Constitution

CONSTITUTION of the

MIDDLE STATES ASSOCIATION OF COLLEGIATE REGISTRARS AND OFFICERS OF ADMISSION

First Constitution Adopted March 15, 1967
Amended in 1968, 1971, and 1975

Second Constitution Adopted February 26, 1979
Amended in 1982, 1987, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1995, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2004 and 2006

ARTICLE I: SCOPE AND STRUCTURE

Section 1. The name of this Association shall be the MIDDLE STATES ASSOCIATION OF COLLEGIATE REGISTRARS AND OFFICERS OF ADMISSION (MSACROA). This Association shall be affiliated with the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO), and the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools.

Section 2. This organization shall be a professional education association of collegiate level institutions. The purpose of this Association is to perpetuate, encourage, and expand the professional educational development of its membership; to promote the interchange of ideas on educational problems; the advancement of professional competence; and the promotion of mutual helpfulness and friendship among the members in the areas of admissions, enrollment management, financial assistance, institutional research, records and registration, and student services.

Section 3. The area served by the Association shall be: Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and such other areas as recommended by the Executive Committee and approved by the membership.

ARTICLE II: MEMBERSHIP

Section 1. Membership shall be either (a) voting, (b) honorary, (c) organizational, or (d) professional.

  1. Voting membership shall be open to active and retired staff members in the professional areas referred to in Article I, Section 2, from member institutions of the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools, or post baccalaureate institutions accredited by their respective associations. Individuals from other institutions may be approved by the membership upon recommendation of the Executive Committee.
  2. Honorary non-voting membership may be approved by majority vote of the Executive Committee for individuals who have contributed outstanding service to the profession and the Association and who are no longer active in MSACROA.
  3. Organizational non-voting membership shall be open, upon a majority vote of the Executive Committee, to organizations whose purpose is the promotion of higher education.
  4. Professional non-voting membership shall be open, upon majority vote of the Executive Committee to individuals not connected with institutions of higher education but whose purpose is the promotion of higher education.
  5. Only individuals and organizations whose current annual dues are paid in full shall be considered active members entitled to the benefits of membership.
  6. Voting members who cease to be active staff members in the professional areas referred to in Article I, Section 2 at an accredited institution will retain their voting membership status through the end of the membership year.
  7. The membership year shall begin on January 1 and end on December 31.
    Section 2. Action on business of the Association shall be by voting membership only.

Section 3. Only voting members may hold office in the Association and serve on the Association’s Committees.

ARTICLE III: OFFICERS

Section 1. The elected officers of the Association shall be:

  1. President
  2. President-Elect
  3. Immediate Past President
  4. Vice-President for Registrations and Records Management
  5. Vice-President for Admissions and Enrollment Services
  6. Vice-President for Professional Development
  7. Vice-President for Communications
  8. Vice-President for Information Technology
  9. Secretary
  10. Treasurer

Section 2. Election of Officers and Terms of Office

  1. The President-Elect shall be elected by a majority of the votes cast for this office at the Annual Meeting, and shall serve for a one year term before automatically succeeding to the Presidency.
  2. The President shall assume this office after completion of one term as President-Elect, and shall serve for a one year term.
  3. The Immediate Past President shall assume this office after completing the term of office as President, and shall serve for a one year term.
  4. The Vice-Presidents shall be elected by a majority of the votes cast for their respective offices at the Annual Meeting. They shall serve two year terms, except that at the time of the first election, two of the Vice-Presidents shall be selected by lot for a one year term and these persons may be elected to a second full term. The Vice-Presidents may be reelected for one additional term.
  5. The Secretary and the Treasurer shall be elected by a majority vote of the votes cast for their respective offices at the Annual Meeting. The term of office for the Secretary and the Treasurer shall be two years, with the possibility of re-election for one additional term. The Secretary and the Treasurer shall be elected in alternate years.

Section 3. The duties of the officers are those customarily performed by such officers, except as hereafter provided:

  1. The President shall serve as Chairperson of the Executive Committee and shall be an ex officio member of all appointed MSACROA committees. The President may assign and delegate duties as deemed best, but shall be responsible for all activities within the Association. The President shall serve as one of the Association’s delegates to the Annual Meeting of AACRAO.
  2. The President-Elect shall serve as principal assistant to the President, as needed. Specifically, the President-Elect shall be in charge of planning the program and coordinating the arrangements for the next Annual Meeting. In addition, the President-Elect shall serve as one of the Association’s delegates to the Annual Meeting of AACRAO.
  3. The Immediate Past President shall serve as advisor to the President and other officers, and Chairperson of the Committee on Nominations and Elections.
  4. The Vice-Presidents shall coordinate the work of the Executive Committee in their respective fields on the undergraduate, graduate, and professional levels. They shall assist and be responsible to the President-Elect in planning and carrying out the program of the Annual Meeting. They shall serve as liaisons to their counterparts in the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers. They shall submit a written report of their activities to the Annual Meeting of the Association.

