Article I
Membership and Voting                                                                                     

Section 1. Membership in the Corporation and election to any office or appointment to any Committee shall not be based on race, ethnic origin, sex, age, or religious conviction. 

Section 2. There shall be the following categories of membership: regular membership, graduate Student membership, emeritus membership, and distinguished membership.

Section 3. To be eligible for regular membership, a person must (a) be actively engaged in research leading to the improved understanding, planning, and operation of institutions of postsecondary education, or (b) be interested in the methodology and results of institutional research.

Section 4. To be eligible for graduate Student membership, a person must be actively pursuing a graduate degree, must not be employed full time, and must (a) be actively engaged in research leading to the improved understanding, planning, and operation of institutions of postsecondary education or (b) be interested in the methodology and results of institutional research.

Section 5.* To be eligible for emeritus membership, a person must be retired and must have been an active member of the Corporation for a minimum of ten years preceding retirement and be approved by the Board. A member shall have retired when he or she has formally terminated regular professional employment through retirement. Continuation or resumption of employment on a part-time or non-continuing basis shall not affect eligibility for emeritus membership status. Members who have retired from one institution and then obtain full-time employment with another institution are not eligible for emeritus membership. Members requesting emeritus status will complete the Emeritus Membership Form and submit it to the Secretary. The Secretary will confer with the Treasurer to ensure the retired member has met the ten-year requirement. The Secretary submits the names of those eligible for Emeritus membership to the Board at the next scheduled meeting. A majority vote of the Board will be required for emeritus membership to be awarded. /font>

Section 6. Distinguished membership may be awarded to members or former members who have made distinguished contributions to institutional research. Nominations for distinguished membership shall be made to the Chair of the Awards Committee. An affirmative vote of two-thirds of the Board of Directors shall be required for the awarding of distinguished membership.

Section 7. Only the following categories of members shall be eligible to vote on Corporation business and hold elective office in the Corporation: (a) regular members, and (b) distinguished members.

Section 8. The Board of Directors may, by two-thirds vote of the Board, terminate the membership of any individual who becomes ineligible for membership because of changes in professional activities or interests. 

Section 9. Voting shall take place at either the Annual Meeting, or through a mail ballot. 

Section 10. The right of a member to vote and all of his or her other rights and interest in the Corporation shall cease on the termination of his or her membership.

Section 11. Members who do not attend the annual meeting and who do not pay an alternate membership fee by December 31, after the annual conference shall be dropped automatically by the Treasurer from membership in the Corporation.

Section 12. No member shall have any right, title, or interest in any of the property or assets, including any earnings or investment income of this Corporation nor shall any of such property or assets be distributed to any member on its dissolution or winding up.

Article II
Officers                                                                                                          

Section 1. The officers of the Corporation, as defined in the Articles of Incorporation, shall be a President, a Vice President, a Secretary, and a Treasurer.

Section 2. President. The President shall be responsible for: a) activities of the Board of Directors; b) appointment of Committee members unless otherwise stated in these bylaws; c) the annual conference and business meeting, d) formulating policy and expediting the implementation of such policies; c) any other duties necessary to assist the Corporation in achieving its purposes as stated in the Articles of Incorporation.

Section 3. Vice President. The vice President shall be responsible for: a) the program for the annual conference; b) the duties of the President in his/her absence and in the event that person cannot complete his/her term.

Section 4. Secretary. The Secretary shall be responsible for a) keeping the minutes of the annual business meeting and of the meetings of the Board of Directors; b) printing and distributing notices and proceedings of the annual meeting, including an annual list of the membership of the Corporation; c) printing and distributing copies of changes and amendments to the Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws; and d) performing any other duties assigned by the President or vice President.

Section 5. Treasurer. The Treasurer shall be responsible for: a) collection of annual registration and alternate membership fees; b) maintaining the annual listing of membership of the Corporation; c) payment of duly authorized expenses of the Corporation; d) preparation of financial reports of the Corporation; e) service as ex-officio member of' the Local Arrangements Committee; f) preparation of an annual budget for consideration by the Board of Directors; and g). performance of any other duties assigned by the President or vice President.

