Alumni

Alumni Association

Bylaws of the Carthage Alumni Association

Article I. Name

The name of this organization shall be the Carthage Alumni Association, hereinafter referred to as "the Association."

Article II. Purpose

The Association, in cooperation with Carthage's administration and faculty, shall organize activities to meet the needs of alumni and help them develop a lifelong relationship with their College. The Association shall work to unify all Carthage alumni for service to the College in the following areas: the development of financial support; the extension of public, community and church relations; recruitment and retention of students; student career planning and placement; the encouragement of academic distinction; and in any other ways consistent with the needs of Carthage. The Association also shall identify needs alumni may have for services from the College and shall help implement programs to serve those needs, e.g., provide an outlet of social activities to rekindle old friendships, communication and networking, etc.

Article III. Membership

The Association defines alumnus/a in the broadest manner possible thereby allowing Carthage to cultivate all individuals who may now or in the future develop an ongoing association with the College. Active membership shall include:

a) All individuals who have received a degree (bachelors or masters) from the College or attended for one (1) year or more excluding currently registered students.
b) Present and Emeritus members of the Board of Trustees, the faculty and staff of Carthage, and all recipients of honorary degrees granted by the College.
c) The President of the College and the Director of Alumni and Parent Relations.
d) Appointed current students, e.g., Student Alumni Association members

Article IV. Management

Management of the Association shall be vested in the Alumni Council, hereinafter referred to as "the Alumni Council."

Section 1. Alumni Council Membership

The Alumni Council shall consist of:

a) Ex-Officio members

1) President of the College
2) Carthage staff as designated by the Office of College Relations ("Staff Designee" or "Council Secretary"), who serve as Council Secretary

b) Elected members

1) Past President (every third year), President, Vice President, President -elect (every third year), Nominations Chair, and Chaplain
2) Up to twenty (20) Alumni Ambassador representatives nominated and elected by the Alumni Association to serve three (3) year terms

c) Appointed Members nominated by the College

1) Up to two (2) Alumni Torchbearer representatives
2) A minimum of two (2) Faculty representatives who serve at the pleasure of the Council
3) Up to four (4) alumni Academic Advisory Committee representatives
4) Up to eight (8) student representatives

d) Non-voting members

1) Members Emeritus

Section 2. Nomination and Election of Alumni Council

a) Nominations for the Alumni Council may be submitted at any time throughout the year by any member of the Association. Nominations must be received by December 31, for consideration by the nominations committee for the following year elections.
b) Each year, on or before March 1, the Nominations Committee (consisting of the Nominations Chair, the President of the Association, Vice President of the Association, the Council Secretary and President-Elect of the Association) shall present a slate of candidates for the Alumni Council (for consideration by the Association).
c) The committee shall ascertain the eligibility and secure the acceptance of each nominee.
d) The slate shall be presented in the Spring edition of the Carthaginian. The deadline for voting shall be no less than four (4) weeks from the date of the Spring issue of the Carthaginian.
e) Alumni Ambassadors, Torchbearer representatives and Academic Advisory Committee representatives shall serve three (3) year terms beginning July 1. Membership shall be staggered so that no more than approximately one-third of the terms expire in any given year. Alumni Ambassadors may serve no more than twelve (12) consecutive years (service as a Student representatives shall not count toward this period). Student representatives shall serve as long as their student status remains active as determined by the College Registrar's Office. The Council Secretary shall facilitate this process.
f) Alumni Ambassadors, Torchbearer representatives and Academic Advisory Committee representatives who have served twelve (12) consecutive years on the Alumni Council or have been identified by the Executive Committee of the Alumni Council as providing distinguished and exemplary service to the Alumni Council shall be eligible for nomination as a Member Emeritus. Election to Member Emeritus status shall be by majority vote of the Alumni Council, upon nomination by the Executive Committee. A Member Emeritus shall serve for a term of three (3) years and may be re-elected without limit. While the position is non-voting with regard to actions taken by the Alumni Council, a Member Emeritus may be invited to participate in all Alumni Council meetings and functions and may be called upon to assist the Alumni Council in those matters where the individual’s interest, experience and expertise will best serve the Alumni Council. The number of such positions is discretionary with the Executive Committee; however, the honor will be reserved for individuals with a record of distinguished service.
g) In special circumstances, the Alumni Council President may appoint new members to the Council at any time. A majority vote of the Alumni Council Executive Committee must approve the appointment.

