Constitution

As revised January, 1999

Article I
Name.
The name of the organization shall be the Texas Higher Education Human Resources Association (THEHRA).

Article II
Purposes.
The purposes of this organization shall be to contribute to the advancement of higher education in its fullest and broadest implications and specifically to the professional advancement of Human Resources administration in state-supported senior colleges and universities in Texas.

Section 1. For the fulfillment of these purposes, the organization shall provide an annual conference for membership professional development; professional accountability to member institutions, State of Texas higher education and the public; as well as appropriate action of matters of common interest.

Section 2. The organization shall cooperate with other professional organizations within Texas and outside the State whose objectives and purposes are deemed consistent with those of this organization, specifically, but not limited to CUPA and TASSCUBO.

Section 3. The organization shall, as appropriate, coordinate its efforts with various state and federal agencies for mutual assistance in the solution of compliance, legislative, and other common problems.

Article III
Membership and Voting.

Section 1. Active Membership. It is understood that active membership is institutional. Institutional membership shall be open to the state-supported senior colleges and universities in Texas. Institutions which become members of this organization shall be known as institutional members. Those persons designated by the institution shall be known as institutional member representatives, and only practitioners charged with professional level Human Resources responsibilities of the institution shall be so designated. Institutions of complex organizations may hold an institutional membership for the system and each separately organized institutional entity. The Executive Committee shall make the final determination in any questionable case.

Section 2. Retired Membership. Active members of the organization who retire shall upon written request to the President be eligible for retired membership status. Retired members shall be entitled to all rights and privileges of active membership except that they shall have no vote nor shall they be eligible to hold office in the organization.

Section 3. Guest Membership. Individual Human Resources administrators in public institutions of higher education whose institutions may not be members may be recommended by the Executive Committee for Guest Membership. The Executive Committee shall submit for election by the organization those nominees to be considered for Guest Membership. The privileges of Guest Members shall be limited to non-voting conference participation.

Section 4. Honorary Membership. Persons who have rendered distinguished service in advancing or upholding the purposes of this organization may be elected by a majority vote of the organization to honorary membership. Honorary memberships will be limited to those individuals who are not otherwise eligible for active membership. The Executive Committee shall submit for election by the organization those nominees to be considered for Honorary Membership.

Section 5. Membership Review. All memberships shall be subject to annual review by the Executive Committee.

Section 6. Voting. Institutions are entitled to one vote. Institutions having more than one institutional member representative shall designate one of its representatives as the voting representative.

Article IV
Officers.

Section 1. Offices of the organization may be held by any active institutional member representative. The officers of the organization shall be a President, who shall assume office after serving as the President-Elect; a President-Elect; a Recorder; and a Treasurer. The President-Elect shall be elected at each annual conference and the Recorder and the Treasurer shall be elected every two years at the annual conference. A majority of the legal votes cast by the members present and voting will be necessary for election. The President and the President-Elect shall hold office from the adjournment of the annual conference at which they are elected until the adjournment of the next annual conference; the Recorder and the Treasurer, until the adjournment of the annual conference at which their successors are elected.

Section 2.
Duties of Officers.

A. President. It shall be the duty of the President to assume full responsibility for all of the general activities of the organization. In case the office of the President becomes vacant, the office shall be filled by the President-Elect until the next annual conference, and in that circumstance he/she shall serve in the following year for a full term as President.

B. President-Elect. It shall be the duty of the President-Elect to be chief assistant to the President; to plan and coordinate arrangements for the annual conference program; and to insure that parliamentary procedure for business sessions of the organization be governed by “Roberts Rules of Order as Revised.”

C. Recorder. It shall be the duty of the Recorder to have published annually an accurate list of institutional members, the institutional member representatives; guest, retired, and honorary members; to have the responsibility for recording and promptly distributing the minutes of the annual and special conferences and the minutes of Executive Committee sessions; to maintain a brief summary of each year’s activity which will be used to maintain a continuing history of the organization; and to perform such other duties as may be assigned to the Executive Committee.

D. Treasurer. It shall be the duty of the Treasurer to retain a current list of institutional members and collect the annual conference registration fee when such fee is charged; to be responsible to the Executive Committee for membership fiscal records and reports and to perform such other duties as may be assigned by the Executive Committee.

Section 3. Vacancy in Office. Unless otherwise provided by the constitution, the Executive Committee shall have the authority to fill any vacancy by appointment for the unexpired term. Any individual appointed to an unexpired term of an elective officer shall be eligible to succeed himself/herself and to serve a full elective term or terms as provided by the constitution.

Section 4. Re-Election of Officers. Any officer of the organization who completes a full term in office may not be immediately re-elected to that office, but may be re-elected after being out of office for at least two years as determined by the annual conference.

Article V
Conferences.

Section 1. Conferences. There shall be an annual conference as designated by the Executive Committee. The Executive Committee also shall have the authority to call additional conferences as necessary.

Section 2. Quorum. A majority of the legal votes cast by the institutional members present and voting shall constitute a quorum except as designated in Article VI of this constitution and Article III of the bylaws.

Article VI
Amendments.

This constitution may be amended at any annual conference by a two-thirds majority of the legal votes cast by the institutional members present and voting, provided that notice of the proposed amendment has been sent to the members at least thirty days in advance of the conference at which such amendment to be acted upon. An amendment not thus proposed in advance may be adopted by a four-fifths majority of the legal votes by the members present and voting.