OLLI Bylaws

Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at The University of Alabama

Article I

Name

The name of this organization is Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at The University of Alabama.

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Article II

Purpose

The purpose of this organization is to offer educational courses and experiences, as well as social functions, tailored to adults who wish to enhance their learning and interactions with other adults having similar interests. To create a premier national lifelong learning program, OLLI will draw on the strengths of its membership, as well as active and retired faculty and staff, alumni, friends, facilities and the resources of The University of Alabama.

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Article III

Relationship to The University of Alabama

Section 1

OLLI is a volunteer-led, self-supporting program with and under the auspices of the Office of Teaching Innovation and Digital Education (OTIDE) of The University of Alabama (UA). OLLI subject to all established UA, University of Alabama System, University of Alabama Board of Trustees, and State of Alabama rules and regulations, as well as all guidelines of the Bernard Osher Foundation. OLLI is supported by a staff hired according to UA guidelines. OLLI will operate under an annual budget that is presented by the OLLI Director, agreed upon by the Council, and approved by the University prior to the start of each fiscal year.
The Director is the chief administrator of OLLI. The Director is a full-time employee of the Office of Teaching Innovation and Digital Education. The Director is responsible and accountable for the overall management of OLLI including programmatic, financial, personnel, and managerial matters; and for ensuring that Council decisions and policies conform to University policies.

Section 2

The OTIDE administration has the authority to rescind any action of the organization.

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Article IV

Membership

Section 1

Membership is open to adults.

Section 2

Membership dues and course fees will be established by the OTIDE administration on recommendations of the OLLI Executive Council.

Section 3

Members are entitled to vote, hold office, serve on the Executive Council, Advisory Councils and committees, attend social events and register for classes and field trips with payment of applicable fees.

Section 4

The membership year in OLLI is August 1 through July 31 of each year.

Section 5

Databases that contain personal identifying information of the members of OLLI are the property of OLLI/OTIDE. The information contained within the database shall not be shared with any person or entity outside of OLLI/OTIDE.

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Article V

Establishment of Chapters

The Executive Council may, at its discretion and working with local interested citizens, establish Chapters of the OLLI program at The University of Alabama at locations in addition to Tuscaloosa, Greater Birmingham, and Gadsden. The establishment and scheduling of activities shall be carried out in a method best suited to the location, in order to provide opportunities for lifelong learning. Such chapters must be established and operated in accordance with policies and procedures of the Office of Teaching Innovation and Digital Education and in coordination with the OLLI Executive Council. Chapters may be disestablished when, in the judgment of the Executive Council, they are no longer fulfilling the mission.

Section 1

Chapters

To be designated a Chapter and to be granted an Advisory Council, the Chapter must have (1) a membership of at least 100 fee-paying members, (2) an established teaching location, and (3) a locally developed faculty. When the Executive Council has determined that a prospective Chapter has met these criteria, the first business of this Chapter will be to elect a new Advisory Council within 30 days. The President of each Chapter Advisory Council will serve on the Executive Council.

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Article VI

Annual Meeting

This entire section was incorporated into Articles VII and VIII by vote of the membership on September 10, 2020.

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Article VII

Executive Council

The Executive Council of OLLI at The University of Alabama is the governing authority for the organization and may, subject to the limitations of Article III, Relationship to The University of Alabama, carry out the duties established in the Bylaws, and other such generally accepted Council duties as may become necessary. The Executive Council may meet and conduct official business by teleconference or by telephone conference call or by mail or by other information technology as deemed necessary by a majority of the Executive Council. All Officers must be current members of The University of Alabama Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Tuscaloosa, at Gadsden, at Greater Birmingham, or at a location that has met the criteria established under Article V, above. The Executive Council will meet quarterly and is authorized to call special meetings when necessary.

Section 1

Officers

The Executive Council will consist of the OLLI Director, the elected Presidents of each Advisory Council
and the Past President of the Executive Council. (The first year, this would be the past president of the OLLI Advisory Board.) The President of the Executive Council will be the President of the Advisory Council with the largest membership. There will only be one designated Treasurer appointed by the Executive Council at OLLI at UA. The Treasurer is a non-voting member of the Executive Council.
The Treasurer will make a financial report at least once each semester (three reports each year) to the Executive Council and at the annual meeting of each OLLI Chapter. Additional reports may be made as necessary.

