Bylaws

Adopted November, 1991; Amended August 1995; September 1998; April 2000; February 2005; September 2006; September 2008; February 2009; February 2010; September 2011; September 2014; February 2017; May 2017; October 2018; March 2022; December 2023;

ARTICLE I: NAME

The name of this organization shall be Texas A&M University Advisors and Counselors (UAC).

ARTICLE II: MISSION

“As a professional organization, University Advisors and Counselors advances the professions of academic advising and counseling at Texas A&M University and challenges its members to continued growth and development in the field. By sharing knowledge and experiences, understanding the local advising context, and encouraging participation in state, regional, and national events, the membership of the organization seeks to empower students to take ownership of their education and support them in their total development.”

ARTICLE III: ORGANIZATIONAL GOALS

It is the goal of UAC to:

• serve its constituency of professional academic advisors, faculty members, administrators, counselors, and others in academic and student services concerned with the intellectual, academic, personal, and vocational/career needs of students

• provide a forum for discussion, debate, and exchange of ideas regarding academic advising

• serve as an advocate for the function of academic advising

• facilitate cooperation and coordination of academic advising with other support services in educational institutions both internally and externally

• promote accessibility to advising and counseling through the developmental academic advising stages

• provide the optimum atmosphere for students’ academic development

ARTICLE IV: OFFICERS

Section 1: Elected & Appointed Officers: All Officer positions, except Parliamentarian and Historian, are elected by the general membership. The Parliamentarian and Historian will be appointed by the President Elect for the subsequent year and approved by the Executive Board before announcement at the Spring UAC Awards Breakfast. Elections will be held annually in April with the results announced at the Spring UAC Awards Breakfast.

1:1 President – It is the duty of the President to:

• preside over all Executive Board and General Membership meetings

• plan Transitional Board Meeting in coordination with the Immediate Past President to be held no later than July 1st.

• serve as chair and appoint members of the UAC Awards Committee

• serve as Co-chair of the Strategic Planning and Assessment Committee

• serve as UAC representative to the Academic Operations Committee (AOC) and to ad hoc committees, as assigned

• prepare the agenda for Executive Board meetings

• serve as an ex officio member of all UAC committees (except the Nominating Committee)

• appoint members of the Nominating Committee

• call special meetings

1:2 President Elect – It is the duty of the President Elect to:

• assume the responsibilities of the President in his or her absence

• serve as an ex officio member of all UAC committees (except the Nominating Committee)

• serve as chair and appoint members of the UAC Awards Breakfast Committee

• serve as chair of New Advisor Orientation Committee

1:3 Vice President for Programs – It is the duty of the Vice President for Programs to:

• serve as chair and appoint members of the Program Committee

• appoint Chair(s) and members of the Advisor Briefing Day(s) and Symposium Committees and receive evaluations and final committee reports.

• coordinate a calendar of programs and activities in cooperation with the Secretary and submit to the Vice President for Communications for distribution to the membership

• assure professional development is addressed in all programs

1:4 Vice President for Communications – It is the duty of the Vice President for Communications to:

• serve as chair and appoint members of the Communications Committee

• coordinate the communication efforts of the organization

• provide notice of General Membership meetings

• maintain UAC website

1:5 Vice President of Climate Enhancement (CE) – It is the duty of the Vice President of CE to:

• serve as the chair of and appoint members to the CE Committee

• chair annual survey of advising climate on campus

• collaborate with VP of Programs to provide educational opportunities related to CE programming to all UAC members

• coordinate the UAC CE website in conjunction with VP of Communications

1:6 Secretary – It is the duty of the Secretary to:

• serve as chair and appoint members of the Membership Committee

• update and distribute current membership directory

• provide notice of Executive Board meetings

• record and distribute Executive Board minutes to Board Members

• prepare annual calendar in consultation with the Vice President for Programs

• facilitate any communication necessary for administrative operations of the organization

• provide mail label listing when requested

1:7 Treasurer – It is the duty of the Treasurer to:

• maintain account(s) of the organization

• present Treasurer’s report at Executive Board meetings

• serve as chair of the Finance Committee

• present the budget prepared by the Finance Committee for programs, activities, and operations for the upcoming year to the Executive Board in July

• serve on all committees that involve expenditure of funds

• facilitate the processing of vouchers and reimbursements

• issue receipts

1:8 Immediate Past President – It is the duty of the Immediate Past President to:

• certify membership of the Executive Board.

• serve as ex officio member of the Executive Board for the year following term as President.

• serve as Co-chair of the Strategic Planning and Assessment Committee.

• serve as chair of the Nominating Committee and conduct the election including distributing the nomination slate and the officer election ballots, and presenting the results to the Executive Board.

