Alumni/ae Society Constitution and By-Laws
CONSTITUTION
Article I – NAME
The name of this organization shall be the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy Alumni/ae
Society (the “Society”) of the Alumni Association of the University of Michigan.
Article II – PURPOSES
The purposes of the Society shall be:
(1) To stimulate among its membership a continuance of interest in the Gerald R. Ford
School of Public Policy and the University of Michigan;
(2) To encourage the continued flow of outstanding student candidates to the Gerald R.
Ford School of Public Policy;
(3) To assist the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy in keeping its curriculum and
educational programs relevant to the needs of public policy practitioners;
(4) To serve as a support network for graduates of the Gerald R. Ford School of Public
Policy in the advancement of their careers;
(5) To serve as a support network for students of the Gerald R. Ford School of Public
Policy in their internship placement and in the advancement of their careers;
(6) To assist officials of the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy in alumni
development (fundraising) efforts ; and
(7) To promote the improvement of public policy decision-making at all levels of
government and within those elements of the private and non-profit sectors
concerned with public policy outcomes.
Article III – MEMBERSHIP
The membership in the Society shall include the following:
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(1) All alumni/ae and former students of the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy and
its predecessors: the School of Public Policy, the Institute of Public Policy Studies
and the Institute of Public Administration; and
(2) Past and present Faculty who have taught classes for the Gerald R. Ford School of
Public Policy.
The Board of Governors may also add others to the membership who demonstrate a commitment
to fulfilling the purposes of the Society.
Article IV – GOVERNING BOARD AND OFFICERS
A.
Board of Governors.
1) The governing body of the Society shall consist of a Board of Governors of no more
than twenty-two members. The Dean of the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy
and two others whom the Dean may designate, and the President and CEO of the
Alumni Association of the University of Michigan shall be ex-officio members of the
Board of Governors without vote. Eighteen members of the Society shall be elected
to the Board. Six members shall be elected each year. Each elected member shall
serve three years. A nominating committee shall be appointed by the Board each
year and shall canvass the membership of the Society to identify interested
candidates. The nominating committee will submit a slate of at least six eligible
candidates for election. Voting will be conducted by a mailed ballot (which may take
the form of an electronically mailed ballot) to be held in January each year. Eligible
candidates from the respective graduate-level degree programs and the Bachelor of
Arts degree program, as described in Article IV (B) herein, having the highest
number of votes shall be elected.
2) In the event of a vacancy on the Board of Governors, the Nominating Committee
shall also identify candidates for approval by the Board of Governors to serve for the
remainder of the departing member’s term. Approval of such candidates may be
obtained via a special meeting, conference call, or email communication of the Board.
3)
One class representative from the Masters’ program and one class representative
from the Bachelor of Arts program will be selected by their respective graduating
classes of the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy to serve as a voting member of
the Board for one year, commencing with the Spring meeting following the annual
elections of the board.
B. Eligibility and Voting.
All members described in Article III shall be eligible to serve on the Board of Governors,
with the following exceptions and subject to the following procedures:
(1) No member shall serve more than two consecutive terms.
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(2) Society members must have accrued a minimum of two years of professional work
experience, as determined by the nominations committee, prior to the deadline for
nominations to be eligible to seek election to the Board of Governors.
(3) Beginning with the Fall 2011 election cycle and ending on or before the Fall 2020
election cycle, Society members shall vote for up to one candidate drawn from the
Alumni whose highest Ford School degree is the Bachelor of Arts degree and for up
to five candidates drawn from the Society members awarded a Ford School
graduate-level degree.
(4) The By-Laws of the Society may also include limits on Board eligibility based on
attendance by Board Members at the Board’s meetings.
C.
Officers of the Society.
At the first meeting of the Board of Governors following the election, the Board shall
elect from its members a Chair and Vice-Chair (Officers). The vote for the Chair and
Vice-Chair will occur at the conclusion of the Spring Meeting. Board members in the first
year of their first term or in the last year of their second term are not eligible to run for
Chair or Vice-Chair. Any member elected to serve as Chair in the third year of their first
term will be expected to run for a second term in order to serve as Chair at the
subsequent Spring meeting. Any Chair fitting such criteria who does not succeed in
being re-elected to a second term will have their term automatically extended by six
months so as to be able to serve as Chair at the first (Spring) meeting following the Board
elections. All vacancies occurring in the officership of the Society shall be filled by the
Board of Governors, and Officers so appointed shall hold office until the meeting
following the next ballot of the Society.
Article V – MEETINGS
Meetings of the Society (Note: This means all alumni.) shall be held at such times and places as the
Board of Governors and officials from the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy may designate. Proper
notice of the meetings shall be given to all active members.
