Constitution

 Last Amended by the NACRAO Board of Directors:  July 12, 2023

Name | Purpose | Membership | Officers | Dissolution | Amendments | Fees | Meetings | Election, Term of Office, and Duties of Officers | Committees

Article I. Name

The name of this organization shall be the Nebraska Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (NACRAO). 

Article II. Purpose

The purpose of this non-profit Association shall be to promote the advancement of higher education in its fullest and broadest implication.

Section 1. Goals

The Association shall aim specifically to advance professionally the office or offices of admissions, registration, records, institutional research, and closely related functions in institutions of higher education in Nebraska. Any educational activity directed toward the attainment of this aim is within the purpose of this Association.

Section 2. Activities 

Among the activities within the established authority and jurisdiction of the Association for the fulfillment of this purpose and aim are: (a) holding meetings; (b) publishing reports; (c) conducting cooperative investigations, studies, and surveys, either on the initiative of the Association or in conjunction with other organizations; and (d) disseminating information on matters of common interest to its members. 

Article III. Membership

Section 1. Types of Membership

Membership shall be either (a) institutional, (b) honorary, or (c) professional affiliate.

(a) Institutional Membership

Institutional membership shall be open to those post-secondary education institutions in Nebraska that are classified as authorized collegiate, degree-granting institutions by the Nebraska Coordinating Commission for Post-Secondary Education. An institution that becomes a member of NACRAO shall be known as an institutional member. Each institution shall have a certain number of voting representatives based on institutional population. Institutions within a complex organization shall hold an institutional membership for each division separately listed in the U.S. Office of Education annual publication "Opening (Fall) Enrollment in Higher Education." Institutions that do not meet these criteria may request professional affiliate membership.

(b) Honorary Membership

Individuals no longer eligible for membership as voting representatives in NACRAO may be recommended to the Board of Directors through the Committee on Honorary Membership for continued affiliation as honorary non-voting representatives. The Board of Directors will elect to honorary non-voting representative status those nominees deemed to have given significant service to the Association.

(c) Professional Affiliate Membership

Upon approval of the Board of Directors institutions or organizations that are found to have purposes parallel with those of NACRAO and desire to participate in its non -voting activities may be accepted as non-voting representatives.

Section 2. Professional Conduct

As we represent our institutions and the NACRAO organization, members are expected to abide by the AACRAO Code of Ethics accepted by NACRAO in 1987. The Code of Ethics emphasizes the practice of honesty, integrity, and professionalism. Professional conduct is the responsibility of the individual and professional liability rests with the member's institution. 

Article IV. Officers

Section 1.  Officers

The officers of the Association shall be a president, a president-elect, a vice president for communication, a vice president for membership, a vice president for education & professional development, a vice president for technology, a secretary, and a treasurer. The president-elect, the vice presidents, the secretary and treasurer are elected at the annual meeting. The president- elect serves a one-year term. The vice presidents, treasurer and secretary serve a two year term. The president shall automatically assume office after serving one year as president-elect. Only voting representatives are eligible to hold office.

Section 2. Board of Directors

The officers named in Section 1, together with the immediate past-president, shall constitute the Board of Directors with power to fix the time and place of meetings as provided in the bylaws and to conduct the business of the Association. 

Article V. Dissolution

In the event that this organization is dissolved any and all remaining assets shall be distributed on an equal basis to all current institutional members.

Article VI. Amendments

The constitution and the following bylaws may be amended at the annual meeting by a two -thirds majority of the legal votes cast by the institutional member voting representatives present and voting, provided that notice of the proposed amendment has been sent to the institutional member voting representatives at least one month in advance of the meeting. An amendment not thus proposed in advance may be adopted by a four-fifths majority of the legal votes cast by the institutional member voting representatives present and voting.

BYLAWS 

Article I. Fees

Section 1. Membership Fees 

(a)     Institutional Membership

The annual fee for each member institution and the number of voting representatives to which each shall be entitled shall be determined by its enrollment (based on the NACRAO Enrollment Report of the current year) as follows:

(b) Additional Voting Representatives 

Additional voting representatives may be designated by institutional members for an annual fee of $25.00 each.

(c) Honorary Membership

There are no fees for people with honorary non -voting representative status.

(d) Professional Affiliate Membership 

The annual fee for professional affiliate non-voting institutions or organizations shall be $350.00. The professional affiliate institution/organization shall have two individual non-voting representatives.

Section 2. Non-payment of Fees

Any member institution or professional affiliate that fails to pay annual fees before the close of the fiscal year shall be notified by the treasurer of the imminence of being dropped from membership.

Article II.    Meetings

Section 1. Annual Meeting

The Association shall hold an annual meeting each year. The location is to be chosen by the Board of Directors with due regard to geographical location, availability of conference sites and Education Planning Program schedules.

Section 2. Annual Meeting Format

The format of each annual meeting shall be designed to give due regard to the professional activities of both admissions officers and registrars.

