I. Read the Bylaws (Menu Item 8 below), and Officers, Board, and Committee Chairs duties as defined in this item.
II. Past President.
Immediately following the annual (re-election) meeting in July, the new "past president" should provide the new president with a complete listing of the new executive board (including Officers, Board Members, and Committees).
Past presidents are urged to meet with all newly elected officers at the time of the first executive board meeting, to inform them of all unfinished business of the board, to make them aware of their duties as outlined on this website, to review customary procedures and responsibilities, and to make suggestions concerning a working ARF calendar for the coming year. Past presidents are automatically members the executive board, and are urged to attend subsequent board meetings.
III. President.
The President is expected to preside at all ARF meetings and all ARF executive board meetings. The president is responsible for the agenda of each meeting. Our email list is around 96% now. Preliminary notices and reminders can be done by the treasurer and/or webmaster. The MSU Provost's office has always been gracious in assisting by mailing written meeting notices to all ARF members. A data bank of ARF member addresses is maintained by the ARF Treasurer in an Excel file. This file is also kept up-to-date in the Provost's office. Following the annual meeting in July, the newly elected ARF president shall provide the Provost's office (ARF secretary) with a list of new ARF officers and board members. The President shall set the time and place of executive board meetings, shall notify all board members, and shall make work assignments to board members as necessary. There is no ARF requirement to register as an official MSU organization.
Regular meetings of ARF shall be held in three to four quarters of the year, as determined by the executive board. Traditionally, meetings are held in late March to early April, late May to early June (MSU President's Reception), late September to early October, and late November to early December (Christmas banquet/awards ceremony), unless otherwise ordered by the membership or by the executive board. It is customary that each meeting of the executive board be held prior to each regular meeting, to discuss business matters, and to establish plans for subsequent meetings of the entire ARF membership.
It is traditional to hold one regular meeting of ARF (a Christmas banquet) in late November to early December. Awards, as recommended by the Awards Committee, are presented at the banquet. Guests are invited at members' expense. Guests (invited at the discretion of the Board) usually shall include those receiving awards, spouses of deceased members, the President and Provost of MSU and spouses, and the ARF secretary in the Provost's office and guest. The Library head and library personnel supporting the ARF website are also invited. It is recommended that the executive board meet prior to this occasion to allow time for planning the program, reserving a meeting place and lining up food and entertainment. The Vice President is customarily responsible for recommendations to the Board concerning the details of this event. Monetary arrangements to cover expenses of the celebration are established by the Board. Business matters are usually deferred until the spring (usually April) meeting of the membership, unless otherwise requested by the Board.
The July meeting of the membership, known as the annual meeting, is designated as a time to elect new officers and directors, receive brief reports from officers and committees, and for conducting other ARF business. It is recommended that the President appoint a nominating committee of three members, headed by the past president, an auditing committee of two, a membership committee of three, an awards committee of three, a Publicity committee of two, and a Website committee of two, immediately after the annual meeting in July.
It has been a custom to ask the membership committee for a list of deceased members during the year, in order to honor them (prayer or a moment of silence, at Christmas banquet) as deemed appropriate.
The President may call special ARF meetings if necessary. The purpose of such meetings must be stated when the meeting is called.
Additional committees may be appointed as necessary. The President is an ex officio member of all committees except the nomination committee.
IV. Vice President.
The Vice President shall preside at all meetings at which the President cannot attend.
It is customarily the responsibility of the Vice President, in cooperation with the President, to recommend a meeting place for all regular meetings of the membership, to establish a program of interest (speaker(s) and/or entertainment) to the membership, and to arrange for food and/or refreshments. Such recommendations are subject to approval by the Board.
The Vice President shall be responsible for scheduling the Christmas banquet. This includes finding a venue, contacting venue personnel concerning possible menus and associated costs, and arranging the program, decorations and entertainment. Arrangements for this meeting and checking audio and video equipment should be done well in advance.
V. Secretary.
The Secretary shall see that minutes of all membership and Executive Committee meetings are recorded and compiled. Minutes shall be presented for approval at the next membership and/or board meeting.
