McDANIEL COLLEGE
McDaniel College Alumni Council
Awards Committee

Standing Rules of Procedure

I. Purpose
A. The McDaniel College Alumni Association Awards Program honors individuals who personify the College’s tradition of excellence.  Through outstanding achievements and contributions, these individuals bring honor to themselves and to McDaniel College.
 
B. The Awards Committee shall be responsible for:
1. Encouraging alumni nominations for Alumni Association awards;
2. Reviewing nominations; and
3. Selecting alumni to receive Alumni Association awards.

C. Ten awards may be presented each year by the Alumni Association.
1. Three awards may be given annually in each of the following areas     dependent on the qualifications of the nominees:
a) Alumni College Service
b) Alumni Professional Achievement
c) Alumni Community Service
2. One award may be given annually for Alumnus(a) of the Year.

II. Officers
A. The Officers of the committee are the Chairperson and Vice-Chairperson.

B. The Chairperson shall be appointed by the President of the Association for a term of three (3) years.

C. The Chairperson shall be a member of the Alumni Association.

D. The Chairperson shall have the following duties:
1. In consultation with the Executive Secretary, schedule meeting dates, and times that are most convenient for the committee members;
2. In consultation with the Executive Secretary, create meeting agenda and record minutes of meetings;
3. Ensure that the conduct of the committee meetings, authority and actions are consistent with the Constitution and Bylaws of the Association;
4. Preside over committee meetings;
5. Delegate duties to committee members as appropriate;
6. Represent the committee on the Alumni Council;
7. Report recommendations and activities of the committee at Alumni Council meetings;
8. Consult with the President of the Association on matters relating to alumni awards.

E. The Chairperson, in consultation with the President of the Association, shall appoint a Vice-Chairperson from the membership of the Committee.

F. The Vice-Chairperson shall perform the duties of the Chairperson in the Chairperson’s absence.

G. The Chairperson, in consultation with the President of the Association, may appoint appropriate subcommittees.

III. Members 
A. Members of the committee shall:
1. Be appointed by the President of the Association; and
2. Be members of the Association.

B. The committee shall consist of at least seven (7) members.  It is the intent for the committee to have an odd number of voting members serving at any given time, excluding ex-officio members.

C. The membership should be configured in a manner that represents a broad  spectrum of decades.

D. The terms of the members shall be staggered in a manner to ensure the desired representation described in Subsection C of this Section.

E. The term of a committee member shall be three (3) years or until a successor is appointed.

F. Committee members shall have the following duties:
1. Attend meetings;
2. Share information and express opinions on matters discussed by the committee;
3. Vote on matters presented before the committee; and
4. Disseminate relevant information to alums.

G. The President-Elect or the first-year President of the Association, as applicable, shall serve as an ex-officio (voting) member of the committee.

IV. Meetings
A. The committee shall meet at least two (2) times a year.

B. Meetings shall be held at a time and place most convenient for committee members.

C. For the purpose of attendance and voting, there shall be no proxies allowed at a Committee meeting.

D. Fifty percent of the total number of voting members will constitute a quorum.  The presence of the President of the Association shall count toward achieving a quorum.

E. Committee meetings shall be conducted pursuant to the current edition of Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised as they relate to the conduct of committee meetings.

V. Nominations
A. Information and nomination forms, with a full description of all awards given by the Association, will be distributed to alumni throughout the year in all manners of publications and at alumni events.
 
B.       

1.  Three communications will be sent to alumni.

2. Each will focus on particular alumni award criteria (College Service, Professional Achievement, Community Service). 

3. The communication will include a short biography of a past award winner.

4. The communication will be linked to the College website and nomination form.

5. Other nominations will be gathered through reunion information forms that are sent each year in January to reunion classes.  Questions will be included that relate to the awards criteria. 

C.   The chair of the Awards Committee and the Executive Secretary of the Alumni Association will review the forms and eliminate any that do not fit any award criteria.
 
D.   A meeting of the awards committee will be held in the spring to:
 1. Review the remaining forms and make recommendations on nominations. 

