73nd Annual Meeting
“Me, Myself and Identity: The Self in the 21st Century”

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The purpose of this Association shall be to bring together members of faculties of Lutheran institutions of higher learning so as to provide a forum for discussion of issues in and relating to Christian higher education common to the members and to provide occasion for Christian fellowship.

It shall also be a purpose of the Association to encourage and cooperate with other similar associations of faculty and to encourage the membership of this Association to active participation in faculty organizations of a larger, more ecumenical Christian nature.

Section 1. Institutional Membership

Institutional membership in the Association shall be open to any Lutheran institution of higher learning as defined in the By-laws.

Section 2. Personal Membership

1. Personal membership in the Association shall be open to any member of the faculty of a Lutheran institution of higher learning with the personal membership roster for business purposes consisting of those registering at a meeting of the organization.
    
2. Personal membership shall also be possible for Lutherans who are members of the faculty of a non-Lutheran institution of higher learning and who wish to join, as further specified in the by-laws.

Section 3. Special Memberships

Special memberships may be provided by this organization as specified in the By-laws.

Section 1. Officers

The officers of this Association shall be President, Vice President (who shall be President-elect), Secretary, and Treasurer.

Section 2. Executive Committee

The Association shall be administered by an Executive Committee which shall consist of the officers, the President during the preceding year, and one member-at-large who shall be designated by the President.1

Section 3. Business Meetings

A business meeting shall be held at the time of a regularly called meeting of the Association.

Section 1. Annual Meeting

The organization shall meet annually the first weekend in October whenever possible at such place and time as designated by the Executive Committee, consideration being given to the accessibility of the meeting place and to the rotation of the meeting place.

Section 2. Special Meetings

Special meetings of the organization may be held upon call of the Executive Committee as described in the by-laws.

Section 3. Executive Committee Meetings

Executive Committee meetings shall be held at the call of the President or of two members of the committee.

Section 1. Business meetings

A quorum shall consist of those members present at a regularly called business meeting.

Section 2. Executive Committee

A quorum for a meeting of the Executive Committee shall consist of a simple majority of its members.

Section 1. Amendments to this Constitution

The Constitution may be amended at any time by a two-thirds vote of the Executive Committee together with ratification by a two-thirds majority of those members present at a regularly called business meeting.

Section 2. Amendments to the By-Laws

The by-laws may be amended at any time by a majority vote of the Executive Committee together with ratification by a majority vote of those members present at a regularly called business meeting.

Section 1. Institutional Members

1. A “Lutheran Institution…” is defined as one directly controlled by a Lutheran synod, or which regularly receives financial support from a Lutheran synod, or which declares itself to be a Lutheran institution in its articles of incorporation.
    
2. An “…institution of higher learning” is defined as one which normally requires a high school diploma as a minimum for admission and which is a junior college, a four-year college, a university, a teacher’s college, or a seminary.
    
3. Administrative officers or the Board of an Institutional Member may designate a representative from their faculty to bring before the Executive Committee or before a business meeting such proposals of resolutions as they wish.

Section 2. Personal Members

1. “Members of a faculty of a Lutheran institution of higher learning” is defined as anyone formally considered by his or her institution to be a member of its faculty.
    
2. Lutheran faculty members at non-Lutheran institutions of higher learning shall be considered as members of this organization if they register for an annual or special meeting, and they shall enjoy all rights and privileges of membership.

Section 3. Special members

1. Special membership may be granted without term by the Executive Committee to interested individuals whose work is reasonably related to Christian higher education.
    
2. Special Members shall enjoy all rights and privileges of membership except that they may not hold elective office.
    
3. Unless otherwise provided for, the member-at-large of the Executive Committee is automatically a Special Member.

Section 1. Nomination of Officers

1. The members of the Executive Committee shall also constitute the Nominating Committee.
    
2. The Nominating Committee shall make nominations for the offices of Vice President (President-elect), Secretary, and Treasurer, and it shall, if possible, place in nomination at least two names for each office, each nominee representing a different institution.
    
3. Further nominations shall be possible from the floor at the business meeting during which elections are held.
    
4. Nominations shall be made so as to insure varied institutional representation.
    
5. Nominations shall be made so as to insure the election of at least two full-time teaching members to these offices.
    
6. The Vice President of one year shall be the only nominee for President the following year, unless the office of Vice President is vacant, in which case the committee shall make nominations for the office of President.
    
