7 December 2007
CONSTITUTION AND
BYLAWS
of the
COUNCIL ON
UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH
The mission of the
Council on Undergraduate Research is to support and promote high-quality
undergraduate student-faculty collaborative research and scholarship.
CONSTITUTION
ARTICLE I
Name and Purpose
Section 1. The
name of the organization shall be “The Council on Undergraduate Research”,
hereinafter designated as CUR.
Section 2. The
purpose of CUR is to support and promote high-quality undergraduate
student-faculty collaborative research and scholarship. It shall operate as a non-profit educational
association.
Section 3. In
furtherance thereof, CUR may from time to time promote and carry out studies
and projects consistent with its purposes, may commission others to carry out
studies in its name, and may, on request, make the results of such studies and
projects known to appropriate representatives of state and federal agencies,
non-profit research organizations, and other non-profit agencies or
foundations. To this and other ends,
CUR may apply for, administer and use grants and funds from state and federal
granting agencies and non-profit private foundations. Property may be acquired, held, and disposed of by CUR in any
lawful manner consistent with the prohibition against acquisition and
disposition of property by organizations as defined in Section 501(c)(3) of the
Internal Revenue Code and its regulations as they now exist or may be amended.
ARTICLE II
Organization and Governance
Section 1.
Organizational Structure
A. Membership in CUR is available to individuals and institutions with an interest in supporting and promoting high-quality undergraduate student-faculty collaborative research and scholarship.
1. Membership is considered to be in good
standing for the year, upon payment of the annual dues set for the category of
membership.
B. CUR's individual members are organized
into divisions.
1. A division must have 60 members in good
standing and at least 12 councilors.
Once a division reaches these goals it is considered to be a regular
division of CUR.
2. A division that has fewer than 60
members or fewer than 12 councilors on the first day of the annual meeting will
be considered a Probationary Division.
i. Probationary divisions have three years to
reach a total membership of at least 60 and total number of councilors of at
least 12. If a probationary division
does not meet these limits in three years or has fewer than 30 members in good
standing on the first day of the annual meeting it will be dissolved at the
conclusion of the annual meeting. The
dissolution of a probationary division is made without vote.
ii. Minor exceptions can be approved by a
majority vote of the Executive Board.
iii. Members of a dissolved division will be
asked to select a division to be associated with upon dissolution.
C. CUR has a representative body, hereafter
called the General Council.
1. The General Council shall consist of
the councilors of the Divisions, officers of the Executive Board, and Emeritus
Presidents.
2. The Executive Board of the General
Council shall consist of the President, the Immediate Past President, the
President-Elect, the Secretary, the Treasurer, and the Division Chairs. The Executive Officer shall be a non-voting,
ex-officio member of the Executive Board.
The President shall chair the Executive Board.
D. Committees.
1. Standing Committees of the General
Council shall include Finance and Nominations.
2. Other standing committees may be
established or abolished as needed by the Executive Board.
3. The members of these standing
committees shall be appointed by Division Chairs and are subject to the
approval of the Executive Board. Each
committee shall have a Chair, appointed by the President-Elect from the committee
membership. Each standing committee
must have representation from each Division.
The President-Elect shall have the further option of appointing up to
three additional members to any committee.
4. Ad Hoc committees may be created or
abolished from time to time as deemed necessary by the Executive Board.
Section
2. Election and Term of Office.
A. Councilors
1. Each Divisional Council shall consist of
at least twelve but no more than twenty-four councilors, as determined by the
Division.
2. Each Division shall elect its councilors
by ballot from among its members. All
nominees must be members in good standing in CUR to be placed on the
ballot. Once elected, they must remain
members in good standing to continue as councilors.
3. Divisional councilors shall be elected
for staggered three-year terms, with one third of the councilors to be elected
in each year. When a councilor resigns
or is unable to complete a term that council position shall remain vacant until
the next annual election of councilors when a replacement shall be elected to
complete the term.
