This association shall be called the "Colby College Alumni Association" (hereinafter the "association").
The purpose of this association shall be to promote and to foster the best interests of Colby College and to strengthen relations between the College, its students, and its alumni. The Alumni Association provides an organization and structure, which should encourage alumni volunteers to work with the College faculty, staff, and students in the best interest of Colby and its constituents. The Alumni Association works to promote fellowship and pride of affiliation among Colby alumni.
All graduates and all current and former students who have attended Colby College for at least one year are members of the association. Graduates and non-graduates shall be entitled to the same rights and shall have the same duties of membership. Trustees of the College, members of the faculty and administrative staff, recipients of honorary degrees from the College, and any other persons whom the Executive Committee of the Alumni Council may elect to membership shall become honorary members unless, by virtue of attendance at the College, they shall already be members. Honorary members shall possess all the rights of active members, except the right to vote or to hold office.
The Colby College Alumni Council (hereinafter the "council") shall be the representative governing body of the association and shall have the power to conduct and transact all business pertaining to the association. It shall meet at the call of the chairperson on at least 15 days notice by mail, e-mail, or online postings to all members. The annual meeting shall be held in April. A regular fall meeting shall be held. The annual meeting and the fall meeting shall be held at the College. Special meetings may be scheduled at such other times and places as the Executive Committee of the council shall designate upon 15 days notice by mail, e-mail, on-line social networks and online postings to all members. Fifteen members shall constitute a quorum at all meetings. The role of the council shall include reporting to alumni on all phases of College operation and advising the trustees and the administration of the College on matters upon which they are deliberating.
The officers of the council shall be a chairperson, a vice chairperson, and an executive secretary/treasurer. The chairperson and the vice chairperson shall be elected to terms of two years each by the council at its annual meeting in odd numbered years. The executive secretary/treasurer shall be the director of alumni relations or such other member of the Colby College administration who is then responsible for alumni relations.
The chairperson shall be the chief executive officer of the council, preside at each meeting of the council, appoint all standing and special committees, and perform the usual duties pertaining to the office, unless the council shall specifically vote otherwise. The chairperson shall also be known as the president of the association. In case of the absence of the chairperson, the vice chairperson shall preside. In the event of the death or resignation or inability of the chairperson to perform his or her duties, the vice chairperson shall assume such duties. The vice chairperson shall also be known as the vice president of the association.
The executive secretary shall be either the director of alumni relations or such other member of the Colby College administration who is then responsible for alumni relations. The executive secretary/treasurer shall keep all records and attend to the correspondence of the council and of the association and be responsible to the council for the conduct of the business of the association and council.
The council shall consist of up to 35 members at large not including the current alumni trustees. The number of members at large can be exceeded upon the recommendation of the Executive Committee and a vote of the council. The Nominating Committee shall nominate candidates each year at its annual meeting in April to serve terms of three years each. Nominations shall be made so far as possible to maintain representation among the Alumni Council members in proportion to the specific needs of the council at any given time, as well as geographic, class year, gender, ethnicity, and professional representation. The Nominating Committee shall present an account of the activities and achievements and the particular qualifications of each person it proposes as a nominee and report his or her willingness to serve if elected. The Nominating Committee will provide the slate of candidates to the Executive Committee for their approval by a vote during their annual meeting or online. A quorum must be represented for final approval of the candidates. Notwithstanding any other provisions contained herein, the retiring chairperson of the council shall automatically be a member of the council for a term of two years following the conclusion of his or her term of office. Current alumni trustees are full members of the council without committee assignments.
The terms of council members shall begin on July 1 of the year in which they are elected and shall terminate on June 30 of the year in which their successors are elected. Members shall be ineligible for reelection or reappointment for one year after completing two successive terms.
The council at each annual meeting shall elect new members of the association to membership on the council for terms of three years each. Candidates shall be nominated no later than fifteen (15) days preceding the annual meeting of the council.
