VA-ACME By-Laws
Article I. Name
The name of this Council shall be the “Virginia Advisory Council on Military Education” (VA-ACME)
Article II. Purpose
1. This Council is established to:
a. Promote, support and deliver meaningful education within all branches of the Armed Services by encouraging educational institutions to be innovative and flexible in meeting their educational needs.
b. Provide a forum for the discussion of current issues and planning for future programming.
c. Review the concerns and problems brought before the Council and make recommendations to the appropriate agency or entity.
d. Encourage cooperative and coordinated efforts leading to improved functioning of the Council and more efficient and effective educational services for Armed Services personnel and their family members.
e. Recognize the achievements of those persons and organizations that have contributed to the advancement of educational opportunities.
Article III. Membership, Voting and Dues
1. Membership includes:
a. Representatives from military installations
b. Representatives from educational institutions recognized by the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV) to operate in the Commonwealth of Virginia
c. Representatives from any organization that actively supports and promotes higher education programs to the military, and which are approved by the Executive Board.
2. Membership in VA-ACME shall be voluntary
3. Membership shall be for one year spanning the period January 1st through December 21st and shall be renewable each year.
4. Each member in good standing shall pay dues annually
5. The executive Board shall establish and approve annual dues to cover operating expenses such as postage, stationery, recording of minutes and other operating expenses as necessary.
6. A roster of members in good standing shall be published
7. Each academic institution, military installation and professional organization will have one vote.
a. Only full members whose dues are current will be eligible to cast votes in behalf of their organization.
Article IV. Meetings
1. The Council will meet annually at a time and place to be determined by the Executive Board.
2. The meetings shall be held for the purposes of:
a. Presenting summary reports from representatives of the Armed Services, the educational providers, VA-ACME officers and VA-ACME committees.
b. Electing Executive Board members and officers
c. Conducting the necessary business of the Council
d. Presenting and actively participating in programs of interest, concern and benefit to the membership
3. Special meetings of the Council may be called by the President of the Executive Board as necessary
4. A majority of the registered members present at the annual meeting constitute a quorum.
5. A majority of the members of the Executive Board at an Executive Board meeting shall constitute a quorum for that body.
6. Minutes of all meetings shall be recorded and presented at subsequent Council meetings for approval.
7. Electronic mail may be used for all official notices and communications of the Council
Article V. Executive Board and Elected Officers
1. The Executive Board shall consist of seven (7) elected positions: President, Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary, Historian/Website Manager and two members at large, and the Immediate Past President.
2. No more than one (1) representative per institution defined in Article III.1 may serve on the VA-ACME Executive Board at the same time.
3. The Executive Board shall have general supervision of the Council in the interim period between regular meetings
4. Election of officers:
a. Elections shall be conducted at the annual meeting
b. Nominations shall be solicited from the membership prior to the annual meeting, and from the floor at the annual meeting
c. Officers will be elected by written ballot to serve until the close of the meeting at which their successors are elected
d. A majority of the votes cast shall constitute an election
e. The term of office shall be two years
f. The President, Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary and members at large may be re-elected for a second consecutive term
g. Any elected officer who fails to fulfill the duties or term of office will be replaced at the next general meeting through the election process.
i. To maintain continuity, the President, with the advice and consent of the Executive Board shall appoint an interim board member to serve in the vacated position until the next general meeting.
Article VI. Duties of officers
1. The President shall be the principal officer of the Council and shall:
a. Preside at the annual meeting, the meetings of the Executive Board and at any special meetings
b. Be an ex-officio member of all committees
c. Appoint all standing and special committee chairs with the advice and consent of the Executive Board
d. Ensure that all expenditures of the organization are properly authorized and sign check as needed
2. The Vice President shall:
a. In the absence of the President, preside over meetings
b. Assist the President in the administrative functions of the Council
c. Perform other duties as assigned by the President
d. If the office of Vice President becomes vacant, the President shall appoint an interim Vice President, with the advice and consent of the Executive Board
e. If the office of President becomes vacant, the Vice President shall assume the office of President
3. The Secretary shall:
a. Be responsible for recording and disseminating the minutes to the Executive Board, and appropriate information to the membership in a timely manner
b. Maintain the membership roster and correspondence file
4. The Treasurer shall:
a. Maintain all monies of the Council, keeping an accurate record thereof
b. Maintain a checking account for the deposit of Council funds
c. Be one of two officers authorized to sign Council checks
d. If the office of Treasurer becomes vacant, the President shall appoint an interim Treasurer, with the advice and consent of the Executive Board
5. The Historian/Website Manager shall:
a. Record and maintain the history of the VA-ACME
b. Be the main point of contact to the VA-ACME’s contracted webmaster for the provision and management of the website content, updates, and design
c. Be the official photographer at all VA-ACME conferences
6. The Immediate Past President
a. Shall advise and assist the President and other officers
Article VII. Standing Committees
1. The standing committees: of VA-ACME shall be the Strategic Planning, Legislative, Conference Planning, Membership, and Marketing. The Chairperson for each committee shall be selected by the committee members with the concurrence of the Executive Board
2. The Strategic Planning Committee:
a. The President, or the Vice President in the absence of the President, will serve as the Executive Board member for this committee.
