NJCEIA CONSTITUTION

Article I

Name:

1. The name of the organization shall be the “New Jersey Cooperative Education and Internship Association.”

Article II

Goals:

1. To further the unique educational concept of cooperative education and internships in the State of New Jersey:

• Develop and strengthen regional affiliations.
• Provide networking opportunities to employer, faculty, student and institutional participants.
• Provide assistance, training, and support to members, educational institutions and employers with new, existing or expanding cooperative education and internship programs.
• Provide information to members in the areas of research, evaluation, assessment, best practices and innovation.
• Recognize student achievement through an awards program.
• Recognize NJCEIA members who make significant contributions toward the mission of conducting research and using evaluation strategies to strengthen cooperative education and internships. 

Article III

Membership:

• Membership shall be open to cooperative education and internship administrators, faculty and employers.
• Individuals desiring to become a member of the Association shall apply for membership and become a member upon payment of dues.
• Member shall become inactive for nonpayment of dues. All inactive members shall be automatically reinstated as members in good standing upon payment of their current dues.
• Honorary membership shall be conferred to past NJCEIA presidents upon retirement of their career.  Honorary members shall be exempt from annual membership fees.

Article IV

Officers and Executive Council:

1. The Officers of the Association shall be:

• the President
• the Vice President for Programs/President Elect
• the Vice President for Membership
• the Vice President for Finance
• the Vice President for Communications
• the Vice President for Awards and Recognition

2. The Executive Council of the Association shall consist of:

• the Officers of the Association
• the Parliamentarian
• the most recent Past President of the Association
• members of the Association, at the discretion of the President

3. The terms of office shall be from the first of July through the last day of June. Each officer shall serve a two year term. If an officer should no longer be able to serve the duration of a term, the Executive Council shall have the power to fill the vacancy until the next regular election.

4. Past Presidents of the Association shall provide advice and counsel to the President/President Elect and elected officers as requested.

Article V

Election of Officers:

1. All officers shall be elected every two years as stated in the constitution.

• The Vice President for Programs/President Elect shall become President at such time as the President may become unable to continue in office.
• In case of vacancy in any of the elected offices other than the Presidency, the Executive Council shall have the power to fill the vacancy until the next regular election.

2. By March 1, the President shall appoint a Nominating Committee, which shall consist of at least five members of the Association. The committee will be chaired by the immediate past president.

3. The procedures for the election of officers shall be:

• In April of each year the Nominating Committee shall canvass the members of the Association and shall prepare a slate of one or two names for each office to be presented at a regularly scheduled meeting of the Association.
• By the end of May the members shall elect officers by majority vote obtained via fax or email.
• On the first day of July the officers shall assume their duties.

Article VI

Responsibilities of Officers and the Executive Council:

1. The President shall preside at all meetings and to enforce all rules and regulations relative to the administration of the Association. The President shall appoint all standing committees and special committees of the Executive Council.

2. The Vice President for Programs/President Elect shall assist the President in the performance of his/her duties of the president. The Vice President for Programs/President Elect shall chair the Program Committee and be responsible for planning and carrying out a program of activities for the Association with knowledge and approval of the President.

The Vice President for Programs/President Elect, in the absence of the President, shall have the powers of the President, and shall temporarily perform all of the duties of the President.

3. The Vice President for Membership shall be responsible for all recruitment activities. The Vice President for Membership shall maintain membership records.

4. The Vice President for Communications shall be responsible for all public relations activities of the Association. The Vice President for Communications shall act as recording secretary for the Executive Council, conduct all correspondence related to the Association and will serve as Chair of the Public Relations Committee.

5. The Vice President for Finance shall maintain condition of the treasury.

6. The Vice President for Awards and Recognition shall be responsible for the planning and implementation of all awards and recognition ceremonies instituted by the Association. The Vice President for Awards and Recognition shall maintain, update and distribute application materials and procedures for all awards including, but not limited to, the Student of the Year Awards and the Practitioner’s Awards.  The Vice President for Awards and Recognition will also serve as Chair of the Awards Committee. 

7. The Parliamentarian shall attend all executive board and general meetings and provide necessary advice on parliamentary procedures when requested, provide clarification on issues involving the Constitution, oversee voting procedures at meetings when needed and serve as Chair of the Archival Committee. The position of Parliamentarian is appointed by the Nominating Committee.

8. The Executive Council shall have all power and authority over the affairs of the Association between business meetings.

Article VII

Standing Committees

There shall be the following Standing Committees:

• Student Awards
• Public Relations
• Nominating
• Program
• Archival

Article VIII

Meetings:

1. There shall be a minimum of three general business meetings of the Association per year. The time and place for these meetings will be determined by the Executive Council. Other meetings shall be called as necessary to meet the needs of the Association.

2. Fifteen percent of the members of the Association shall constitute a quorum authorized to transact business duly presented at any meeting of the Association. One-half of the members of the Executive Council shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of its business.

3. Cooperative Education/Intern students are welcome to attend and participate in meetings of the Association.

Article IX

Dues:

Dues shall be determined by the Executive Council subject to approval of a majority of those present at a business meeting. The fiscal year will be from the first day of July through the last day of June.

Article X

Amendments:

Proposed amendments to the Constitution of the Association shall be made by the Executive Council, or by any member of the Association through the Executive Council, and then shall be submitted to the members of the Association at any regular business meeting. Members shall be informed of the text of the proposed amendments in writing at least thirty days prior to the business meeting.

A member who wishes to vote on a constitutional amendment and is not present may vote by absentee ballot or by proxy received and validated by the Vice President for Communications prior to the meeting. Amendments to the proposed constitutional changes may be made from the floor and be carried by a two-thirds vote of those present. Otherwise, a two-thirds majority of those present will be needed to have the amendment (s) go into effect.

Article XI

Dissolution:

In the event that the New Jersey Cooperative Education and Internship Association is dissolved, the treasury shall be turned over to the national Cooperative Education and Internship Association.

 

Revised 10/25/07