Article I: Rules of Order.

Roberts Rules of Order, Revised, shall guide the Association in all areas covered in these by-laws.

Article II: Membership and Membership Dues

The annual dues shall be reviewed each year and set by the Executive Council. Current dues-paying members shall have full voting rights.

Article III: Executive Council Governance

The Executive Council is responsible for the professional maintenance and direction of the Association.

Membership of the Executive Council shall be the President as presiding officer, President-Elect, Past President, Vice-President/Conference Chair, Newsletter Editor, Membership Officer, Recording Secretary, Treasurer, and Chairpersons of Standing Committees.

The Executive Council shall meet at least twice a year, with other meetings held at the discretion of the President, or at the request of any three Council members. Four members shall be necessary for a quorum. All members of the Executive Council, whether elected or appointed, shall be voting members. Chairpersons for Standing Committees shall have voting rights when present at an Executive Council meeting.

Article IV: Duties of Officers

President. President shall call and preside at all meetings of the Executive Council, prepare the agenda for these meetings, serve as liaison with other organizations having similar interests, and serve as ex-officio member of all standing committees, except the Awards and Nominations Committee. With the approval of the Executive Council, the President shall appoint the members of the Standing and Ad Hoc Committees.

The President shall have the following responsibilities: facilitating professional development programs, meetings and the annual conference; promoting professional communications through publications; serving as representative to the President’s Advisory Council of NADE; completing of the annual chapter survey for NADE; preparing and/or maintaining a one-page letter to be included in NADE's new member welcome package; and working with the President-Elect and the Webmaster to update and maintain the ILSADE WebPages.

The President shall act at his/her own discretion in situations he/she considers to be emergencies, subject to later discussion and action by the Executive Council, and shall otherwise implement the provisions of the Constitution and By-Laws.

The President shall be an active ILSADE member at the time of his/her nomination and shall maintain active membership in ILSADE and NADE for the duration of the presidency. It is also expected that the President shall attend the annual conference of NADE to represent the state chapter and to participate in leadership development activities. Membership dues, conference registration fees, and other related expenses will be the responsibility of the President and/or his/her institution.

President-Elect. Duties shall include acting as executive officer in the absence of the president; chairing the Program Planning Committee for the annual conference; preparing for the duty of president during the succeeding year; and working with the President and the Webmaster to update and maintain the ILSADE Webpage.

The President-Elect shall be an active ILSADE member at the time of his/her nomination and shall maintain active membership in ILSADE and NADE during his/her tenure in this office and through the duration of the presidency. It is also expected that the President-Elect attend the annual conference of NADE to represent the state chapter and to participate in leadership activities. Membership dues, conference registration fees, and other related expenses will be the responsibility of the President-Elect and/or his/her institution.

Past President. The immediate past president shall be a non-elected member of the Executive Council. Duties shall include chairing the Awards and Nominations Committee, forwarding a list of chapter officers' contact information (names, addresses, phone numbers, etc.) to the appropriate NADE designee within 10 days of the close of the annual conference, conducting a yearly review of the ILSADE Constitution and By-Laws, forwarding a copy of the current Constitution and By-Laws to the appropriate NADE designee, responding to inquiries forwarded by the ILSADE Webmaster, and other duties as requested by the Executive Council.

The Past-President shall be a voting member of, and advisor to, the Executive Council and shall maintain active membership in ILSADE during his/her tenure in this office.

Vice President/Conference Chair. Duties shall include chairing the Conference Committees and the Conference hosting agency to insure that the conference arrangements and plans are within the general guidelines established by the Executive Council. In addition, the Vice President/Conference Chair shall prepare an annual report of ILSADE conference activities for submission to the general membership at the annual business meeting, the Executive Council, and the NADE Executive Board.

The Vice President/Conference Chair shall maintain active membership in ILSADE and in NADE throughout his/her term in this office.

Recording Secretary. Duties shall include recording activities and action of all business meetings. The Recording Secretary shall have the following responsibilities: recording minutes of all Executive meetings, recording minutes of business meetings of the Association, maintaining archives of the Association, and preparation of an annual report of ILSADE activities for presentation to general membership at the annual business meeting, the Executive Council, and the NADE Executive Board.

Treasurer. The Treasurer shall have the following responsibilities: maintaining financial records and providing reports; receiving and distributing monies on behalf of the Association; collecting conference fees, issuing receipts, and assuming responsibility for all conference fiscal matters; and ensuring that all fiscal matters and transactions adhere to the ILSADE financial record keeping and reporting procedures. The Treasurer will present an annual budget to the Executive Council for approval and will prepare an annual report of ILSADE treasury activities for submission to the general membership at the annual business meeting and the Executive Council.

The Treasurer shall be an active ILSADE member at the time of his/her nomination and will maintain active membership in ILSADE and in NADE throughout his/her tenure in this office.

