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Council of Fellows Bylaws

Approved by the American Council on Education
Council of Fellows Alumni/ae body
at the February 2006 COF Annual Meeting, Los Angeles, CA

1. NAME
   The organization shall be known as the American Council on Education (ACE) Council of Fellows (COF).
   
   
2. MISSION
   Council of Fellows Mission Statement
   The ACE Council of Fellows serves as the alumni/ae organization for the ACE Fellows Program, a national leadership development program for higher education. Its mission is to provide opportunities for continued professional development for former ACE Fellows and to promote, contribute to, and provide partial financial support for the ACE Fellows Program.
   
   
   
   1. Serve as the organized and official governing body for alumni/ae of the ACE Fellows Program.
      
      
   2. Support COF professional development programs and other activities recommended by the Executive Board.
      
      
   3. Promote and contribute to the further development of the ACE Fellows Program.
      
      
   4. Serve as a resource as well as an advisor for the Director of the ACE Fellows Program.
      
      
   5. Assist and support the planning efforts for the Fellows Annual Meeting and the ACE Council of Fellows Weekend.
      
      
   6. Aid in the recruitment of candidates for the Fellows Program.
      
      
   7. Promote the financial well being of the ACE Fellows Program by soliciting and contributing support for the Council of Fellows Fund.
      
   
   
   
3. ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE
   
   
   
   1. MEMBERSHIP
      Membership in the ACE Council of Fellows shall consist of all alumni/ae of the ACE Fellows Program.
      
      
   2. MEETINGS
      The ACE Council of Fellows shall meet at least once a year at the ACE Annual Meeting.
      
      
   3. EXECUTIVE BOARD
      
      
      
      1. Management for the COF shall be vested in an Executive Board. No fewer than five and no more than twelve new members, drawn from the full membership, shall be added to the Executive Board each year. Consideration shall be given to class year, race, ethnicity, gender, institutional type, and geographical location. Two members from the current ACE Fellows class shall be added as liaisons to the Executive Board.
         
         
      2. The Director of the ACE Fellows Program shall serve as an ex-officio member, without vote, of the Executive Board and represents the COF in the administrative councils of ACE and to the President and Vice Presidents of ACE. The Director shall prepare an annual report of the budget and expenditures arising out of the funds raised by the COF. This report shall be presented to the Executive Board meeting at the ACE Annual Meeting.
         
         
      3. COF committee service shall be considered in nominations to the Executive Board and to officer positions.
         
         
      4. Members of the Executive Board who miss more than two consecutive meetings may be replaced at the next election as appropriate. COF committee and task force members who are inactive may be replaced at the discretion of the particular COF committee chair, in consultation with the Chair of the Council of Fellows.
         
         
      5. If not elected members, all COF committee chairs and newsletter editor(s) shall serve as ex-officio members.
         
         
      6. All Executive Board members shall serve on one of the COF standing committees.

   4. EXECUTIVE BOARD CHARGE
      
      
      
      1. Priorities include:
         
         1. Provide a representative voice for the Council of Fellows on strategic priority issues. The board shall reflect the diversity of higher education.
            
            
         2. Review and establish priorities of COF annually as they are communicated by the committee chairs to the Executive Board.
            
            
         3. Review annually the preceding year’s income and expenditures for COF and approve budget priorities and operating budgets for the coming year.
            
      2. Provide direct accountability to the COF and thereby to the ACE President and Vice Presidents through the Director of the ACE Fellows Program.
         
         
      3. Convene meetings at least twice a year: (1) at the ACE Annual Meeting, and (2) in conjunction with Council of Fellows Weekend.
         
         
   5. EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
      
      
      
      1. The Executive Committee shall consist of the officers of the Council , the chairs of the committees, the editor(s) of the Newsletter, the coordinators of the State Coordinators, and the immediate past chair of the Council of Fellows.
         
         
      2. The role of the Executive Committee is to serve as a steering committee for the Executive Board and to provide operational oversight of the activities of the Council of Fellows including review of the annual budget.
         
         
      3. The Executive Committee shall meet at least twice a year and as needed.
         
         
      4. The chair of the Executive Board shall convene the Executive Committee meetings.
         
   6. OFFICERS for the Council of Fellows shall be as follows: Chair, Vice Chair/Chair elect, Secretary, and Immediate Past Chair. A Vice Chair/Chair-elect, and a Secretary shall be elected along with each new class of Executive Board members at the Fellows Annual Meeting from a slate prepared by the Nominating Committee.

   7. TERMS OF OFFICE shall be as follows: Executive Board members are elected in classes and serve three-year terms. Members may be re-elected for one term. They subsequently may be re-elected when they have been off the committee a minimum of three years. COF members elected to fill partial terms may be re-elected to two full terms. Terms may also be extended to accommodate election to a position as an officer. Officers serve for one year.

   8. RESPONSIBILITY OF OFFICERS: Voting privileges shall extend to all elected members of the Executive Board. The Executive Board may delegate authority to the four officers to act on its behalf between regular meetings.
      
      
      
      1. CHAIR. Call, set agendas, and preside over all meetings of the COF and its Executive Board; convene, set agendas, and preside over Executive Committee meetings; participate in the preparation of the annual operating budget of the COF; in collaboration with the Director of the ACE Fellows Program, serve as an advocate for the Fellows Program to the ACE president; attend meetings of the ACE Board as an observer; in consultation with other COF officers, appoint chairs and members to committees and task forces as deemed necessary. The Chair shall be an ex-officio member of all committees and task forces.
         
