04/04

MISSISSIPPI STATE UNIVERSITY
PROFESSIONAL AND SUPPORT STAFF ADVISORY COUNCIL
CONSTITUTION

ARTICLE I

Name

The name of this organization shall be the Mississippi State University Professional and Support Staff Advisory Council, hereinafter referred to as the "PSSAC."

 ARTICLE 11

Purposes

PSSAC is advisory to the President of the University. The purposes of PSSAC are to foster and enhance communication between the professional and support staff and University administration; provide a forum for staff to discuss their role in the total University system as well as to discuss issues involving University policies and procedures; advise University administration in matters relating to professional and support staff before the implementation of new policies, procedures, and programs; recommend changes in existing policies as needed; and serve as a resource through which staff employees may be nominated to serve on University committees.

ARTICLE III

Members

Section 1.  PSSAC is composed of twenty-six (26) members, each of whom will serve a three-year term. Members may serve an additional three-year term, consecutive or non-consecutive, if selected. Members will serve no more than seven consecutive years. After serving two terms, members are ineligible for a period of three (3) years, but may be considered after that time for another three (3) year term. 

Section 2.  Membership shall be selected from professional and support staff positions.  Each member shall have at least one (1) year of service as a regular employee of the University appointed to a budgeted position prior to appointment to PSSAC.

Section 3.  The number of members representing each Division of the University shall be based on the number of professional and support staff regular employees in each Division.  Using data from the Department of Human Resources Management, the Executive Board of PSSAC will review the distribution of representatives at least every three years or at the request of PSSAC, and redistribute membership as appropriate.

ARTICLE IV

Officers

Section 1.  Officers of this organization shall be Chair, Vice Chair, and Recording Secretary.  Officers shall be elected by PSSAC membership at the March meeting and shall serve a term of one (1) year from July 1 through June 30.  The officers shall be elected in the manner prescribed in the By‑laws of this Constitution.  Officers are eligible to succeed themselves in the same office for not more than one (1) additional one-year term.

Section 2.  The Chair shall preside at all meetings of PSSAC and perform all duties pertaining to that office including representing the staff on Executive Council.  The Chair shall appoint committees as needed, be an ex‑officio member of all committees with the exception of the Nominations and Elections Committee, sign all communications sent out in the name of PSSAC, appoint a parliamentarian, appoint members to fulfill special functions as deemed necessary, act as official spokesperson, and manage the PSSAC budget. The Chair shall transmit recommendations of PSSAC to the appropriate administrator(s) and keep PSSAC informed of the disposition of each recommendation that is made.

Section 3.  The Vice Chair shall, in the absence of the Chair, perform the duties of the Chair.  The Vice Chair shall coordinate any special functions of PSSAC, arrange for speakers as required by the PSSAC, assist new members, and be responsible for assuring that all committee reports are reviewed and given to the Recording Secretary each month for inclusion in a permanent file.

Section 4.  The Recording Secretary shall keep an accurate record of all proceedings of PSSAC.  The PSSAC Secretary shall conduct all correspondence of PSSAC with the approval of the Chair and serve as historian of PSSAC. The Chair will maintain minutes, annual reports, and correspondence of PSSAC.

Section 5.  Standing Committee Chairs shall establish a regular meeting schedule, serve as members of the Executive Board of PSSAC, and present committee recommendations to the Staff Council Executive Board and PSSAC.

ARTICLE V

Executive Board

The Chair, Vice Chair, Recording Secretary, and chairs of standing committees shall form the Executive Board, presided over by the PSSAC Chair. The Executive Board is responsible for setting meeting agendas, making decisions on behalf of the PSSAC between general PSSAC meetings, and establishing direction for PSSAC activities.  The Executive Board will be empowered to allocate funds for the purchase of necessary items for the council operations and committee projects if previously discussed at the general meeting.  

ARTICLE VI

Committees

Section 1.  Annually, each member will select a standing committee on which he/she will serve.  The Chair of the PSSAC will appoint absent members to a committee.

Section 2.  Standing committees, in addition to the Executive Board, are:

-  Benefits and Compensation
-  Employee Development
-  Employee Relations
-  Publicity

Section 3.  Special committees may be appointed by the Chair, as needed; including but not limited to, Nominations and Elections, Constitution and By‑laws.

Section 4.  The Chair before the first meeting will appoint each committee chair. The chair elect for each of the committees will have served at least one (1) year on PSSAC, if possible.

