The Board of Directors of the Associated Alumni of Acadia University (AAAU) propose to amend the AAAU Constitution to reflect the current reality and needs of the AAAU. As Associated Alumni President Hugh Bray ('75) explains, “the amended Constitution retains the spirit and substance of the current Constitution upon which our organization is based while offering clearer language concerning the AAAU’s structure, procedures and practices, while conforming to best practices in governance. It’s an important foundational document, and I would encourage our alumni to review it prior to our Annual General Meeting on May 11, 2013.”

Key changes in the proposed amended Constitution include:

• The addition of a “Definitions” section;
• The addition of a “By-Laws” section which will permit the AAAU Board to establish by-laws to govern Board procedures;
• The addition of definitions for the Executive and Officer positions of the Board including provisions setting out the roles and responsibilities of each;
• Separate and distinct provisions for the Finance Committee, Nominating Committee, Communications Committee, and ad hoc Committees, which set out the structure and responsibilities of each for greater clarity;
• Revisions to the Alumni Branches section, which retains alumni branches in principle while providing flexibility to the branches to determine their respective governance structures; and
• General changes to formatting throughout for consistency and clarity.

The current Constitution, the Executive Summary of the proposed amendments and the proposed amended Constitution can be found on the Alumni website at http://alumni.acadiau.ca/constitution.html.

The AAAU Board wishes to advise that a motion will be made at the Annual General Meeting on May 11, 2013 for approval of the proposed amended Constitution by AAAU members.

For additional information, please contact: Ian Murray, Executive Director of Alumni Affairs and Advancement Strategy, at ian.murray@acadiau.ca or 902-585-1361.