4. Election of councilors shall take place
by ballot prior to May 1 each year. The
term of office for councilors shall begin at the conclusion of the annual
meeting following their election.
B. Executive Board Officers
1. The officers shall be a President, Immediate Past President, President-Elect, Secretary, Treasurer, and an Executive Officer.
2. A person elected president-elect shall serve for three years: the first year as president-elect, the second year as president, and the third year as immediate past president. Secretary and treasurer shall serve staggered two year terms, and be elected in alternating years.
3. The General Council shall elect its President-Elect, Secretary, and Treasurer from a slate of candidates for each office. Candidates for these positions must be members in good standing of CUR and must remain so during their terms of office if elected. Candidates may not be members of the Nominations Committee or the Nominations Vetting Committee.
4. The Nominations Committee will issue a call for nominations from the entire CUR membership by October 1 of each year.
5. The slate of candidates shall be developed by a Nominations Vetting Committee consisting of the nominations committee chair, the immediate past president, and three other elected councilors elected by the General Council. The three councilors elected to the Nominations Vetting Committee by the General Council will serve staggered three year terms, and must be from different divisions. Divisions without a continuing member in a given year can put forward a candidate for the Nominations Vetting Committee. The candidates must be members in good standing of CUR and must remain so during their terms of office if elected. The Nominations Committee will develop and make known to the CUR membership the criteria used to evaluate nominees.
6. The Nominations Vetting Committee shall send to the Nominations Committee the slate of candidates for the open offices each year by February 1. The Nominations Vetting Committee shall seek to put forward more than one candidate for each office, but may put forward a single candidate if only one qualified candidate is willing to be nominated. The Nominations Vetting Committee shall explain the circumstances underlying any non-contested election in writing.
7. The Nominations Committee shall present to the General Council a slate of candidates by March 1 each year.
8. Elections will be conducted by electronic ballot with an April 1 deadline of each year. Officers must be elected by a majority of votes cast. Newly elected officers will assume responsibility at the conclusion of the final General Council Meeting at the next annual Business Meeting. The question of who should elect officers will be revisited no later than the June 2011 business meeting.
9. The President-Elect shall serve as acting President in the absence of the President, and the Immediate Past President will serve as acting President in the absence of both the President and President-Elect. If the President is unable to complete a term, the position shall remain vacant until such time as it is filled by the normal accession of the current President. In the event that the President-Elect, Secretary, or Treasurer is unable to complete a term of office, the Nominations Vetting Committee shall be reconvened immediately by the President to nominate candidates for the vacant position, and a ballot of the General Council shall be undertaken expeditiously. Elected candidates will assume office immediately.
10. The Executive Officer shall be appointed by the Executive Board to a three-year renewable term. Consideration for renewal will occur during the second year of an appointment and reappointment for a subsequent three-year term will be made at the end of the second year. The Executive Board shall act in the absence of the Executive Officer in executive session to appoint, evaluate, renew or terminate the Executive Officer.
C. Divisional Council Officers.
1. The officers of the Division shall
include a Chair, a Chair-Elect, and a Secretary. The Chair-Elect and Secretary shall be elected biennially by and
from the councilors in that Division.
The Chair-Elect shall succeed to the office of Chair in the subsequent
year.
2. In the event that any Divisional Officer
is unable to complete a term of office, the Division’s Nominations Committee
shall nominate candidates to serve the remainder of the term, and an election
shall be conducted by ballot of the councilors.
D. Emeritus Presidents.
1. Past Presidents who are members in good
standing are granted status as a special class of non-elected voting members of
the Council called "Emeritus Presidents".
2. Emeritus Presidents must select a
Division in which to reside, but may not serve as Divisional Chair or Divisional
Secretary.
A. The General Council shall:
a. elect the President, Secretary, and Treasurer of CUR,
b. determine the mission of CUR
c. hold authority over the Constitution and ByLaws, and
d.
from time to time advise the Executive Board as appropriate.
1. Divisions may be added by the General
Council at any annual meeting, by a two-thirds vote.
