Constitution and Bylaws
Southern New Jersey Chapter
Penn State Alumni Association
Article I
Section 1. Name
The name of the organization shall be the Southern New Jersey Chapter of the Penn State
Alumni Association (the “Chapter”), a field organization of the Penn State Alumni
Association (the “Alumni Association”).
Section 2. Purpose
The Chapter is organized to promote the welfare of the Pennsylvania State University
(Penn State) and to provide service to Chapter members. In furtherance of this goal, the
Chapter shall assist the Alumni Association to develop programs beneficial to Penn State.
The Chapter shall work to establish a network of close fellowship and cooperation among
members of the Penn State family (alumni, parents of students, friends, and fans) residing
in Southern New Jersey and more specifically in the Burlington, Camden and Gloucester
Counties and surrounding areas. Through this network, the Chapter shall endeavor to
enhance the area’s knowledge of Penn State’s programs and activities and the
accomplishments of its students, faculty and alumni, and shall assist in Penn State’s
recruitment of outstanding applicants for admission.
Section 3. Mission Statement
The Chapter is a charitable group organized to promote the welfare of Penn State, provide
services to Chapter members and give back to the community by conducting charitable events
and providing scholarships to deserving area students.
Article II
Section 1. Membership
Active: Any alumni, parents of students, friends, and fans of Penn State are eligible to
become active members in the Chapter.
Honorary: All alumni and non-alumni members of the Penn State family who have
distinguished themselves by their support of Penn State are eligible to become honorary
members of the Chapter. Appointment as an honorary member requires the approval of
the Board of Directors.
Section 2. Dues
Annual dues shall be charged to all active members of the Chapter and shall be
determined by the Board of Directors.
Article III
Section 1. Officers
The officers of the Chapter shall consist of a president, vice-president, recording
secretary, corresponding secretary and treasurer. All officers shall hold concurrent
membership in the Alumni Association and shall be elected from the Board of Directors
Section 2. Board of Directors
The Board of Directors (Board) shall consist of a minimum of 10 regularly elected
members from the Chapter and ex-officio members. Board members shall be elected by the
existing Board Ex-officio members shall not be entitled to vote or hold office unless a
specific exception is granted by the Board of Directors. Members of the Board of Directors must
hold concurrent membership in the Penn State Alumni Association.
Section 3. Terms of Office
Officers: The term of office for the officers of the Chapter shall be two years. Officers of
the Chapter may be re-elected, but successive full terms of office shall be limited to two.
An exception may be approved by the Board of Directors if unusual circumstances prevail. If an
officer other than the president resigns before the completion of his or her term, a successor for
the remainder of the term shall be elected by the majority of members at a regularly scheduled
meeting of the Board.
Board of Directors: The term of office for voting members of the Board shall be three
years. Board members may be re-elected but full successive terms of Board membership
shall be limited to five.
Ex-Officio Members
Past-Presidents: A past president who is not re-elected to the Board may be an exofficio
member of the Board for one year beyond the expiration of his/her term of office
as a member of the Board, if he/she desires.
The Executive Director of the Alumni Association: The executive director of the
Alumni Association shall be a permanent ex-officio member of the Board.
Legal Counsel: The president may appoint a chapter member to serve as an unpaid legal
counsel to the Board if no elected officer or Board member is a member of the bar or
declines to serve in that additional capacity.
Vacancies: If vacancies occur, the Board may elect new Board members to serve for the
remainder of the unexpired terms.
Article IV
Section 1. Duties of the Officers
The duties of the officers shall be those set forth below and such additional duties as
assigned by the Board.
President: The president shall serve as chair of the Board and shall serve as an exofficio
member of all Chapter committees. He/she shall manage the day-to-day business
of the Chapter, appoint committee chairpersons, call chapter and board meetings, and
preside at those meetings. The president shall inform the Alumni Association of chapter
activities and shall submit to that office an annual report immediately following an annual
meeting or by such date as determined by the Alumni Association.
Vice-President: In the absence or disability of the president, or at his/her request, the
vice-president shall perform the duties of the president. If the office of the president
becomes vacant, the vice-president shall become president until the next annual election
of officers by the Board. He/she may serve as an ex-officio member of Chapter
committees and shall perform duties as may be delegated to him/her by the president.
Recording Secretary: the secretary shall keep the official minutes of the meetings of the
Chapter and the Board. He/she shall maintain the official copy of the Chapter’s charter,
By-Laws, past chapter and Board meeting minutes, and shall be responsible for archiving
the Chapter’s documentation reflecting historical experience from programs and
committee work. This shall not infringe on the historian’s duties (if there is one named by
the president), who shall keep a written and/or pictorial history of the Chapter.
Treasurer: The treasurer shall be responsible for all receipts and disbursements of the
Chapter and shall assist the secretary with the Chapter’s records, as necessary. The
treasurer shall be responsible for overseeing that disbursements are made in accordance
with the guidelines in the Chapter’s annual budget. The annual budget may be
recommended by a finance committee as directed by the president. In the absence of a
finance committee, the Board, as a whole, shall set the annual budget and upon approval
by the Board shall set in motion the annual budget. He/she shall be responsible for
submitting an annual financial report at the annual meeting of the chapter and shall send a
copy to the Alumni Association offices.
