JUNE 2018 REVISION

I. MEMBERSHIP QUALIFICATIONS

A. Active Members shall be limited to living individuals duly elected and subject to the conditions that:

1. Each Active Member shall hold a degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville or from an accredited (ABET) engineering program, granted at least twenty years prior to election and said degree and professional activities shall attest to competence in Civil Engineering.

2. New Active Members may be elected each year: If the number of nominated candidates for Active Members is twelve (12) or less, up to ten (10) new Active Members may be elected. If the number of nominated candidates for Active Members is greater than twelve (12), up to 75% of the eligible nominated candidates may be elected. A maximum of fifteen (15) Active Members may be elected in each year.

3. The number of Active Members from Civil Engineering programs at Universities other than the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville (UA) may not exceed twenty percent (20%) of total membership (Active and Retired) and not more than one from a Civil Engineering program other than the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville may be elected each year.

4. An Active Member with an advanced degree from the Civil Engineering program at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, but a Bachelor’s degree from an accredited (ABET) engineering program other than the UA, qualifies as a UA Civil Engineering graduate. The twenty-year requirement noted in I.A.1 above applies to the date of the first Bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from an ABET accredited engineering program regardless of whether that is the UA or elsewhere.

5. An Elected Member shall be present for induction as an Active Member at the first Induction Ceremony held after his or her election. An Elected Member who cannot be present at this Induction Ceremony, without just cause, shall have his or her invitation to membership withdrawn; and he or she shall then have the same status for subsequent elections as any other possible candidate. An Elected Member, who cannot attend the Induction Ceremony, with just cause, and upon the affirmative vote of the active membership, shall be accepted as a member.

B. Honorary Members shall be limited to living or deceased individuals duly elected and subject to the conditions that:

1. Each Honorary Member shall have the unanimous approval of the Directors and be subject to balloting under Article D.

2. The number of Living Honorary Members shall not exceed twenty (20).

3. An Honorary Member’s induction shall be scheduled with a thirty-day notification of election, at the next Induction Ceremony following his or her election. Honorary Members may be inducted in absentia.
4. An Honorary Member shall be a graduate Civil Engineer who is retired or engaged in non-profit public service. He or she shall have performed distinguished service in his or her profession, be it civil engineering or other.

5. While annual contributions are not required of Honorary Members, such support of the Academy is always welcome and appreciated. If an Honorary Member chooses to provide financial support equal to or greater than the minimum annual contribution described in Section VI.A., the Honorary Member may be considered an Active Member for purposes of membership nominations, balloting, and/or any other business conducted by the Academy.

C. Distinguished Past Members – Active or Retired Members in good standing will automatically be reclassified as Distinguished Past Members upon their death.

D. Inactive and Retired Members shall consist of Active Members who have been transferred or elect to be transferred from Active Membership under the following conditions:

1. Active Members who have not made contributions averaging the minimum specified in Article VI.A, below for two consecutive years shall be transferred to Inactive Status. Members who are about to be transferred to Inactive Status due to failure by the member to honor understood minimum annual contributions shall be notified by written communication of such pending change. Upon timely receipt by the Academy of the appropriate contributions, such status change is averted.

2. Upon retirement from engineering practice, an Active Member may elect to be transferred to Retired Membership. Retired Members are not required to make minimum annual contributions, but some level of continued financial support is encouraged. Voting and nominating privileges shall continue in Retired Membership. Active Members that have retired from engineering practice who desire to be transferred to Retired Membership shall so notify the Academy. Retired Members who make the required annual minimum contribution shall be considered as Active Members with regard to service as an Officer or on the Board of Directors.

3. Members who have been changed to Inactive Member status may be reinstated to Active Member status upon their written request and upon their payment of the current year’s minimum contribution plus a reinstatement fee equal to the current year’s minimum contribution.

4. Inactive Members may continue to participate in Annual Meeting functions but may not vote on items affecting membership or function of the Academy.

5. Active, Honorary, Retired, or Inactive Members who resign from the Academy shall be dropped from the membership rolls.

E. Active Members may at any time elect to become Lifetime Members by making a one-time contribution to the Academy equal to at least 16.667 times the minimum annual contribution designated in Article VI.A. Lifetime members shall thereafter be exempt from the annual contribution requirement.

