Bylaws

Name of the Organization

The name of the organization shall be The Association of Collegiate Computing Services of Virginia and may be abbreviated as ACCS-VA.

Mission Statement of the Organization

The mission of the organization shall be to facilitate the sharing of a common interest in information technology and its implementation in the higher education environment of the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Goals of the Organization

The goals of the organization shall include, but are not limited to, the following:

Encouraging and promoting cooperation and communication among all higher education information technology service organizations within the Commonwealth of Virginia;
Stimulating and encouraging the development and dissemination of techniques, applications, software, procedures and documentation, excluding those protected by copyright;
Fostering education and professional growth of our members;
Sharing our common professional interests, experiences, successes, and challenges;
Developing and promoting standards of collegiate computing appropriate to the higher education environment.

Implementation of our Mission

The mission of the organization shall be carried out in a multifaceted manner including, but not limited to the following:

Sponsoring an annual conference for potential and existing members from all institutions, to be held at the discretion of the Advisory Board;
Maintaining electronic networks for the exchange of information. These networks will utilize the most effective communication technologies as informed by current trends and will be maintained by the Advisory Board on behalf of the membership.

Membership in the Organization

Membership in the organization shall be open to all colleagues from any institution of higher education in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Membership is not limited to technology professionals.
Registration at the annual meeting shall automatically confer membership in the organization.
Each member registered and attending the annual meeting shall have one vote on any issue brought before the membership-at-large.

The Advisory Board

The Advisory Board shall consist of approximately 8-10 members, approved by the membership at the annual meeting during the conference. Members shall serve for a three-year term with staggered elections of new members to maintain continuity. If outgoing Board members wish to volunteer for another term, their request will go to the general membership for approval (same timeline and process as proposed new Board members.) There shall be an effort to replace no more than four retiring Board members in any one year. It is the Board’s hope that in filling vacancies, every attempt is made to ensure representation from both public and private institutions, as well as both small colleges and large universities.

Nominations for service on the Advisory Board shall be accepted from among the general membership throughout the year. Board members should be exemplars of support for the mission and goals of the organization, integrity, and respect for others. Board members will be expected to participate in all aspects of activities sponsored by the Advisory Board.

The Advisory Board shall make recommendations for the election of a new Advisory Board to the membership at the annual meeting during the conference. New Board members shall be accepted by voice vote of the general membership at this meeting.

Specific roles for Board members will be agreed upon using the following guidelines:

The Board members, by written ballot at their face-to-face pre-conference dinner meeting directly prior to the annual conference, shall elect a Chair and Co-Chair for the next year. The current chair will be ineligible for nomination for one year.
All other roles such as treasurer, logistics coordinator, vendor coordinator, webmaster, program coordinator, etc., will be filled by volunteers on the Advisory Board and will be based on their desire to do the job and expertise to fulfill the requirements of position. In the event that more than one Board member wishes to fill the same role, the role may be shared if agreed upon by the current Advisory Board.
Advisory Board members not filling a specific role will assist with tasks as assigned by the Chair or Co-chair.

If a vacancy occurs in the Chair or Co-Chair roles during the year, the Advisory Board shall elect a replacement from among current Board members. A temporary replacement may be sought to fill any other Board vacancy occurring during the year. The Board will try to find a volunteer with a similar school affiliation as the departing Board member and will be termed “temporary” until final approval can be granted by vote from the membership at the annual conference.

All Board meetings will be conducted in integrity and with respect for others.

The Annual Conference

An annual conference will be sponsored by the Advisory Board, at their discretion, and will be open to all colleagues from colleges and universities.
All members will be notified at least 45 days in advance of the location and dates of the annual conference.
The Advisory Board will set a reasonable registration fee to cover actual expenses. The Advisory Board will solicit contributions from vendors to help defray expenses and keep registration costs low.
Appropriate presentations will be solicited from members, vendors, and guests. A conference theme may be suggested by the Board, but presentation topics are not required to pertain to it.
The length of the conference is anticipated to be from one-and-a-half to two-and-a-half days in length.
The Advisory Board, in coordination with the Logistics Coordinator and other Board members, will be responsible for provisioning hotel accommodations, meals, meeting rooms, etc.
Registered attendees will secure their individual hotel accommodations and any meals not included in the registration fee.

Revision of these bylaws

Upon the recommendation of the Advisory Board, these bylaws may be revised with approval by a majority vote of the membership in attendance at the annual conference.

Adopted: 3/19/2010