BYU CHEMICAL ENGINEERING ALUMNI SOCIETY

BY-LAWS

Article I: PURPOSES

The BYU Chemical Engineering Alumni Society (hereafter called the Society) is organized to create and nurture fellowship among and provide service to the alumni, to the BYU Chemical Engineering Department (hereafter called the Department) and students of the Department, and to the community at large, in support of the chemical engineering profession. The Society will assist in promoting the purposes of the Department, raise funds in its support (where appropriate), encourage continuing interest in the Department and perpetuate the Department’s contributions to the lives of its alumni.

Article II: MEMBERSHIP

All BYU chemical engineering graduates and current and past faculty members of the Department shall be eligible for membership, pending appropriate application and payment of dues, if required by the board of directors. Honorary membership shall be conferred upon a unanimous vote of the board of directors and agreement of the one to be so honored.

Article III: MEETINGS OF THE SOCIETY

Section 1: The annual meeting of the Society shall be held on the Friday evening of BYU Homecoming Week. Other meetings of the Society, which may include special meetings for the transaction of the Society’s business, may be held at times and places set by the Chairman.

Section 2: A quorum for the transaction of business at any annual or special meeting of the Society shall consist of the members present. Voting shall be by members actually present; there shall be no voting by proxy at such meetings.

Article IV: BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Section 1: The governing body of the Society shall be the board of directors. It shall have charge and control of the affairs, funds, and properties of the Society, establish its policies with respect to its fiscal and business affairs, and determine the services and programs to be rendered by the Society.

Section 2: The board of directors shall be comprised of nine directors, from the Society’s membership.

Section 3: The term of office of each elected board member shall be three years, starting on the day following his/her election. To help assure continuity on the board, terms of office shall be staggered, so that three board members are replaced each year.

Section 4 : A nominating committee, appointed by the chairman (see Article V), will annually prepare a list of candidates for nomination to fill vacancies on the board. The nominating committee will solicit recommendations from the membership of the Society, in a manner that assures that most if not all of the membership has an opportunity to participate in the nominating process. From this list, the committee will present the names of at least two candidates per vacancy to the chairman for approval. The nominating committee will confirm with each of the candidates that they would be willing to serve on the board if elected. The slate of candidates will be presented for a vote by e-mail, allowing sufficient time to tabulate the vote prior to the annual meeting of the Society. Each member will vote for three of the candidates. The counting method will assure that each member does not cast more than the approved number of votes. The three nominees with the most votes will be selected to replace the three whose terms have expired. The winning candidates will be announced in the annual meeting.

Section 5 : In the event of a vacancy in the board of directors by reason of death, resignation, failure to act, or otherwise, the board may fill the vacancy for the duration of the unfulfilled term.

Section 6: Meetings of the board of directors for the transaction of the business of the Society shall be held on call of the chairman, or a majority of the board of directors. At least three such meetings shall be held each year. Special meetings may be called by the chairman or at the request of a majority of the board of directors. Notices of regular or special meetings shall be mailed or otherwise communicated to each member of the board at his or her residence or business at least ten days prior to the date of the meeting. However, failure to give said notice shall not invalidate the action of the board of directors at any meeting at which a quorum is present. At all meetings of the board of directors, the presence of a majority of the board shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business, and the vote of a majority of those present shall be necessary for the conducting of any business.

Section 7 : Standing and ad-hoc board committees may be organized by the board from time to time to conduct the business of the Society. After consulting with members of the board, the chairman and vice-chairman (see Article V) shall appoint chairmen of all standing and ad-hoc committees.

Article V:  OFFICERS

Section 1 : The officers of the Society shall consist of a chairman, vice-chairman, and such other officers as the board may determine from time to time. All officers shall be members of the Society.

Section 2 : The chairman and vice-chairman shall serve two-year terms, beginning the day following his/her election. The vice-chairman shall succeed to the office of chairman.

Section 3 : A nominating committee, appointed by the chairman, chaired by the vice-chairman and approved by the board, will prepare a list of at least two candidates to replace the vice-chairman when he/she succeeds to the chairmanship. The nominating committee will confirm with each of the approved candidates that they would be willing to serve as the vice-chairman and subsequently as the chairman, if they are elected. From this approved list, the Society shall elect the vice-chairman by e-mail, allowing sufficient time to tabulate the vote prior to the annual meeting of the Society. The counting method will assure that each member does not vote more than once. The newly elected vice-chairman will be announced in the annual meeting.

Section 4 : No term of office shall be longer than two years.  However, in the event a qualified successor is not elected, an officer shall continue to hold office until a qualified successor is elected and takes office.

Section 5 : The duties of the officers shall be such as customarily apply to such positions subject to any specific requirements of law, the constitution, or these bylaws.

A. The chairman shall preside over the Society and the board of directors and shall be a voting ex officio member of all committees of the Society.

B. The vice-chairman shall preside in the absence of the chairman. The vice-chairman shall also chair the nominating committee of the board.

Section VI: COMMITTEES

The board of directors shall establish such committees, as it may deem necessary, including committees of the board, standing committees, and temporary committees.

Standing committees may include the Membership Committee, Employment Committee, Scholarship Committee, Awards Committee, Chemical Engineering Department Support Committee, Community Service Committee, Publication Committee and others that the Board considers to be appropriate. In addition, the Board may also designate additional standing and temporary committees as necessary to meet the objectives of the Society.

The committee chairmen shall be appointed in accordance with Article IV, Section 7. The committee chairmen shall appoint committee members, from the Society’s membership, in sufficient numbers to fulfill the objectives of each committee.

Article VII: RELATIONSHIP WITH THE BYU CHEMICAL ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT

The BYU Chemical Engineering Department shall support the Society by providing reasonable access to Department resources and facilities, including such things as meeting room(s), secretarial assistance, and the alumni database. Coordination meetings will be held two to three times per year between the Society chairman and vice-chairman and the Department Alumni Committee, in which agreement will be reached on needed Department support.

Article VIII:  FEES AND FISCAL YEAR

Section 1 : The fiscal year of the Society shall be from November 1 through October 31 of the year.

Section 2 : Prior to each annual meeting of the Society, the board shall set full annual dues, if needed.

Article IX: BUDGET

A budget for the following year shall be submitted to the board by the chairman, not later than the last scheduled meeting of the board in the year preceding.

Article X: USE OF MEMBERSHIP LIST

The list of members of the Society, including any list of applicants for membership therein, shall not be used for advertising, circularization, or solicitation except under the conditions explicitly authorized by the board of directors.

Article XI: AWARDS

The board of directors shall establish such awards as are deemed appropriate to promote the objectives of the Society. The award(s) selected will recognize outstanding contributions of alumni in selected areas of service in the chemical engineering profession, the Chemical Engineering Department, student support and community service. (An example of this is the traditional “Outstanding Alumnus Award,” which gives particular emphasis to excellence in the chemical engineering profession.) The award(s) will be presented at the annual meeting of the Society.

Section 1: The by-laws may be amended at any time by a vote of a majority of the members of the board of directors attending a regular or special meeting called for said purpose, provided a written notice of any proposed change in these by-laws shall be sent to all members of the board at least twenty days prior to said meeting. Such amendments will only become a permanent part of the by-laws following a ratifying vote in the annual meeting of the Society.

Section 2: The by-laws may be also be amended by a petition signed by at least 50 members of the Society and approved by a vote of the Society in the annual meeting.