Section 2

The OLLI annual meeting will be held in May of each year, with time and place to be determined by the Executive Council. The meeting will be publicly announced 30 days in advance. If determined by the Executive Council that an electronic meeting is preferable, notice, including a date, time, and sign on protocols will be provided to each member and the public 30 days in advance. The quorum for the annual meeting will be ten percent of the membership.

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Article VIII

Advisory Councils

The Advisory Councils of OLLI at The University of Alabama are the governing authorities for the Chapters and may, subject to the limitations of Article III, Relationship to The University of Alabama, carry out the duties established in the Bylaws, and other such generally accepted Council duties as may become necessary. The Advisory Councils may meet and conduct official business by teleconference or by telephone conference call or by mail or by other information technology as deemed necessary by a majority of the Advisory Councils. All officers must be current members of The University of Alabama Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Tuscaloosa, at Gadsden, at Greater Birmingham, or at a location that has met the criteria established under Article V, above. The Advisory Councils will meet at least bimonthly and are authorized to call special meetings when necessary.

Section 1

The Chapter annual meetings must take place between March 1 and May 1 of each year, with time and place to be determined by the Advisory Councils. The meeting will be publicly announced 30 days in advance. If determined by the Advisory Councils that an electronic meeting is preferable, notice, including a date, time, and sign on protocols will be provided to each member and the public 30 days in advance.
The quorum for the annual meeting will be ten percent of the membership.

Section 2

Officers

1. President. The President of each Advisory Council shall preside at their respective OLLI annual meeting, at all special meetings of the membership, and at all meetings of the Advisory Council of that Chapter. The President of the Chapter’s Advisory Council will appoint the chairpersons of all committees, except those chaired by an Officer, under these Bylaws, subject to the approval of the Advisory Council of that Chapter. At the Chapter’s annual OLLI meeting, the President of the Chapter’s Advisory Council will present a report of the activities of that OLLI chapter for the preceding year. The Chapter Advisory Council President is an ex-officio member of all committees for the Chapter, except the Nominating Committee. At the expiration of the term, the President shall assume the position of Immediate Past President.
2. Vice-President for Long-Range Planning. The Vice-President for Long-Range Planning is President-Elect and will chair the Committee for Long-Range Planning. In the absence of the President, the Vice- President for Long-Range Planning will perform all presidential duties. At the expiration of the term, the Vice-President for Long-Range Planning shall automatically assume the office of Advisory Council President, without a separate election.
3. Vice-President for Curriculum. The Vice-President for Curriculum will chair the Curriculum Committee. In the absence of the President and the Vice-President for Long-Range Planning, the Vice-President for Curriculum will perform all presidential duties.
4. Secretary. The Secretary of each Advisory Council will keep a record of their respective Chapter annual meetings, special meetings of the membership, and Chapter Advisory Council meetings. This officer will also maintain membership and course enrollment reports and send notice of meetings as required.
5. Members-at-Large. Up to two Members-at-Large may be elected from each Chapter.

Section 3

Other Members of the Advisory Councils

1. Chairpersons of Standing Committees, other than those chaired by Officers, as described above.
2. The Director of the OLLI program, or in absence thereof, the Program Coordinator.
3. A designee of the Associate Provost of OTIDE, and the Bryant Conference Center, for the Tuscaloosa Advisory Council only.
4. Immediate Past President, who will also serve as Historian, to preserve the documents that reflect OLLI’s history.
5. The Travel Chair of each Chapter, if needed.

Section 4

Terms of Office

Except for the President of each of the Advisory Councils, all Officers and Members-at-Large will be elected by the members at their respective OLLI annual meeting, unless in circumstances otherwise described in these Bylaws. Newly elected Officers and Members-at-Large will assume their official duties seven days following their election.

