Membership in the Consortium shall consist of two categories: regular membership and associate membership.

Regular membership in the Consortium shall be open to any non-profit college, university, or professional school based in the Charlotte Metropolitan region: Anson, Alexander, Burke, Cabarrus, Catawba, Chester (SC), Cleveland, Gaston, Iredell, Lancaster (SC), Lincoln, Mecklenberg, Rowan, Stanly, Union, and York (SC) Counties or within 50 miles of Charlotte, NC. To qualify for regular membership, an institution must be accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and its campus and governing/advisory board must be located in the region defined above. The annual fee for regular membership shall be set by the Board of Directors at its annual meeting.

Associate membership may be granted by the Board of Directors to non-profit colleges, universities, or professional schools which enjoy regional accreditation and offer degree programs in the region defined in Section 2 above. Associate membership may be extended to non-profit or corporate non-educational institutions who share the mission and goals of the Consortium. Associate members may be represented on the board of directors and the Council as non-voting members. Faculty and students at associate institutions may be invited by the Council to participate in selected Consortium programs. The annual fee for associate membership shall be set by the Board of Directors at its annual meeting.

The powers of the Charlotte Area Educational Consortium shall be vested in the Board of Directors consisting of the chief administrative officers of institutions which meet the criteria for regular membership and have accepted the obligations and responsibilities of regular membership. The Board of Directors shall be the governing body of the Consortium and shall have the authority to conduct, manage, and control the affairs of the Consortium.

The voting members of the Board of Directors shall consist of the chief administrative officers of the regular member institutions. A voting member who is unable to attend a meeting of the Board of Directors may designate an alternate who shall attend in his/her place and shall be given full voting privileges. Voting representatives of one-half of the regular member institutions shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business.

Duties of the Board of Directors

The Board of Directors shall elect a Chair and such other officers as they deem necessary. Their terms of office shall be one year and they may succeed themselves indefinitely.

The Chair of the Board shall convene a meeting with the chair and other members of the Executive Committee of the Council during the Summer to review the work of the Consortium for the preceding year and to act on proposals for the work of the Consortium in the year ahead. In addition to the annual meeting herein specified, the Chair of the Board may convene such other meetings as deemed appropriate.

The Chair of the Board shall convene an annual meeting of the Board of Directors and the Executive Committee of the Council to review the work of the Consortium for the proceeding year, review plans for the coming year, approve the annual budget for the Consortium, approve new members, and elect new Chair of the Board of Directors.

There shall be a Council and an Executive Committee of the Council.

The Council of the Charlotte Area Educational Consortium shall be composed of at least one but not more than two official representatives from regular member institutions and such ex- officio representatives as may be authorized by the Executive Committee. A member who is unable to attend a meeting of the Council may designate an alternate who shall attend in his/her place and shall be given full voting privileges. Associate members shall be invited to name no more than two non-voting representatives to the Council.

The Officers of the Council shall be a Chair, a Vice Chair, a Secretary, and a Treasurer. These officers will serve concurrently as officers of the Executive Committee.

The Executive Committee of the Council, in addition to its four officers provided by Section 3 above, shall include two other members.

The terms of office for the Officers and other members of the Executive Committee of the Council shall be: Chair and Treasurer shall serve two years and shall not be eligible for re-election: other officers and Executive Committee members shall serve one-year terms but may be re-elected to the same office once. New officers will officially assume their duties on the first date of July in the calendar year of their election.

Should the Chair be unable to complete the term of office, the Vice Chair automatically becomes Chair for the unexpired term and a special election will be held at the next meeting of the Council to fill the .vacant position of Vice Chair.

Should any other officer or member of the Executive Committee be unable to complete the term of office, a special election shall be held at the next meeting of the council to fill the vacancy.

A nominating committee of three shall be named by the Chair to present to the Spring meeting a slate of nominees for the following year.

Duties of the Council

Three regular meetings of the Council normally will be held each year. The meetings shall be open and any institutional member may attend. Additional meetings may be called by the Executive Committee of the Council at its own discretion or upon the written request of five members of the Council.

Official representatives of regular member institutions or their substitutes at the meeting of the Council may vote. Other institutional members or representatives of associate member institutions present at the meetings have the privilege of voice but not vote. There shall be one vote per regular member institution.

Committees of the Council. The Council of the Consortium shall appoint such ad hoc committees, as it may consider desirable to conduct special studies and/or make special reports to the Council. Standing committees of the Council may also be established as the need arises and disbanded when the need no longer exists. The Council will support and encourage regular meetings of discipline groups (faculty) and administrative groups from the member institutions.

Voting representatives of one-half of the regular member institutions shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business. If a quorum is not present at any meeting, a majority of those present may adjourn the meeting but take no other official actions.