PRT Constitution

Article I: Name

The name of this organization shall be Presidents’ Round Table (PRT) of African American Community College Chief Executive Officers (CEOs).

The Presidents’ Round Table (PRT) is an organization of African American presidents and CEOs, founded in 1983 with the goal of providing professional resources and mentoring opportunities to African-American Community College Presidents. We are also an affiliate organization of the National Council on Black American Affairs – an affiliate organization of the American Association of Community Colleges

Since its establishment in 1983, the PRT has been offering an operational network that includes leadership development, mentorship, and coaching for African-American presidents and those wanting to be presidents while also supporting the goals of the National Council on Black American Affairs.

The Presidents’ Round Table seeks to ensure equal access to opportunities for fellow members and Black CEOs by leveraging their combined knowledge, networks, and experience. We promote professional growth and, on occasion, legislation that ensures that all Blacks have equal access to a community college education.

Article II: Mission

The Presidents’ Round Table (PRT) is a member of the American Association of Community Colleges’ National Council on Black American Affairs. The PRT is intended to provide African-American community college presidents with a support network that includes:

Identifying and responding to challenges affecting African-Americans in community colleges;
Providing mentoring opportunities for African-American upper-level community college administrators;
Sharing professional resources;
Providing other national and international professional opportunities for African-American CEOs, and;
Supporting the goals and objectives of the National Council on Black American Affairs.

Article III: Role

To achieve this goal, the Presidents’ Round Table will:

Monitor and review inequities in the delivery of educational services to black students and services provided to blacks in community college education;
Promote the professional development and advancement of African American CEOs in community colleges;
Provide mentoring opportunities either formally or informally for African American administrators in community colleges;
Establish internships, when feasible, among member institutions to provide opportunities for blacks to have practical administrative experiences;
Share published and unpublished materials such as speeches, statistical data, research findings and other items to assist members in their professional
Develop, update, and disseminate a list of African American CEOs who are available to serve as resource persons to universities, businesses, other institutions or nations;
Plan and hold two meetings annually: one meeting in conjunction with the AACC convention and the other at a time and place to be determined by the Executive Board; and
Seek funding for special projects as agreed to by the Presidents’ Round Table.

PRT Constitution & By-Laws
Amended and approved by full PRT membership 10-2011

Article IV: Membership

Membership in the Presidents’ Round Table shall be open to all current and retired African American CEOs of community colleges, including chancellors, presidents, vice-chancellors, campus provosts, vice presidents, and executive deans, in charge of a campus.

Section 1. Institutional – Any community or technical college whose chief executive officer is of African American descent.

Section 2. Associate – Any person who is a current non-CEO: (Vice President, Vice-Chancellor); or retired education professional: (Former Chancellor, President, Provost, or Vice-Chancellor

Section 3. Corporate – Any private non-educational business organization that supports the mission and role of the organization

Section 4. Honorary – An individual who has demonstrated exemplary service and commitment to the organization’s goals, as identified by the Executive Board. The PRT Executive Board reserves the right to bestow recognition upon a person who is or has been associated with PRT providing substantially to PRT’s growth and development and has made a significant contribution to community college education in the U.S. The PRT Board may elect up to two individuals each year. Announcements of any Honorary Members will be made during the Spring PRT Board meeting.

Section 5. Lifetime – An individual who is not directly associated with a college/district in a paid capacity, has demonstrated exemplary service and commitment to the goals of the PRT as identified by the Executive Board and has been an active (paid) PRT member for a minimum of five years. The PRT Executive Board reserves the right to accept Lifetime Memberships per the specified criteria, as determined by the membership and noted on the membership application.

Article V: Officers

Section 1. – Officers of the PRT will be the Convener, Immediate Past Convener, Secretary, Treasurer, Lakin Institute Coordinator, and Membership Chair/PRT Directory Coordinator.

Section 2. – Executive Board – All officers shall comprise this board.

Article VI: Elections And Terms Of Office

Section 1. – The Officers of the PRT shall be elected biennially by a majority vote of those members who choose to vote by an authorized electronic means, with the results announced, at the spring meeting. The term of office shall be two years. Any officer may be removed under the guidelines consistent with the accepted Robert’s Rules of Order.