Section 6. Terms of officers.  The Vice President shall be elected for a two year term and will become President for the second year.  The terms of office for the Secretary and the Treasurer shall be for two years and shall not start in the same year.  Each newly elected officer shall assume office at the close of the annual conference following the announcement of his or her election and remain in office until a successor takes office or is appointed.

Article III
Board of Directors                                                                                             

Section 1. As stated in the Articles of Incorporation, the Board of Directors shall be composed of the President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, immediate Past President, and four Members-at-Large. The current President will chair the Board of Directors.

Section 2. Two Members-at-Large shall be elected each year and shall serve for a two-year term or until a successor is appointed. During the transition to four Members-at-Large for the first election, one Member-at-Large will be elected for a one year term and one for a two year term. Members-at-Large shall assist the officers in performing duties necessary to help the Corporation achieve its purposes as stated in the Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws.

Section 3. The immediate Past President shall become a member of the Board of Directors and shall be responsible for maintaining the archives of the Corporation, chairing the Nominating Committee, and chairing the Committee on Mission and Goals.

Section 4. The Board of Directors shall meet as necessary at the Annual Meeting and, insofar as possible, at the Annual Forum of the Association for Institutional Research. Other meetings may be held as necessary to conduct the business of the Corporation.

Section 5. The Board of Directors shall receive no compensation for their services.

Section 6. The Board of Directors shall not be personally liable for the debts, liabilities, or other obligations of the Corporation. 

Article IV
Elections                                                                                                         

Section 1. Eligibility. Only regular and distinguished members shall be eligible to become officers.

Section 2. Consent to Election. Only those persons who signified to the Nominating Committee their consent to serve if elected shall be nominated for or elected to such office.

Section 3. Multiple Offices. No person shall be on the ballot for more than one office.

Section 4. Vacancies. Unless otherwise provided for in the Articles of Incorporation, the Board of Directors shall have the authority to fill a vacancy by appointing a regular or distinguished member to fill unexpired terms. A person appointed to finish the term of Vice President must run for election to become President. In this situation, candidates for both the office of President and Vice President shall appear on the ballot. If the elected President resigns, the Vice President completes the year as President and is also the President the following year. In all situations, the person appointed to an unexpired term shall be eligible to succeed himself/herself and to serve a full elective term as provided in the Articles of Incorporation.

Section 5. Succession. Officers cannot succeed themselves in the same office except as noted in Article II, Section 6 and Article IV, Section 4.

Section 6. Election of officers. All officers and Members-at-Large shall be elected by a ballot distributed to the membership, in a manner to be determined by the Board of Directors that would ensure anonymity in voting, prior to the annual meeting. The ballot shall be returned to the chair of the Nominating Committee for tabulation and presentation to the Board of Directors. In the event of a tie vote for a specific elective office, a majority vote of the full Board of Directors shall resolve the tie.   The new officers will be announced at the annual business meeting.

Article V
Annual Meeting                                                                                                

Section 1. The annual meeting of the Corporation shall be held during the Fall of each year at a site and date determined by the Board of Directors. The Secretary shall be responsible for notifying all members of the date and location of the annual meeting at least sixty (60) days prior to the annual meeting. The annual business meeting shall be held in conjunction with the annual meeting, and the agenda at the annual business meeting shall include discussion of future meeting sites.

Section 2. The latest edition of Robert's Rules of order shall govern all business meetings insofar as they are not inconsistent with the Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws. 

Article VI
Calendar                                                                                                             

The fiscal year of the Corporation shall begin January 1.

Article VII
Fees

Section 1. Registration fees shall be assessed to all who register for the annual meeting each year. Those who pay their fee will be members until the next annual meeting. 

Section 2. An alternate membership fee shall be determined by the Board of Directors and will be assessed to anyone who does not pay the registration fee but wishes to be a member of the Corporation.