• serve as UAC Rep on the President’s Awards Committee

1:9 Parliamentarian – It is the duty of the Parliamentarian to:

• ensure adherence to the Bylaws and Policies & Procedures

• maintain proper order at Executive Board Meetings

• advise the President, or presiding officer, on parliamentary procedure

• recommend amendments/changes to the Bylaws and Policies & Procedures for approval by the Executive Board before the annual General Membership Meeting

• present authorized amendments/changes to the Bylaws and Policies & Procedures to the general membership at least one week prior to the General Membership Meeting

1:10 Historian – It is the duty of the Historian to:

• collaborate with the VP for Communication to provide website content

• arrange for photo (or other appropriate) documentation of UAC events

• establish and institutionalize a process of collecting oral history from seasoned advisors to be contained in an archive of UAC materials

• coordinate with the University Libraries to establish and maintain an archive of UAC materials

• coordinate with the University Libraries to establish and maintain a collection of professional literature on the advising profession, to include NACADA periodicals and monographs

Section 2: Term of Office shall be one year effective immediately following announcement of election results. Officers may seek re-election to the same office not to exceed two years consecutively, unless approved by the Executive Board.

Section 3: Officer Transition will occur at a transitional board meeting. Outgoing officers will present final reports to the Executive Board at the transitional board meeting. All materials and files will be transferred at that time.

Section 4: Vacancy of Office – In case any elected office becomes vacant, the Executive Board may appoint an officer to fill such vacancy. The officer appointed shall hold office and serve until the next election of officers.

ARTICLE V: EXECUTIVE BOARD

Section 1: Membership –The Executive Board shall serve for one year, June 1 through May 31, and shall consist of:

• the elected officers

• one representative from each academic college and Transition Academic Programs (TAP) to be appointed by their Academic Operations Committee (AOC) Dean

• at-large members from Academic Affairs (2 seats), Student Affairs (2 seats), Student Business Services (1 seat), Undergraduate Studies (1 seat) Athletics (1 seat), Scholarships & Financial Aid (1 seat), Education Abroad Support (1 seat), Corps of Cadets (1 seat) and Office of Admissions, specifically including Registrar’s office and Degree Audit (1 seat), to be appointed by the head of the division/department they represent

• at-large members from Texas A&M University at Galveston (1 seat) and Texas A&M University at Qatar (1 seat) to be appointed by the head of the college they represent

• one non-voting representative from Blinn College to be appointed by the Director of Advising at Blinn College

• one non-voting representative from Student Government to be appointed by the Student Government Association

Section 2: Meetings – The Executive Board shall meet at least once a month or as necessary to conduct the organization’s business.

Section 3: Authority – It is the authority of the Executive Board to:

• coordinate, approve and conduct organizational business

• approve the programs, budget and expenses

• approve the agenda for General Membership meetings

• elect an officer to a vacated position

ARTICLE VI: COMMITTEES

Section 1: Standing Committees

1:1 Program Committee – The Program Committee shall be responsible for program development and implementation. The Program Committee shall:

• be chaired by the Vice President for Programs

• consist of a minimum of five members appointed by the Vice President for Programs

• meet as necessary for program development and implementation

1:2 Membership Committee – The Membership Committee shall be responsible for promoting the organization. The Membership Committee shall:

• be chaired by the Secretary

• consist of a minimum of three members appointed by the Secretary

• identify and contact potential members

1:3 Finance Committee – The Finance Committee shall be responsible for constructing the budget. The Finance Committee shall:

• be chaired by the Treasurer

• consist of the President, President-Elect, Vice President for Programs, and Outgoing Treasurer (for budget preparation only)

• construct the budget during May and June for presentation by the Treasurer at the July Executive Board Meeting.

1:4 Strategic Planning and Assessment Committee – The Strategic Planning and Assessment Committee shall be responsible for developing and updating the Strategic Plan for the organization. The Strategic Planning and Assessment Committee shall:

• be co-chaired by the Immediate Past President and the President

• consist of a minimum of three additional members appointed by the co-chairs

• plan the Annual Summer Board Retreat

• annually review assessment needs and approaches based on the Strategic Plan.

• report recommendations to the Executive Board

1:5 Awards Committee – The Awards Committee shall be responsible for soliciting nominations and selecting recipients for the following UAC Awards: Ed Guthrie Award the Margaret Annette Peters Award for Excellence in Student Advising, the New Advisor Award, the Innovative Advising Award and the Advising Team Award. The Awards Committee shall:

• be chaired by the President

• consist of a minimum of five members appointed by the President. The last two years’ award recipients shall be invited to serve.

