Revised October 15, 2016
Article I Name of the Organization
The name of the association shall be the Southern New Hampshire University Alumni Association, the University recognized organization for all alumni. Southern New Hampshire University was formerly known as New Hampshire College and New Hampshire School of Accounting and Secretarial Sciences and New Hampshire College of Accounting and Commerce.
Article II Mission Statement
The purpose of the association is:
To provide support, as alumni, through leadership and commitment, to the tradition and future of the Southern New Hampshire University community and to develop and enhance alumni pride in, and affinity to, the university.
The rules and regulations and general constitution and conduct of the Association shall be covered by a set of By-Laws, which may be amended in accordance with the provision thereof.
Article I Members of the Alumni Association
Membership in this Association shall consist of Active and Honorary Members.
A. Active Members: Shall be holders of academic degrees or certificates conferred by Southern New Hampshire University.
B. Honorary Members: Shall be all holders of honorary degrees conferred by Southern New Hampshire University and for those individuals whom the Association wishes to honor because of their devotion, service or generosity to the University or Alumni Association. Honorary members shall enjoy all the privileges of active members except the right to hold a position/office on the Alumni Board of Directors.
Article II Management of the Alumni Association
Section 1- The management of this Association shall be vested in an Alumni Board to be called the Southern New Hampshire University Alumni Board of Directors. The Board of Directors shall be responsible for the policy and programming of the Association and shall have general powers as to meetings, and the designation of means appropriate to the attainment of the purposes of the Association.
Section 2 - The Executive Committee will have the authority to make decisions when expeditious action is an absolute necessity.
Article III Alumni Board of Directors
Section 1- The Alumni Board of Directors will consist of a minimum of 16 and no more than 22 voting members including the Executive Committee.
A. Elected Board Members:
1. The Executive Committee members shall be elected for a maximum of two -three year terms with roll off for one year before returning for re-election to the Board. (See Article VIII, Section A)
2. The Board of Directors shall be elected for a maximum of two – three year terms with roll off for one year before eligibility for re-election the board or pursue an Executive Committee position.
B. Appointed Board Members: The President of the Board of Directors may appoint two additional Board Members. These members shall be appointed for a one year term and confirmed by a majority of the Board of Directors.
C. Non-Voting Student Representatives:The President of the Board of Directors may appoint one representative of the Student Government Association (UC) and one student representative of the COCE Student Advisory Board.
Section 3 - Members of the Board absent from two regular board meetings or a total of 50% during the year without notice will be notified that they are in jeopardy of being removed as a Board member. The individual may be asked to resign by the President of the Board of Directors. Provisions will be made for remote participation for all regularly scheduled meetings.
Section 4 - At any time a director may resign by tendering resignation to the President. Except as otherwise provided, resignation as a director will also constitute resignation as a member of any committee of the Board.
Section 5 - Removal of a Director: Any member may be removed from the Board by a majority vote of the Alumni Board Members present at a regular or special meeting of the Board where a quorum is present.
Article IV Powers and Duties of the Executive Committee
Section 1- The officers of the Board shall be President, 1st Vice-President, 2nd Vice President, Immediate Past President, Director Emeritus, and the Executive Director of Alumni Engagement.
A. President: The President shall preside over the Executive Committee. Appoint all chairpersons of standing and special committees. Have the power to call special meetings of the Alumni Board of Directors. The President or their designee will be the Alumni representative to the Board of Trustees.
B. 1st Vice-President: The 1st Vice-President shall discharge the duties of the President in the event of absence and shall perform such additional duties as may be prescribed by the President.
C. 2nd Vice-President: The 2nd Vice-President will be responsible for the coordination of agendas, recording and maintenance of the records and minutes of the meetings of the Alumni Board of Directors and Executive Committee. The 2nd Vice-President shall provide such meeting minutes within one week of the meeting date and other important Alumni Board information as requested by the President of the Board of Directors to the person designated by the Alumni Engagement Office to post on the Alumni Association section of the University's web site in a timely manner.
