Constitution

University of Missouri–St. Louis Retirees Association Constitution

Article I: Name

The name of this organization is The University of Missouri–St. Louis Retirees Association (UMSLRA).

Article II: Purpose

It is the purpose of this Association to support the educational programs of the University of Missouri–St. Louis, promote the welfare of its retired staff and faculty, and support the activities of the UMSL Alumni Association as appropriate, given the UMSLRA's status as an affinity group of the Alumni Association. It shall also strive to enhance the image of UMSL in the local and state communities.

Article III: Membership

  1. Regular Member: Any retired employee of UMSL may become a Regular Member of the Association by paying the annual or lifetime dues. A Regular Member is eligible to vote, to hold office, to participate in the affairs of the Association, and to receive all communications of the Association.
  2. Associate Member: Any of the following persons may become an Associate Member of the Association by paying the annual dues. An Associate Member may participate in the activities of the Association, serve on committees and receive all communications of the Association. They may not hold office or serve on the Board. Persons eligible for Associate Membership are:
  1. The spouse, surviving spouse, or domestic partner of a Regular Member.
  2. Any other person who expresses interest in joining the Association and receives the approval of the Board of Directors. (This may include Honorary Members, pre-retirees, etc.)

Article IV: Incorporation

The Association is a nonprofit organization incorporated in the State of Missouri.

Article V: Officers

There will be five officers of the Association as described below. Each officer must be a Regular Member of the Association. Each officer serves a one-year term and may be reelected at the pleasure of the membership. Three officers are elected each year: President-elect, Secretary, and Treasurer.

  1. President. The President is the presiding officer of the Association and of the Board of Directors (see Article VI) and is an ex-officio member of all committees except the Nominating Committee. The President may form any committee deemed necessary for the operation of the Association. The President appoints members of all committees subject to the approval of the Board of Directors unless otherwise provided in the Association Constitution or Bylaws.
  2. President-elect. The President-elect is the first year of a three-year commitment to the leadership of the UMSLRA. They shall assume the duties of the President in the absence of the President. The President-elect shall be responsible for member services. Member services shall be divided and assigned to three committees: the Planning and Events Committee, the Membership Committee, and the Communications Committee (services described in the Bylaws). The President-elect shall be an ex-officio member of each member services committee.
  3. Immediate Past President. The Immediate Past President shall chair all the nominating and selection committees (see Bylaws Article V, section A).
  4. Secretary. The Secretary shall be responsible for the records of the Association and shall maintain records of all official meetings of the Association and of the Board of Directors. The Secretary is responsible for the history of all the Association minutes and distributed documents and the maintenance thereof.
  5. Treasurer. The Treasurer shall be responsible for the maintenance of all financial records of the Association, prepare an annual financial report and prepare other financial reports as directed by the Board of Directors. The Treasurer shall maintain a digital file of ALL persons who have ever been a member of the UMSLRA. The file will contain information on members indicating their status (Regular, Associate, etc.) and that facilitates contact with the member and records the various states of standing of the member (Deceased, Surviving Spouse, and Membership dates).

Article VI: Board of Directors

The Board of Directors consists of the officers of the Association and six additional Regular Members of the Association elected by the Regular Members in attendance at the annual spring business meeting. The officers constitute the Executive Committee of the Association, and the six additional Regular Members complete the UMSLRA Board of Directors. Each non-officer director shall serve a two-year term. Terms are to be staggered so that three directors are elected each year. Each board member may be reelected at the pleasure of the membership. Ex-officio non-voting members may be added to the Board with a 2/3rds majority consent of the Board. Such ex-officio members will be chosen in order to assist the Board of Directors in carrying out its duties and responsibilities.

The Board of Directors' duties and responsibilities are as follows:

  1. To formulate and recommend policies of the Association,
  2. To direct the activities of the Association between annual meetings,
  3. To recommend for the approval of the membership the assessment of dues that are necessary to finance the activities of the Association, and
  4. To approve the appointment of members of all committees.
  5. Non-officer board members will be appointed by the President to one of the three member services committees to carry out the functions and duties of the appointed committee (functions described in the Bylaws Article V, Section B). The President will designate one of the appointed board members as the committee chair on each committee.

Article VII: Meetings/Elections/Vacancies

  1. Meetings. There will be two annual meetings of the Association: one in the spring and one in the fall. If there is other business that needs to be conducted, the board may convene a special meeting to take place during the fall meeting. (See Bylaws: Article I, section C)
  2. Elections. Officers and board members of the Association will be elected, and other business of the Association held in late fall and a business meeting to elect the nominating committee which, in turn, develops the slate of officer and board candidates.
  3. Vacancies. Any vacancies which occur between annual meetings, other than that of President (see Article V, section B), shall be filled by the President with the approval of the Board of Directors. Such appointments will run until the next regular annual meeting. In the case of a vacancy of the President-elect, the President will continue to serve as President and assume the duties of the President-elect for the remainder of the term.

Article VIII: Amendments

The constitution may be amended by a majority of those regular members attending a duly called meeting, provided all Regular Members have been provided a written notice (digital or paper document) of the proposed amendment(s) at least 21 days in advance of the next meeting. Such amendments shall be moved by the Board of Directors.

Article IV: Dissolution

In the case of the dissolution of the Association, all funds must be transferred to the general scholarship fund of UMSL.