         
      2. VICE-CHAIR/CHAIR ELECT. Attend meetings, as an ex-officio member, of the ACE Commission on Leadership and Institutional Effectiveness; participate in the preparation of the COF annual operating budget; serve in the absence of the Chair and perform other duties as delegated by the Chair.
         
         
      3. SECRETARY. Record minutes of all meetings of the Council of Fellows, the Executive Board, and the Executive Committee; collaborate, as needed, with the editor of the Newsletter on dissemination of information to the COF membership; and record all recommendations approved by the Executive Board.
         
         
      4. IMMEDIATE PAST CHAIR. Serve as chair of the Nominating Committee and name three members of the Nominating Committee to prepare a slate for election of new members of the Executive Board; participate in the preparation of the COF annual operating budget; perform other duties as requested by the Chair of the COF.
         
         
   9. COMMITTEES
      Normally, the COF standing committees are chaired by an elected member of the Executive Board of the Council of Fellows, who serves for a period of at least one year which may be extended by the Council of Fellows Chair. Committee members shall be appointed by the Chair of the Council of Fellows, in consultation with the other officers, and are actively recruited from the entire COF membership. Task forces and ad hoc committees may be established by the Chair of the COF in consultation with the Executive Board., The establishment of standing committees requires a majority vote of COF members in attendance at the meeting at which the committee proposal is presented. Members of standing committees shall be appointed for staggered three-year terms. Members of ad hoc committees and task forces normally serve for the duration of the charge.
      
      
      All formal correspondence from committees to the entire membership or a significant portion of the membership shall be approved in advance by the COF Chair and the Director of the ACE Fellows Program. If funds are required for mailings or other committee activities, approval in advance is required from the COF Chair and the Director of the ACE Fellows Program.
      
      
      Meetings of the Executive Board, standing committees, ad hoc committees, and task forces shall be regularly scheduled in conjunction with the ACE Annual Meeting and at the Council of Fellows Weekend. Additional meetings may be called as necessary. All members of the committees are expected to attend these meetings.
      
      
      Establish the priorities on an annual basis and communicate those priorities to the Executive Board through the chair of the committee.
      
      
      
      1. FINANCE AND DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE. Together with the Director of the Fellows Program, present an annual financial report and proposes an annual budget for the COF. Establish the priorities on an annual basis and communicate those priorities to the Executive Committee through the chair of the committee. This committee will be responsible for operation of the Annual Fund and the Fund for the Future; other fund raising projects upon assignment by the Executive Board; review of fundraising needs of the COF, coordination of efforts of class agents, and recommendations to the Executive Board. Besides the committee chair, a co-chair shall be named each year that will serve as chair the following year. The chair and co-chair, in consultation with the Director of the ACE Fellows Program, will choose at least ten members who will serve on the committee, if there are insufficient volunteers.
         
         
      2. NOMINATING COMMITTEE. Seek suitable nominees; advise nominees of their responsibilities upon election; prepare slate of nominees for approval by the Executive Board prior to election at the Fellows Annual Meeting; and present slate of nominees to the COF at the ACE Annual Meeting;. The committee shall be chaired by the Immediate Past Chair of the Executive Committee. Three additional members, two of whom are continuing members of the Executive Board, are appointed by the Immediate Past Chair of the Executive Committee. The Chair, Vice Chair/Chair Elect and Director of the Fellows Program serve as ex-officio members.
         
         
      3. OUTREACH AND ENGAGEMENT COMMITTEE. The committee shall serve as a bridge between prospective, current, and former Fellows. It shall establish the priorities on an annual basis and communicate those priorities to the Executive Committee through the chair of the committee. This committee shall review all assessments of the program; recommend marketing and recruitment strategies for the program; coordinate communication and outreach for the Fellows Program through state coordinators and recommend activities to enhance alumni/ae involvement; and review the By-laws of the Council of Fellows periodically and recommend changes to the Executive Committee. The committee shall consist of a Chair, immediate past Chair, Chair-Elect, and the State Coordinators and at least six members.
         
         
         The current Chair, Immediate Past Chair, and Vice Chair/Chair-Elect of the COF and the Director of the ACE Fellows Program shall serve as ex-officio members.

      4. PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE. Plan, coordinate, evaluate, and promote continuing professional development activities of the COF (e.g., workshops at the ACE Annual Meeting, Council of Fellows Weekend). Establish the priorities on an annual basis and communicate those priorities to the Executive Committee through the chair of the committee. The Committee shall be comprised of a chair, co-chair, immediate past chair, and at least six members. The co-chair will be named each year and will serve as chair the following year.
         
         
   10. VOTING
       Unless otherwise noted, ex-officio members have the right to vote.

2. NEWSLETTER
   A COF Newsletter, which shall be issued twice a year, shall serve to communicate news about alumni/ae and current Fellows. The editor(s) shall be appointed by the Chair, in consultation with the Executive Board, from Council membership. If the editor is not a member of the Executive Board, he/she will serve on the Executive Board in an ex-officio capacity. Terms of appointment for the editor(s) and the members of the newsletter staff may vary. Clerical and production support shall be provided by the ACE Fellows Program.
   

3. LIMITED STAFF SUPPORT SHALL BE PROVIDED TO THE COF, the Executive Board, the Executive Committee, and other committees by the ACE Fellows Program. It is expected, however, that Council members who accept leadership positions shall provide some support from their own institutions.
   

4. AMENDMENTS
   Amendments and/or changes to the Bylaws shall require advance notice to the Council (either through the Newsletter or by a special mailing) and shall require a majority vote of those attending the COF Annual Meeting.