Alumni Association National Board Bylaws

Article I Name and Purpose
Article II Membership
Article III Officers
Article IV Meetings
Article V Alumni Association Board
Article VI Executive Committee
Article VII Administrative Staff
Article VIII Historical Reference
Article IX Amendments
 

CODE OF BYLAWS

The Alumni Association

Northwestern University's

Feinberg School of Medicine

ARTICLE I

NAME AND PURPOSE

Section 1. NAME. The name of this organization is the Alumni Association of Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine, hereinafter referred to as the Association.

Section 2. PURPOSE. The purpose of the Association, as stated in its original constitution, is "to keep alive and perpetuate that kindly and cordial feeling which binds us together by reason of our common Alma Mater; to encourage the interchange of professional experience and keep alive that ardor among those who are identified with their Alma Mater in attempting to elevate the standard of medical education; and likewise to secure to the institution a record of the professional history of its Alumni." return to top

ARTICLE II

MEMBERSHIP

There are two types of membership: regular and honorary.

Section 1. REGULAR MEMBERSHIP. All those who hold a degree from Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine, as well as those who have completed at least one year in a residency or fellowship program at one of the McGaw Medical Center hospitals, are entitled to regular membership in the Association.

Section 2. HONORARY MEMBERSHIP. All recipients of honorary degrees from Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine and others, as approved by the Alumni Association Board, are entitled to honorary membership in the Association.return to top

ARTICLE III

OFFICERS

The officers of the Association are the members of the Executive Committee of the Board as outlined in Article V, Section 4, below. return to top

ARTICLE IV

MEETINGS

Section 1. ANNUAL MEETING. There will be a yearly meeting of the Association held during the annual Alumni Weekend (reunion) to update the membership on the Association’s activities.

Section 2. SPECIAL MEETINGS. Special meetings may be called by the Association President in consultation with other members of the Executive Committee and/or Alumni Association Board, or upon the written request and formal petition of not less than one percent of the Alumni Association membership.return to top

ARTICLE V

ALUMNI ASSOCIATION BOARD

The Alumni Association Board, hereinafter referred to as the Board, will exist to conduct the Association’s affairs and be accountable to its members.

Section 1. MEMBERSHIP. The Board shall have 35 elected members, 10 of whom are from the Chicago area, 20 of whom live at least 75 miles from Chicago, and the last 5 presidents. The Dean of the School of Medicine shall be an ex-officio member.

Section 2. TERMS, VACANCIES, AND REMOVAL FROM OFFICE. New Board members will assume office at the first regular meeting of the Board following the annual Alumni weekend, and will serve three year terms. A Board member may serve a second term, but may not serve more than two consecutive terms. Any unexpired term will be filled by appointment of the President with the approval of the other Board members. If any Board member fails to fulfill his/her duties, he/she may be removed from the Board at any time by a majority vote of the Board.

Section 3. DUTIES. Board members shall be responsible, in a general way, for:

1. acting as channels of communication between alumni and Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine;
2. helping to make alumni increasingly aware of the progress and accomplishments, as well as the needs and concerns, of the School of Medicine;
3. promoting the goals and programs of the School of Medicine and the Association; 
4. communicating the needs, interests, concerns, and ideas, insofar as these are made known to them, of individual alumni and groups of alumni, to the School of Medicine administration.

Board members are the official voice of the Association, with authority and responsibility to establish policies and procedures that ensure the timely and effective functioning of the Association. To this end, Board members agree to meet regularly to conduct the affairs of the Association.

Section 4. OFFICERS. The officers of the Board shall be the Executive Committee, which shall have five members:

1. President
2. President-Elect
3. Immediate Past President
4. Nathan Smith Davis Club President
5. Member-at-large.

The President and President-Elect shall be nominated by the Board, and elected by the entire Alumni Association. The member-at-large shall be selected by the Board.

The Executive Committee shall meet at least twice yearly with the entire Board, and additionally as needed.

The Executive Committee shall be responsible for:

1. policies;
2. awards.