It is important that the Secretary keep a record of all meetings, and to be conversant of prior actions during subsequent meetings, and submit past meeting minutes to the MSU Library.
VI. Treasurer.
The Treasurer is empowered to maintain necessary bank accounts on behalf of ARF, and is expected to account for all income and expenses. A brief Treasurer's Financial Report is expected at each ARF meeting.
The Treasurer shall maintain a membership list (past and present) in concert with the ARF secretary in the Provost's office, and an accounting of dues receipts from members. A report on membership status shall be provided at the annual business meeting with a request for dues. The treasurer must submit a list of members who are two or more years in arrears of payment of dues to the membership committee prior to the annual meeting. The membership committee is expected to contact those individuals and report back to the Treasurer. Those who do not wish to pay dues shall be deleted from the membership rolls. This will not be a burdensome task if done annually.
The Treasurer shall provide information for audit review by the audit committee prior to the annual business meeting.
VII. Publicity/Historian.
The Publicity Chair will provide timely press releases of all ARF meetings and activities. The Historian shall maintain a general updated history of ARF.
VIII. Board of Directors.
The Directors are to aid in sensing the desires and needs of the membership. They are urged to ask questions, to be sensitive to ideas and suggestions of members, and to bring requests and ideas to the executive board for discussion and action.
The Directors are requested to be responsive to committee assignments at the request of the President, Vice President and the executive board.
The Directors are urged to be present at all board meetings and to participate in discussion of business at hand.
IX. Committees.
Auditing.
Audit the Treasurer's accounts at the close of the year, and report findings at the annual business meeting in July.
Membership.
This committee shall keep itself informed of those eligible for membership and those who become eligible each year, to see that all those who are eligible are invited and encouraged to become members, to keep track of members continuously, to encourage attendance, and to provide members with information on the organization and a copy of the bylaws. This committee is expected to contact all members who are two years or more in arrears in payment of dues (a list of those in arrears may be obtained from the Treasurer) and report those wishing to discontinue membership to the Treasurer. Issuance of a membership card as mentioned in the bylaws has not been done.
This committee is encouraged to work in concert with the ARF secretary in the Provost's office to update membership rolls and addresses as necessary.
Awards.
This standing committee, consisting of a chairman and two other members appointed by the President, will be in charge of, and required to manage the various awards approved by the executive board and the membership. This includes responsibility for performing and managing all the steps necessary for selecting, processing, and presenting the various approved awards, and other matters pursuant to ARF awards. The chairman of this committee is an ex officio member of the executive board.
The awards committee is responsible for informing all award recipients, parents, and Deans or faculty representatives, concerning the award ceremonies during the Christmas banquet. The committee is urged to work with the Vice President to see that appropriate facilities are reserved for awardees and their guests for the occasion. Currently (2018), four or five student awards are presented at the annual Christmas banquet. The Exemplary Service award is only presented when deemed appropriate by the board. These awards serve to honor particularly significant contributions to ARF, and to MSU. Awards are presented to the most outstanding students in each of the following areas:
- Peyton Ward Williams Distinguished Writing Award (English Department)
- Charles E. Lindley Leadership Award (Dean of Agriculture and Life Sciences)
- William Giles Award for Excellence in Architecture (Dean of Architecture)
- Harry Simrall Award for Engineering Excellence (Dean of Engineering)
- ARF Exemplary Service Award (Honors a different ARF member each year. Student Awardees are chosen from ARF Honorees' former Departments.)
The major duties performed by the awards committee are as follows:
In early September, after the beginning of the fall semester, contact in writing and/or by telephone the deans or their designated representatives, and the designated professor in the English department, to remind them that ARF is making plans for the awards banquet and solicit the name and address of the student selected for the particular award no later than November 1.
After receiving the names and addresses of the prospective award winners, the committee shall send a list to the ARF secretary in the Provost's office, to the person who makes the certificates (traditionally, done by a former chairman of the awards committee), and to the ARF Treasurer (So that award checks may be prepared for presentation at the banquet).