The Department Head of the Civil Engineering Department of the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville shall be a non-voting ex-officio member of the Academy.  As an ex-officio member, he will not be asked to make an annual monetary contribution to the Academy.  The Department Head will not be precluded from election to any other classification of membership by virtue of his or her ex-officio membership.  If elected to Active Membership in the Academy, the Department Head will be asked to make the required minimum annual contributions.

II. NOMINATIONS FOR MEMBERSHIP

A. The Membership Committee shall notify the Active and Retired Members by July 1 of each year to submit nominations by August 1. Such nominations shall be of individuals qualified under Articles I.A. and I.B. and shall contain information that substantiates the nomination.

B. The Membership Committee will review and determine the eligibility of all nominations received; the Committee will forward the nomination information for the nominees meeting all applicable qualifications to the Academy President who will then forward them to the Board of Directors by October 1 each year.

C. Members of the Board of Directors shall review and certify the nominations by October 15 of each year and return that certification to the Membership Committee.

III.  BALLOTING

A. The Membership Committee shall prepare a ballot carrying the names of all those certified as nominees by the Board and shall deliver it to Active and Retired Members by November 1 of each year. The ballot shall be prepared so that members may register a ”For” or ”Against” vote for the candidates, consistent with the number allowed under Article I.A.2, for Active Membership. A ballot shall be considered invalid if it contains a vote (either “For” or “Against”) for more than the number of candidates consistent with the number allowed under Article I.A.2.

1. Hard Copy (Paper) Ballots. Accompanying a hard copy (paper) ballot shall be a blank envelope into which the marked ballot shall be inserted and a return envelope addressed to the Membership Committee Chairman. By signature across the flap of the return envelope the voting member shall certify the ballot is eligible for canvassing.

2. Electronic Ballots: Ballots may be prepared, distributed, completed, and returned by electronic means, as approved by the Board of Directors. Active and Retired Members wishing to utilize electronic methods for completing and returning ballots must ensure Academy records contain a valid, current e-mail address.

3. Duplicate Ballots: Appropriate measures must be taken to ensure duplicate ballots (hard copy and electronic) are not counted for an individual voting member of the Academy.

B. The Membership Committee shall tabulate all ballots that are received by December 1 of each year. The official number of concurring votes cast for each nominee shall be calculated as the arithmetic difference between the number of “For” votes cast and the number of “Against” votes cast for that candidate.  By January 1 of each year, the Committee shall declare as elected and eligible for invitation to membership the candidates receiving the most concurring votes with the number allowed under Article I.A.2.  In case of tie votes the membership committee shall determine the elected members.

1. In no case shall a candidate receiving a negative number of concurring votes (the number of “Against” votes tallied is greater than the number of “For” votes tallied) be invited to membership in the
2. If fewer than ten (10) candidates are nominated in a given year, each candidate receiving a positive number of concurring votes will be invited to

C. Should more than one non-UAF graduate be nominated, the one receiving the most concurring votes shall be the one eligible for election, provided that he/she is one of the candidates receiving the most concurring votes consistent with the number allowed under Article I.A.2.

D. A three-quarters vote of Active and Retired Members voting shall be required for election of Honorary Members.

IV. ORGANIZATION OF AND FOR THE ACADEMY

A. Meetings of the Membership

1. An Annual Meeting of the membership shall be held between April 1 and May 15.

2. There shall be an induction ceremony for the purpose of inducting newly elected members and it shall usually be held in conjunction with the Annual Meeting at a time and place determined by the Board of Directors.

3. Other meetings of the Academy may be called by the Board of Directors. In addition, a petition signed by one third of the Active Membership shall require the Board of Directors to call such meetings.

4. All meetings shall be announced by mail and/or other pertinent forms of mass communication at least thirty (30) days prior to the date of the meeting.

B. Quorum at the Membership Meetings

1. Those members (Active and Retired) in attendance at a properly called business meeting of the Academy shall be deemed as having satisfied a quorum for such meeting of the membership. Regular attendance by Active and Retired Members at such membership business meetings is highly encouraged.

2. Every act or decision made by a majority of those present when a quorum exists shall be an act of the membership.

C. Directors

1. The Board of Directors shall consist of six (6) Directors with two (2) elected by and from the members at each Annual Meeting of the Academy. In addition, the immediate past-president, elected officers, and the Civil Engineering Department Head shall serve as directors. The Civil Engineering Department Head shall be a non-voting member of the Board of Directors.