7. Should the office of the President be vacant and the Vice President have assumed that office, he or she shall still be regarded as Vice President for the purpose of this section.

Section 2. Election and Term of Office

1. Election of officers shall be by written ballot taken of those attending the business meeting of the Annual Meeting.
    
2. The term of office of all officers shall be from the time of adjournment of the Annual Meeting during the business meeting of which they were elected to the end of the next Annual Meeting or until replaced.

Section 3. Member-at-Large may be for one or more years.

1. The term of the member-at-large may be for one or more years.

Section 4. Vacancies in Offices

1. Should the office of the President become vacant, the succession to the presidency shall be as follows: Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary. Should all four offices be vacant, the member-at-large shall appoint a temporary President.
    
2. If offices other than the President become vacant, the President shall make temporary appointments to fill unexpired terms.
    
3. A temporary Vice President shall not be President-elect of the organization, but he or she may be nominated to the office of President.
    
4. Temporary officers shall otherwise have all the rights, duties, and responsibilities of these offices as set forth in the Constitution and the By-Laws.

Section 1.

1. The duties of the officers shall be those ordinarily associated with these offices when not inconsistent with the Constitution, By-Laws or the rules of order.
    
2. The President, in consultation with the Local Arrangements chairman, shall set the registration fee for annual or special meetings.
    
3. The Secretary shall be a recording secretary and shall keep the minutes of the business meetings and of the Executive Committee.
    
4. The Treasure shall submit the financial records to annual audit and shall report to business meetings of the Association and the Executive Committee.

Section 1. Authority2

The Executive Committee, in addition to authority granted in this Constitution shall also have the authority:

1. to establish Commissions or Committees or to appoint qualified advisers to further the work and purposes of the organization including a Resolutions Committee and an Audit Committee, both of which shall report directly to the business meeting of the organization;
    
2. to supervise and control the receiving and disbursing of funds by the Treasurer;
    
3. to plan the program, to select the site, and to arrange for a local Arrangements Chairman for the annual or special meetings of the Association;
    
4. to organize, publish and distribute proceedings of the meetings at such times in such manner as it deems appropriate, within the limits of available funds, and for the supervision and performance of such work to name an Editor, who may attend meetings of the Executive Committee, enjoying all the rights and privileges of the members of the Executive Committee except vote;
    
5. to reimburse the travel expenses, meals and lodging of its members and qualified advisers who attend meetings of the Executive Committee that are held at times other than the annual or special meetings of the organization;
    
6. to solicit grants and gifts to the organization;
    
7. to set the honoraria and expenses of speakers at annual or special meetings of the Association;
    
8. to carry on all business of the Association between its meetings;
    
9. to set the annual membership fee for Institutional Members;
    
10. by two-thirds vote, to call special meetings if extraordinary circumstances arise and to give not less than one month’s notice of such meetings;
     
11. in any given year, to spend from the income of the endowment fund of the Association no more than the income in that year or an amount equal to five percent of the existing principal of the endowment fund, whichever is less; the balance of the income in that year, if any, is to be added to the principal of the endowment fund as a hedge against inflation.

Section 2. Responsibility

The Executive Committee, in addition to the responsibilities defined in the Constitution and elsewhere in the By-Laws shall have the responsibility:

1. to insure, through its President, that all necessary arrangements, including publicity, for the annual or special meetings shall be made—such responsibility normally being entirely in the hands of the Local Arrangements Chairman;
    
2. to have the accounts of the Treasurer audited annually;
    
3. to make available, through its Secretary, the minutes of its meeting to the members attending annual or special meetings;
    
4. to provide for and to promote the welfare of the Association in any manner consistent with this Constitution and its By-Laws and within the limits of available funds;
    
5. to solicit nominations for officers in a manner that maximizes opportunities for securing geographical and institutional distribution of officers;
    
6. to hold one of its meetings open when it meets during annual or special meetings of the Association and to encourage attendance at an open meeting of a least one member from each institution, which member shall have the right to and shall be encouraged to speak and to suggest motions, resolutions, and amendments to the Constitution and By-Laws.

Section 1. Rules of Order

Except where inconsistent with this Constitution, its By-Laws, or other Rules of Order, business meetings shall be governed according to the rules in Robert’s Rules of Order Revised wherever they are applicable.

Section 2. The Motion to Lay on the Table

The motion to lay on the table shall require a two-thirds vote for passage.

1 Revised October 4, 2003 at the Business Meeting of the Association.

2 Revised October 3, 1987 at the Business Meeting of the Association.