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| Articles of Incorporation
BY-LAWS
OF
VIRGINIA CONIMONWEALTH UNIVERSITY
SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING FOUNDATION
ARTICLE I. OFFICES
Section 1.1 Registered Office. The registered
office of the Foundation shall be Riverfront Plaza at 951
East Byrd Street, Richmond, Virginia 23219-4074, or at such
other address in Virginia as the Board of Trustees may determine
from time to time.
ARTICLE II. TRUSTEES
Section 2.1 General Powers. All corporate
powers shall be exercised by or under the authority of the
Board of Trustees (herein sometimes called the "Board"),
and the business and affairs of the Foundation shall be
managed under the direction of the Board of Trustees, subject
to any limitation set forth in the Articles of Incorporation.
The Foundation shall have no members.
Section 2.2 Number, Classes, Term of Office and
Voting.
(a) Number and Classes. The number
of Trustees constituting the Board of Trustees shall be
not less than fifteen (15) and not more than forty (40).
The Board of Trustees shall be composed of the following
classes of Trustees: (i) Elected Trustees, (ii) Ex-officio
Trustees, and (iii) Emeritus Trustees. All Elected and
Ex-officio Trustees shall be included in the number of
Trustees set forth above; Emeritus Trustees, who occupy
an honorary position, shall not be included in that number.
The Board of Trustees, within the foregoing limitations,
shall have the power to fix its own number. The classes
of Trustees shall be as follows:
(i) Elected Trustees. Elected Trustees
shall be elected by the Board of Trustees. The Elected
Trustees designated in subparagraph 5(c) of the Articles
of Incorporation shall also be known as Founding Trustees.
(ii) Ex-officio Trustees. Ex-officio
Trustees shall be the President of Virginia Commonwealth
University and the Dean of the Virginia Commonwealth
University School of Engineering (the "Engineering
School"). The Secretary and Treasurer of the Foundation
shall also be ex-officio Trustees, but without the right
to vote.
(iii) Emeritus Trustees. Emeritus
Trustees shall be those Elected Trustees who have served
three (3) consecutive three-year terms. Founding Trustees
who have served three (3) consecutive terms shall be
known as Founding Emeritus Trustees.
(b) Term of Office: Each Elected Trustee
shall hold office for a term of three (3) years, which
shall expire on the earlier of (i) the election of such
Trustee's successor, or (ii) such Trustee's death, resignation
or removal. Each Elected Trustee may be re-elected for
two (2) additional terms of three (3) years each, except
that any person chosen to be President shall continue
to be a Trustee so long as that Trustee holds the office
of President, even though the length of that Trustee's
service as Trustee does not otherwise conform to this
section. Election to fill an unexpired term shall not
be included in determining the maximum number of terms,
as set forth herein, that an Elected Trustee may serve.
An Emeritus Trustee shall be eligible to serve as an Elected
Trustee after he or she has been out of the office of
Elected Trustee for a minimum of one year.
(c) Voting. All Elected and Ex-officio
Trustees, except the Secretary and the Treasurer, shall
have full voting rights. Emeritus Trustees shall have
the privileges of a Trustee except the right to vote.
(d) Attendance. Elected Trustees who
do not attend at least one meeting a year during their
terms will not be eligible for re-election unless there
are extenuating circumstances that explain the absences.
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Section 2.3. Election of Trustees. Elected
Trustees (one of whom must be nominated by the Board of
Visitors of Virginia Commonwealth University) shall be elected
at each annual meeting of the Trustees, Of, if the election
of Trustees shall not be held on the day designated for
any annual meeting or any adjournment of such meeting, the
election shall be held at a special meeting of the Trustees
as soon thereafter as may be practicable. In any election
of Trustees, a quorum being present, the persons receiving
the greatest number of votes shall be the Trustees. No individual
shall be elected as a Trustee without his or her prior consent.
Section 2.4 Removal. Any Trustee may
be removed at any time either with or without cause, by
such vote as would suffice for that Trustee's election,
given in person or by proxy at a special meeting of the
Trustees called expressly for that purpose, at which a quorum
shall be present.