D. Immediate Past-President: Non-voting member of the Executive Committee responsible for serving in an advisory role to the board for the term of one year.
E. Director Emeritus: Director position subject to proposal and approval of the Alumni Board of Directors.
Article V Vacancies of the Alumni Board of Directors
Section 1- If any vacancy in any elective office other than President should occur, the Executive Committee of the Alumni Board of Directors may act to fill such office for the unexpired term with nomination to Alumni Board of Directors for confirmation.
Section 2- If a vacancy in the office of President should occur; the 1st Vice-President automatically becomes President for the remainder of the term. The 2nd Vice-President becomes 1st Vice-President. At that time the Executive Committee may appoint a current member of the Board by majority vote to assume the role of 2nd Vice-President.
Article VI Meetings of the Alumni Board of Directors
Section 1- The annual meeting of the Alumni Association shall be held in the fall of each academic year at a time and place to be set by the Alumni Board of Directors.
Section 2- Meetings shall be held by the Board of Directors at least four times each year at times and places to be determined by the President of the Alumni Association.
Section 3- Special Meetings may be convened at the call of the President of the Association or by five members of the Board of Directors upon ten (10) days' notice to all Directors.
Section 4- A simple majority of the Board of Directors present at any meeting, regular or special, shall constitute a quorum.
Section 5- Committee meetings may be called at the request of any Committee Chair at the convenience of the Committee Members.
Section 6- Being present at a meeting can be in person, by telephone through the use of conference equipment, internet or other electronic means which allows the Board member to participate fully in discussions and in voting.
Article VII Elections to the Alumni Board of Directors
Section 1- Any person nominated for the position of President of the Alumni Association must have served a minimum of one year on the Alumni Board of Directors.
Section 2- Interested candidates should submit a letter of intent and a resume to the board's Nominations Committee no later than June 1. The Nominations Committee will review applications, interview potential candidates and send recommendations to the Executive Committee for final approval. Information regarding the Alumni Board of Directors selection process will be communicated by the Office of Alumni Engagement via email and the alumni website.
Section 3- Newly elected directors will take office in September.
Article VIII Committees of the Alumni Board of Directors
Section 1- The following are standing committees of the Alumni Board of Directors and unless otherwise indicated herein, the President shall appoint the chairperson and all members of the Committees of the Board of Directors:
A. Executive Committee: The Executive Committee of the Board of Directors shall consist of the President of the Association, 1st Vice-President, 2nd Vice-President and Immediate Past President, Director Emeritus, and Executive Director of Alumni Engagement. The Executive Committee shall have such powers and responsibilities with respect to the management of the Association as determined by the Board of Directors. The President of the Association shall serve as the Chairperson of this committee.
B. Nominating Committee: The Committee shall consist of a minimum of three members of the Board of Directors, one of whom shall have served on the committee during the previous year if available to serve. The Executive Director of Alumni Engagement shall be a permanent member of the committee.
Article IX Parliamentary Authority
The rules contained in the current edition of "Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised" shall govern the Association in all cases to which they are applicable and in which they are not inconsistent with the Constitution, By-Laws and any special rules of order the Association may adopt.
Article X Amendments to the Constitution and By-Laws
The Constitution and By-Laws may be changed or amended once a year at the annual meeting of the Alumni Board of Directors by a two-thirds vote of the members present. All proposed changes to the Constitution and By-Laws must be communicated to the Board of Directors at least 30 days in advance. Changes to the Constitution and By-Laws must be posted on the Alumni Engagement web site to be viewed by the Alumni Association membership.
October 15, 2016Annual Meeting of the Alumni AssociationPresented by the Alumni Board of Directors Governance Committee
Tim GerardiWayne RobinsonSinziana Scoarta-BaldwinKristi Durette
If you have any questions, please contact the alumni office at 603-645-9799 or email to alumni@snhu.edu.
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