1. All Officers will serve for a two-year term. Except for the President and Vice-President for Long-Range Planning, Officers are eligible to be elected for a second consecutive term in their position, but not to a third consecutive term. The Chapter President may, with the approval of the Executive Council, waive this requirement.
2. The Immediate Past President will continue to serve on the Board until the current President transitions into the role of Immediate Past President.
3. Members-at-Large will be elected for a two-year term. The Member-at-Large position(s) for each Advisory Council are eligible to be elected to a second term. Every effort shall be made to stagger the terms of Members-at-Large.
4. Officers and Members-at-Large who have fulfilled their terms of office in their current positions may be elected to a different position on the Advisory Council.

Section 5

Vacancies

1. Members of the Advisory Councils who are unable or unwilling to fulfill their responsibilities as evidenced by repeated failure to attend Council meetings, may be removed from their positions by the President, acting with the advice and consent of the Advisory Council. Advisory Council members who fail to maintain OLLI membership will also be removed.
2. If the office of President becomes vacant, such office will be filled by the Vice-President for Long-Range Planning for the remainder of the term. If the offices of President and Vice-President for Long-Range Planning become vacant, the Vice-President for Curriculum will become President for the remainder of the term. For vacancies in any other Council position, the President, with consent of the Advisory Council, will appoint a replacement for the remainder of the term of the person whom they replace.

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Article IX

Committees of Advisory Councils

Advisory Councils for OLLI at The University of Alabama, Greater Birmingham, and Gadsden Campus. These Councils, chaired by the President of each Council, will be selected by their respective memberships and will be responsible for the functions of curriculum, socials, membership, elections, and marketing, as well as, other matters specific to the program. Advisory Councils will work in concert with the Executive Council.

Section 1

Required Standing Committees

• Long-Range Planning Committee. The Long-Range Planning Committee, chaired by the Vice-President for Long-Range Planning, will be responsible for the strategic planning for OLLI, as well as, for assessing internal and external trends and functions affecting the organization.
• Curriculum Committee. The Curriculum Committee, chaired by the Vice-President for Curriculum, will plan, implement and evaluate all OLLI courses and programs.
• Membership Committee. The Membership Committee will build and sustain a strong and active OLLI membership.
• The Committees are responsible for planning the information sessions and other programs to recruit members.
• Each Chapter may establish additional committees, decided by each Council based on their needs, such as:
• Social Committee. The Social Committee will promote interaction among the OLLI members by planning and implementing social occasions on a regular basis. This committee also plans the Chapter’s annual meeting and open houses.
• Marketing/Publicity Committee. The Marketing/Publicity Committee will work with the OTIDE marketing staff to develop and implement marketing for OLLI activities and to work to provide appropriate publicity for OLLI and its activities.
• Travel Committee. The Travel Committee will plan field trips and other travel opportunities fostered through OLLI.

Section 2

Committee Membership

The chairpersons of the Standing Committees will be responsible for recruiting and involving OLLI members on their committees.

Section 3

Nominating Committee

The Nominating Committee will be a three-member, ad hoc committee appointed by the President of each Advisory Council each year. It will annually nominate a slate of officers and Members-at-Large to guide OLLI for the next year.

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Article X

This section was incorporated into Article V by vote of the membership on September 10, 2020.

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Article XI

Establishment and Operation of Scholarships to Participants

The Executive Council maintains a program of financial assistance to be made available to individual members for the payment of fees for participation. The terms and conditions for this scholarship program are established at the discretion of the Executive Council. A report on management of the finances will be incorporated in the Treasurer’s Report.

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Article XII

Amendment to the Bylaws

The Bylaws may be amended at the OLLI annual meeting by a two-thirds vote of those present. Proposed amendments will be made available to the membership seven days prior to the annual meeting. All amendments must be submitted to the Executive Council by March 1st in order for approval to take place, and membership be informed within an appropriate time approved by the Executive Council before moving to a vote.

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Article XIII

Parliamentary Authority

The rules contained in Robert’s Rules of Order, Newly Revised, will govern the organization in all cases in which they are not inconsistent with the Bylaws.