BYLAWS

Association of Faculty and Friends – Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center and Penn State College of Medicine

ARTICLE I

NAME
The name of this organization shall be the Association of Faculty and Friends Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center and Penn State College of Medicine (AFF).

ARTICLE II

OBJECTIVES
The AFF is organized to support and promote medical education, research, clinical care, and scholarship; provide a community of friendship to our members through interest groups; and to serve the needs of the community of which we are a part. To further these objectives, the AFF shall engage in charitable activities in support of the objective.

ARTICLE III

MEMBERSHIP
SECTION 1. The following provisions shall govern the eligibility for membership:
a) Employees or spouses of employees (current, retired, or deceased) of the Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center and Penn State College of Medicine.
b) Other individuals in the community who support and promote the objectives of the organization.

SECTION 2. Membership shall be for the fiscal year (July 1-June 30) as determined by the Board of Directors.

Membership shall be annual or as determined by the Board of Directors or lifetime.

SECTION 3. Honorary Membership is reserved for those individuals who by decree of the membership are recognized for their service to the society and community. A petition for honorary membership may be submitted to the Board by any member on behalf of a present or past member. Individuals cannot nominate themselves. The petition must be signed by no fewer than 20 percent of the membership at the time of submission. Upon receipt of said petition the Board is obligated to investigate and verify the justification for this honor, after which a decision to accept or decline the petition will be decided by a simple majority vote of the Board.

ARTICLE IV

DUES

SECTION 1. Annual and lifetime dues payable to the AFF shall be in an amount determined by the Board of Directors.

SECTION 2. Annual dues shall be payable by June 30th for the next fiscal year.

SECTION 3. Any member who after appropriate notification has not paid current dues by July 1 shall be dropped from membership and all benefits.

SECTION 4. Membership may be reinstated upon payment of current year’s dues.

SECTION 5. New applications for membership shall be accepted at any time during the year with payment of dues.

ARTICLE V

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

SECTION 1. The Board of Directors shall be responsible for carrying out the objectives and policies of the AFF and for controlling its funds.

SECTION 2. The Board of Directors shall consist of the officers of the AFF and the board members.

SECTION 3. The number of board members shall be determined by the Board of Directors but shall not be fewer than four.

ARTICLE VI

OFFICERS

SECTION 1. The officers of the AFF shall be the President, President-Elect, Past President, Treasurer, and Secretary.

SECTION 2. A slate of officers shall be presented to the Board of Directors by the Nominating Committee chair at the March board meeting.

SECTION 3. All officers shall be elected at the annual June meeting by voice vote of the members present.

SECTION 4. If any of the elected members of the executive committee are unable to fulfill a term, the Nominating Committee shall nominate another member to fill the vacated position. The Board of Directors will then vote.

ARTICLE VII

DUTIES OF OFFICERS

SECTION 1. President
The President shall be the chief executive officer and exercise a general supervision over the interests and welfare of the organization as stated in the objectives. The President shall preside at all meetings and enforce the Bylaws. The President shall appoint committees or ad hoc board members as authorized by the Bylaws or the Board of Directors as needed. At the end of the year the President shall present a written report on the activities of the group during the preceding year. When the Treasurer is not available the President has the authority to allocate funds for the AFF. The President shall be the liaison with the Office of University Development, Public Relations, and other departments and staff as necessary. The president shall be an ad hoc member of all committees.

Term of office: one year
Voting

SECTION 2. President-Elect
In the absence or inability of the President to perform official duties, the President-Elect shall perform the duties of the president. The President-Elect shall perform other duties as may be required from time to time by the Board of Directors. The President-Elect shall be an ad hoc member of all committees.
Term of office: one year
Voting

SECTION 3. Past President
The Past President shall attend all board meetings and provide continuity to activities and programs. The Past President shall act as Parliamentarian when needed. The Past President shall be a member of the Nominating Committee and perform other duties as may be requested by the Board of Directors.
Term of office: one year
Voting

SECTION 4. Treasurer
The Treasurer shall maintain detailed financial records in accordance with the current rules and requirements governing the AFF. The Treasurer shall request all checks and payments as needed in a timely fashion. The treasurer shall interface with the AFF Membership Committee, the Office of University Development and other departments and staff as necessary and provide timely reports as requested.
Term of office: two years-even
Voting

SECTION 5. Secretary
The Secretary shall keep a record of the proceedings of the meetings of the group and of the Board. The Secretary shall conduct correspondence as specified by the Board and perform other duties as may be required from time to time by the Board of Directors.
Term of office: two years-odd
Voting

ARTICLE VIII

DUTIES OF THE MEMBERS AT LARGE
Members At Large shall attend all board meetings and assure that decisions and actions support the objectives and mission of the AFF. Members At Large may be asked to perform other duties as requested by the President of the AFF.
Term of office: Three board members-odd years, two years
Three board members-even years, two years
Voting

ARTICLE IX

STANDING COMMITTEES/HOSPITAL AND COMMUNITY OUTREACH PROGRAMS/SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS

SECTION 1. Nominating Committee
The Nominating Committee shall be comprised of five members, consisting of the Past President of the AFF and four members elected by the Board of Directors. The Nominating Committee shall then elect their chair. The duties of the Nominating Committee shall be to present to the Board of Directors in March and then in writing to the membership the candidates for the officers and board members for the coming year.