Section 2.5 Organization. At each meeting
of the Board of Trustees, the President, or if the President
is absent, the Vice President or a Trustee chosen by the
majority of the Trustees present, shall act as chairman
of the meeting. The Secretary or the Treasurer, or, in the
discretion of the chairman of the meeting, any person appointed
by the chairman of the meeting, shall act as secretary of
the meeting.
Section 2.6. Place of Meeting. Etc. The
Board of Trustees may hold its meetings at such place or
places within or without the Commonwealth of Virginia as
the Board of Trustees may from time to time determine by
resolution, or (unless contrary to the resolution of the
Board of Trustees) at such place as shall be specified in
the respective notices or waivers of notice thereof
Section 2.7. Annual Meeting. The annual
meeting of the Board of Trustees for the purpose of electing
Trustees and officers and transacting such business as may
properly come before it, shall be held in each year at such
time and place as may be fixed from time to time by action
of the Board of Trustees. Unless required by resolution
of the Board of Trustees, notice of the annual meeting need
not be given.
Section 2.8. Regular Meetings. Regular
meetings of the Board of Trustees may be held at such times
and places as may be fixed from time to time by action of
the Board of Trustees. Unless required by resolution of
the Board of Trustees, notice of any such meeting need not
be given. If no place is designated in the notice of a meeting,
it shall be held at the principal office of the Foundation.
Section 2.9. Special Meetings. Special
meetings of the Board of Trustees shall be held whenever
called by the President, the Vice President, or by a majority
of the Board of Trustees. Notice of each such meeting shall
be mailed to each Trustee addressed to the Trustee at the
Trustee's residence or usual place of business (or such
other place as the Trustee may have directed in writing),
at least five (5) days before the date on which the meeting
is to be held; or such notice shall be sent to each Trustee
at such place by facsimile, telegraph, cable or be delivered
to the Trustee personally or orally by telephone not later
than twenty-four (24) hours before the time at which the
meeting is to be held. Every such notice shall state the
date, time and place of the meeting. Notice of any adjourned
or recessed meeting of the Trustees need not be given.
Section 2.10. Waivers of Notice of Meetings.
Anything in these By-Laws or in any resolutions adopted
by the Board of Trustees to the contrary notwithstanding,
proper notice of any meeting of the Board of Trustees shall
be deemed to have been given to any Trustee if the Trustee
shall waive the notice before or after the meeting. The
waiver of notice must be in writing signed by the Trustee
entitled to the notice, and delivered to the Secretary of
the Foundation and included in the minutes or filed with
the corporate records. A Trustee's attendance at or participation
in a meeting waives any required notice of the meeting to
that Trustee unless the Trustee at the beginning of the
meeting, or promptly upon arrival, objects to holding the
meeting or transacting business at the meeting and does
not thereafter vote for or assent to action taken at the
meeting.
Section 2.11. Quorum and Manner of Acting.
One-third of the number of voting Trustees in office immediately
before the meeting begins shall constitute a quorum for
the transaction of business at a meeting. The act of a majority
of the Trustees present at any meeting at which a quorum
is present shall be the act of the Board of Trustees, unless
otherwise specifically set forth in these By-Laws. A Trustee
who is present at a meeting of the Board of Trustees or
a committee of the Board of Trustees when corporate action
is taken is deemed to have assented to the action unless
(i) the Trustee objects at the beginning of the meeting,
or promptly upon arrival, to holding it or transacting specified
business at the meeting; or (ii) the Trustee votes against,
or abstains from, the action taken. In the absence of a
quorum, a majority of the Trustees present may adjourn the
meeting from time to time until a quorum be had. The Trustees
shall act only as a Board and the individual Trustees shall
have no power as such.
Section 2.12. Telephonic Meetings. The
Board of Trustees may permit any or all Trustees to participate
in a regular or special meeting by, or conduct the meeting
through the use of, any means of communication by which
all Trustees participating may simultaneously hear each
other during the meeting. A Trustee participating in a meeting
by this means is deemed to be present in person at the meeting.
Section 2.13. Action Without Meeting.