Corresponding Secretary: The corresponding secretary shall be responsible for communicating
meeting notices to members of the board and conducting the correspondence of the Chapter as
assigned by the president.
Section 2. Duties of the Board
The Board is the legislative body of the chapter and is empowered to establish policy
consistent with the programs as set forth by the Alumni Association.
The Board shall meet on a regular basis. The locations and time of Chapter meetings
s h a l l b e s e t by the Board. It is the responsibility of each board member to
stay current on meeting locations, or in the case of absence from a meeting to confirm
future meeting t i m e s a n d locations with the secretary or another officer. Changes to
the Board meeting schedule or location will be communicated to the Board by the President in a
timely manner.
The Board shall hold a minimum of six meetings each year and other meetings called by
the president as his/her discretion or upon petition to the president bearing the signatures
of at least one-third (1/3) of the voting members of the Board. A petition for a meeting
shall state the specific purpose for holding such meeting. The president shall call s u c h a
meeting within seven (7) days and hold such meeting within fourteen (14) days of receipt
of a petition.
Members of the Board shall attend a t l e a s t 5 0 % o f all meetings of the Board of
Directors and shall attend at least 50% of chapter events unless excused for cause. The
secretary shall maintain the record of attendance. Voting members of the Board shall serve
on at least one standing committee of the Chapter.
Article V
Section 1. Committees
Standing committees shall be the following: Membership, Social Events, Newsletter/Web
Page/Social Media, Community Service/Philanthropic, Marketing/Publicity/Advertising,
Finance, Scholarship. Ad hoc committees may be established by the president as needed.
Membership o f these committees shall be from board members a n d C h a p t e r
m e m b e r s chosen by the president. Each committee shall consist of at least three
members including ex-officio members.
Section 2. Function of Committees
The function of the committees shall be those set forth below and such additional
functions as assigned and agreed upon by the Board.
Membership. The membership chair shall maintain complete records of all active and
honorary members of the Chapter and a listing of Penn State alumni as issued by the
Alumni Association. The membership listing and the listing from the Alumni
Association shall be used only for official business of the chapter. These listings shall
not, under any circumstances be released or made available to any commercial, political
or other association entities. The listings may only be used to further the purposes of the
Chapter and the Alumni Association. The president and vice-president shall be ex-officio
members of this committee.
Social Events shall assure that a schedule of activities exists and consists of well-rounded
events designed to promote all aspects of Penn State’s educational programs as well as to
further the membership of the Chapter.
Newsletter/WebPage/Social Media shall serve the interests of the Chapter, The Alumni
Association and Penn State by promoting each to members, potential members and others
as directed by the Board through a newsletter, maintaining and keeping current the chapter’s
website, and keeping current the chapter’s Facebook page and other social media platforms.
Community Service/Philanthropic shall serve as a liaison between the chapter and the
non-profit community and the service organizations therein for the purpose of providing
chapter members an opportunity to assist in community projects.
Marketing/Publicity/Advertising. The committee shall publicize all public events for the
purpose of expanding attendance. They will coordinate with the Webpage/Social Media
Committee to leverage their capabilities.
Finance shall prepare an annual budget for the Chapter. The fiscal year shall correspond
to the membership year. The budget shall be provided to the Board at the next regularly
scheduled meeting for approval. The vice-president shall be the chair and the president
and treasurer shall serve in ex-officio capacities for this committee.
Scholarship shall work with Penn State in providing scholarship monies to deserving
students in accordance with the guidelines as set forth by Penn State. The committee will
communicate scholarship information and applications to all secondary schools in the Chapter’s
charter area. It will screen and select candidates for all scholarships offered by the Chapter and
present their recommendations to the Board for approval.
Article VI
Section 1. Annual Chapter Meeting
The Chapter shall hold at least one annual meeting at which time Board members will be
elected.
Section 2. Special Chapter Meetings
The president may call special chapter meetings that may be included in the schedule of
activities or that are necessary to carry out the purposes of the chapter.
Article VII
Section 1. Adoption
This Constitution and By-Laws shall be adopted upon it’s approval by a majority vote of
the members of the Chapter in attendance at any regular or special meeting of the
Chapter. It shall be effective upon grant of charter by the Executive Board of the Alumni
Association and shall continue in force as long as the Chapter’s charter is in force.
Section 2. Amendments
This Constitution and By-Laws may be amended by a majority vote of all Chapter
members present at a regularly scheduled or duly called s p e c i a l Board
meeting.
Article VIII
Section 1. Dissolution of the Chapter
The Chapter may be dissolved only upon the vote of two thirds of members in
attendance at a regular or special meeting of the Chapter, provided however, that notice
of the time and place of the proposed vote on dissolution be disseminated to all Chapter
members by regular mail or email at least two weeks in advance.
Section 2. Distribution of Assets Upon Dissolution
Upon dissolution of the Chapter, title to all assets held by the Chapter, including any
scholarship funds, shall be turned over to the Alumni Association within 30 days of
dissolution.
This Constitution and By Laws are hereby approved on this _______ day of ________,
2015.
_____________________________
Matt Kirk, President
_____________________________
Cindy Skotnicki, Vice-President