GOVERNMENT COLLEGE RELATIONS COUNCIL
CONSTITUTION
Ratified October 28, 2011
Article I. NAME
The name of this organization shall be Government College Relations Council (GCRC).
Article II. MISSION
The mission of the organization is to foster communication and cooperation between the college and government communities through the dissemination of new and relevant information and the formation of mutually beneficial relationships.
Article III. MEMBERSHIP
Sec. 1 Membership in GCRC shall consist of:
A. GOVERNMENT MEMBERS – open to representatives of Federal, State or local governments who are engaged in recruiting or college relations activities.
B. COLLEGE MEMBERS – open to representatives of all two and four-year institutions of higher education.
C. STUDENT MEMBERS – open to students who attend colleges and universities represented by COLLEGE MEMBERS, and who are pursuing employment in the government sector, or career services at a college or university. Student members will not have voting rights.
D. Institutional Membership – open to all two and four-year educational institutions and Federal, State, and local governmental agencies who are engaged in recruiting or college relations activities.
Sec. 2 Membership in GCRC implies adherence to the following:
A. The principle of equal opportunity in employment of all persons regardless of their age, race, religion, color, handicap, national origin, sex, politics, or any other non-merit factor.
B. The “Principles and Practices of College Placement and Recruitment”, published by the National Association of Colleges and Employers.
Sec. 3 Membership Dues:
A. The annual dues shall be assessed at $50.00 per year.
B. Non-members may be assessed a fee at any general Council meeting.
C. Institutional membership shall be available to government agencies and educational institutions, as an alternative choice to the individual membership status defined in Article III, Sec. 3A, for an annual dues assessment of $200.00. The number of individuals registered with the Council, as representatives of a single institution or agency shall not exceed seven.
D. Annual dues for student membership will be $10.00 per year, and will not qualify as “institutional membership”.
Sec. 4 Members shall be responsible for ratifying policies and practices at the general Council meetings as necessary.
Article IV. OFFICERS
Sec. 1 The officers of the Council shall be President, Vice-President, Secretary, and Treasurer and these officers shall constitute the Executive Board of GCRC.
Sec. 2 The officers shall be elected by ballot to serve for two years or until their successors are elected, and their term of office shall begin on August 1. In all instances, the candidate receiving the greater number of votes for an office shall be declared elected to the office. If there is only one candidate for an office, the ballot may be dispensed with by unanimous consent.
Sec. 3 The officers will be responsible for Strategic Planning & Budget –
A. To prepare projected annual budgets; to update Constitution and By-laws for GCRC.
B. To project a 1 – 3 year budget based on input from all committees as to their master plans and funding needs/expectations (subject to approval by the Steering Committee).
C. To serve as general consul to the President and other standing committees for intentional planning and development of the organization.
D. To ensure GCRC is financially solvent and has the funds to deliver quality programs and services to the membership.
E. To appoint a third-party auditor to ensure fiscal responsibility and financial solvency.
F. To arrange for annual strategic planning review and revision for Steering Committee.
G. Present a report at Steering Committee meetings updating members on Committee activities. This will happen two times per year following the committee meetings.
Sec. 4 The following items shall constitute the basic guidelines for the elected positions mentioned in Article IV, Sec. 1:
A. No member shall hold more than one office at a time. Terms of office shall be two years and are subject to extension as approved by the Steering Committee under special circumstances.
B. Completing an unexpired term shall not count when considering eligibility to serve two consecutive terms in the same office.
C. In the case of the President’s resignation or inability to serve, the Vice-President becomes the President for the unexpired term.
D. In the case of the resignation or inability to serve of an officer other than the President, the Executive Board in consultation with the Steering Committee shall appoint a member to complete the unexpired term.
Sec. 5 The President of the Council shall normally alternate between representatives of the government agencies and representatives of institutions of higher education.
Sec. 6 The duties of the President of the Council shall be:
A. To administer the business of GCRC between the general Council, Steering Committee and Executive Board meetings, exercising direction consistent with the By-laws.
B. To preside at all official business meetings as referenced in Sec. 5, A.
C. To call all general and special Council meetings of the full membership.
D. To oversee operational aspects of the day-to-day administration.
E. To prepare periodic summaries of the activities of GCRC for inclusion on the Web site and presentation to the members at the general Council meetings.
F. To appoint chairpersons of all standing committees.
G. To be the chairperson of the Steering Committee and the Executive Board.
H. To appoint members of the Steering Committee.
I. To appoint a three-member nominating committee to coordinate annual officer elections.
Sec. 7 The duties of the Vice-President of the Council shall be:
A. To be a member of the Steering Committee.
B. To perform the duties of the President in his/her absence, disability, or at his/her request.
C. To be responsible for directing and coordinating committee assignments as outlined by the President.
D. To monitor and follow up on committee progress toward goal achievement.
Sec. 8 The duties of the Secretary of the Council shall be:
A. To prepare and distribute minutes from Steering Committee Council meetings.
B. To perform all official correspondence.
C. To maintain the official GCRC files.
D. To collect and maintain GCRC records and files in a secure location.
Sec. 9 The duties of the Treasurer of the Council shall be:
A. To collect dues and disburse funds.
B. To prepare and distribute a complete financial report to all GCRC members. The report for the prior fiscal year must be distributed during the fall meeting.
C. During the Treasurer’s last term an individual shall be designated by the Steering Committee as “Treasurer-elect” to be trained and familiarized with the Treasurer’s responsibilities, and shall serve as the Treasurer in the next term of office.
Article V. GENERAL MEETINGS
Sec. 1 General meetings of the Council shall be held at least three times a year on dates established by the Steering Committee.
