ARTICLE I. Name

The name of this organization shall be the Virginia Council of Graduate Schools (VCGS).

ARTICLE II. Mission

VCGS shall promote graduate education within and across all higher education institutions in the Commonwealth of Virginia. This includes advocating on behalf of member institutions for policies, legislation, and funding that advances the mission of graduate education within the State; the consideration of mutual challenges and development of possible solutions; and the sharing of best practices among the member institutions relating to graduate study. VCGS will collaborate with other organizations, such as the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia, the Conference of Southern Graduate Schools, and the Council of Graduate Schools, for the purpose of exchanging and disseminating information and promoting mutually beneficial opportunities. 

The Commonwealth of Virginia has a long history of exclusionary legislation, policies, and culture. VCGS recognizes that these societal structures and institutions have marginalized certain populations and denied them equal access to the opportunities and benefits of graduate education.  This is not just a problem of the distant past. VCGS therefore places Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion as core values in its decision-making, allocation of resources, and advocacy.

ARTICLE III. Structure and Organization

1. Membership.

Membership in VCGS shall be by institution. Membership criteria are as follows:

1. Awards graduate degrees under SCHEV approval.

2. Is accredited by SACSCOC or its equivalent.

3. Has its primary/main location in the Commonwealth of Virginia.

All applications for institutional membership shall be reviewed and approved by the Executive Committee. Memberships will be confirmed on an annual basis. 

2. Voting Representation.

Each institutional member shall designate one official representative (or selected proxy), who shall cast the member’s vote on all ballots and votes taken on official actions. A member institution may send as many delegates or participants to meetings as it desires. 

3. Officers.

The VCGS officers should reflect the institutional diversity of Virginia. Election of officers will be by simple majority vote of the official representatives of each regular institutional member attending the business meeting, either by acclamation or written ballot. All terms shall commence on July 1 and end on June 30. All elected and serving officers should be administrators serving in their respective graduate units.

1. The President

• The President shall serve for a term of two years and cannot serve consecutive terms. The year after the term ends, the President will assume the office of Immediate Past-President. 

• The President shall be responsible for coordinating all functions of VCGS, shall preside at annual meetings, shall serve as Chair of the Executive Committee, and shall perform the other usual duties of a presiding officer. The primary duties of the President are to work with the Executive Committee to:

  • Schedule the semi-annual meetings.

  • Prepare and share all meetings’ agendas.

  • Finalize all supporting documents in preparation to each annual meeting.

  • Establish and monitor the progress of sub-committees.

• If the President is not able to complete their two-year term, the President-Elect becomes President for the rest of the term. 

2. The President-Elect

• The President-Elect shall be elected at a Spring annual meeting for a term of one year as President-Elect. The following year the President-Elect shall assume the office of the President for a term of two consecutive years. 

• The primary duties of the President Elect are to:

  • Advise the President and the Executive Committee on ways to enhance the effectiveness of VCGS in meeting the needs of its members.

  • Assist the President and the Executive Committee in establishing the topics of the semi-annual meetings.

• If the President-Elect is not able to complete their one-year term, a new President-Elect shall be elected. 

3. The Secretary

• The Secretary shall be elected for a term of three years at the Spring meeting before the previous Secretary’s term expires or is vacated. 

• This officer should be from an institution different from that of the President and Treasurer. 

• The primary duties of the Secretary are to:

  • Maintain the official record of institutional membership and membership contact information.

  • Announce Executive Committee and Annual meetings.

  • Keep minutes of all meetings.

  • Perform other duties necessary for the execution of the semi-annual meetings. 

  • Conduct ballots as needed.

• If the Secretary is not able to complete their three-year term, a new Secretary shall be elected for the rest of the term. 

4. The Treasurer

• The Treasurer shall be elected for a term of three years at the Spring meeting before the previous term expires or is vacated. This term should ordinarily be staggered from that of the Secretary. 

• This officer should be from an institution different from that of the President and Secretary. 

• The primary duties of the Treasurer are to:

  • Keep full and accurate records of VCGS’ financial transactions.

  • Be responsible for notices of dues, when applicable. 

