CONSTITUTION OF
THE ABRAHAM BALDWIN AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE
ALUMNI ASSOCIATION
ARTICLE I
NAME
The name of the organization shall be the ABRAHAM BALDWIN AGRICULTURAL
COLLEGE ALUMNI ASSOCIATION, hereafter to be called the ABAC ALUMNI
ASSOCIATION.
ARTICLE II
MISSION STATEMENT
The mission of the ABAC Alumni Association is to strengthen and enrich the educational and
extracurricular programs of Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College (ABAC) to maximize the
contribution to the economic, social, and cultural life of Georgia and the Southeastern United
States.
More specific objectives of the ABAC Alumni Association are the following:
1.
Seek out and encourage prepared and committed students to attend
ABAC.
2.
Develop a better understanding and appreciation among the general
public as to the contribution ABAC makes to the economic, social,
and cultural life of Georgia and the Southeastern United States.
3.
Sponsor the annual Homecoming activities and events.
4.
Work with the ABAC administration and the ABAC Foundation,
Inc. in securing funds which will strengthen and enrich the
educational and extracurricular programs.
5.
Continue open communication with the ABAC administration
concerning the Alumni Association and its activities at Abraham
Baldwin Agricultural College.
ARTICLE III
ORGANIZATION
Section 1: Relationship with ABAC. The ABAC Alumni Association operates under the
ABAC Office of College Advancement and is allowed to use the name of the college, college
facilities, and college staff to conduct Association business.
Section 2: Relationship with ABAC Foundation. The ABAC Alumni Association does not
have status as a legal entity and therefore operates as a legal entity of the Abraham Baldwin
Agricultural College Foundation, Inc. The ABAC Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization under
the Internal Revenue Code, receives, deposits, disburses, invests and manages all gifts made on
behalf of the ABAC Alumni Association. The ABAC Foundation, through gifts made from
alumni and others, financially supports the activities of the ABAC Alumni Association.
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ARTICLE IV
MEMBERSHIP
Section 1. Forms of Membership. The forms of membership in the ABAC Alumni
Association shall be Alumnus, Friend and Honorary.
Section 2. Alumnus. Anyone receiving educational credits from Abraham Baldwin
Agricultural College or any of the three previous schools (Second District A&M School, South
Georgia A&M College or Georgia State College for Men) may become a member of the ABAC
Alumni Association. An active member of the Alumni Association will be assessed annual dues
as recommended by the Alumni Association Board of Directors.
Section 3. Friend. Those individuals who would like to join the Alumni Association and
pay dues, but did not attend ABAC, will be considered a Friend of the Association.
Section 4. Honorary. The Board of Directors may elect as honorary members of the
ABAC Alumni Association such distinguished persons as the Board may deem proper. A
maximum of three (3) honorary memberships may be awarded each year. Each person selected
for honorary membership will be recognized at the next Homecoming and receives a lifetime
membership into the Association.
ARTICLE V
OFFICERS
Section 1 Qualifications. Officers of the ABAC Alumni Association must be active
members of the ABAC Alumni Association and current on annual dues.
Section 2. List of Officers. The officers of the ABAC Alumni Association shall be
President, President-Elect, Immediate Past President, and Secretary.
Section 3. Election of Officers. The officers shall be elected by a majority vote of the
Board of Directors in attendance at the first meeting of the calendar year by the Board of
Directors.
Section 4. Terms. The terms for officers shall be two years and shall be from the annual
meeting (Homecoming) of one year and ending two years later at the annual meeting.
Section 5. Officer Vacancies. In the case of vacancies due to resignation or death,
replacements will be nominated by the Nominating Committee and approved by the Board of
Directors. A replacement appointed by the Board of Directors will fill any unexpired terms of the
vacancy.
ARTICLE VI
DUTIES OF OFFICERS
Section 1. President. It shall be the duty of the President to call, preside over and adjourn
meetings of the ABAC Alumni Association. The President shall represent the Alumni
Association on the ABAC Foundation Board of Directors as well as serve as an ex-officio
member of all standing committees. The Office of the President shall succeed the PresidentElect.
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Section 2. President-Elect. It shall be the duty of the President-Elect to serve in absence
of the President. The President-Elect will serve as chair of the Strategic Planning Committee as
well as the George P. Donaldson Award Committee.
Section 3. Immediate Past President. It shall be the duty of the Immediate Past President
to impart any knowledge gained from past experience and serve as an active member of the
Board. The Immediate Past President shall serve as chair of the Nominating Committee. The
Immediate Past President shall succeed the President.
Section 4. Secretary. It shall be the duty of the secretary to take the minutes at all board
meetings. The Secretary will also keep attendance of those Directors present at meetings.