Sec. 2 The general Council meeting to be held in the spring shall be designated as the annual meeting and shall be for the purpose of nominating officers, receiving reports of officers and committees, and for any other business that may arise.
Sec. 3 Those Council members present shall constitute a quorum.
Article VI. STEERING COMMITTEE
Sec. 1 The Steering Committee shall have administrative responsibility for all policies and practices of GCRC.
Sec. 2 The Committee shall be composed of not less than twelve or more than sixteen representatives to be distributed evenly, if possible, between government agencies and academic institutions. General membership in GCRC for one year is required prior to appointment on the Steering Committee.
Sec. 3 Membership shall be composed of chairpersons of all standing committees, immediate past President of the Council, the current President and other officers with additional members appointed by the President. All Steering Committee members must serve on one planning committee for one General Meeting and must be an active member of one Standing Committee (i.e., assume responsibility for committee assignments delegated by the committee chairperson). If Steering Committee members are unable to meet their obligations and responsibilities they will be asked by the President to step down.
Sec. 4 The officers of the Steering Committee shall be the officers of the Council as referenced in Article IV, Sec. 1.
Sec. 5 Membership on the Steering Committee will be limited to two people from any institution/agency, and each member is entitled to one vote.
Sec. 6 A quorum shall consist of a majority of the members of the Steering Committee.
Sec. 7 If a position held by a member of a Steering Committee is vacated for any reason, the President may appoint a replacement.
Sec. 8 Programs for the Council shall be determined by the Steering Committee.
Sec. 9 The Steering Committee shall meet at least quarterly and at such other times as is necessary to conduct the business of the Council.
Sec. 10 The Steering Committee shall act on all applications for membership from persons who do not clearly meet the membership criteria specified in Article III, Sec. 1 and 2 above. The decision of the Committee shall be final.
Sec. 11 The Steering Committee shall appoint an outside auditor to prepare a bi-annual audit of the Treasurer’s books.
Sec. 12 All Steering Committee members must attend a minimum of five (5) Steering Committee meetings/phone conferences per year.
Article VII. COMMITTEES
Sec. 1 The Council President shall be responsible for the formation of the following standing committees and shall appoint the standing committee chairpersons who in turn will appoint the standing committee members. These chairpersons shall be members of the Steering Committee.
Sec. 2 The standing committees shall be:
A. Marketing and Communications – To increase membership and promote GCRC within the member communities and the Midwest.
- To promote GCRC to other professional organizations and prospective members.
- To maintain and manage the content of the GCRC Web site.
- To solicit articles for and publish the GCRC newsletter, to be maintained on the GCRC Web site.
- To review and update the GCRC brochure and letterhead and work with consultants in redesigning and printing copies, as needed.
- Present a report at Steering Committee meetings updating members on Committee activities.
B. Membership-
- To maintain the permanent membership files.
- To publish the membership roster annually and share with GCRC members.
- To identify individuals and/or organizations for prospective membership in GCRC with an emphasis on diversity.
- Conduct periodic outreach to prospective members.
- Present a report at Steering Committee meetings updating members on Committee activities.
C. Internship –
- To recruit for and provide opportunities for students of member schools to combine academics, career development, and public service through hands-on experiences with the Chicago Federal Executive Board and GCRC.
- To identify assignments and special projects that support GCRC and assign them to the intern.
- Provide guidance to interns and monitor progress toward assignment completion throughout internship.
- Evaluate the effectiveness of the internship opportunity and program at the end of each academic year.
- To design, promote and coordinate experiential learning programs for students interested in public service careers.
Sec. 3 Ad hoc committees:
A. Nominating Committee – To structure and implement the nomination process for open officer positions to be filled. Open officer positions and the nomination process will be announced at the spring meeting and posted on the GCRC Web site, preceding the end of the two-year terms. The slate shall be publicized to the entire membership at least two weeks before the election, which should take place no later than July. No nominee shall be named without his/her consent to serve.
B. Program Committee – To research current topics of interest to the membership, and identify effective speakers/presenters who are able and willing to attend and make presentations at general Council meetings. To plan and organize these programs and arrange for opportunities for feedback and evaluation.
- To develop themes for general council meetings and obtain knowledgeable and effective speakers who will represent the theme.
- To recommend and contact member organizations to be possible meeting sites.
- To make initial, follow-up, and confirmation contacts with potential sites as meeting date approaches.
- To travel to confirmed meeting site to examine facilities (room set-up, speaker’ s needs, parking, hospitality, etc.)
- To plan and coordinate fundraising activities.
- To conduct and analyze General Meeting surveys and evaluations.
- To present a report at Steering Committee meetings updating members on Committee activities, and gain consensus on program direction.
C. Others as needed.
Sec. 4 Committee definitions are intended as general fields of responsibility, not as established narrow guidelines. Major changes in direction of activities within the committee shall be closely coordinated with the Council President and the Steering Committee.
Sec. 5 Each committee shall be responsible for its own correspondence.
Article VIII. PARLIAMENTARY AUTHORITY
The rules contained in the current edition of ROBERT’S RULES OF ORDER NEWLY REVISED shall govern the Council in all cases to which they are not inconsistent with these By-laws and any special rules of order the Council may adopt.
Article IX. AMENDMENT OF BY-LAWS
These By-laws can be amended at any general meeting of the Council by a two-thirds vote of the membership present, or via email survey sent to the membership and approved by two-thirds vote, providing that the amendments have been submitted in writing to the membership two weeks prior to the general meeting.
Article X.
This constitution supersedes all prior constitutions of GCRC.