Article VI – AMENDMENTS
This Constitution may be amended by a two-thirds vote of the members of the Society’s Board of
Governors. Amendments may be proposed by the Board of Governors or by written petition from twenty
members of the Society and must be submitted in writing to the Board of Governors at least four weeks
prior to the next Board of Governors meeting. Such amendments shall become effective when approved
by the Board of Directors of the Alumni Association of the University of Michigan.
Article VII – APPROVAL OF THE CONSTITUTION
The procedures for the ratification of the Constitution shall be determined by the Alumni/ae
Board of Governors established by the Dean of the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy. The
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Constitution shall take effect upon an affirmative vote by two-thirds of the members responding to a
mailed ballot and upon ratification by the Board of Directors of the Alumni Association of the University
of Michigan.
BY-LAWS
Article I – OFFICERS AND COMMITTEES
A. The Chairperson shall preside at all meetings of the Board of Governors and of the Society,
and shall exercise the general powers of the Chairperson.
B. In the absence or disability of the Chairperson, the Vice-Chairperson shall perform the duties
of the Chairperson.
C. The designee of the Dean of the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy shall be responsible
for the recording and reading of the minutes of all the meetings.
D. The Board of Governors shall select an active member of the Society to serve on the Alumni
Leadership Council of the Alumni Association of the University of Michigan in accordance
with the terms of the Association’s Bylaws. The Dean shall submit the name of this candidate
for approval by the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy Board of Governors. This
representative will be a voting member of the Board of Governors and serve for a period of
three years and shall be eligible for re-selection, but shall not serve more than two
consecutive terms.
E. A Nominating Committee of at least three members shall be appointed each year by the
Chairperson of the Society to oversee the nomination process for the Board of Governors
elections and to perform such other duties as may properly devolve upon the Committee. All
committees not otherwise provided for shall be appointed by the Chairperson. If desirable,
the Board of Governors may also approve the appointment of other members of the Society
to serve as ex officio members of the Board.
Article II - POWERS AND DUTIES OF THE BOARD OF GOVERNORS
A. The Board of Governors shall exercise the general management of the Society within the
framework of policies and programs established by the Alumni Association of the University
of Michigan. It shall strive to advance the purposes of the Society, as set forth in the
Constitution, in every way possible and shall adopt policies and programs to that end. Such
policies and programs must be consistent with the policies and programs of the Alumni
Association of the University of Michigan.
B. The Board of Governors shall have the privilege of reviewing all actions of the Alumni
Association of the University of Michigan which directly or indirectly affect the Society’s
organization, objectives, or programs. In the event of disagreement with any action taken by
the Alumni Association, the Board of Governors is empowered to appeal such action to the
Association’s Board of Directors.
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C. The Board of Governors of the Society shall hold regular meetings at least twice a year. Such
regular meetings of the Board of Governors shall be held at such times and places as the
Board of Governors, in consultation with officials of the Gerald R. Ford School of Public
Policy, may designate. Proper notice of these regular meetings shall be given at least three
months in advance.
D. A member of the Board of Governors is expected to attend in-person at least 50 percent of the
regular Board meetings held during his or her three-year term. Any member who fails to
meet this requirement may not be eligible to serve on the Board of Governors for the three
years following the expiration of his or her term. Members may submit a request to the Board
asking for special consideration to be exempted from this requirement. It is at the Board’s
discretion to either approve or reject the request.
E. The Board of Governors may also meet subject to the call of the Chairperson or at the request of
six voting members of the Board of Governors. Such meetings shall be considered special
meetings of the Board of Governors and shall not count toward fulfillment of the minimum
attendance requirement for regular meetings described in subsection II (E).
F. Society board members and officers will be defended and indemnified if they become party to
a legal proceeding by reason of the fact that they were a Board member or officer of the
Society, provided they were acting on behalf of the Society, acted in good faith, and in a
manner they reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the Society,
and, with respect to criminal act or proceeding, if they had no reasonable cause to believe
their conduct was unlawful. The University of Michigan’s Standard Practice Guide 601.9 on
defense and indemnification will apply in such a situation in the same manner and to the
same extent it would apply to a University employee in a similar situation.
Article III – QUORUM
The majority of the elected Board of Governors (at least 10 voting members) shall constitute a
quorum at any Board of Governors meeting.
To the extent practicable, members of the Board may participate in any meeting of the Board by
means of conference telephone or similar communications equipment that allows all persons to hear each
other, and shall be counted as present for purposes of a quorum.
Article IV – PROCEDURE
Robert’s Rules of Order shall govern parliamentary questions at any meeting of the Society or the
Board of Governors.
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