Article VII: Functions Of The Presidents’ Round Table (Prt)

Section 1. – The PRT represents African American members in community colleges worldwide and shall serve as their official voice on matters pertaining to the interest and promotion of African Americans in community colleges. The PRT will perform the following key functions:

Develop, sponsor, assist and participate in workshops, forums, conferences and all other educational and legislative arenas that focus on the success of African Americans in community colleges;
Maintain regular communication with its members and constituencies through mechanisms that will keep the membership and the communities informed about current affairs, activities, public policy and all other information that is pertinent to the role and condition of African Americans within those institutions;
Pursue and develop coalitions with those organizations, groups or agencies that can aid in the promotion of the purpose and goals of the organization;
Promote the importance of proficiency and expertise in technology while encouraging international scholarship; and
Develop and maintain an academic pipeline in the form of a directory of its members.

PRT Constitution & By-Laws – Amended and approved by full PRT membership 10-2011

Section 2. – The enumerated functions of the PRT (Sections 1 a-e) do not restrict the organization from pursuing all other paths/tasks that will move the organization more efficiently toward the fulfillment of its purpose and the completion of its goals.

Article VIII: Amendments

Section 1. – The Presidents’ Round Table may propose amendments to this Constitution.

Section 2. – An amendment is considered adopted if it receives at least two-thirds of the votes cast by the membership in attendance.

Article IX: Ratification Of The Constitution

The Presidents’ Round Table of African Americans Community College Chief Executive Officers is officially authorized when a majority of the membership voting at each meeting approves adoption of this charter.

PRT Constitution & By-Laws – Amended and approved by full PRT membership 10-2011.

Regulations

Article I: DUES

Section 1. – The dues of the PRT are to be paid annually, starting with the fiscal year, July 1 of every year.

Membership Support Levels:

Descriptions of Memberships & Categories:

Individual Membership = Opportunity for each PRT member to personally support the Presidents’ Round Table at one of the four levels.

Institutional Membership = Required of ALL current CEOs, including Chancellors, Presidents, and Provosts

Corporate Membership = Business and Industry leaders

Associate Membership = Retired CEOs including Former Chancellors, Presidents, Provosts, Vice-Chancellors, and Vice Presidents

Lakin Institute = A personal & professional development experience for aspiring community college presidents

AAMI = A national initiative focused on improving academic & professional outcomes of African-American male community college students

Lifetime Membership = An individual not directly associated with a college/district in a paid capacity, has demonstrated exemplary service and commitment to PRT and has been an ACTIVE (paid) PRT member (individual or institutional) for a minimum of 5 years. It requires PRT Board approval.

Honorary Membership = Demonstrated exemplary service and commitment to the goals of PRT. It requires PRT Board approval. The PRT Board may elect up to two individuals each year. Announcements of any Honorary members will be made during the Spring PRT Board meeting.

Section 2. – The Treasurer of the PRT shall notify each institution of the yearly assessment before May 1 of each year. The CEO of each member organization shall submit the dues to the Treasurer no later than the next fiscal year, starting with July 1.

PRT Constitution & By-Laws – Amended and approved by full PRT membership 10-2011.

Article II: Duties Of Officers And The Executive Board

Section 1. – The Convener shall perform the following duties

Preside at all meetings of the Executive Board.
Appoint or provide for the election of all Executive Board members and committee assignments.
Call to order all regular and special meetings as required
Perform such other duties as may be prescribed by law or by the action of the Executive Board or the organization membership.
Communicate regularly with the membership at large.
Regarding the Lakin Institute for Mentored Leadership, ensure the following are funded annually: (1) coordinator’s expenses, if needed; (2) institute lunches and culminating banquet; and printing of programs and other materials for the Institute.
Select sites and coordinators for the annual Institute at least two years in advance.
Attend all Lakin activities and serve as a presenter.
Work closely with the coordinator of the Lakin Institute.

The Convener has the right to vote on all issues and to participate in discussions.

Section 3. – The Past Convener shall perform the following duties.