When the ARF secretary receives a list of award winners he/she will write a letter to each one, inviting them and one friend or family member to attend the banquet. The student will be informed that additional guests may be invited, but their ticket(s) must be purchased. The price of banquet tickets will be included in the letter sent to each student. Each student receiving an award will complete a form, which is returned to the ARF Treasurer, along with any payment needed for extra guests. The Treasurer will supply names of all guests to the ARF secretary so that reserved table markers can be made.
Note: A letter is always written to Mrs. Ginger Giles Jones, inviting her and guests to the banquet at no charge. This special arrangement is done because when the Giles award was established, the Giles family made a special donation ARF to cover the award as well as the cost of banquet tickets for up to 6 invited guests of the Giles family.
The ARF secretary writes letters to each of the deans or other contact persons, inviting them as guests of ARF at the banquet. They are also informed that they may purchase banquet tickets for any guests that they wish to bring. A form to be returned to the ARF treasurer is included with the letter.
Traditionally, nice wooden mahogany boards for each award are purchased by the awards chairperson from a local vendor and the certificates are mounted by the vendor on the boards, to be presented to the students receiving awards at the banquet.
Plaques for each of the four awards should be obtained from the contact areas (Deans' offices and English Department) and taken to the local vendor to have the new names engraved on them. Plaques may be returned to the unit representatives at the banquet or afterwards for display in a place of honor.
Arrangements should be made prior to the banquet for each award recipient to go to University Relations for an individual photograph to be used in a press release immediately after the banquet.
Following the banquet, a press release for each award should be prepared for the Starkville Daily News, and for the hometown newspaper of each recipient. Ideally, this publicity is initiated by the chairperson of the awards committee, and accomplished by the ARF Publicity committee and University Relations.
Traditionally, the award-winning essay for the Peyton Ward Williams Distinguished Writing Award is bound and distributed. The chairperson, in cooperation with the contact person in the English Department, should arrange for the preparation and binding of the essay (paid for by ARF), and the production and distribution of 10 copies of the essay (three to the student, three to the English Department, three to the MSU Library, and one to the MSU historian).
At the banquet, the chairman of the awards committee will assist the ARF President in the presentation of the awards.
Arrangements should be made well in advance for a member of ARF with a camera and photography experience to take pictures of each award winner with family, guests, ARF representative, faculty representative, etc. These pictures may be used for ARF historical records, on the ARF website, given as gifts to recipients, etc.
After the banquet, it is traditional for the awards chairperson to write letters thanking those who have helped in the awards process. This includes the students' local newspapers, or others who have been helpful in the awards process.
The chairperson of the awards committee should not hesitate to call on other ARF members who have had experience in the awards process, including selected vendors of the services needed (printing, binding, engraving, plaques, mounting boards, etc.).
It is a noteworthy objective of the awards committee to be constantly on the alert for additional funds for the ARF awards so that each monetary award will be commensurate with the high honor associated with each ARF award.
Website.
The chair of the Website Committee is expected to be computer literate, and to submit up-to-date computer files to MSU Library personnel in a form (Currently Word and Excel) that is suitable to be converted to on-line formats such as html. Most on-line files must be updated at least annually. The Student Awards file should be updated after the ARF banquet.
The ARF website is currently organized into 13 files, each of which represents one menu item on the ARF main menu. The ARF Website includes info on how to join ARF; current ARF Officers; Directors, and Committees; a brief historical overview; meeting activities along with a generalized calendar of events; Suggestions on how Officers, Directors, and Committee Chair should accomplish their duties; Student Awards by year; Current ARF Bylaws; a list of current ARF members with accompanying addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, and titles (as of retirement from MSU); a file of military "stories" to remember ARF members who have served in our Nation's armed forces; and a file of Links to other websites, including STAFFBOOK, which focuses on MSU Faculty service. All website items are of potential interest to ARF members and other retirees. All website items are of potential interest to ARF members and other retirees.