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The Constitution of the Southeastern College Art Conference

(revised 1999, 2003, 2008, 2011, 2013)

Preamble

The members of the Southeastern College Art Conference meeting at Richmond,Virginia on October 20, 1984, adopt the following Constitution to govern themselves in their organization.

Article I: Name and Purpose

1. The name of the organization shall be the Southeastern College Art Conference, hereafter referred to as "the Conference".
2. The purpose shall be to promote art in higher education through facilitating cooperation among teachers and administrators in universities, colleges and junior colleges, professional art schools, and museums, who are concerned with the development of art in their respective institutions and communities served by their institutions. Since the improvement and extension of art in higher education relates to the development of art in other levels of teaching and in culturally related activities in the region in general, cooperation shall be encouraged between the Southeastern College Art Conference and other organizations in the region with mutually reinforcing goals.

Aricle II: Membership

1. Active members. Any university, college, junior college or professional school art teacher, museum staff member, or individual in an allied field interested in the development of art in higher education and related institutions may become an active member.
2. Institutional members. Any college, junior college or university art department, school or college of art, professional art school or museum may become an institutional member.
3. Contributing members. Commercial and industrial firms, institutions and individuals interested in the purpose of the Southeastern College Art Conference may become a contributing member.
4. Student members. Any student in a college, university or professional art school may become a student member.

Article III: Officers

1. The officers of the Conference shall be a President, a First Vice-President (who shall be President-elect), a Second Vice-President (who shall be a legal resident in Virginia), Director of the Annual Meeting, Secretary-Treasurer, Editor of the SECAC Review, and the Chair of the SECAC Artist's Fellowship Committee.
2. The names of candidates to fill officer positions will be placed in nomination by the Nominating Committee at the annual Conference business meeting except that the First Vice-President shall assume the position of President upon the completion of the latter's term and shall appoint, with the consent of the Board, the Director, the Review Editor, and the Chair of the SECAC Artist’s Fellowship Committee.
3. The President shall serve one three-year term. The First Vice-President shall assume the office of President at the close of the annual business meeting in the third year of the current President's term.
4. The First Vice President shall serve a three-year term and shall be elected at the appropriate annual Conference business meeting. The First Vice-President is the President-elect.
5. The Second Vice President shall be elected at the annual Conference business meeting to serve a three-year term. The Second Vice-President must be a resident of the state of Virginia. The Second Vice-President may hold successive three-year terms.
6. The Director of the Annual Meeting shall be appointed for a one-year term by the President with the consent of the Board of Directors. Such appointment shall normally be made at the annual meeting one year in advance of the term of the Director.
7. The Secretary-Treasurer shall serve a renewable three-year term.
8. The Editor of the Southeastern College Art Conference Review shall be appointed for a three-year term by the President with the consent of the Board of Directors. The Editor may serve successive terms.
9. The Conference shall elect fourteen Directors, one from each of the states of Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia and two At-large who shall come from outside the region defined by the states mentioned previously. The term of a Director is limited to two consecutive three-year terms (six years). (In the unlikely event that there is not an adequate candidate pool for a specific state, the incumbent may serve an additional three-year term before an election is held). Directors shall be elected by ballot distributed to all active members of the Conference from a slate of nominees prepared by the Nominating Committee and from such additional nominations as may be made by a petition of any five active members of the Conference thirty days prior to the announced date of the election. This election shall normally take place at least one month before the annual meeting of the Conference. The President, First Vice president, Second Vice President, Director of the Annual Meeting, Secretary-Treasurer, and Editor shall be Directors, ex-officio, during their term of office. The past President shall serve as a Director for three years following his/her term of office.
10. Affiliated organizations which meet regularly with the Conference may elect an ex-officio, non-voting delegate to the Conference Board. The name of this representative should be forwarded to the Conference Administrator at least 60 days prior to the annual conference.
11. In the event that the President should resign or be unable to serve his/her elected term, the Vice President shall assume the duties of the President until the next annual meeting. In the event that any other officer shall resign or be unable to serve his/her elected term, the Executive Committee shall appoint a member of the organization to serve until the next election. In the event that a Board member shall resign or be unable to serve his/her elected term, the President will appoint a person from the state represented by the retiring Board member. That person must be a member in good standing of the Conference. Any officer or Board member who fails to maintain membership in the Conference is automatically disqualified from serving as an officer or Board member.
12. If a member of the SECAC Board misses two consecutive annual meetings, the President may consider extenuating circumstances; otherwise the President will ask that Board member to resign from the Board, and with the advice of the Executive Committee, will appoint a replacement to fill the remainder to said member's term.
13. Committees

