Gateway Career Services Association
By-Laws (November 2006)

ARTICLE I: Name

The name of this organization shall be the Gateway Career Services Association, hereinafter referred to as the Association.

ARTICLE II: Purpose

Section I: Mission: The Gateway Career Services Association enables Illinois and Missouri career services professionals to serve their constituents better by providing professional development and networking opportunities.

Vision: To be the premier professional development and networking organization for Illinois and Missouri career services professionals, widely recognized for its positive impact on education and employment.

Core Values: Sharing - We achieve more and enhance effectiveness through collaboration.  Learning - We strive to add to our knowledge in an ever-changing world.  Serving - We are committed to serving our members and their constituents.  Accessibility - We strive to make our services available to members and their constituents. 

Section 2: The Association is organized exclusively for charitable, educational, religious, or scientific purposes within the meaning of section 501 (c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986. 

ARTICLE III: History

The Association was organized in 1991 as a continuation of the collaborative spirit of the general planning committee for Gateway to Careers, the Annual St. Louis Area Job Fair. This job fair, which was first held in 1987, was originally designed to offer students from the member institutions the opportunity to meet collectively with employers seeking to fill entry-level positions. Over time, it became clear that an association geared to professional development of its members in addition to the placement of college graduates was needed. Therefore, the Association was proposed to the 35 members of the Gateway to Careers General Committee (33 of whom became charter members) and unanimously adopted in August 1991. The Association began as Gateway Placement Association and in August 2000 changed the name to Gateway Career Services Association. (Reference Job Fair Procedure Manual in the Appendices.) 

ARTICLE IV: Membership

Section I: Membership shall be limited to 2-year and 4-year institutions of higher education from Illinois and Missouri accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.

Section 2: Membership in the Association shall be institutional and representation of member institutions shall be limited to career services professionals only. Decentralized offices and campuses of multiple campus institutions shall each be considered separate members.

Section 3: Charter members shall include those institutions constituting the General Committee of the 1992 Gateway to Careers who paid the initial Association membership dues, as listed in By-Laws Appendix A.

Section 4: Request for institutional membership shall be made to the Executive Board for approval.  Exceptions to the criteria for membership shall be made on a case-by-case basis by the Board.

Section 5: Annual membership shall begin October 1 and conclude September 30.

Section 6: All dues paying members shall be offered the opportunity to participate in all Association activities. 

ARTICLE V: Officers

Section 1:

President-Elect: (1 year term before serving as President)

• preside in the absence of the President and offer general support to the President.
• oversee maintenance of current membership roster, by-laws, and appendices.
• develop and coordinate new member recruitment with VP for Board & Member Development.
• develop and implement marketing and public relations materials and strategies. For Example: on-line web content. 
  

President: (1 year term before serving as Past President)

• preside at all Association meetings.
• appoint Ad Hoc committees/Chairs/Officers as outlined in the by-laws.
• monitor the completion of Association projects and time lines.
• act as official spokesperson for the Association.
  

Past President: (1 year term after serving as President)

• hold full board membership with voting privileges.
• provide continuity from one membership year to the next.
• assist in various Executive board and general membership activities as needed.
• coordinate any scholarship-related activities of the Association.
  

Vice President for Professional Development: (2 year term)

• design and organize educational and professional development programs for members of the Association that will maximize participation, including those that may involve employers.
• select and manage a committee to assist in the planning and implementation of professional development activities and enhance the professional statuse of the membership.
• submit a proposed budget to the Treasurer by the November Executive Board meeting.
• conduct a general membership needs survey. The Professional Development committee will analyze results and report findings to the Association for consideration. This should be done annually.
  

Vice President for Board and Member Development: (2 year term)

• engage in succession planning for the Board to ensure smooth transition between Officer terms and encourage leadership among many members of the Association.
• plan an annual activity for the Board.
• re-connect with schools in the region that have left the Association to encourage their feedback and return.
• develop a plan for bringing ancillary members into the Association.

Secretary: (2 year term)

• issue written notices of all board and membership meetings to include agendas, dates, times and place of meeting.  Send notices thirty (30) days in advance, when possible.
• record minutes of all board and general membership meetings.
• provide minutes of all meetings to board and general membership.
• send the Association election notices and materials in accordance with by-laws.
• send records of all meetings to the Association archives.
  

Treasurer: (2 year term)

• receive, disburse, and maintain an accounting of funds on behalf of the Association.
• oversee the payment/collection of membership dues.
• submit updated financial reports at all Executive Board meetings and summaries of the financial reports at the general membership meetings.
• submit an Association fiscal year report to the Executive Board following the close of the fiscal year.
• prepare a proposed annual Association budget for the Executive Board at its last meeting prior to the Fall General Meeting, which will be reviewed by the general membership at that time.
• submit income tax information to the Association's accounting firm to be used in preparation of the annual tax return.
• implement an audit at the direction of the Executive Board based upon a recommendation of the Association's accounting firm.
• file legal and/or other necessary documents necessary for the functioning of the Association.
  

Section 2: Eligibilty

All instututional representatives to the Association are eligible to serve as officers and committee chairs.

Section 3

Officers shall serve a Term of Office from October 1 - September 30, and no one may serve more than 2 consecutive terms in any officer position.  New board members shall begin attending executive meetings in June, prior to their term.

Section 4: Vacancies

A vacancy in the position of President will be filled by the ascendancy of the President-Elect.  A vacancy in the President-Elect shall be filled by election of the Association membership after nominees have been solicited by the President.  Vacancies for all other offices shall be filled by presidential appointment for the remainder of the term.