Section 3. Alumni Council Executive Committee

a) President of the College
b) President of the Alumni Council
c) Past-President (Every third year)
d) President-Elect (Every third year)
e) Vice President
f) Nominations Chair
g) Chaplain
h) Council Secretary

Section 4. Nomination and Election of Alumni Council Executive Committee

a) The first meeting of the Alumni Council each year shall be traditionally held in June, for the express purpose of electing the Executive Committee, who will take office beginning July 1st.
b) The Nominations Committee shall present candidates for the position of President-Elect (every third year) and Nominations Chair. It is assumed that the President-Elect will succeed the President, who will serve a year's term as Past-President. In the event that a sitting President-Elect is unable to serve as President, the Nominations Committee shall nominate another Council member to serve as President.
c) If the Vice President were elected to the President-Elect position, he/she would assume the responsibilities of both positions for a year. If the President-Elect is someone other than the Vice President, the Vice President will assume that individual's responsibilities for the remainder of that individual’s term.
d) If the President cannot continue his/her role as President, and the President-Elect position is not filled, the Vice President will complete the President's term and a new Vice President will be appointed by the new President for the remainder of the Vice President's term. If the President-Elect position is filled then he/she will assume the position of President and complete the remaining term as well as his/her term as President.
e) All officers shall be elected by a majority vote of the Council members present.
f) The Council Secretary shall facilitate this process.

Article V. Duties and Powers of Officers

All officers shall serve 3 year terms unless otherwise specified.

Section 1. President

The President shall be the chief executive officer of the Association and shall be responsible for directing and coordinating the activities and work of all Council members. The President shall serve as the Alumni Association Representative to the Board of Trustees.
The President shall appoint any special committees of the Association.
The President shall preside at all meetings of the Association, Council and Executive Committee, and perform such other duties as may be consistent with and required by the office.

Section 2. President-Elect
The President-Elect shall observe the President in preparation for the role. The President-Elect shall serve a one-year term prior to his/her first term as President therefore being elected every third year, e.g., July 2004-2005, July 2007-July 2008, July 2010-July 2011.

Section 3. Past-President
The Past-President shall advise and assist the President for one year following his/her three-year term as President, e.g., July 2002-July 2003, July 2005-July 2006, July 2008-July 2009.

Section 4. Vice President
The Vice President shall assist the President in supervising the affairs of the Association. The Vice President shall perform the duties of President in the President's absence.

Section 5. Nominations Chair
The Nominations Chair shall be responsible for working with the Office of College Relations to identify and propose nominees for council membership and prepare and present a slate of candidates for officer position(s).

Section 6. Council Secretary
The Director of Alumni and Parent Relations shall serve as Council Secretary. The Council Secretary shall be the historian of the Association and shall be the custodian of the Association’s records. The Council Secretary shall be responsible for the Alumni Association Scholarship fund in concert with the President. The Council Secretary shall also be responsible for the keeping of minutes of all meetings of the Association, Council and Executive Committee; post all proper notices required by these By-Laws; facilitate all elections by having necessary ballots prepared; and perform all other duties incident to the office of Council Secretary.

Section 7. Chaplain
The Chaplain shall be responsible for providing a spiritual dimension to the Council. This includes arranging invocations at meetings.

Article VI. Meetings

Section 1. Special Meetings
Special meetings of the Association may be called by the President, the President of the College, or a majority of the Executive Committee members.

Section 2. Quorum
One-half of the Council shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business at any meeting of the Council.

a) The Council of the Association shall meet four (4) times a year at such time and place as shall be selected by the Executive Committee.
b) The Association shall meet no less than bi-annually at such time and place as shall be selected by the Council.
c) If any member of the Alumni Council is absent from two (2) consecutive regular meetings, without notification to the Alumni Office, he/she may be removed by the President.

Article VII. Staff Support

The Carthage Office of College Relations shall provide all staff needed for the affairs of the Association. The Director of Alumni and Parent Relations shall act as the liaison between the College and the Association and Council.

Article VIII. Amendments to By-Laws

All members of the Association shall be given an opportunity to vote to amend these by-laws. At least thirty (30) days written notice must be provided to the Association. Notification of changes to the By-Laws shall be presented in the Carthaginian. Voting may be performed online. The deadline for voting shall be no less than four (4) weeks from the date of the Carthaginian issue. A majority of those who vote is required.

Updated on 03/11/2009

Contact Us

As always, you may contact the
Alumni Office by e-mail at alumnioffice@carthage.edu;
by phone at (800) 551-1518; by mail: Office of Alumni Relations, 2001 Alford Park Drive, Kenosha, WI 53140; or by stopping in to see us in Lentz Hall 414.