ARTICLE VII
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Section 1. Types of Board Members. The Board of Directors of the ABAC Alumni
Association shall consist of six (6) types of members:
A. Officers
B. Elected Directors
C. Special Constituency Representatives
D. Executive Director
E. Ex-officio Members
F. Emeritus
Section 2. Composition of the Board. The elected members of the Board of Directors
shall consist of up to 30 voting members including four (4) officers, three (3) members from each
of the three areas as defined in Section 3 of this Article, three (3) members at large, and three (3)
ABAC faculty/staff members. In addition, one representative from each of the ABAC Councils
shall be appointed to the Board: (1) member from Golden Alumni, one (1) member from Young
Alumni, and one (1) member from the Ag Alumni Council, and any new alumni related councils
formed and approved by the board.. There will also be one (1) representative to the ABAC
Foundation Board. Non-voting members of the board will consist of the Executive Director, Exofficio Members and Emeritus Members.
Section 3. Elected Directors. The nine (9) members of the Board of Directors from the
three areas, three (3) members at large, and the three (3) faculty/staff Directors shall be elected at
the first meeting of the calendar year by the Board of Directors. Area 1 shall consist of Tift and
contiguous counties. Area 2 shall consist of those counties within 100 miles of the college. Area
3 shall consist of all other areas not listed in Areas 1 and 2. The Directors elected from the three
areas must live or work in the area he/she serves and must be a regular member of the ABAC
Alumni Association as defined under Article IV, Section 2. Preference for the selection of the
members at large should be given to those from the areas with the largest alumni population.
Faculty/Staff Directors must be employed by ABAC but do not necessarily have to be alumni.
Elected Directors will serve staggered terms. Therefore, five (5) directors will be elected each
year.
Section 4: Elected Directors Terms. Elected Directors may be reelected for a second
consecutive three-year term, but then must rotate off the board for a minimum of one year prior
to being reelected.
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Section 5. Special Constituency Representatives. This group consists of the Foundation
Board representative, one representative from each of the Golden Alumni Council, Young
Alumni Council and Ag Alumni Council. These directors will serve a three-year term. It shall
be the duties of these directors to advise the Board of Directors on matters and special projects
concerning their respective groups. Any new alumni related councils formed and approved by
the Board will also have a representative to the Board of Directors.
Section 6. Executive Director. It shall be the duty of the Executive Director to plan,
implement, and evaluate alumni programming. The Director will lead the Board of Directors and
manage daily operations and represent the Association as needed, as well as receive all
contributions for deposit to the ABAC Foundation, Inc. and make expenditures on the
Association’s behalf. The Executive Director also handles the correspondence as authorized by
the President, the Board of Directors and the Association.
Section 7. Ex-officio Members of the Board. The President of ABAC, Vice-President of
External Affairs, and COO of the Foundation shall serve as Ex-officio Members of the Board of
Directors.
Section 8. Emeritus Board Members: The Board of Directors, upon recommendation of
the Association President, may award Emeritus status to any previous board member who made
outstanding contributions to the Board while an active member of the Board. Emeritus members
shall have all rights and privileges of other board members, except for voting privileges.
Section 9. Board Vacancies. In the case of vacancies due to resignation or death,
replacements will be filled along with other positions at the first meeting of the calendar year. A
replacement appointed by the Board of Directors will fill any unexpired term of the vacancy.
Section 10. Chairman of the Board of Directors. The President of the Association shall
serve as the Chairman of the Board of Directors.
Section 11. Duties of the Board. It shall be the duty of the Board of Directors to direct
and support the programs of the Association, to decide upon questions of importance in the
absence of a regular meeting, and to represent the Association upon those occasions where this is
necessary.
Section 12. Attendance. Board members are expected to attend at least 50 percent of the
meetings each year unless extenuating circumstances are present.
Section 13. Executive Committee. An Executive Committee will be empowered by the
Board of Directors to perform various duties of the Board. These duties will be determined by
the Board of Directors. The committee will consist of the officers of the Board as well as the
Executive Director.
Section 14. ABAC Foundation Board of Directors. The Alumni Association will be
represented on the ABAC Foundation Board of Directors by the President, who serves a two-year
term, and the Foundation Board Representative who serves a three (3) year term.
ARTICLE VIII
MEETINGS
Section 1. Homecoming. The ABAC Alumni Association shall hold an annual
Homecoming Event on the campus of Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College.
Section 2. Special Meetings. Special meetings of the ABAC Alumni Association shall be
held upon the call of the President with notification to the membership thirty (30) days prior to
the meeting.
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Section 3. Board of Director Meetings. Meetings of the Board of Directors shall be held
four times a year and special meetings may be held upon the call of the President with
notification to the Board of Directors at least ten (10) days prior to the meeting.
Section 4. Annual Meeting. The Annual Meeting of the Alumni Association will be held
in conjunction with the Homecoming event as a scheduled meeting by the Alumni Board of
Directors.