Alumni Council representatives must attend at least two of the three Alumni Council meetings each year to remain in good standing. Representatives missing two meetings will be contacted by the chairperson of the Alumni Council and, if there is no adequate reason given for their absence, will be asked to resign. Vacancies will be filled by the council Nominating Committee, with those appointed in this way completing the term of their predecessor. All council members will be assigned to one or more action committees and will attend the informational sessions offered.
The chairperson of the Alumni Council shall appoint the chairperson and members of each committee unless otherwise provided. The chairperson shall not be restricted to members of the council in said appointments. All appointed committee members shall be appointed at or immediately after the annual meeting of the council and shall serve for a term of three years. Appointed members shall be ineligible for reelection or reappointment for one year after completing two successive terms.
There shall be an Executive Committee consisting of no more than 16 members, which shall include the chairperson of the council, the vice chairperson of the council, the chairperson of the Colby Fund, the immediate past chairperson of the Alumni Council, and such other persons as the council shall elect. A quorum shall be two thirds of the present and voting members of the Executive Committee. It shall approve in advance all nominations proposed by the Nominating Committee as candidates for alumni trustees and all nominations proposed by the Awards Committee as candidates for awards. Between meetings of the council, the Executive Committee is authorized to transact business of the council, shall have charge of general interests of the association, and may exercise any of the powers of the council. The Executive Committee shall serve as the investigative body of the council for searching out information concerning the operation of the College from students, faculty, administrators, alumni trustees, and alumni. It shall work to improve communication from the College to the alumni and from the alumni to the administration and the Board of Trustees. The Executive Committee shall have the responsibility of advising the College and the alumni relations staff on the provision of campus hospitality for alumni, on Family Homecoming Weekend, and on the reunion program. It shall establish projects and goals for the different council committees and may conduct planning sessions to outline the goals of the council and to provide individual committees with specific charges.
A Nominating Committee composed of members of the council shall be approved by the chairperson. This committee shall present to the council nominations of candidates for membership on the council. This committee shall also present, subject to the approval of the Executive Committee, for action by the council, proposed nominations of candidates for alumni trustees. The executive secretary/treasurer shall request annually all members of the council to submit to the chairperson of the Nominating Committee names of possible candidates for alumni trustees and for members of the council for consideration by the Nominating Committee.
There shall be a Colby Fund Committee which shall establish policy for the conduct of, and supervise the operation of, the annual Colby Fund for the best interests of the College. The Colby Fund chairperson and the director of the Colby Fund, or such other member of the Colby College administration then responsible for the Colby Fund, shall select the members of the Colby Fund Committee, subject to the ratification of the chairperson of the council. The Colby Fund chairperson shall be a member of the council and shall serve on the Executive Committee.
An Awards Committee composed of members of the council shall be approved by the chairperson. This committee shall annually select deserving persons to receive the Colby Brick Award and Distinguished Alumnus Award and shall annually or less frequently nominate deserving persons to receive the Ernest C. Marriner Award for Distinguished Service to the College, the Outstanding Educator Award, The Edson V. Mitchell ’75 Distinguished Service Award, the Charles W. Bassett Faculty Award, and such other awards as may be approved by the Executive Committee. The Awards Committee shall establish criteria and procedures for nominations for such awards. No member of the committee shall be eligible to be considered for an award while serving on the committee. Proposed recipients of all awards shall be presented to the Executive Committee for ratification.
The Colby C Club Executive Committee shall serve as the Alumni Council Athletics Committee. It shall review and make recommendations concerning athletic activities of undergraduates and generally represent the alumni, in consultation with administration and otherwise, in athletic affairs. A member of this committee, appointed by the president of the College, shall be invited to attend and participate in all meetings of the Colby College Athletics Committee and such other athletics committees as may be necessary or desirable.
There shall be a Career Center Committee which shall review, work with, and make recommendations concerning Career Center activities involving the Alumni Association and the Student Alumni Association in consultation with administration. The committee will advise the Office of Alumni Relations and the Career Center on the Colby Alumni Network and associated events.
There shall be an Admissions Committee which will advise the Office of Alumni Relations and the Office of Admissions on retention and legacy events and other activities to promote the College to prospective students and parents.