Action required or permitted to be taken at a Board of Trustees'
meeting may be taken without a meeting if the action is
taken by all members of the Board. The action shall be evidenced
by one or more written consents stating the action taken,
signed by each Trustee either before or after the action
is taken, and included in the minutes or filed with the
corporate records reflecting the action taken. Action under
this section shall be effective when the last Trustee signs
the consent unless the consent specifies a different effective
date and states the date of execution by each Trustee, in
which event it shall be effective according to the terms
of the consent.
Section 2.14. Resignations. Any Trustee
may resign at any time by giving oral or written notice
to the Board of Trustees or the President, Vice President
or the Secretary of the Foundation. Such resignations shall
take effect at the time therein specified; and, unless otherwise
specified, the acceptance of a resignation shall not be
necessary to make it effective.
Section 2.15. Vacancies. Any vacancy
in the Board of Trustees, caused by an Elected Trustee's
death, resignation, removal, disqualification, or any other
cause, may be filled for the unexpired term by the majority
vote of the remaining Trustees then in office, though less
than a quorum, at any regular or special meeting of the
Board of Trustees. A vacancy by reason of a resignation
that will occur at a specific later date may be filled before
the vacancy occurs, but the new Trustee may not take office
until the vacancy occurs.
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ARTICLE III. OFFICERS
Section 3.1. Officers. The officers of
the Foundation shall be a Chairman, Vice-Chairman, President,
a Vice President, a Treasurer, a Secretary, and where elected,
one or more additional Vice Presidents and other assistant
officers, and the holders of such other offices as may be
established in accordance with the provisions of Section
3.3 of this Article. Any two or more offices may be held
by the same person. The officers shall manage the affairs
of the Foundation under the direction and authority granted
by the Board of Trustees.
Section 3.2. Election, Term of Office, and Qualifications.
The Chairman, Vice Chairman, President and Vice President
shall be chosen from among the elected trustees. The President
and Vice President shall be chosen from among the elected
trustees. The President and Vice President shall serve two-year
terms.
Section 3.3. Subordinate Officers. The
Board of Trustees may from time to time establish officers
in addition to those designated in Section 3. 1 of this
Article with such duties as are provided in the By-Laws,
or as they may from time to time determine.
Section 3.4. Removal. Any officer may
be removed, either with or without cause, by resolution
declaring the removal to be in the best interests of the
Foundation and adopted at any regular or special meeting
of the Board of Trustees by a majority of the Trustees then
in office.
Section 3.5. Resignations. Any officer
may resign at any time by giving oral or written notice
to the Board of Trustees or the President or the Secretary
of the Foundation. Any such resignation shall take effect
at the date of receipt of the notice or at any later time
therein specified; and, unless otherwise specified, the
acceptance of a resignation shall not be necessary to make
it effective.
Section 3.6. Vacancies. A vacancy in
any office because of death, resignation, removal, disqualification
or any other cause shall be filled for the unexpired portion
of the term by the Board of Trustees.
Section 3.7. Chairman and Vice Chairman.
The Chairman and Vice Chairman shall be the principal officers
of the Foundation and shall delegate responsibilities to
the President and the Vice President for the day to day
oversight and operation of the Foundation as deemed necessary.
Section 3.8. President. The President
shall have general supervisory powers over the affairs of
the Foundation, subject to the authority of the Board of
Trustees, and of any duly authorized committee of Trustees.
The President shall preside at all meetings of the Board
of Trustees.
Section 3.9. Vice President. The Vice
President shall perform such duties as from time to time
may be assigned by the Board of Trustees or any duly authorized
committee of Trustees or the President. The Vice President
shall, during the President's absence or inability to act,
exercise all the functions and perform all the duties of
the President.
Section 3.10. Treasurer. Except as may
otherwise be specifically provided by the Board of Trustees
or any duly authorized committee thereof, the Treasurer
shall have the custody of, and be responsible for, all funds
and securities; receive and receipt for money paid to the
Foundation from any source whatsoever; deposit all such
monies in the name of the Foundation in such bank, trust
companies, or other depositories as shall be selected in
accordance with the provisions of these By-Laws; against
proper vouchers, cause such funds to be disbursed on the
authorized depositories of the Foundation; regularly enter
or cause to be entered in books to be kept by the Treasurer
or under the Treasurer's direction, full and adequate accounts
of all money received and paid by the Treasurer for account
of the Foundation; and, in general, perform all the duties
incident to the office of Treasurer, including preparation
of regular financial reports and annual budgets and maintenance
of fiscal control.