Article IV: Annual Meetings

1. The Conference shall meet annually as determined at the annual meeting. Normally, an institution of higher learning in the southeast will host an annual meeting, but at times meetings may be held without a host institution or outside of the southeast. The business of the Conference shall be conducted at the annual business meeting scheduled during the conference. No matter not on the agenda set by the Board may be considered by the meeting unless two-thirds of the members present and voting shall desire to put such a matter on the agenda.

Article V: Publications

1. The Conference shall issue or sponsor such publication(s) as are proposed by the Board of Directors and are approved at an annual meeting and which can be successfully financed from identified funding sources.

Article VI: Amendments

1. The Constitution may be amended by a two-thirds vote of active members present at the annual meeting.

Article VII: Implementation

1. The Board of Directors shall be charged with the authority to interpret its own By-Laws.

BY-LAWS

Article I: Fees and Privileges of Classes of Membership

1. Members at the annual meeting shall establish the amount of dues for each class of membership pursuant to the recommendation of the Board of Directors.
2. A registration fee shall be collected at the Conference. The amount of this fee shall be determined by a vote of the membership at the previous annual membership meeting.
3. Only active members may vote at the annual meeting.
4. Active and contributing members receive one copy of the general publications of the Conference. Institutional members receive two copies of all such publications. Others, including student members, may purchase such publications at prices to be determined by the Executive Committee.

Article II: The SECAC Year

1. The Southeastern College Art Conference fiscal year shall be the calendar year.

Article III: Responsibilities of Directors and Executive Committee

1. The Directors shall be responsible for advising and assisting the President about the work of the Conference in their states. They shall meet annually at the annual meeting of the Conference to draft a budget for the subsequent year, elect a nominating committee to choose officers, establish the agenda of the annual business meeting, consider the needs and goals of the Conference, and carry out such duties as are approved for them by the Constitution and By-Laws.
2. The Executive Committee shall determine matters of policy not specifically covered in the Constitution and serve as the governing body of the organization between annual meetings. The Executive Committee, or a steering committee appointed from it, shall provide advice concerning the Conference budget in connection with program planning of the Director of the Annual Meeting and the officers of institutions selected in advance for annual meetings. 

Article IV: Amendments

1. The By-Laws may be amended at any annual business meeting by a two-thirds vote.

Article V: Affiliated Societies

1. SECAC Affiliated Societies are groups of visual arts and design professionals and other organizations whose goals are similar to those of SECAC. An affiliated society must be primarily, or in large part, committed to the serious practice and advancement of the visual arts and design or to the study of a major area of the history of art.
2. An affiliated society must possess a formal organizational structure including elected officers, an identifiable membership, and evidence of ongoing activity, e.g., newsletter, periodical, exhibition record, or other documentation.
3. The application for affiliated society status is available on the SECAC website and in hardcopy from the SECAC Administrator. Applications are screened and acted upon by the SECAC Executive Committee. Executive Committee rulings may be appealed to the SECAC Board of Directors.
4. The SECAC President and the SECAC Administrator will review the status of affiliated societies every two years.
5. The SECAC President and the SECAC Administrator will serve as liaisons with a designated representative of each affiliated society. The designated representative of each affiliated society will be invited to the SECAC Board meeting, held at the annual SECAC Conference. An affiliate representative to the Board will serve as a resource person when, in the opinion of the SECAC President, issues arise in which his or her expertise is needed. Affiliated society designees will give a brief annual report during the SECAC Board meeting.