CONSTITUTION

OF THE

LOUISIANA TECH UNIVERSITY MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

ADVISORY COUNCIL

Name

The name of this organization shall be the Louisiana Tech University Mechanical Engineering Advisory Council.

Article II

Purpose

The purposes of this organization are as follows:

1. To provide counsel on educational activities and enhancement.

2. To provide counsel on research directions.

3. To facilitate communication between the department and industry, alumni, and government.

4. To provide liaison with the Engineering and Science Foundation.

5. To provide a forum to graduate and undergraduate students to interface with industry representatives to gain exposure to a broad spectrum of industry not in the recruiting role.

Article III

Size

1. The number of regular members shall be twelve.

2. The number of associate members shall not exceed three.

Term

1. The initial appointment of regular members shall be for three years.

2. The maximum tenure shall be six years with provisions for staggering membership to cover the initial formation of the Council and ensure continuity among the Council.

3. The term for associate members shall be two years.

4. An associate member may, upon completion of his/her term as an associate member, be offered regular membership on the council subject to the limitations above.

Membership

1. In the selection of Council members consideration shall be given to years of experience in order that a distribution of experience is maintained on the Council.

2. Alternates shall not be allowed to attend meetings in place of absent Council members.

3. The Council, with the aid of Faculty members, shall select for a term of two years, associate members consisting of recent graduates (1-3 years prior) to lend near term experience to the Council.

4. The Chair of the Council and the Program Chair for Mechanical Engineering shall establish a slate of candidates for membership nominated by alumni, Council members, and faculty. This slate and all nominees shall be submitted to the Council for consideration.

Article IV

Officers

1. The Officers of the Council shall be the Chair and the Vice-Chair.

2. The Chair shall serve a two year term and be succeeded by the Vice-Chair.

3. The Vice-Chair must have one or more years tenure on the Council before selection and will be elected by a majority vote of the Council membership.

Duties

1. The Chair of the Council shall:

        a. Schedule all meetings with the advice of the Council.

        b. Preside over all meetings.

        c. Establish the meeting agendas based on input from the Program Chair of Mechanical Engineering.

2. The Vice-Chair shall exercise the powers and duties of the Chair in the absence of the Chair.

Ex-Officio

1. The Program Chair shall act as Secretary for the Council.

2. A Liaison Committee appointed by the Program Chair shall:

        a. Expedite arrangements.

        b. Assist with programming and publicity.

        c. Publish minutes of Council meetings.

Article V

Meetings

Meetings of the Council shall consist of:

1. A fall meeting on the Tech campus.

2. A spring meeting on the Tech campus, the primary focus of which shall be to develop recommendations for awards to include the Outstanding Alumni Award that is normally presented in the Fall.

3. When feasible, one of the specified meetings may be scheduled to participate with a meeting of the Engineering and Science Foundation Board of Directors.

Article VI

Revision and Amendments

Any section of this constitution may be revised or amended by a vote of one more than one-half of the members voting at the meeting, or attended by at least two-thirds of the membership, or of the members voting by mail ballot provided any proposed change shall have been sent to the membership at least 30 days prior to the vote.

(Revision Approved August 2001)