Section 3. Postpone or Cancel Annual Meeting 

The Board of Directors shall also have the authority to advance, postpone, or cancel the annual meeting as deemed appropriate due to significant circumstances within the Association, the institutions in the state, higher education, or the local, state or national community.

Article III. Election, Term of Office, and Duties of Officers

Section 1. President

The president shall assume office after serving as president-elect. The president shall preside at all meetings of the Association at which he/she is in attendance; shall act as chair of the Board of Directors; shall be in full charge of operations as well as be responsible for supervision of all assigned and delegated duties; and shall appoint liaisons as needed. After serving one elected term of office, the president will serve one year on the Board of Directors in the capacity of past-president.

Section 2. President-Elect

The president-elect shall be elected by a majority of the legal votes cast at the annual meeting. The president-elect shall be the principle assistant to the president and shall oversee the meeting programs. The president-elect shall direct and supervise the activities and functions of the Local Arrangements Committee and shall secure the location and dates of the subsequent year’s Annual Meeting. The president-elect shall become president at the end of the term as president-elect; shall succeed to the presidency should that office become vacant, and, in that circumstance, shall be eligible in the following year for a full term as president in the year for which originally elected. The current past-president may not be nominated for this position. 

Section 3. Vice President for Communications

The vice president (VP) for communications shall be elected by a majority of the legal votes cast at the annual meeting. The VP for communications shall be elected for a term of two years. The VP for communications shall direct and supervise the activities of committees on General Publicity as well as College and Transfer Fairs Planning Committee. The VP for communications shall direct and supervise the activities of individuals responsible for the Government and Relations Listserv. The committee chairs will be appointed by the Board of Directors and the tasks of each committee will be supervised by the committee chair and the VP for communications. Tasks not directly assigned to a committee, but under the direction of the VP for communications, shall be accomplished through ad hoc committees and appropriate delegation from the Board of Directors.

Section 4. Vice President for Membership

The vice president (VP) for membership shall be elected by a majority of the legal votes cast at the annual meeting. The VP for membership shall be elected for a term of two years. The VP for membership shall direct and supervise the activities and functions of new members shall; bear responsibility for voting representatives membership records and annual membership reports and shall maintain a current list of all honorary non-voting representatives and their addresses; shall be responsible for the preparation of the Annual Directory of the Nebraska Colleges and Universities and report changes in the membership records and annual membership list to the president and supervise the activities of the Recognition committee and Member Services committee.  The committee chairs will be appointed by the Board of Directors and the tasks of each committee will be supervised by the committee chair and the VP for membership. Tasks not directly assigned to a committee, but under the direction of the VP for membership, shall be accomplished through ad hoc committees and appropriate delegation from the Board of Directors.

Section 5. Vice President for Education and Professional Development

The vice president (VP) for education and professional development (EPD) shall be elected by a majority of the legal votes cast at the annual meeting. The VP for EPD shall be elected for a term of two years. The VP for EPD shall direct and supervise the activities of the committees on Diversity and Inclusion Committee, and Professional Growth, Admissions, Registrar, and Support Services Staff Workshop. The committee chairs will be appointed by the Board of Directors and the tasks of each committee will be supervised by the committee chair and the VP for EPD. Tasks not directly assigned to a committee, but under the direction of the VP for EPD, shall be accomplished through ad hoc committees and appropriate delegation from the Board of Directors. 

Section 6. Secretary

The secretary shall be elected by a majority of the legal votes cast at the annual meeting. The secretary shall be elected for a term of two years. The secretary shall keep the minutes of the annual meetings of the Association and prepare for distribution of these minutes at the next business meeting of the Association; shall keep the minutes of the Board of Directors meetings; and shall keep the constitution and bylaws of the Association updated and available for members of the Association as requested. The secretary shall deposit the recordings for the preceding year in the Association’s archives on the organizational website. Prior to the establishment of the organizational website, past minutes are archived and located at Creighton University. 

Section 7. Treasurer

The treasurer shall be elected by a majority of the legal votes cast at the annual meeting. The treasurer shall be elected for a term of three years, the third year is to provide training and guidance for the incoming treasurer. The treasurer shall be authorized to pay all bills incurred in normal operation of the organization; shall secure the approval of the president before payment of all bills which in the judgment of the treasurer are not normal operating expenses; and shall prepare informal financial statements for meetings of the Board of Directors. After the close of the fiscal year, the treasurer shall make a complete financial report. At the end of the treasurer’s two-year term, these financial reports shall be audited by an auditing committee of Association members. Each year’s final financial report shall be presented to the Board of Directors and shared with the membership.

Section 8. Vice President for Technology

The Vice President (VP) for Technology shall be elected by a majority of the legal votes cast at the annual meeting. The VP for Technology shall be elected for a term of three years, the third year is to provide training and guidance for the incoming Vice President for Technology. The VP for Technology shall be responsible for providing leadership on the development and maintenance of the NACRAO website and the current service provider. The VP for Technology will also assist board members with the annual membership drive, exhibitor solicitation, elections, conference and fair registration, and other business of the association. The Vice President for Technology shall direct and supervise the activities of the Technology Committee, NACRAO Listserv maintenance and the NACRAO web presence. The committee chair will be appointed by the Board of Directors and the tasks of the committee will be supervised by the committee chair and the VP for Technology. Tasks not directly assigned to a committee, but under the direction of the VP for Technology, shall be accomplished through ad hoc committees and an appropriate delegation from the Board of Directors.

