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Virginia Assessment Group By-Laws

Article 1 MEMBERSHIP

Section 1: Membership in VAG is open to, but not limited to, all faculty and staff from both public and private institutions of higher education, as well as, staff of the State Council of Higher Education and of the Virginia Community College System and any person who has a professional interest in assessment in post-secondary education.

Section 2: Membership shall include all individuals who formally register for a VAG event within the membership year. Persons not attending a VAG event may initiate or maintain membership by submitting application to the treasurer. There shall be no membership discrimination based upon age, race, sex, or ethnic or national origin. Membership is individual and not transferable.

Section 3: The membership year shall extend from November 1 until October 31 of the following year.

Article 2 ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE

Section 1: The officers of VAG shall include the president, president-elect, past-president, secretary, treasurer, webmaster, journal editor, and marketing director. These persons, together with three at-large representatives from the membership and a non-voting, ex officio representative from the State Council on Higher Education in Virginia (SCHEV) shall constitute the Executive Board of VAG.

Section 2: Major constituent groups will be assessment practitioners at four-year public, two-year public, and private institutions.

Section 3: Duties of Officers.

A. The president shall:
1. Act as spokesperson for VAG.
2. Receive resolutions/position statements from members/institutions and see to their presentations at the annual meeting.
3. Consult in planning the annual meeting.
4. Preside at the business session of the annual meeting.
5. Call and chair meetings of the Executive Board.
6. Perform any duties necessary to assist VAG in achieving its purpose.
7. Appoint committees as may be needed to conduct affairs of VAG and serve as ex-officio member of each committee.
8. Represent VAG in relations with other professional and educational organizations and with government agencies.
9. Serve as past-president in the year following his/her term as president.

B. The past-president shall:
1. Assist in the orderly transition of the change of officers.
2. Serve as chairperson of the nominating committee.
3. Advise the president and Executive Board of policies and procedures, as necessary.
4. Perform duties assigned by the president.

C. The president-elect shall:
1. Represent the president when the latter is unable to perform the duties specified above.
2. Chair the annual conference planning committee.

D. The secretary shall:
1. Record the minutes of the business session of the annual meeting and meetings of the Executive Board.
2. Assist with dissemination of information to the VAG membership as needed.

E. The treasurer shall:
1. Collect and maintain dues.
2. Collect registration fees for the annual meeting and for the spring meeting.
3. Safeguard and disburse VAG funds as necessary.
4. Prepare a financial statement and submit it at the annual meeting.
5. Monitor and plan for the continued financial viability of the organization.
6. Maintain the VAG membership database.
7. Publish participant's lists for each VAG meeting.

F. The journal editor shall:
1. Issue at least two issues of Research and Practice in Assessment per year.
2. Annually nominate a co-editor for majority approval by the Executive Board.

G. The marketing director shall:
1. Email VAG members with regular updates of VAG events and information.
2. Assist the Executive Board in effective communication and developing marketing strategies.

H. The webmaster shall:
1. Develop and maintain the VAG website.
2. Assist the Executive Board in utilizing the web to streamline objectives, workflow, and business processes.

I. The three at-large, constituent representatives shall:
1. Represent the interests of their constituent groups in Executive Board meetings.
2. Have responsibility for planning and coordinating workshops, panels, presentations, and other sessions as determined by the annual schedule of events established by the Executive Board.

J. The Executive Board shall:
1. Determine goals for VAG activities and programs.
2. Approve plans and locations for the annual meeting and spring workshop.
3. Approve membership and other fees.
4. Promote improvements in assessment practice and reporting.

Section 4: Standing Committees
VAG shall have three standing committees: nominating, annual conference planning, and practitioners’ workshop planning. The respective chairs shall name their own committees.

A. The Nominating Committee shall:
1. Be chaired by the past-president.
2. Shall present a slate of officers for the VAG membership to vote upon.

B. The Annual Conference Planning Committee shall
1. Be chaired by the president-elect.
2. Select the site and hotel for the fall conference and plan the schedule.
3. Plan, coordinate, and publicize the annual conference.
4. Select papers, workshops and invited speakers.

C. The Practitioners’ Workshop Planning Committee shall:
1. Be composed of the three at-large representatives.
2. Plan, coordinate, and publicize the practitioners’ workshop.
3. Select papers, workshops and invited speakers.

Article 3: NOMINATIONS AND ELECTIONS

Section 1: Nominations: The president shall appoint a nominating committee. One shall be the past-president who shall serve as committee chairperson. This committee shall prepare a slate of officers. Nominations will be taken from the membershipi via a nominating process determined by the committee. All nominations must be received no later than two weeks prior to the annual business meeting or a date determined by the nominating committee.

Section 2: Elections:

A. All officers, except treasurer, webmaster, and journal editor, shall be elected at the business session of the annual meeting by a majority vote of those members present and voting. If there is more than one nomination for each office, the voting shall be by written ballot.

B. The positions of treasurer, webmaster, and journal editor shall be appointed by a majority vote of the Executive Board.

Section 3: Vacancies in Office: If a vacancy occurs in the office of the president, the president-elect shall fill the unexpired term. All other vacancies shall be filled by appointment by the president and majority approval of the Executive Board. Any individual appointed to serve an unexpired term shall be eligible to succeed himself/herself and to serve a full elective term as provided in these By-Laws.

Article 4: MEETINGS AND QUORUM

Section 1: Annual Meeting: The annual meeting of VAG shall be held at a site and date determined by the Executive Board. The board shall be responsible for notifying all members of the date and location of the annual meeting at least sixty days prior to the meeting. The business session shall be held in conjunction with the annual meeting.

Section 2: Quorum: Registrants in attendance at the business session of the annual meeting shall constitute a quorum.

Approved at March 2001 VAG Board meeting
Approved by Membership at Annual November 2001 VAG Membership meeting

Changes approved at November 2007 VAG Board meeting
Approved by Membership at Annual November 2007 VAG Membership meeting