b. The committee shall develop and publish a five-year strategic plan, with goals and objectives to help steer the VA-ACME.
c. The committee shall provide copies of the strategic plan to the membership and report on the progress at each annual meeting.
3. The Conference Planning Committee:
a. The Vice President will serve as the Executive Board member for this committee and the Members-at-Large shall serve as ex-officio members. All other Executive Board members may serve as needed.
b. The committee will be responsible for planning and executing the annual VA-ACME conference.
c. The Vice President and Chair shall establish areas of responsibility for each segment of the planning process.
d. The committee shall:
i. Select the conference venue
ii. Set pricing for conference fees
iii. Establish criteria for and solicit sponsors for the conference
iv. Solicit and select general session panel members and concurrent session topics and speakers
v. Solicit and select guest speakers
vi. Plan the conference program and provide all marketing materials, content and updates to the Marketing committee for distribution to the membership
vii. At the conclusion of the conference, the committee shall provide the Executive Board with a report of the process, lessons learned, templates used and other information that may be used to plan future conferences
4. The Legislative Committee:
a. The Vice President will serve as the Executive Board member for this committee
b. The committee shall study and report on legislative issues which are relevant to the mission of the VA-ACME as needed at each annual conference
5. The Membership Committee:
a. The Secretary will serve as the Executive Board member for this committee
b. The committee will promulgate information about the benefits of membership, establish a membership process and maintain an accurate list of members
c. The Secretary shall report the activities of the membership committee, membership numbers and member list at the annual conference
6. The Marketing Committee:
a. The Treasurer will serve as the Executive Board member for this committee
b. The committee will develop a quarterly newsletter to the membership
c. The committee will screen and release all publicity regarding the VA-ACME, including all materials developed for the annual conference
Article VIII. Virginia ACME Awards and Scholarship Program
1. The Executive Board shall:
a. Allocate funds from the VA-ACME treasury each year to support the VA-ACME Awards and Scholarship Programs
b. Approve the cost for commemoratives for award recipients
c. Approve the amount and number of scholarships, which shall be dictated by funds raised through conference fees, sponsorships and other methods in keeping with the organization’s non-profit, charitable status
d. Conduct an annual review of the selection criteria for the Awards program and the Scholarship program. Following the annual review, publish to the membership and on the VA-ACME website the criteria and timelines for submission of award nominations and submission of scholarship applications
2. The Secretary shall:
a. Prepare and promulgate press releases for the Awards program and for the Scholarship program
b. Update and post criteria and applications for both programs to the VA-ACME website in advance of the press releases
c. Assemble an Awards committee of VA-ACME members
d. Assemble a Scholarship committee of current VA-ACME members
e. Archive electronically the report of the selection process, rubric and other committee notes along with all applications for the Scholarship program
f. Submit an electronic copy to the Treasurer and maintain a copy for the organization
3. The Awards Committee shall:
a. Maintain award criteria and submit suggested additions or changes to the Executive Board for consideration
b. Review and submit nominations for each award category
c. Preside over the selection process and report the recommended recipients to the Executive Board for final consideration
d. Notify recipients
e. Coordinate the preparation of a commemorative to be presented to awardees at the next annual conference and provide an invoice to the Treasurer for payment
4. The Scholarship Committee shall:
a. Maintain scholarship qualification criteria and submit suggested additions or changes to the Executive Board for consideration
b. Consolidate and submit applications to the Executive Board for consideration and preside over the selection process
c. Notify recipients and coordinate with the treasurer for the award of the scholarships
d. Submit a report of the selection process, procedures, rubric applied and results of the selection process to the Historian for inclusion in the organizational history and to the Treasurer to maintain fiduciary records
Article IX. Amendment of Bylaws
These Bylaws may be amended at the annual meeting by a two-thirds majority of eligible members voting, provided that such proposals are promulgated for consideration at least thirty (30) calendar days prior to the start date of the conference.