2. At the first Annual Meeting of the Academy the members shall elect six (6) Directors, two (2) to serve for one (1) year, two (2) to serve for two (2) years, and two (2) to serve for three (3) years. Those Directors to serve various terms will be determined by lot. Successors will be elected for three (3) year terms.

3. Vacancies on the Board of Directors shall be filled at the next Annual Meeting to complete the un-expired term for each vacancy.

4. Only Active Members are eligible for service on the Board of Directors and, by extension, as Officers of the Board and the Academy.

D. Officers

1. The officers of the Board of Directors and of the Arkansas Academy of Civil Engineering shall be a President, President-Elect, Vice President, Secretary- Treasurer, and they shall be elected annually by the membership.

2. The officers shall have such duties as are necessary as assigned by the Board of Directors.

3. Officers shall serve without compensation.

E. Committees

1. The Board of Directors shall authorize and the President shall appoint such ad hoc committees as are necessary.

2. There shall be a Membership Committee of three (3) members, one (1) of whom will serve as chairman.

3. There shall be a Nomination Committee of three (3) members. These three members shall be the immediate past three Academy presidents, with the most senior past president serving as the chairperson of the committee. In the event of the inability or unwillingness to serve on the Nomination Committee, the current president shall designate another active past president to fill the open position on the Nomination Committee. This committee shall present to the Board a slate of candidates for election of officers and Directors at the Annual Meeting. Additional nominations may be made by any Active or Retired Member present. There will be no vote by proxy and a simple majority of those eligible members present shall elect.

4. There may be a Committee on Conduct composed of three (3) members. This committee will receive and make recommendations for action to the Board of Directors concerning questions of misconduct on the part of any member.

V. LIMITATIONS AND PROCEDURES

A. The Board of Directors may remove a member upon the recommendation of the Committee on Conduct but not until such time as the Board has heard the appeal of the member so recommended for dismissal, provided that such hearing is requested.

B.The Bylaws may be amended at any Annual meeting where such intention has been part of the notice of the meeting and the amendment carries the favorable recommendation of two-thirds of the Directors and a majority of the eligible members voting.

C. The members of the Arkansas Academy of Civil Engineering are not responsible for any indebtedness or liability incurred by or for any acts performed by any member or individual, at any regular or special meeting, outing or other social activity of the Academy.

D. Action Without Meeting. Any action required or permitted to be taken at a meeting of the AACE or Board of AACE may be taken without a meeting if a consent in writing or by electronic communication, setting forth the action so taken, is signed by a majority (or other defined amount outlined in the bylaws) of the members or Board of AACE. Such consent shall have the same force and effect as a vote at a meeting. The approvals shall be placed in the minute book. The consent may be in more than one counterpart so long as each voting member signs one of the counterparts. An email communication from the email address on record with the UA Civil Engineering Department will constitute signing of a counterpart.

VI. FINANCIAL REQUIREMENTS

A. The Arkansas Academy of Civil Engineering will be self-supporting using exclusively reserved monies deposited with the University of Arkansas Foundation as an Academy Endowment Account maintained by the Academy. These monies will result from contributions made or solicited by the members for this and additional purposes. Each Active Member will be asked to make a minimum contribution of $250 annually to the Academy payable by the annual meeting. These contributions are separate from and in addition to any funds solicited or donated for scholarships or other designated purpose or award. The $250 required minimum contribution is waived for the first year of membership for new Active Members. While such minimum contribution is not a requirement for Retired or Honorary Members, their financial support of the Arkansas Academy of Civil Engineering is encouraged.

B.Members of the Academy will be responsible for their expenses incurred while attending meetings and other functions of the Academy in addition to contributions as defined in Article VI.A.

C. The Board of Directors shall adopt an annual budget which shall be reported to the membership and said budget will provide the UA Civil Engineering Department Head with direction and authority as to the expenditure of monies from the above account.

D. The officers and directors will instruct the Treasurer in such efforts as he or she shall make annually to maintain funds in the above accounts.

VIII.  RECOGNITION AND AWARDS

A. A plaque or certificate of recognition and membership in the Academy will be awarded to each Active or Honorary Member at the induction ceremony.

B. A framed photograph of the Honorary and Active Members of the Academy, each individually identified, shall be prominently displayed in the Department of Civil Engineering, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville.

C. An up-to-date biographical sketch limited to one hundred and fifty words will be maintained for each Honorary, Active and Distinguished Past Member of the Academy in the library or lounge at the Department of Civil Engineering, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville.  These records will be easily accessible to the students.