 2. Review the names of those alumni who will be removed from nomination per the “three-year rule” as provided in Subsection I of this Section.

 3. Choose to re-nominate  eligible individuals.

E.  For the purpose of this subsection, “relative” shall be defined as, an individual who is related to the prospective nominee via blood, marriage, guardianship, or adoption. Award Committee members and their relatives may not be placed in nomination or voted upon during the term in which the member sits on the committee. If a committee member is nominated during the committee member’s term, the nomination  may be reactivated upon the termination of the committee members’ active participation on the committee.

 F.  All nomination forms must be postmarked or received by April 1.

G.  As nominations are received, a letter and biographical form will be forwarded to the nominee with a return deadline of April 20.   At the same time, a postcard will be sent to all previously nominated alumni so they may update their biographical information.  The return deadline for this card will also be April 20.  The Alumni Office will also research their files to ensure that the most recent and complete information is available  to the awards committee.

 H.  The returned biographical forms will be compiled in award categories.  If after receiving a form, the Office of Alumni Affairs and Annual Giving determines that the nominee has strengths in another category, the Office, in consultation with the committee chair, may include the nominee in that category.
 
 I.  Nominations for Alumnus(a) of the Year will remain active indefinitely.  All other nominations will remain active for three years (four years total including the year of nomination) at which time they will be removed. They may be re-nominated.
VI. Voting
A. Nomination/biographical forms for each candidate will be organized into the categories as listed below:
1. Alumni College Service Award;
2. Alumni Professional Achievement Award;
3. Alumni Community Service Award; and
4. Alumnus(a) of the Year.

B. 1.   The Office of Alumni Relations and Annual Giving will prepare the  nomination/biographical forms in May and forward to committee members.

 2.  Members are to review the nomination/biographical forms and vote on a scale of 1-5 (5 being the highest rating) for each Alumnus(a), in each category, for all awards.  Equal consideration shall be given to Young Alumni and Other Alumni.

3.    If an Alumnus(a) has received an award in a category in a previous year, they are eligible for another award in a different category only upon re-nomination, except in the case of those who receive the Alumni College Service Award.  These alumni are automatically eligible for the Alumnus(a) of the Year award.  There is also the possibility that an Alumnus(a) may appear in two categories if their qualifications are equal for two awards.
 
 4.  In the Alumnus(a) of the Year category, the Alumnus(a) must have previously received an Alumni College Service (formerly known as Meritorious Service Award) and have achievements in one of the other two areas of recognition listed in Subsection A of this Section.  Consideration to all three areas will be given in the selection process.  Consideration shall be given to what the alumnus has achieved since they received the Alumni College Service Award (or Meritorious Service Award). 

C. 1.  Committee members will return the tally sheets to the Office of Alumni Relations and Annual Giving within a pre-determined timeframe.
 
2.  The Office of Alumni Relations and Annual Giving will tally the votes and create an overall “Top 5” for each award.
 
3.   Tallying for the Alumni College Service, Alumni Professional Achievement and Alumni Community Service Awards will be achieved by adding the rankings for each individual Alumnus(a) for all committee members.
 
4.   Tallying for the Alumnus of the Year Award will be achieved by taking the “Service to the College” total from all committee members and adding in the highest number from either of the other categories (also the total from all committee members). 

D. A meeting will be held in early to mid-June.   Committee members tally sheets will be distributed to them at the meeting.  The committee will review the “Top 5” list and their tally sheets and share in a discussion about the nominees.  They will then vote and choose the award winners in each category.  The  recommendation of the committee shall be based on a simple majority vote.
 
VII. Notification and Presentation of Awards
A. Awards winners will be notified  by letter sent to them in July.  This letter will also give them tentative information regarding the award ceremony.  By August 15, a letter will also be sent to all nominees not receiving an award for the current year.

B. An awards brunch will be held on Homecoming morning to honor the recipients.  The award recipients will ride in the Homecoming parade and participate in halftime activities.

VIII. Authority
The committee shall operate within the authority provided to it pursuant to the Constitution and Bylaws and as delegated by the President of the Association.