There may be various additional ad hoc committees which can be established from time to time by the Executive Committee. These committees shall review and make recommendations to the council concerning such matters as campus alumni activities, alumni clubs, publications, and such other special projects as the Executive Committee deems appropriate. The Executive Committee will determine the length of service for these ad hoc committees for up to two years of service. After two years, the Executive Committee needs to reappoint the ad hoc committee with the approval of the council.
The Colby Fund shall be a group fund through which alumni and other interested persons may make gifts to be used for the best interests of the College. Any motion to discontinue the Colby Fund or combine it with other fundraising efforts of the College must meet with the approval of the council. The title of all monies received through the Colby Fund shall vest in the president and trustees of the College. All monies secured through the efforts of the council shall be delivered to the treasurer.
Alumni members of the Board of Trustees of the College shall be chosen for terms of three years, and one third of such alumni trustees shall be elected each year. The term of such trustees shall begin at twelve o'clock noon of the annual Commencement Day of the year in which they are elected and shall terminate at twelve o'clock noon on the annual Commencement Day of the year in which their successors are elected. At least one alumni trustee, during his/her first term, shall be a person elected within seven years of such trustee's graduation from the College. He/She will be eligible to serve a second three-year term. An alumni trustee shall be ineligible for reelection for one year after completing two successive terms. Any person who becomes an alumni trustee while otherwise a member of the council shall thereupon vacate such membership. The trustees of the College elected by the council are constituted for the purpose of effecting closer liaison between the alumni of the College and the Board of Trustees, and as an agency to which the council may refer all questions and matters relating to the Board of Trustees. At all meetings of the council or at such other times as the chairperson requires, the alumni trustees shall make a report covering the work of the Board of Trustees, so far as a public report is necessary or desirable, and present such matters as the Board of Trustees may desire to have brought to the attention of the council.
At its regular fall meeting, the council shall nominate by ballot one person for each vacancy in the office of alumni trustee which will occur at the next commencement. Affirmative votes of the majority of the members of the present council shall be necessary to nominate, but if there be no contest a ballot may be cast by the executive secretary in response to a unanimous voice vote of the meeting. Nominations shall be made so far as possible to maintain representation among the alumni trustees in proportion to the geographical distribution, age, and gender of alumni. The Nominating Committee shall present an account of the activities and achievements and the particular qualifications of each person it proposes as a nominee and report his or her willingness to serve if elected. In the next issue of Colby magazine or any other College publication of general circulation to all known alumni, published after the regular fall meeting, the executive secretary shall make a report of the persons nominated by the council and give notice on or before the January Alumni Council meeting. One percent of the members of the association qualified to vote as of the preceding commencement may file with the executive secretary a petition over their own signatures for the nomination of one or more qualified alumni for the office of alumni trustee. In the event that there are no nominations by petition, the candidates nominated by the council at its regular fall meeting shall be confirmed by a majority of the Executive Committee at the January Alumni Council meeting or by poll after February 1 by mail, fax, or other means. In the event that there are nominations by petition, an election shall be had in the manner provided in Section 3 of this article, and the executive secretary shall include the candidates nominated by petition and the candidates nominated by the council on the official ballot.
The election of alumni trustees when necessitated by petition shall be by printed ballot. The ballot, listing the names in alphabetical order of the nominees, shall be mailed to all members of the association qualified to vote not later than the March 15 following receipt of the petition. The ballot shall set forth an account of activities and achievements of all candidates but with no reference to any fraternities or sororities of which they are members. The information shall be sufficiently extensive to enable the voting members to form a fair and just appreciation of all candidates. The marked ballot shall be placed in the official ballot envelope and sealed, then enclosed in the envelope for mailing. The outside of the mailing envelope must bear the signature of the alumnus or alumna who casts the ballot. No voting by proxy shall be allowed, a plurality of votes shall elect, and the polls shall close at twelve o'clock noon on the May 1 next following. A ballot committee, appointed by the chairperson of the council, shall promptly count the votes, and the chairperson shall declare those persons who are elected. If an election ends in a tie for any office, the members of the council present at a special meeting called for the purpose before the end of May shall ballot for the candidates who are tied, a plurality of the ballots cast shall elect, and the chairperson shall then declare the person who is elected. If any person shall decline or be ineligible for any reason to serve, the person receiving the next highest number of votes shall be declared elected.