Serve on the Executive Board.
Solicit and secure outside funding to support the Lakin Institute.
Actively solicit CEO participation with the organization.
Obtain up-to-date information on available CEO positions for distribution by the Convener to the membership.

Section 4. – The Secretary shall perform the following duties:

Shall record all information/decisions taken at regular and Executive Board meetings.
Shall distribute all minutes and communication to all Executive Board members and the membership as a whole.
Conduct the selection process for Lakin mentees.

Section 5. – The Treasurer shall perform the following duties.

Be responsible for all financial accounting and reporting of the organization.
Collect dues for the organization.
Maintain the membership list of the organization.
Collect registration fees, applications, and photos for Lakin Institute participants and forward them to the Institute Coordinator.

Section 6. –The Membership Chair/PRT Directory Coordinator shall perform the following duties.

Develop and implement strategies to increase membership.
Collect and assemble information for the biennial publication of the Round Table Directory.

Section 7. –The Lakin Institute Coordinator shall perform the following duties.

Develop an activity schedule for the Institute, including topics/presenters.
Correspond appropriately with presenters, mentees, and others associated with the Institute.
Work closely with the host institution in developing the activities and binder.
Work closely with Convener to develop the Lakin Institute budget.
Ensure that all Institute activities are conducted professionally.
Engage as many Round Table members as participants in the Institute as possible.
Provide a wide range of topics.
Orient successor and provide appropriate materials for a smooth transition.

PRT Constitution & By-Laws – Amended and approved by full PRT membership 10-2011.

Article III: Meetings – Executive Board

Section 1. – The Executive Board shall meet as established by the Convener.

Section 2. – There shall be at least two meetings of the general membership body – one in the fall at the culmination of the Lakin Institute and one in the spring at the AACC convention.

Section 3. – The President of the organization may call additional meetings as required/needed.

Section 4. – The Secretary shall report the minutes of every meeting of the Executive Board and the full membership.

Section 5. –A quorum for all meetings shall be defined consistent with Robert’s Rules of Order.

Article IV: Agendas

Section 1. – The PRT convener shall prepare an agenda for each meeting.

Section 2. – The agendas of the PRT shall be distributed to the membership before the meeting by the Convener.

Section 3. – The Convener and the Executive Board develop the agendas.

Section 4. – Items may be placed on the agenda per Robert’s Rules of Order.

Article V: Committees

Section 1. – The PRT shall have standing committees as provided herein. Unless otherwise indicated, the Convener shall appoint all chairpersons with the approval of the Executive Board and have final approval over all committee members.

Section 2. – Any member may be appointed to any committee. A committee member shall serve for two years, except that in the initial year of a standing committee, one-half of the committee members shall be appointed to one-year terms (note: staggered terms allow for continuity). The Convener’s appointments can be overridden by a 2/3 vote of the general membership.

Section 3. – All chairpersons shall be appointed to one-year terms, with the right of reappointment. A chairperson may be recalled by the same method by which he/she was appointed.

Section 4. – Standing Committees – membership and function:

Planning develops and maintains a strategic plan for the organization
Membership Support plans activities to increase and energize the membership
Legislation provides leadership and direction on positions the organization should take on issues that support the purposes of the organization
Nominating provides a slate of officers as required biennially or replacements when necessary

Article VI: Fiscal Accountability

Section 1. – The treasurer shall prepare quarterly reports of the Presidents’ Round Table financial status.

Section 2. – All quarterly financial reports shall be distributed to the membership for review and publicly posted.

Section 3. – The quarterly financial report shall present any expenses and revenues, in addition to the account balance.

Article VII: Parliamentary And Legal Authority

The current edition of Robert’s Rules of Order shall govern the organization in all cases to which they are applicable. They are not inconsistent with these by-laws and any special rules of order that the organization may adopt.

Article VIII: Amending The By-Laws

Section 1. –Any member of the organization may present a proposed amendment to by-laws.

Section 2. – The amendment to the by-laws shall be referred to the Executive Board for study and will be presented at the next general meeting.

Section 3. – Two-thirds of all members accomplish adoption of the proposed amendment to the by-laws