 The President will:

1. preside at all Board and Association meetings;
2. appoint ad hoc committees as needed;
3. work with the Assistant Dean for Alumni Relations, Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine, to facilitate the efficient and effective conduct of Board and Association business.
   

The President-Elect will assist the President and will accede to that office upon completion of the President’s term.

New officers will assume office at the close of the annual Alumni Weekend and will serve 2 year terms. No officer will serve more than one term in the same office, except when he/she has filled an unexpired term of another officer. An unexpired term of the President will be filled by a two-thirds vote of the Board. If any officer fails to fulfill the responsibilities of that office, he/she may be removed from office at any time by a majority vote of the Board.

Section 5.  SUBCOMMITTEES.  There shall be two sub-committees of the Board:

1. By-laws:  three past presidents of the alumni Board who shall be appointed by the current president every two years to review the by-laws and recommend any necessary changes for the full Board's approval.
2. Nominations:  the immediate past president and two other members who shall be nominated and appointed by the full Board every two years to identify and nominate possible candidates for election to the Board.  Nominations may also be submitted by alumni to the Nominations Committee and/or Alumni Office.

Section 6. MEETINGS. The Board will meet twice yearly: in the spring, during Alumni Weekend; and in the fall.

1. Procedures:  The presiding officer will conduct all meetings in compliance with a prescribed agenda.
2. Quorum:  25% of the Board will constitute a quorum for the transaction of business at any meeting.
3. Proxy Voting:  Proxy voting will be allowed when the Board chooses to implement a plan for proxy voting.
4. Special Meetings:  Special meetings may be called by the President in consultation with members of the Board, or by a quorum of the Board.return to top

ARTICLE VI

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

The officers of the Board shall be the Executive Committee.

Section 1. MEMBERSHIP. The Executive Committee shall have five members:

1. President
2. President-Elect
3. Immediate Past President
4. Nathan Smith Davis Club President
5. Member-at-Large.
   

The President and President-Elect shall be nominated by the Board and elected by the entire Alumni Association. The Member-at-Large shall be selected by the Board.

Section 2. TERMS, VACANCIES, AND REMOVAL FROM OFFICE. New officers will assume office at the close of the annual Alumni Weekend and will serve two year terms. No officers will serve more than one term in the same office, except when he/she has filled an unexpired term of another officer. An unexpired term of the President will be filled by a two-thirds vote of the Board. If any officer fails to fulfill the responsibilities of that office, he/she may be removed from office at any time by a majority vote of the Board.

Section 3. DUTIES. The Executive Committee shall be responsible for:

1. policies;
2. awards.

The President will:

1. preside at all Board and Association meetings;
2. appoint ad hoc committees as needed;
3. work with the Assistant Dean for Alumni Relations, Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine, to facilitate the efficient and effective conduct of Board and Association business.
   

The President-Elect will assist the President and will accede to that office upon completion of the President’s term.

Section 4. MEETINGS. The Executive Committee shall meet at least twice yearly with the entire Board, and additionally as needed. return to top

ARTICLE VII

ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF

The primary School of Medicine staff liaison for conducting Alumni Association business will be the Assistant Dean for Alumni Relations, who is appointed by the Dean of the School of Medicine.

The Assistant Dean for Alumni Relations is responsible for designing, implementing, and coordinating all alumni programs, services and activities for Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine.return to top

ARTICLE VIII

HISTORICAL REFERENCE

These By-Laws are intended to update those previously constituted in 1867. The latter are appended as an historical reference.return to top

ARTICLE IX

AMENDMENTS

Section 1. PROCESS. These by-laws may be repealed, revised, or amended, in whole or in part, by a two-thirds vote of the Board.

Section 2. PROCEDURES. A notice of a proposed change will be sent to the Assistant Dean for Alumni Relations or the President of the Alumni Association at least six weeks prior to the next regularly scheduled meeting of the Board and will be included in the notification of that meeting.return to top

Adopted:  February 20, 1985

Amended:  February 28, 1990

Amended:  February 27, 1991

Amended:  April 20, 2002

Amended:  October 21, 2006