SECTION 2. Membership Committee
The Membership Committee shall be responsible for contacting prospective new members and following up with current members for renewal. The role of the committee includes but is not limited to the following: collecting membership information, publishing and distributing the Directory to all members, development and distribution of items to describe the activities of the AFF, and welcome programs. The Membership Committee shall be the liaison with faculty and administration of the Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center and Penn State College of Medicine to obtain the most up-to-date recruitment list of new employees.

SECTION 3. Hospital Programs
The AFF recognizes the importance of future growth and development. The Hospital Programs Committee shall be responsible for developing and presenting new concepts and programs in keeping with the mission of the AFF to the Board of Directors.

SECTION 4. Information & Technology
a) Newsletter Editor
The Editor of the newsletter shall compile the information submitted by the Board of Directors, chairs, and coordinators of the standing committees. Other information, events, and activities of interest to the membership will also be published. Distribution may be either electronic or on paper.
b) Electronic Communication
The chair shall develop and maintain a presence on a selected website developing appropriate links reflecting the mission of the AFF.

SECTION 5. Allocations Committee
The Allocations Committee shall consist of the President, President-Elect, Treasurer, one additional board member and a representative from the Spring Fundraiser committee. The Past President will serve in an advisory capacity as a non-voting member if not elected to the Committee. The purpose of this committee is to submit to the Board of Directors recommendations on funding requests from the Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center and Penn State College of Medicine according to the procedure outlined in Appendix A. At least ten percent of money raised in a given year will support the scholarship fund. The remaining ninety percent will be allocated according to Appendix A. The chair of the committee will be elected by this group no later than February 1.

SECTION 6. Spring Fundraiser Committee
The Spring Fundraising Committee will be led by a chair and co-chairs and will oversee all established subcommittees for the event including but not limited to, sponsorships, auctions, entertainment, and decorations.

SECTION 7. Peace Tree Committee
The Peace Tree Committee will organize this holiday event to honor and remember loved ones and will include live entertainment and activities for patients of the hospital, employees, and guests from the community.

SECTION 8. Hospital and Community Outreach
Activities include but are not limited to Blood Drives, Center Stage, ER Sensor Awareness Program, Lions Share, Nittany Knitters, Palliative Care, and Splash Packs.

SECTION 9. Special Interest Groups
Activities include but are not limited to Book Group, Bridge Group, Cocktails and Conversations, and Gourmet Group

SECTION 10. Bylaws
The bylaws committee shall review the bylaws and make recommendations for updating content to the Board annually.

SECTION 11. Ad Hoc Committees
a) Ad Hoc Committees may be formed for special tasks when needed as determined by the Board of Directors. At the time an Ad Hoc Committee is established, the Board shall specify the purpose and responsibilities of the committee.
b) The chair of any Ad Hoc Committee shall be appointed by the Board of Directors. Members of the committee may be selected by the Board or by the chair of the specific committee.
c) An Ad Hoc Committee shall be terminated when its assigned task is completed or at the direction of the Board of Directors.

ARTICLE X

PARLIAMENTARY AUTHORITY
“Roberts Rules of Order (Revised)” shall be the parliamentary authority of the AFF upon questions not covered by the Bylaws or inconsistent with them.

ARTICLE XI

AMENDMENTS
These Bylaws may be amended at any regular meeting of the AFF by a two-thirds vote of the members present provided the proposed amendment was submitted in writing to each member at least two weeks prior to the meeting.

APPENDIX A

Guidelines for Preparing AFF Allocation Request (Available on AFF’s Website)

Submit the completed request form with any necessary documentation to the AFF by April 15. Late requests will not be considered.

The Allocation Committee determines funding to a maximum of $10,000 per request based upon the following criteria:

Does the request support and promote medical education, research, or clinical care?

Has this request been submitted in previous years?

What additional funding sources have been or will be approached to satisfy the request?

Funding requests for food, entertainment, hospitality supplies, travel, lodging and conference fees will not be considered.

If the request is approved by the AFF, the allocated funds will be transferred to the appropriate fund number through the Office of University Development.

The recipient is required to complete an AFF Progress Report by February 28 and Final Report by July 1 describing how the funds have been utilized. Failure to issue a status and final report will jeopardize future allocation availability.

Allocation of the AFF funds is specific to each request and must be used for that purpose. If you are unable to use the funds in the manner requested, the funds must be returned to the AFF. Any educational tools or equipment purchased with allocation monies shall remain the property of the Penn State Hershey Medical Center.

If funds are allocated to you and you wish to redistribute the funds for a different purpose under the same proposal, a request must be submitted to the President of the Association of Faculty and Friends for approval. Notifications will be sent out by June 30th.

There may be a random review of the allocations throughout the year.

Spring Fundraising Committee
The mission of the annual Spring Fundraiser is to raise funds for the Association of Faculty and Friends to allocate in the form of grants to the Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center and the College of Medicine.

Ideally the committee should have a Chairperson and Co-chair(s) for the event. The AFF President will be a standing member on all committees and work closely with the Chair.

The Chair, Co-Chair(s) and all committee chairpersons must be members of AFF during their year(s) of involvement with AFF activities.