include the number of Board meetings attended during the year and other information that will enable the alumni to know how they are being represented on the College Board of Trustees.

Article VIII - Meetings

Section 1. Regular Meetings
The Alumni Council shall hold regular quarterly meetings, and the Executive Committee shall meet at the call of the President.

Section 2: Annual Business Meeting
The annual business meeting shall be at the call of the President. This usually takes place at the time of the Alumni Day Dinner or Spring meeting.

Article IX - Class Representatives

Graduates of the College shall have the privilege of effecting and maintaining their own class organizations, with the understanding that among their officers shall be a president and a secretary who shall perform the duties indicated by the name and through whom chiefly the connection with the Association and its work may be kept up. In the event of any class failing to organize and function, the Council may effect a functioning class organization by the appointment of the proper officers.

Article X - Regional Clubs

Any group of alumni or former students may form a regional club or affinity group of the Association. Any Bylaws adopted by any regional club or affinity group shall be subject to the approval of the Council.

Article XI - Nominations

Annually the Council shall consider nominees for the ensuing year. The Director of Alumni Relations shall advertise in an appropriate issue of the alumni publication for nominations that may be made to the committee.

Article XII - Amendments

Proposed amendments to these bylaws may be initiated by the Council or the Association.

The Association may amend or rescind these bylaws at any regular or special meeting of the Association by a vote of a majority of its members provided that in the call or notice for such a meeting a copy of the proposed amendment or resolutions is given to all members of the Association.

PURPOSE AND FUNCTIONS OF ALUMNI COUNCIL COMMITTEES

Committees in general

The purpose of each committee shall be to support the mission of the College and the Alumni Association. With each functioning committee the goals of the association can be realized. The chair of each committee shall be a member of the Council. However, committee membership shall not be limited to council members. Each chair is encouraged to involve students with their committees.

Events Committee

The committee shall plan, promote, and participate in Alumni Day and Homecoming Day, working with the alumni staff. This committee shall plan and organize any and all special events of the Association and may include auctions, alumni interest group meetings (education alumni, business alumni, DCP alumni, etc.).

This committee shall initiate a program of Alumni Fellows. An Alumni Fellow is an individual who returns to the campus to participate in a seminar, lecture, management lunch group, convocation or special event where his/her expertise is helpful and beneficial to Geneva students or alumni.

Recognition Committee

The recognition committee shall meet to determine recipients of Distinguished Service Awards and recommend to the President of the Alumni Association, President of the College, and President of the Board of Trustees the recipient of the "Life G" Award. Any and all other ad hoc special alumni acknowledgements shall also be recommended and administered by this committee.

Communication Committee

This committee shall work with the Alumni Council and appropriate organizations to assist with all communications to alumni. It shall also work on the following special initiatives:

• Work with the career development staff to review, recommend, and promote career opportunities for students and alumni.
• Assist in the recruitment of traditional and non-traditional students and shall be a recommending body to Admissions Department and to Degree Completion staff. This committee shall begin by meeting with the College staff to more clearly define its role.

Addendum A: Guidelines for Alumni Chapters & Affinity Groups

Overview: As mandated by by-laws, the Geneva Alumni Council encourages and governs the formation of alumni chapters and affinity groups. [Article III 9, 10)]

Guidelines:

1. All alumni chapters/affinity groups must be approved by action of the Geneva Alumni Council (GAC). This approval may occur at a regularly scheduled GAC meeting or through e-mail action.

2. Application to form a chapter/affinity group must include the following information. Please submit electronically to alumni@geneva.edu.
3. 1. Date of application
   2. Proposed name
   3. Purpose
   4. Mission statement
   5. Description of membership (who can belong)
   6. Contact name(s)

3. Once application is approved, the chapter/group is now an "official" organization under the GAC. The chapter/group may draw up a set of by-laws. When complete, they must be submitted to the GAC for approval.

4. Annual reporting to the GAC is required. This reporting may be in writing or in person as determined by the GAC.

5. All accounts relating to the chapter/group must be set up and managed through the Geneva College business office.

6. All related mailings, newsletters (e-newsletters or published), or events must receive prior approval from the Office of Alumni Relations. Requests for mailing lists must be coordinated through Alumni Relations. Events information should be provided to the Office of Special Events for posting in Raisers Edge.

7. Attendance at all Geneva-sponsored alumni events should be recorded and reported to the Office of Alumni Relations.

8. Web postings of such events will be handled by the Office of Alumni Relations and linked to other pages as appropriate.

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