Whenever any vacancy occurs on the council, on the Executive Committee of the council, or in any alumni trusteeship, otherwise than by expiration of the stated term of office, the Executive Committee of the council may elect a person to serve for the remainder of the term of such office, except as specifically defined above.
All pronouns used herein shall include any other pronoun of any gender rendered appropriate by the context or circumstances, and the singular shall include the plural and vice versa whenever the facts and the context so require.
These bylaws may be amended or repealed at any meeting of the Alumni Council at which a quorum is present by a two-thirds vote of the members present and voting or by the use of an online ballot to the full council, provided that notice of such intended action, giving in full the text proposed to be repealed or adopted, shall have been mailed, posted online, or e-mailed by the executive secretary to each member of the council at least thirty days in advance.
The purpose of the Colby College Class Organization is to support the objectives of the Alumni Association as stated in its bylaws through organized class effort.
All graduates and non-graduates who have attended Colby College for at least one year shall be regular members of the class.
Membership in a particular class shall be determined on the basis of permanent college records or, in unusual circumstances, by personal election.
Honorary class members shall be determined by class election. Honorary class members shall possess all the rights of regular members, except the right to vote or hold office.
Officers of the class shall consist of president and class correspondent.
The duties of the class officers are as follows:
President
- Is responsible for chairing and/or appointing a reunion committee to organize the next class reunion and helping to plan the reunion program, and presides at class meetings and the class reunion dinner. One year prior to his/her class reunion, the class president and committee will be invited to attend reunion.
- The president will also be given a slate of volunteer opportunities to choose from and will act as a representative of the College in that capacity.
- The president will be asked to participate in Colby Alumni Networking Weekend each fall on campus as a Career Center, Colby Fund, athletics, and/or admissions volunteer in order to learn more about those roles and stay abreast of the news and activities of the College.
- As a representative of his/her class and a volunteer leader, the class president will be expected to coordinate with the class correspondent to communicate with classmates via a letter, class column, e-mail, or on the class Web site at least once a year about College and alumni news and issues.
- The president will serve as chair of the Class Nominating Committee, which selects a slate of officers to serve until the next class reunion. Additionally, where necessary he/she will be responsible for working with the Office of the Colby Fund in the selection of a class agent.
- The president will be responsible for appointing new class correspondents when a position becomes vacant at any time during the term. The president may be called upon to represent the class at College functions or for other alumni programs.
Class Correspondent
- The class correspondent will be required to compose four columns per year for the Colby magazine class notes section. The Communications Office will assist in the collection of this information by sending news clippings and other materials to correspondents from which news items may be compiled.
- The class correspondent will be expected to coordinate with the class president to communicate to his/her classmates via a letter, class column, e-mail, or on their class Web site at least once a year about College and alumni news and issues.
Terms of Office
- All elected class officers shall serve for five-year terms commencing on July 1 following their regular five-year reunion weekend.
- All class officers may be reelected, or where apropos, appointed for a second consecutive term of five years.
Class Officer Appointments
- A Nominating Committee chaired by the class president shall prepare a slate of candidates consisting of one candidate for the office of president and one candidate for the office of class correspondent.
- The class president shall contact all candidates for class office concerning their selection for inclusion on the class ballot to ascertain their willingness to serve and to fulfill the responsibilities of the office.
- The Nominating Committee shall solicit suggestions for nominees from the class at large prior to its reunion, as well as from the Office of Alumni Relations and the director of the Colby Fund.
- The chairperson and members of the Nominating Committee are eligible for nomination for any class office.
- The class officers’ slate shall be approved by the Reunion Planning Committee and the executive secretary.
Class Meetings
- Class meetings will be held on the call of the class president, with notices of such meetings published at least 15 days in advance of the meetings.
- The agenda for regular and special class meetings will be established by the class president.