Section 3. 11. Secretary. The Secretary
shall act as secretary for all meetings of the members of
the Board of Trustees of the Foundation; shall keep the
minutes thereof in the proper book or books to be provided
for that purpose; shall see that all notices required to
be given by the Foundation are duly given and served; shall
be the custodian of the seal of the Foundation and shall
affix the seal or cause it to be affixed to all documents
the executive of which on behalf of the Foundation under
its corporate seal is duly authorized in accordance with
the provisions of these By-Laws; shall have charge of the
books, records, and papers of the Foundation relating to
its organization and management as a Foundation; and shall,
in general, perform all duties incident to the office of
Secretary.
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ARTICLE IV. COMMITTEES OF THE BOARD
Section 4.1. Executive Committee. The
Board of Trustees shall at each annual meeting designate
at least seven Trustees, including the President, Vice President,
the President of the University, Dean of the School and
the Chairpersons of the standing committees as an Executive
Committee. The Executive Committee shall have and exercise
the authority of the Board of Trustees in directing the
management of the business and affairs of the Foundation,
subject to the restrictions set forth in paragraph (f) of
Section 4.6 and in Article VIII and further subject to such
limitations upon its authority as the Board, from time to
time, may impose. The Executive Committee shall provide
a full report of its actions at the regular meetings of
the Board.
Section 4.2. Finance and Audit Committee.
The Investment Committee shall supervise the Foundation's
investment portfolio, subject to the overall supervision
of the Board of Trustees, and shall recommend to the Board
independent investment advisors, investment counselor managers,
banks or trust companies (herein "Managers”)
to act with the Investment Committee and under its direction
in the investment and reinvestment of the Foundation's funds,
and shall recommend to the Board the amount or rate of compensation
which should be paid to the Managers. The Audit Committee
shall ensure that there is an accounting system in place
to assure that financial activities are carried out and
reported in accordance with generally accepted business
and accounting practices; that the Foundation is in compliance
with all Foundation fiscal and personnel policies, other
laws, and regulations that the Committee deems applicable;
that effective internal controls are in place to protect
Foundation assets; and that the Board shall receive at least
once a year a financial report signed by an independent
certified public accountant setting forth the assets held
by the Foundation, the use made of such assets and the income
there from. The annual audit should be presented to the
Board as early as practicable in the new fiscal year.
Section 4.3. Nominations Committee. The
Chairman of the Nominations Committee will solicit all trustees
for suggestions for new trustees. The Nominations Committee
will recommend new trustees to be confirmed at the spring
meeting of the trustees and will recommend officers as the
current term cycle ends.
Section 4.4. Advancement Committee. The Advancement Committee
shall be responsible for supervising the Foundation's development
efforts, including prospect cultivation and solicitation,
and external communications. It shall be responsible for
reviewing all gifts and ensuring compliance with all applicable
Foundation gift acceptance and solicitation policies and
shall maintain appropriate records and report regularly
to the Board.
Section 4.5. Additional Committees. The
Board may, from time to time by resolution, establish such
other committees as it deems appropriate and appoint members
of the Board to serve on those committees. The Board shall
prescribe the authority of any such committee and the period
of its existence subject to the restrictions set forth in
paragraph (f) of Section 4.6.
Section 4.6. General Provisions.
(a) Composition. Each committee of
the Board shall be composed of two or more Trustees.
(b) Minutes. Every committee shall
keep minutes of all its acts and proceedings and report
the same to the next meeting of the Board.
(c) Quorum. A majority of a committee
shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business,
and the act of a majority of those present at any meeting
at which a quorum is present shall be the act of the committee.
Members of a committee shall act only as a committee and
the individual members shall have no power as such.
(d) Change in Composition. Vacancies.
Etc. The Board shall have the power at any time to remove
the members of a committee, fill vacancies thereon, and
discharge a committee, with or without cause. The appointment
of any Trustee to a committee, if not sooner terminated
otherwise, shall automatically terminate upon the cessation
of the Trustee's membership on the Board. Unless otherwise
provided by the Board, the term of each member of a committee
shall be one year.