Section 5.  All members, except elected officers, will serve on at least one standing committee.  Failure to do so will be brought to the attention of the Chair and may result in PSSAC recommendation for removal of said member.

Section 6.  Each standing committee chair will submit an annual committee report to PSSAC at the July meeting.

ARTICLE VII

Meetings

PSSAC will hold at least eleven (11) monthly meetings each calendar year.

ARTICLE VIII

Amending Procedure

An amendment to this Constitution shall be proposed in writing to the Chair for  distribution to PSSAC at least seven (7) calendar days prior to the meeting during which it is to come up for a vote.  Adoption of amendments shall be by a majority of a quorum, but at least a one‑half (1/2) "yea" vote of all members.  Upon acceptance of the amendment(s) the revised addition shall be sent to the University President for approval.

ARTICLE IX

Non‑Discrimination

PSSAC, in all of its activities, does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, disability, or veteran status.

04/04

MISSISSIPPI STATE UNIVERSITY
PROFESSIONAL AND SUPPORT STAFF ADVISORY COUNCIL
BY-LAWS

ARTICLE I

Meetings

Section 1.  The Professional and Support Staff Advisory Council, hereinafter referred to as "PSSAC," will meet on the second Wednesday of each month at a designated time.

Section 2.  Attendance at regular meetings is required of all members except those submitting to the PSSAC Secretary or Recording Secretary, in advance of the meeting, valid reasons for absence.  Members with three (3) absences during a fiscal year (July 1 through June 30) will be under review of the Executive Board.  Unresolvable member attendance problems may result in removal of said member by the Executive Board.

Section 3.  Robert's Rules of Order, newly revised, shall be parliamentary authority.

Section 4.  A quorum shall consist of one‑half (1/2) of the total membership.  No vote can be taken in the absence of a quorum except to adjourn the meeting.

Section 5.  Matters requiring a vote shall be adopted when receiving the vote of a simple majority of the PSSAC members  present and voting "yea" or "nay".  In the case of a tie the Chair shall cast the deciding vote.

Section 6.  The Chair, with the consent of the Executive Board, may change the date or place of any meeting. Members shall be notified of a changed meeting date or place at least three (3) days in advance of the changed meeting date.

Section 7.  The Chair may call special meetings.  All members should be notified at least three (3) days in advance of a special meeting.

Section 8.  The minutes of the previous meeting and the agenda for the next meeting will be mailed to members no later than one (1) week prior to the next scheduled meeting.

Section 9.  All meetings of PSSAC are open to the public unless by two‑thirds (2/3) vote of the members present, the meeting is declared to be in executive session.  These executive sessions shall be attended by guests invited by majority vote of the Council, and members only.

ARTICLE 11

Selection of Members

Section 1.  Beginning January 15 each year, the Chair of PSSAC will request the Vice Presidents to solicit from the Deans, Directors, and Department Heads and the professional and support staff nominations to fill vacancies occurring within their Division. The Division nominee(s) will be forwarded from the Vice Presidents to the Chair of PSSAC and the Chair of the Nominations and Election Committee for acceptance and/or approval.  The Vice President(s) will be contacted if the nominee(s) is not approved or accepted with a request for additional nominations.

Section 2.  By April 1 of each year, the chair of the Nominations and Elections Committee will meet with the Executive Board to recommend a list of nominees to fill each anticipated vacancy.

Section 3.  The Executive Board will make the final selection and the Chair will notify the new appointees.  Newly appointed members will be invited to the first meeting of the next year.

Section 4.  Replacements for vacancies occurring in unexpired terms of members will be chosen only once a year for terms beginning July1. A member elected to complete more than half of an unexpired full term shall be considered to have served a full term.

ARTICLE III

Election of Officers

Section 1.  By March 1 of each year the Nominations and Elections Committee will submit a slate of nominations to the Chair for consideration and vote of the members at the March meeting. Nominations may be made from the floor during the election process at the March meeting. Voting will be by written ballot and election by a simple majority of a quorum.

Section 2.  Newly elected officers will assume office July 1.

Section 3.  In the event a vacancy occurs in the position of Chair; the Vice Chair will assume the vacancy if the time remaining is less than two months.  If more than two months remain in the term of office, a slate of candidates will be presented by the Nominations and Elections Committee to PSSAC for election.  If a vacancy occurs in any other office, the Executive Board may name a temporary replacement, disperse responsibilities among other officers, or refer the vacancy to the Nominations and Elections Committee.