Section 3. Fees shall be reviewed and set annually by the Board of Directors.

Article VIII
Committees                                                                                                     

Section 1. There shall be a Nominating Committee consisting of the immediate Past President and five (5) members elected by the membership. The term of each member of the Nominating Committee shall be one (1) year or until a successor takes office. After considering candidates from all types of institutions of postsecondary education, the Nominating Committee shall prepare and report to the Board of Directors, for transmission to the membership, a double slate of candidates for the Nominating Committee and one (1) or more candidates for each of the other positions for which an election is to be held.

Section 2. An Audit Committee shall be appointed by the President for each annual business meeting. The Audit Committee shall audit the Treasurer's books for the preceding fiscal year.

Section 3. A Local Arrangements Committee shall be appointed by the Vice President in consultation with the President for each annual conference. The Treasurer shall be an ex-officio member of this Committee.

Section 4. The Vice President shall appoint and chair the Program Committee. The Local Arrangements Committee chair and Treasurer shall be ex-officio members of this Committee.

Section 5. A Site Selection Committee shall be appointed by the President. The Committee shall be chaired by an existing member of the Board of Directors. The Site selection Committee shall report at each business meeting the site selected for a future conference.

Section 6. An Awards Committee shall be appointed by the President. The Awards Committee shall make recommendation to the Board of Directors concerning policies and procedures for any awards, grants, or other special recognitions which may be bestowed on members or past members. The Awards Committee shall also serve as the selection Committee for all awards other than the Best Paper Award and those which may be conferred ex-officio.

Section 7. A Publications Committee shall be appointed by the President; exofficio members shall be the Editor of the Newsletter and the Editor of the Proceedings of the Annual Meeting. The Publications Committee shall coordinate the publications of the Corporation, assist the Editors of the Newsletter and Proceedings as they may request, and be responsible for the Best Paper Award for each Annual Meeting.

Section 8. A Newcomers and Special Interest Groups Committee shall be appointed by the President. The Committee shall be responsible for welcoming newcomers to the Corporation and involving them in the various activities of the Corporation. Additionally, the Committees all maintain good working relations with the state associations in the region as well as other special interest groups.

Section 9. A Professional Development Committee shall be appointed by the President. This Committee shall be responsible for the workshops offered at the Annual Meeting in cooperation with the Program Committee and shall attend to the needs of the membership and the profession for training and development.

Section l0. The charter members and past presidents of the Southern Association for Institutional Research, known as the Dinosaurs' Club, shall constitute the Committee on Mission and Goals which shall be chaired by the Immediate Past President. At each annual meeting, the Committee members shall address issues confronting the Southern Association for Institutional Research, the profession, and postsecondary education, and report to the Board of Directors prior to the following annual meeting on the state of the Southern Association for Institutional Research, making any recommendations for action considered appropriate for the Corporation.

Section 11. Such other Committees as deemed necessary for the welfare of the Corporation may be appointed by the President.

Article IX
Quorum                                                                                                         

Section 1. A quorum to conduct the business of the Corporation shall consist of fifteen (15) members of the Corporation.

Section 2. A quorum to conduct business of the Board of Directors shall consist of five (5) members of the Board of Directors.

Article X
Contracts, Checks, Deposits                                                                                 

Section 1. Contracts. The Board of Directors may authorize any officer or agent of the Corporation to enter into any contract or to execute and deliver any instrument or document on behalf of the Corporation, which authority may be general or specific.

Section 2. Deposits. All funds received by the Corporation shall be deposited to the credit of the Corporation in such banks or other depositories as may be approved and authorized by the Board of Directors.

Section 3. Checks. All checks, drafts, or any authorization for the payment of any notes, sums of money, or other evidence of debt issued in the name of the Corporation shall be signed by such officers or agents as shall from time to time be designated and determined by the Board of Directors. Unless otherwise authorized, such instruments shall be signed by the Treasurer.