(e) Operating Procedures. Except as
otherwise expressly set forth in this Article, the provisions
of these By-Laws which govern meetings, action without
meetings, notice and waiver of notice, and quorum and
voting requirements of the Board shall apply to all committees
of the Board and their members as well. Each committee
shall fix its own rules of procedure, which shall not
be inconsistent with these By-Laws.
(f) Authority. No committee shall have
the power and authority to (i) fill vacancies on the Board
or on any of its committees; (ii) amend the Articles of
Incorporation; (iii) adopt, amend, or repeal these By-laws;
(iv) approve a plan of merger or consolidation; (v) approve
the sale, lease or exchange, or the mortgage, pledge or
other disposition of all or substantially all, of the
property and assets of the Foundation; or (vi) approve
the revocation of voluntary dissolution proceedings.
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ARTICLE V. CONTRACTS, CHECKS, DRAFTS, BANK ACCOUNTS,
ETC.
Section 5.1. Execution of Contracts and Other
Documents. The Board of Trustees or any duly authorized
committee of Directors, except as by law or by these By-Laws
otherwise required, may authorize any officer or officers,
agent or agents, in the name of and on behalf of the Foundation,
to enter into any contract or execute any deed or other
instrument; and any such authority may be general or confined
to specific instances.
Section 5.2. Checks. Drafts. Etc. All
checks, drafts, and other orders for payment of money out
of the funds of the Foundation shall be signed on behalf
of the Foundation in such manner as shall from time to time
be determined by resolution of the Board of Trustees or
of any duly authorized committee of Trustees.
Section 5.3. Deposits. The funds of the
Foundation not otherwise employed shall be deposited from
time to time to the order of the Foundation in such banks,
trust companies or other depositories as the Board of Trustees
or any duly authorized committee of Trustees may from time
to time select.
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ARTICLE VI. MISCELLANEOUS
Section 6.1. Seal. The seal of this Foundation
shall be circular in shape with the words "VIRGINIA
COMMONWEALTH UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING FOUNDATION"
around the circumference thereof and the words and figures"
1995 Seal Virginia" in the center thereof, an impression
of which is affixed to this section of the By-Laws of the
Foundation.
Section 6.2. Fiscal Year. The fiscal
year of the Foundation shall commence on July 1 of each
year and end on June 30 of the following year.
Section 6.3. Audits. The Audit Committee
shall recommend and the Executive Committee shall engage
annually an independent certified public accounting firm
to perform an audit on the books of the Foundation and to
prepare a report within 90 days after the end of the fiscal
year.
Section 6.4. Acceptance of Gifts. Donations.
Etc. Any gift, donation, bequest, or subscription to the
Foundation shall be deemed to have been accepted only when
acted upon affirmatively in accordance with Foundation and
University gift acceptance policies.
Section 6.5. Conflicts of Interest. Transactions
between the Foundation and the Engineering School or the
University shall meet the normal tests for ordinary business
transactions, including proper documentation and approvals.
Special attention shall be given to avoiding direct or indirect
conflicts of interest between the Foundation and its Trustees,
officers and employees and compliance with all applicable
laws.
Section 6.6. Operating Guidelines. The
Foundation and each of its committees should prepare and
maintain guidelines for operating practices. Particular
emphasis should be given to fundraising, personnel, investment,
procurement, financial transactions, accounting practices
and business transactions between the Foundation and its
Trustees, officers, employees and compliance with all applicable
laws.
Section 6.7. Affiliated Organizations.
The Foundation may carry out its charitable and educational
purposes through any combination of (i) its own programs
and activities, (ii) direct or indirect support of programs
and activities conducted by the Engineering School, the
University, or any other entity, (iii) cooperative arrangements
and affiliations with other entities, and (iv) any other
means that the Board from time to time may think appropriate.
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ARTICLE VIII. AMENDMENTS
The Board of Directors by the affirmative vote of a majority
of its members then in office may amend these By-Laws, but
no amendment shall be made unless proposed at a regular
or special meeting of the Board or the Executive Committee
and adopted at a subsequent meeting of the Board. The power
to amend shall not be exercised by the Executive Committee.
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