Membership Officer. The Membership Officer shall supervise all matters related to membership in the Association. Responsibilities include maintaining the official mailing lists and membership lists, preparing an annual directory of Illinois programs, preparing and distributing a membership application form and membership brochure, maintaining membership rosters and ILSADE Listserve subscriptions, notifying members when renewal is necessary, promoting membership by telephone contacts and mailings, sending updated membership information (i.e., an electronic copy of the ILSADE membership database on a computer disk) to the NADE President-Elect by May 1, and preparing an annual report of ILSADE membership activities for submission to the general membership at the annual business meeting.

The Membership Officer shall maintain active membership in ILSADE throughout his/her tenure in this office.

Newsletter Editor. The Newsletter Editor shall be responsible for the production and dissemination of all newsletters with the assistance of the Newsletter Committee. In general, the editor shall use the resources of the newsletter to stimulate communication and interaction among members of the Association. In addition to distribution the newsletter to all current members, the editor should ensure that a hard copy of each newsletter is sent to NADE Executive Board Members and the NADE Newsletter Editor in accordance with current NADE guidelines. An electronic copy should be send to the ILSADE Webmaster for inclusion on the ILSADE Webpage.

The Newsletter Editor shall maintain active membership in ILSADE throughout his/her tenure in this office.

Article V: Terms of Office

Each newly elected officer shall take office on the last day of the annual conference. The presidents-elect shall succeed into the presidency upon completion of one year on the Executive Council. All other elected officers shall serve a two year staggered term elected during the following years:

President-Elect - yearly
Vice-President/Conference Chair - during odd years
Recording Secretary - odd years
Treasurer - even years

Officers who resign, are impeached, or are unable to serve due to death or prolonged illness during the term of their office shall be replaced for the interim of that term by appointment of the President, with the concurrence of the Executive Council. An elected officer may be impeached by a two-thirds vote of the membership upon recommendation of the Executive Council or upon petition by 50 voting members of ILSADE.

Article VI: Standing Committees

Awards and Nominations Committee. The Past-President shall chair this committee and appoint members. Membership should include representatives from each of the sectors: (a) two-year colleges, (b) four-year public colleges/universities, (c) private colleges. At least two members should deal directly with awards. This committee shall propose candidates for the newly elected officers’ positions with the following guidelines:

A. At least one candidate for the Executive Council elections must be employed by a four-year post-secondary institution.

B. All elected officers must be members of ILSADE at the time of nomination.

Conference Committee. The committee is responsible for the planning and execution of the annual conference. The Vice-President/Conference Chair shall work closely with the members of this committee.

Newsletter Committee. The committee is responsible for assisting the Newsletter Editor in the planning, production, and distribution of the newsletter. The Newsletter Editor shall coordinate this committee.

Political Liaison Committee. Members appointed by the President to serve as advocates for political action in issues related to funding, assessment policies, practices, and procedures, and to development and advancement of learning assistance and developmental education programs.

Professional Development Committee. Members appointed by the President to provide professional training information, support, and referral of new theories and research in teaching and learning as well as for curriculum methods and instructional materials in learning assistance and developmental education practice representing a variety of subject areas.

Research Committee. Members appointed by the President to enhance the professionalization of the fields of learning assistance and developmental education by supporting institutions which develop in/service and graduate courses/programs designed to educate and train leaders in adult education; and by encouraging and supporting the research and publication efforts of learning assistance and developmental education professionals.

Article VII: Election Procedures

The Chairperson of the Awards and Nominations Committee shall prepare and distribute a nomination form to all members of the Association no sooner than 45 days before the annual business meeting. Nomination forms should be returned to the chairperson no later than 30 days before the annual business meeting.

The nominating committee shall prepare an election ballot, listing the nominees. No sooner than 30 days before the annual business meeting and no later than 25 days before the annual business meeting, the Nominations Committee shall distribute ballots by mail to all voting members. The deadline for return on ballots, set by the Nominations Committee, shall be no later than five days before the annual business.

New officers shall be seated during the annual business meeting on the last day of the annual conference. The Chairperson of the Nominations Committee shall supervise all matters related to elections, tabulate election results and present a report of election results to the Executive Council.

Officers shall be elected by a simple majority of the ballots cast.

Article VIII: Business Meeting

An annual business meeting of the general membership shall be held at each annual conference. The Executive Council shall meet twice each year and may meet at other times as called by the President, after conferring with the Executive Council members.

Article IX: By-Laws Revisions

By-Laws may be adopted, revised or deleted by a majority vote of the members voting either at the annual business meeting or through mailed ballots. A unanimous vote of the Executive Council may also be used to change the By-Laws. Members may submit proposed revisions in writing to the Executive Council at least 10 days prior to any business meeting.

Article X: Enabling Meeting

The Constitution and By-Laws for the Illinois Learning Specialists and Developmental Educators shall be adopted by the approval of two-thirds of members voting. Upon adoption of the Constitution and By-Laws, nominations, elections, and appointments necessary to carry the articles of each, shall take place.