The Vice-President for Communications shall be responsible for publishing the Proceedings of the Annual Meeting, the Newsletter, and such other Association publications as the Executive Committee of the Association may authorize. In addition, the Vice-President for Communications shall recommend to the President a member for appointment as the Archivist of the Association and shall supervise the activities of the member so appointed.

The Vice-President for Information Technology shall be responsible for supervising the following positions:

  • Association Webmaster
  • Technology Center Coordinator
  • Data Coordinator
  • Registration Committee Chairperson (reports to the Local Arrangements Committee Chairperson, but must work closely with the Vice-President for Information Technology.)

The Vice-President for Information Technology may hold one of the above positions while serving as Vice President.

Section 4. The elected officers of the Association shall comprise the Executive Committee.

  1. Seven officers, the President or President-Elect and any 6 of the remaining 8 members of the Executive Committee, shall constitute a quorum for the conduct of business.
  2. All questions of policy and expenditure of funds shall require the approval of the Executive Committee.

Section 5. Mid-term succession

  1. Should the current President for any reason be unable to complete his or her term as President, the Immediate Past President shall automatically assume the duties of Presidency for that unexpired term and shall remain as Immediate Past President for the following term.
  2. Should the President-Elect for any reason be unable to complete his or her term as President-Elect, the President shall automatically assume the duties of the President-Elect for that unexpired term. The President and Immediate Past President shall remain in those positions for the following term.
  3. Should the Immediate Past President for any reason be unable to complete his or her term as Immediate Past President, the prior past president shall automatically assume the office of Immediate Past President for that unexpired term. Should the prior past president be unable to compete the term of Immediate Past President, the succession will fall chronologically to the next (most recent) Past President until one is able to complete the term.
  4. Should an officer, other than the President, President-Elect, or Immediate Past President, for any reason be unable to complete his or her term of office, the Executive Committee shall appoint a successor to fill the unexpired term within 30 days. In fulfilling this responsibility, the Executive Committee shall consult with the Nominations and Elections Committee and avail themselves of any suggestions that committee may wish to put forth. Such appointment shall not affect the appointee’s eligibility for subsequent elections to full terms.

ARTICLE IV: COMMITTEES

Section 1. Committee on Nominations and Elections. This committee shall consist of five members: the Immediate Past President and four members elected by the voting membership. Two of the four shall be continuing members completing two (2) year terms. Two members shall be elected each year. The Immediate Past President shall be the Chairperson. No member shall be eligible to serve again on this committee until five years after the expiration of that person’s membership on this committee. If one of the four elected members is unable to serve, the individual who received the next highest number of votes in the preceding committee election shall fill the unexpired term.

  1. This committee shall select a single slate of nominees for officers and four nominees for the two annual vacancies on the Committee on Nominations and Elections. The nominees shall be certified by the Chairperson to the President no later than July first.
  2. By September 15th, the Immediate Past President shall mail to each voting member a ballot containing the names of the four nominees for the Committee on Nominations and Elections plus biographical sketches of the nominees. Members shall be instructed to vote for two nominees and to return the completed ballot to the Chairperson of the committee. Those ballots postmarked by November 1st shall be counted as valid ballots. The Chairperson shall certify the results of the election to the President of the Association.
  3. This committee will insure that the names of nominees for officers along with a brief biographical sketch of each candidate are mailed to all voting members in advance of the Annual Meeting. The election of officers shall be conducted at the Annual Meeting with opportunity for additional nominations from the floor. This committee will insure that only those eligible to vote are provided ballots. The manner and procedures for conducting the election shall be left to this committee.
  4. In case of tie votes, the decision shall be made by lot.

Section 2. Auditing Committee. There shall be an Auditing Committee of three members appointed by the President for three (3) year terms; one person appointed each year. No member may serve two consecutive terms. This committee shall audit the accounts of the Association and shall present a report at the Annual Meeting of the Association.

Section 3. Other Committees. The President shall have the authority to appoint such other committees as may be deemed advisable.

ARTICLE V: MEETINGS

Section 1. The Association shall hold an Annual Meeting at a time and place determined by the Executive Committee.

Section 2. The President, with the approval of the Executive Committee, is authorized to call special meetings of the Association. The members shall be notified by mail of the date, location, and purpose of such meetings at least thirty days in advance of the meeting. Business shall be limited to that described in the notice.

ARTICLE VI: DUES

Section 1. A schedule of annual dues shall be established by the Executive Committee and approved by a majority vote of the membership of the Association. Honorary members shall not be assessed dues.

Section 2. Members whose dues are not paid by 90 days prior to the Annual Meeting are dropped from the active membership, are considered inactive members and are ineligible for the member rate at the Annual Meeting.

ARTICLE VII: AMENDMENTS AND PROCEDURES

Section 1. The Constitution and By-Laws may be amended at an Annual Meeting by a two-thirds vote of those voting members present and voting; or at any other time by a two-thirds polled vote of the voting membership casting ballots.

Section 2. The provisions of this Constitution will take effect upon adoption by the membership. The first election to be conducted by the Committee on Nominations and Elections will be at the next Annual Meeting. All members of the Executive Committee shall continue to serve until expiration of their terms.