• keep award criteria and nomination forms updated on the UAC website

• organize and disseminate nomination forms for NACADA Global Awards

• vote on UAC award winners and NACADA Global Award Nominations. President Elect shall vote in the case of a tie. Voting shall be by secret ballot.

1:6 Awards Breakfast Committee – The Awards Breakfast Committee shall be responsible for planning the annual UAC Awards Breakfast. The Awards Breakfast Committee shall:

• be chaired by the President-Elect

• consist of a minimum of three members appointed by the President-Elect.

• be responsible for planning and implementing the Awards Breakfast to occur during the week that spring semester final examinations begin.

1:7 Advisor Briefing Day(s) Committee – The Advisor Briefing Day(s) Committee shall be responsible for planning the Advisor Briefing Day(s). The Advisor Briefing Day(s) Committee shall:

• consist of the Vice President for Programs, the Committee Chair(s), and a minimum of three additional members appointed by the Vice President for Programs.

• the Vice President for Programs will select the Chair(s) who will then convene the first meeting.

• be responsible for planning and implementing the Advisor Briefing Day(s) early in the fall and/or spring semesters.

1:8 Symposium Committee – The Symposium Committee shall be responsible for planning the annual UAC Symposium. The Symposium Committee shall:

• consist of the Vice President for Programs, the Committee Chair(s), and a minimum of three additional members appointed by the Vice President for Programs.

• the Vice President for Programs will select the Chair(s) who will then convene the first meeting.

• be responsible for planning and implementing the Symposium during the fall semester.

1:9 Nominating Committee – The Nominating Committee shall be responsible for coordinating the officer election process. The Nominating Committee shall:

• be chaired by the Immediate Past President

• consist of a minimum of three members appointed by the President

• prepare the nomination slate and the officer election ballots

• tabulate the results of the election

1:10 Communications Committee – The Communications Committee shall be responsible for overseeing electronic and printed UAC communications. The Communications Committee shall:

• be chaired by the Vice President for Communications

• consist of a minimum of three members appointed by the Vice President for Communications

• develop and maintain a UAC web page

• maintain the e-mail listserv

1:11 New Advisor Orientation Committee – The New Advisor Orientation Committee shall be responsible for overseeing the UAC New Advisor Orientation process and materials. The New Advisor Orientation Committee shall:

• be chaired by the President-Elect

• consist of at least one representative from each college and division/department as represented on the UAC Board

  • UAC College and At-Large Executive Board Members are responsible for serving on this committee, or appointing someone within their college, division/department to serve in this role

  • implement orientation for new advisors

  • revise orientation for new advisors as needed

  • plan recognition of new advisors

1:12 Advising Technology Committee – The Advising Technology Committee is responsible for providing critical feedback and insight to departments and offices across campus regarding the use of technology in the academic advising process.  The Advising Technology Committee shall:

• be chaired by the Immediate Past President

• consist of at least five members appointed by the Immediate Past President

• serve as a point of contact group to university entities looking for feedback

• serve as a sounding board and best practices discussion group regarding the use of technology in the academic advising process.

1:13 Climate Enhancement (CE) Committee – Climate Enhancement (CE) Committee - The CE Committee shall be responsible for advancing CE efforts by enhancing advisors’ knowledge, advisor’s practices, and approaches that foster inclusive environments which lead to equitable student outcomes. The CE Committee shall:

• be chaired by the Vice President for CE

• consists of a minimum of three members. Members may join anytime.

• maintain UAC CE website

• educate the advising community about historical and current social justice issues that impact student success and advising best practices

• disseminate resources for the advising community to enhance cultural competencies and work with historically underserved students

• offer regular programming that fosters critical self-reflection, inclusive and equitable advising practices, and personal and professional accountability.

Section 2: Ad Hoc Committees – Ad Hoc Committees may be appointed by the President with the majority approval of the Executive Board. The duties and terms of appointment shall be designated by the Executive Board.

ARTICLE VII: MEETINGS

Section 1: General Membership Meetings – A General Membership meeting shall be held annually at Awards Breakfast and Advisor Briefing Day(s). Additional meetings shall be held as needed.

Section 2: Executive Board Meetings – Executive Board meetings shall be held at least once a month and as necessary to conduct the organization’s business.

ARTICLE VIII: AMENDMENTS AND PARLIAMENTARY AUTHORITY

Section 1: Amendments - These bylaws may be amended by a majority vote of the members present and voting at a General Membership Meeting or meeting held as needed provided that members are notified of the proposed amendments at least one week prior to the date of the meeting.

Section 2: Parliamentary Authority – Robert’s Rules of Order, Newly Revised shall be the parliamentary authority for all matters or procedures not specifically covered by the Bylaws.