B. Executive Board.
a. The Executive Board will set and implement CUR's strategic directions as informed by the mission and the advice of the General Council.
1. The President shall set the agenda and
preside at meetings of the General Council, and shall be the public
representative of the General Council.
The President may appoint ad hoc task
groups that function during that President’s term of office and report directly
to the President.
2. The President-Elect shall serve, by
appointment of the President, as the President’s representative, shall appoint
the committees of CUR subject to the approval of the Executive Board, and shall
assume other duties or responsibilities as may be assigned by the President.
3. The Immediate Past President shall serve
as the chair of a Strategic Planning Task Group, and shall assume other duties
or responsibilities as may be assigned by the President.
4. The Secretary shall maintain minutes of
the meetings of the General Council and Executive Board and shall assume such
other duties as may be assigned by the President.
5. The Treasurer shall accept, invest, and
disburse funds as authorized by the Executive Board, serve as a member of the
Finance Committee, maintain an accurate account of the financial state of CUR,
and prepare the budget for consideration at the annual meetings.
6. The Executive Officer shall serve as the
principal administrator of CUR, as directed by the Executive Board.
7. Fiduciary responsibility, including
approval and oversight of the budget, is vested in the Executive Board.
8. No member of the Executive Board (except
for the Executive Officer) shall receive any compensation from CUR for services
performed in his or her capacity as CUR official. Executive Board members may receive reimbursement for
out-of-pocket expenses.
9. The Executive Board shall prepare an
Annual Report of CUR's business, property, and other affairs during the
preceding fiscal year. This report
shall be filed with the records of CUR.
An annual report of CUR’s affairs also shall be prepared in conformity
with the laws of the State of Minnesota pertaining thereto.
10. During periods between annual meetings,
matters of policy initiated by the President shall be reviewed by the Executive
Board and resolved by the following possible actions: (1) approve or disapprove; (2) send to the General Council for
approval or disapproval.
C. Divisional Council.
1. The Divisional Chair shall preside at
the annual meetings of the Divisional Council, appoint its committees,
coordinate its projects, and act as the public representative of the Division.
2. The Divisional Secretary shall maintain
the records of the Divisional Council, make regular reports to the Council,
carry out general correspondence, and perform such other duties as may from
time to time be delegated or necessary.
3. The Chair of each Division shall
appoint a Nominations Committee of councilors for nomination of candidates for
councilors and officers. All elected
officers and those councilors standing for election shall be excluded from the
Nominations Committee. A slate of
nominees for officers shall be sent to the councilors prior to the annual
meeting.
4. The policies and projects of each
Division shall be decided by its councilors, consistent with the policies of
the General Council. Each Division
shall establish such committees as it deems necessary for the proper
functioning of that body.
5. During periods between annual meetings,
matters of policy arising from a Division shall be reviewed by the respective
Chair with the President and resolved by the following possibilities: (1) Executive Board action is not required;
(2) Executive Board action is required; (3) Action by the General Council is
required.
Section 4.
Meetings.
A. General Council Meetings.
1. The General Council shall hold an annual
meeting. The time and place shall be
selected by the Executive Board and notice furnished to the members at least
two months in advance of the meeting.
2. Special meetings may be called by a
ballot of the General Council at the request of the Executive Board. A majority vote of a quorum of the General
Council is required to convene a special meeting.
B. Executive Board Meetings.
1. The Executive Board shall hold at least
two meetings annually, one during, and one offset approximately six months
from, the General Council meeting.
C. Divisional Meetings.
1. Each Division shall hold its annual
meeting in conjunction with the annual meeting of the General Council.
Section
5. Voting.
A. Quorum.
1. A quorum for the General Council shall
consist of forty percent of the membership of the General Council.
2. A quorum for each Divisional Council
shall consist of forty percent of its councilors.
3. A quorum for the Executive Board shall
consist of two-thirds of its members.
B. Majority Vote.
1. Matters of policy shall be decided by a
majority vote of members of the General Council present at meetings of the
General Council or by a majority vote by ballot.