ARTICLE IX
QUORUMS
Section 1. Special Meetings of the Association. Twenty-five (25) regular members of the
ABAC Alumni Association shall constitute a quorum for a meeting of the Association.
Section 2. Board of Directors Meetings. One half of the current members of the Board
of Directors shall constitute a quorum for a meeting of the Board of Directors.
Section 3. Voting. The decision of the majority of Board of Directors present at any
meeting at which there is a quorum shall be the act of the Board or the Association.
Section 4. Electronic Voting. Any or all Board Members may participate in or conduct
any meeting of the Board or committee meetings by telephone or electronic communication by
which all members participating may simultaneously hear each other during the meeting. A
Board Member participating in a meeting by this means shall be deemed to be present in person
at the meeting. Additionally, voting may be transacted by email correspondence with a 2/3
majority of the Board to pass any act of the Board.
ARTICLE X
Special Constituent Councils
GOLDEN ALUMNI COUNCIL
Section 1. Membership. The Golden Alumni of the ABAC Alumni Association shall be
recognized as all those persons who have received any educational credits from either the Second
District A&M School, South Georgia A&M College, Georgia State College for Men or Abraham
Baldwin Agricultural College fifty (50) or more years ago.
Section 2. Golden Alumni Representative. The Golden Alumni shall be represented on
the Board of Directors by a person with the title of Golden Alumni Representative. This
representative will be elected by the Golden Alumni and shall serve a term of three years.
YOUNG ALUMNI COUNCIL
Section 1. Membership. The Young Alumni of the ABAC Alumni Association shall be
recognized as all those persons who have received any educational credits at Abraham Baldwin
Agricultural College and who have not reached their fortieth (40) birthday.
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Section 2. Young Alumni Representative. The Young Alumni shall be represented on the
Board of Directors by a person with the title of Young Alumni Representative. This
representative shall be elected at the annual board meeting for a three year term.
AG ALUMNI COUNCIL
Section 1. Membership. The Ag Alumni Council of the ABAC Alumni Association shall
be recognized as all those persons who have received any educational credits at either the Second
District A&M School, South Georgia A&M College, Georgia State College for Men or Abraham
Baldwin Agricultural College and whose interest is in the field of agriculture, forest resources, or
veterinary medicine.
Section 2. Ag Alumni Representative. The Ag Alumni Council shall be represented on
the Board of Directors by a person with the title of Ag Alumni Representative. This
representative will be elected by the Ag Alumni Council and shall serve a term of three years.
ARTICLE XI
STANDING COMMITTEES
Section 1. Strategic Planning Committee: It shall be the responsibility of the Strategic
Planning Committee to review all aspects of the Association and develop a five-year plan of
action for the Association which parallels the College's strategic plan. This plan shall be
approved by the Board and revised as needed. The President-Elect shall serve as chairman of
this committee. Other members shall be appointed annually by the Association President.
Section 2. Homecoming Committee: It shall be the responsibility of the Homecoming
Committee to plan, execute and evaluate Homecoming activities. The representative members
from Golden Alumni, Young Alumni, and the Ag Alumni Council should serve on the
committee. The chairman and other members shall be appointed annually by the Association
President.
Section 3. Awards Committee: It shall be the responsibility of the Awards Committee to
coordinate the Alumni Awards program, including the election of individuals for honorary
membership. Members of this committee are appointed annually by the Association President.
Section 4. Nominating Committee: The Nominating Committee shall be responsible for
preparing a slate of officers and directors to be presented for vote at the first meeting of the
calendar year by the Board of Directors. The committee shall be appointed annually by the
president with the Immediate Past President serving as the chairman.
Section 5. George P.
Donaldson Committee: The George P. Donaldson Committee shall be responsible for the
selection of the George P. Donaldson Award recipient for each graduation. The President-Elect
serves as the chair of this committee. In addition, the committee shall consist of one ABAC
faculty member who is not a director, and other directors appointed by the President-Elect.
Section 6. Membership Committee: The Membership Committee is responsible for
development of an alumni membership program. The members of this committee shall be
appointed annually by the Association President.
Section 7. Student Relations/Recruitment Committee: It shall be the responsibility of the
Student Relations/Recruitment Committee to assist in activities that promote good relations
between alumni and students and promote activities to assist in recruitment for the College.
Members of this committee shall be appointed annually by the Association President.
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Section 7. Ex-officio Members. The Association President and the Executive Director
shall serve as ex-officio members of all committees.
ARTICLE XII
REVISIONS AND AMENDMENTS
The Board of Directors may change any section of this Constitution by two-thirds (2/3)
vote of those in attendance at a regularly scheduled meeting of the Board of Directors.
Amended October 4, 2013
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