Section 9. Administrative and Fiscal Year

The administrative and fiscal year shall be January 1 until December 31.

Section 10. Vacancy in Office

The Board of Directors shall have authority to fill any vacancy by appointment for the unexpired term. Any individual appointed to an unexpired term of an elective office shall be eligible to succeed himself/herself and to serve a full elective term.

Section 11. Election of Officers

The election of officers shall occur at the annual meeting. Absentee ballots are counted as legal vote s if received by the secretary prior to the business meeting of the annual meeting. The results of the ballot will be announced at the annual meeting. Should there be a tie in the votes for a position, a run-off election shall occur at the annual meeting.

Section 12. Removal from Office 

The process for removing an elected or appointed member of the NACRAO Board of Directors from office shall be as follows:

a)    Any NACRAO voting member may file a complaint requesting the removal of a member of the Board of Directors to the President or Past-President of the association. The complaint must be in writing and must specify the nature of the problem in adequate detail. Such reasons can be, but are not limited to, dishonesty, failure to perform in office, or financial mismanagement.

b)   After concurrence by any Board member, the full Board of Directors will convene in special session within thirty (30) days to consider the complaint. (A conference call will be acceptable for this purpose.)  The complainant(s) may be invited to present evidence and be available for questioning at this special session. The officer who is the subject of the complaint(s) will be given reasonable time prior to the meeting to prepare a response to the written complaint(s) and will be invited to be present to deliver that response. The NACRAO President will preside over this special session and Robert's Rules of Order will be strictly enforced. If the President is the subject of the complaint, the Past-President shall preside.

c)   The Board of Directors will vote, by secret ballot, to retain or remove the individual from office. (If the special session is conducted by conference call, the secret ballot will be mailed to the presiding officer within 24 hours of the meeting. The ballots will be retained for at least 30 days after the mail-in vote in case it should be necessary to validate the count.) A two-thirds vote of those voting will be required to remove a Board member from office.

Article IV.    Committees

Section 1. Standing Committees

The following standing committees shall be appointed by the president with the approval of the Board of Directors. Unless otherwise specified, the members of these committees shall serve for a period of one year but may be reappointed for one or two additional terms. The committees shall perform such duties as specified in the bylaws or as may be delegated to them by the president and shall provide a written record of committee activities to the Board of Directors at the annual meeting.

(a) Recognition Committee

The committee shall be responsible for recommending to the Board of Directors those persons deserving of awards or honorary membership in NACRAO.

(b) Nominations and Elections Committee

The committee shall be responsible for presenting to the membership a slate of officers; president-elect, vice-presidents, secretary, and treasurer, at the annual meeting for election for the coming year. The committee shall further be responsible for the election and election procedures for the coming year. The committee shall be chaired by the immediate past president and consist of one past president, the president-elect, and one non-officer voting representative.

(c) Professional Development Committee

The committee shall be responsible for encouraging and increasing the level of professionalism of the members of the Association by providing professional development opportunities such as workshops, in-service training, major annual events and other appropriate programming. All programs and events are subject to approval by the Board. The committee shall periodically review the total activities of the Association and inform the membership of these activities.

All subcommittees will assist in recommending and/or developing sessions for annual events as well as one-time events. Subcommittees will be specifically responsible for planning, publicizing and hosting the following annual events as well as one-time events as needed or requested by the Board. Standing subcommittees and their annual events include: 

1. Admissions: Professional Development Workshop
2. Registrars: Professional Development Workshop
3. Support Services Staff Workshop

(d) College and Transfer Fairs Planning Committee

The committee shall be responsible for activities relating to the professional advancement of admissions officers and for coordination of activities/problem solving between high school and community college personnel and NACRAO members. Committee will plan high school college fairs and transfer fairs.

(e) Member Services Committee

The committee shall initiate research activities relating to the advancement of the membership. The committee shall also address marketing needs meant to promote the organization.

(g) Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging Committee

The committee shall foster awareness in student services and address issues of concern related to historically under-represented populations, international students, first generation students, gender identity, and individuals with disabilities.

(h) Technology and Social Media Committee

The committee shall address issues and foster awareness for advancements in technology and social media related to the mission of the colleges and universities in the NACRAO membership.

Section 2. "Ex-Officio" Committee Membership

The president shall be an "ex-officio" member of all committees except the Nominations and Elections Committee. The treasurer and vice president for technology shall be ex-officio members for their third year commitment. 

Section 3. "Ad-Hoc" Committees

Nothing in this article shall be construed as preventing the appointment of additional standing or "ad-hoc" committees deemed necessary for the work of the Association.