C. Ballots.
1. The term ballot throughout this
document means a vote held by mail, fax, or electronic media. All eligible voters shall have the
opportunity to cast ballots.
2. The balloting period shall be
stipulated on the ballot.
ARTICLE III
Amendments
Section 1. Amendments
to this Constitution or Bylaws can be made only at the annual meeting, a
special meeting, or by ballot. Written
proposals for any amendments to the Constitution or Bylaws must be sent to the
members of the General Council at least thirty days prior to the vote.
Section 2.
Amendments to this Constitution must be approved by a two-thirds
majority of members of the General Council.
Section 3.
Amendments to the Bylaws must be approved by majority of members of the
General Council.
ARTICLE IV
Tax-Exempt Status
Section 1. CUR
is non-stock and non-profit. No part of
the net earnings of CUR shall inure to the benefit of, or be distributable to,
its directors, officers, or other private persons, except that CUR shall be
authorized or empowered to pay reasonable compensation for services rendered
and to make payments and distributions in furtherance of the objectives set
forth in Article I. No substantial part
of the activities of CUR shall be the carry-on of propaganda, or otherwise
attempting to influence legislation, and CUR shall not participate in, or
intervene in, any political campaign on behalf of any candidate for public
office. Notwithstanding any of the
provisions of the Articles of Incorporation, CUR shall not carry on any other
activities not permitted to be carried on by a corporation exempt from federal
income tax under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954 (or the
corresponding provision of any future United States Internal Revenue Law).
Section 2. If
in any one year CUR is found to be a private foundation, then and in that
event, its income for each such taxable year shall be distributed at such time
and in such manner as not to subject the foundation to tax under Section 4942
of the Internal Revenue Code, and the foundation shall not engage in any act of
the self-dealing (as defined in Section 4941(d) of the Internal Revenue Code),
and shall not retain any excess business holdings, (as defined in Section
4943(c) of the Internal Revenue Code), and shall not make any investments in
such manner as to subject the foundation to tax under Section 4944 of the
Internal Revenue Code, and shall not make any taxable expenditures (as defined
in Section 4945(d) of the Internal Revenue Code).
ARTICLE V
Dissolution
Section 1. CUR
may be dissolved by the members when, for any reason whatsoever, its continued
existence is unnecessary or undesirable.
A Resolution to dissolve may be made and, to be effective, must be
ratified in the manner prescribed above for Constitutional amendments, except
that in addition, an affirmative vote must be cast at two consecutive annual
meetings.
Section 2. In
the event of dissolution or termination of CUR, the Executive Board shall,
after the payment of all of the liabilities of CUR, dispose of all of the
assets of CUR exclusively for the objectives of CUR, in such manner, or to such
organization or organizations organized exclusively for charitable, education,
religious, or scientific purposes as shall at the time qualify as an exempt
organization or organizations under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue
Code of 1954 (or the corresponding provision of any future United States
Internal Revenue Law) as the Executive
Board shall determine. Any of such
assets not so disposed of shall be disposed of by the Court of proper
jurisdiction, exclusively for such purposes or to such organization or
organizations as said Court shall determine, which are organized and operated
exclusively for such purposes.
ARTICLE VI
Section
1. The procedures contained in Robert’s
Rules of Order, Revised, shall govern the meetings of the General Council, the
Executive Board, and the Divisional Councils in all cases to which they are
applicable except insofar as the Rules are inconsistent with the Articles of
Incorporation, Bylaws, or the special rules of the council or the state laws of
the jurisdiction in which CUR operates.
BYLAWS
1. The last item of business at the annual
meeting shall be the commencement of terms of new
councilors and officers.
2. Newly elected councilors who attend the
annual meeting may be designated as voting members of the General Council by
their Division to replace standing councilors not in attendance, as long as the
number of voting councilors does not exceed that Division’s allotted
total. Newly elected councilors so
designated shall be chosen by lot.