  • Submit dues invoices to member institutions every Fall for the next academic year, when applicable.

  • Solicit requests for proposals of future meeting sites for the semi-annual meetings.

  • Perform other duties necessary for the execution of annual meetings. 

• If the Treasurer is not able to complete their three-year term, a new Treasurer shall be elected for the rest of the term. 

 4. Graduate Student Assistant

• A graduate student assistant should ordinarily be appointed by the President from their institution.

• The primary duties of the VCGS’ graduate assistant are to:

  • Manage all internal and external communications, including but not limited to websites and social media. 

  • Maintain the “VCGS’ listserv”.

  • Increase the visibility of the organization.

  • Coordinate collaboration between registered graduate student organizations across all member institutions. 

5.  Membership Dues

Dues shall be collected from each institution. The annual dues amount shall be established by the Executive Committee and approved by a majority of the official representatives voting. The approved amount of dues shall remain in effect until changed by formal vote. Dues are payable to the Treasurer in January of each year, at which time any approved changes in the dues amount will go into effect. Annual dues can be suspended in any given year when proposed by the Executive Committee and approved by a majority of the official representatives voting.

ARTICLE IV. Meetings

1. Annual Meetings.

There shall be semi-annual meetings of representatives of the institutional members. Annual meetings of VCGS shall be held in the Spring and Fall unless otherwise determined by vote of the representatives on such time. The selection of each meeting location shall rotate across all member institutions and be approved by a majority of the official representatives voting.  The terms for costs for hosting and traveling shall be established by the Executive Committee and approved by a majority of the official representatives voting so any member institution can equally participate. 

2.  Quorum.

A majority of all voting members must be present to constitute a quorum. Matters of business may be resolved by an electronic quorum of official representatives of institutional members, utilizing means that include but are not limited to, email, web-conferencing, video-conferencing, and telephone conferencing. A simple majority of the official representatives voting is required for approval.

3. Business Meeting Minutes and Agendas.

Thirty days prior to the meeting, the Secretary shall engage VCGS’ members for possible topics of interest. Seven days prior to the meeting, the Secretary shall post the meeting agenda using an electronic system such as the website or shared cloud drive. 

Within 15 days of the annual meetings, the Secretary shall disseminate draft minutes of the business meeting to the members. Official representatives shall review and offer corrections or comments on the minutes within 15 days of dissemination. 

After the window for corrections closes, the Secretary shall edit the draft minutes according to the feedback that was received and disseminate the revised minutes to the members within 15 days.

Once the revised minutes have been disseminated, the official representative of each member institution (or their designee) shall vote to approve the minutes and the Secretary shall post the approved minutes using the same electronic system.

ARTICLE V. Committees

1. Executive Committee.

The Executive Committee shall be composed of the President (Chair), President-Elect or Past-President, the Secretary, and the Treasurer. 

The Executive Committee shall:

• Assist the President in planning the program for the semi-annual meetings.

• Act for VCGS between meetings and meet quarterly including the semi-annual meetings. 

• Assume the functions of liaison with other professional and educational organizations.

• Take other actions necessary for the operation of the organization.

• Authorize expenditures incidental to the general functions of the VCGS.

Any decision made by the Executive Committee shall be done by a majority vote of all members of the Executive Committee. In the event of a tie, the President should bring the matter to the full membership.

2. Special Committees.

The President, upon advice of the Executive Committee, may appoint such special ad hoc committees as deemed appropriate.

ARTICLE VI. Adoption of the Bylaws

The bylaws of VCGS shall become effective upon approval by a majority of the official representatives of all member institutions.

ARTICLE VII. Amendments of the Bylaws

Proposed amendments must be submitted in writing to the Executive Committee and be made available for consideration by all member institutions prior to a business meeting. Formal votes may be taken by acclamation at a business meeting or by written ballot. Formal votes may also be taken electronically between business meetings, through means including, but not limited to, email, web-conferencing, video-conferencing, and telephone conferencing. A simple majority of the official representatives voting is required for adoption.

ARTICLE VIII. Officers’ Schedule: