BYLAWS OF THE LOUISIANA ASSOCIATION OF COLLEGES & EMPLOYERS

(Amended and restated May 28, 2009)

ARTICLE I – MEMBERSHIP

Membership in the Association shall be restricted to persons who meet membership requirements as set forth in the Constitution and who have been extended an invitation to membership by the President with the concurrence of all other officers.

Annual Membership runs from June 1 – May 31.

ARTICLE II – DUES

Section 1.        Membership dues shall be payable on or before June 1.

Section 2.        Changes in the amount of individual membership dues must be submitted in writing to the membership fifteen days prior to the annual meeting by the officers and must be approved by the majority of the membership at the annual business meeting.

Section 3.        The registration fee shall be set by the Conference Committee and charge to each person in attendance at the regular annual meeting.

ARTICLE III – NOMINATIONS and ELECTION PROCEDURES

Section 1.        A nominating committee composed of three persons appointed at the annual meeting shall serve for the ensuing year.

Section 2.        A slate of nominees shall be presented to the membership at the annual meeting.

Section 3.        Additional nominees may be presented from the floor by any member in good standing in attendance at the annual meeting.

Section 4.        Secret ballot shall be used whenever there are two or more nominees for an office.

CONSTITUTION OF THE LOUISIANA ASSOCIATION OF COLLEGES & EMPLOYERS

(Last Amended May 28, 2009)

ARTICLE I – NAME

The name of this organization shall be the Louisiana Association of Colleges and Employers.

ARTICLE II – PURPOSE

LACE is organized exclusively to create a common understanding between individuals in career services and college relations focused on the career development and employment of the college educated to:

• Promote and foster relationships and understanding among the constituents
• Serve as the voice of the profession in our state
• Create and retain leaders in the profession by facilitating the exchange of knowledge and insight
• Provide professional development and promote high professional standards
• Identify trends, issues, challenges, opportunities in the profession

ARTICLE III – MEMBERSHIP

Section 1.        There are two classes of membership: active and honorary. Memberships are paid annually and are nontransferable.

1.         Active Members have been officially accepted into membership and have paid current dues. Active membership is composed of:

a.         Persons employed by nonprofit degree-granting colleges and universities, and community and junior colleges in Louisiana engaged in career services including: career planning, placement, career development or experiential learning (i.e. cooperative education and internships) and persons who are prior Louisiana Placement Association members who have a continued interest in the LPA services and who submit a statement, subject to Board approval, indicating the nature of their interest.

b.         Employers who are engaged in the selection, placement, and development of Louisiana college graduates for their own organizations and who accept no fee for candidate recruitment or placement.

c.         Agencies who are engaged in the selection and placement of Louisiana college graduates for employers who have totally outsourced their professional recruiting activities to such agencies and such agencies charge fees to the employers, not the applicants.

d.         Agencies who employ Louisiana college graduates for placement with companies that have contracted with such agencies for their services to fill professional entry level positions, and such agencies charge fees to the companies, not the employees.

2.         Honorary Life Members shall be individuals who have made notable contributions to the Association. Honorary members are nominated by the officers and elected by the membership at the annual meeting.

Section 2.        Each member shall be a voting member and shall be entitled to one vote.

ARTICLE IV – MEETINGS

Section 1.        There shall be one regular meeting of the Association during each school year.

Section 2.        The specific date, time, and place of future meetings shall be determined by new officers.

Section 3.        Special meetings shall be held at the call of the principal officer of the Association or shall be called upon written request of one-fourth of the members.

Section 4.        Notice of a special meeting shall be provided to each member of the Association at least fifteen (15) days prior to the date of the meeting.

Section 5.        Attendance at regular meetings shall be limited to members only except that guests may be invited by any member with the concurrence of all officers of the Association. Guests shall not be permitted to attend executive sessions of any Association committee or body.

ARTICLE V – OFFICERS

Section 1.        The officers of this Association shall be a President, President-Elect, Past President, Secretary, Treasurer, and Technology Chair.

Section 2.        The officers shall be elected at the regular meeting of the Association and shall take office at the close of the meeting during which they are elected.

Section 3.        The President shall be responsible for the functioning and progress of the Association. This officer shall call regular meetings of the Association in keeping with the provisions of this Constitution and shall call special meetings whenever this action is deemed vital to the welfare of the Association or when duly requested by the membership. The President shall appoint special committees as deemed necessary, shall preside at all regular and special meetings of the Association, and shall perform all other duties that properly fall upon a presiding officer.

Section 4.        It shall be the duty of the President-Elect to preside in the absence of the President and to perform all duties of the office. The President-Elect shall serve as program chairman for the regular and special meetings of the Association.

Section 5.        It shall be the duty of the Secretary to keep a written record of business of the Association as directed by the President. The Secretary shall release all appropriate news concerning the activities of the Association to news media.

Section 6.        It shall be the duty of the Treasurer to receive all funds of the Association, pay bills when authorized by the President, keep an itemized account of receipts and expenditures, and make regular written reports of receipts and expenditures to the membership.

Section 6a.      It shall be the duty of the Technology Chair to maintain all association electronic publications, to keep the membership informed of the latest technology available, and to make suggestions to the President of changes or updates that would benefit LACE.

Section 7.        In the event that the President resigns or becomes ineligible for continued membership in the Association, the President-Elect shall become President for the remainder of the unexpired term of office.

Section 8.        Should the President-Elect, Secretary, Treasurer and/or Technology chair resign, become ineligible for continued membership in the Association, or ascend to the presidency, a new President- Elect, Secretary, Treasurer and/or Technology Chair shall be appointed by the President.

Section 9.        In the event that both the President and the President-Elect resign, become ineligible for continued membership in the Association, or otherwise vacate their offices, the Secretary shall ascend to the presidency of the Association and shall serve for the duration of the unexpired term of office. The newly designated President shall immediately appoint a new President-Elect and a Secretary.

ARTICLE VI- COMMITTEES

Section 1.        Nomination Committee: Shall be composed of the Past President, who shall act as Chair, and two Members appointed by the President so that the committee includes at least one College and one Employer Member. This committee is responsible for the nominations and elections procedures for the association.

Section 2.        Conference Committee: This committee is responsible for the planning, development and implementation of the annual conference. The committee shall be appointed by the president.

Section 3.        State Career Fair Committee. This committee is responsible for planning and executing the College to Career Fair. The committee shall be appointed by the president.

Section 4.        Membership Committee This committee produces the membership directory, manages the listserv, recruits new members, produces the membership brochure, and maintains the accuracy of the membership database. The committee shall be appointed by the president.

ARTICLE VI – QUORUM

A quorum for all meetings of the Association shall consist of the members in attendance.

ARTICLE VII – AMENDMENTS

Section 1.        Amendments to the constitution shall be submitted in writing to the membership at least fifteen (15) days prior to any regular meeting of the Association and shall require approval of two-thirds of the members present at the meeting for adoption.

Section 2.        Amendments to the Bylaws shall be submitted in writing to the membership at least fifteen (15) days prior to any official meeting of the Association and shall require approval of a majority of the members present at the meeting for adoption.

ARTICLE VIII – PARLIAMENTARY PROCEDURES

Section 1.        Robert’s Rules of Order, latest revised edition, shall govern the meetings of the Association.

Section 2.        The order of business shall be:

1.         Call to order

2.         Declaration of quorum

3.         Business

a.         Minutes of previous meeting

b.         Financial report

c.         Reports of standing committees

d.         Reports of special committees

e.         Unfinished business

f.          New business

4.         Adjournment