ARTICLE VI: Association Meetings 

Section 1: Schedule

The Association shall meet at least two times annually, once in the fall and once in the spring. Additional meetings and activities may be called as needed. These meetings will allocate sufficient time as necessary to complete leadership transition, budget presentation, all notification requirements specified by the By-Laws, and professional development activities. Meeting times shall be set by the Executive Board and communicated to the membership. 

Section 2: Quorum  

A quorum is required for all decisions regarding the business of the Association.  A quorum of 25% of paid institutional  members (e.g. 7 schools out of 27) must be present at the bi-annual meetings.  A simple majority (more than 50 %) of those present and voting at meetings is required to approve reports and conduct the business of the Association. 

ARTICLE VII: Committee Structure

Section 1: Executive Board

The Executive Board shall consist of the President, President Elect, Past President, Vice President for Professional Development, Vice President for Board and Member Development, Secretary, and Treasurer. This Board shall be empowered to coordinate all financial and administrative business on behalf of the Association. The Board shall approve meeting agendas, review and recommend budget for general membership approval, and monitor and coordinate the progress of committee assignments. All expenditures authorized by the Executive Board shall conform to the annual budget approved by the general membership. 

Section 2: Committees

The following committees shall exist as part of the Association and as a means of achieving its purpose:

a) Professional Development Committee:

This committee shall be chaired by the Vice President for Professional Development and shall be responsible for coordinating professional development activities for the Association. Members of this committee shall be selected by the Vice President for Professional Development, who may be assisted by a Vice Chair, and shall be representative of the diversity of Association membership.

b) Ad Hoc Committees: There shall be such committees (e.g Experiential Education, Communication, Ways and Means) as designated by the President or the Executive Board for a specific task or event, with a specified operational timeline. Chairs and members of these committees will be selected by the Executive Board. 

ARTICLE VIII: Elections

The process of election of officers will be supervised, administered, and implemented by an Ad Hoc committee called the Nominating Committee.

Section 1: Schedule

Election of officers shall occur at or following the spring meeting.  Newly elected officers shall transition during the summer and assume office on October 1 of the year they were elected. 

Section 2: Nominating Process

The Nominating Committee shall propose a nomination slate of candidates for each vacant officer position that attempts to reflect the geographic and institutional diversity of the membership, and to incorporate that diversity in leadership proposals. The Nominating Committee report shall be provided to the general membership at least one month prior to the election. 

Section 3: Participation

Each institutional membership shall have only one vote.  A simple majority is required. Voting shall be recorded on an institutional basis and must be collected by ballot or electronically. Members may vote only if their dues are current. 

ARTICLE IX: Finance

Section 1: Dues

Dues shall be set at $100.00, annually, per institution. Dues must be received by November 1 of each year and will not be pro-rated. The proceeds from these dues will be used to support activities of the Association. 

Section 2: Budget

Committee chairs shall submit a proposed committee budget to the Treasurer by the November Executive Board meeting. The Treasurer shall prepare the Association annual budget and anticipated revenues. The prior budgets should be used as a guide for the development of the new budget. The annual budget must be approved by the Executive Board and submitted by the Treasurer to the general membership for review and explanation. 

The Executive Board and the Treasurer will monitor and maintain the Association annual budget to ensure that adequate funds are always available to start up each year's appropriate Association's activities. 

Annual budgets for Professional Development should not exceed $1,500 for the Fall conference and $1,500 for the Spring conference. Funds not spent by September 30 from either committee will remain in the general operating fund. Amendments to the Association annual budget must be submitted by committee chairs in the form of a written proposal and submitted to the Executive Board for approval. Approval for requests that exceed $2,000 must come from the general membership. Approval by the general membership shall consist of a simple majority of the recorded and paid Association member schools. Ballots will be mailed or sent electronically no later than 2 weeks following that Executive Board meeting. 

Section 3: Audit

The Association records shall be audited at the direction of the Executive Board, based upon a recommendation of the Association's accounting firm. 

ARTICLE X: Amendments

Any voting member of the Association may propose a change in the By-Laws by submitting a written proposal to the President no fewer than 60 days prior to a meeting of the Association. The President shall submit the proposal to the Executive Board for review. The Executive Board shall transmit the proposal, with recommendation, to the general membership not fewer than 30 days prior to the next scheduled meeting of the Association. A quorum of 50% of the entire membership shall be required for ratification (Article VI, Section 2). 

ARTICLE XI: Dissolution

Upon the dissolution of the Association, the Executive Board shall, after paying or making provision for the payment of all liabilities of the Association, dispose of all assets of the Association to such organization(s) organized and operated exclusively for charitable, educational, religious, or scientific purposes as shall qualify as an exempt organization under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (or the corresponding provision of any future and related U. S. Internal Revenue Law).

Adopted August 1991.
Amended April 1992.
Amended April 1993.
Amended April 1994.
Amended April 1995.
Amended December 1995.
Amended December 1996.
Amended September 2000.
Amended November 2002.
Amended September 2003.
Amended December 2004.
Amended November 2006.

BY-LAWS APPENDIX A

Charter Members (institution names as they were at the time of the Association's founding): 

Belleville Area College
Blackburn College
Culver-Stockton College
Eastern Illinois University
Fontbonne College
Greenville College
Hannibal-LaGrange College
Harris-Stowe State College
Illinois College
Jefferson College - Hillsboro
John Wood Community College
Lake Land College
Lewis & Clark Community College
MacMurray College
Maryville University of Saint Louis
McKendree College
Millikin University
Missouri Baptist College
Northeast Missouri State University
Quincy College
Rend Lake College
Rockhurst College
Saint Louis University
Sangamon State University
Southern Illinois University - Carbondale
Southern Illinois University - Edwardsville
St. Louis Community College - Florissant Valley
Stephens College
University of Missouri - St. Louis
Washington University
Webster University
Western Illinois University
William Woods University