Bylaws
Notre Dame Association of Retired Faculty and Professional Staff
The Notre Dame Association of Retired Faculty and Professional Staff (NDRFP) was formed as a University-Recognized Employee Resource Group in 2019 under the office of the University Provost. All retirees from the faculty and from exempt staff positions along with their spouses automatically become members of NDRFP. Spouses of retirees who have died are eligible and welcome to continue in the Association. They should indicate their desire to do so by dropping a note to the Vice-President of NDRFP within a year after their spouse's death.
Mission
The mission of NDRFP is to foster community and common activities among the retirees of the faculty and professional staff. It also seeks to represent the interests of these retirees when necessary or appropriate. At present, the Association sponsors an annual reception to welcome new retirees to the group. It collaborates with Human Resources in planning the programs for three luncheons each year for all retired faculty and spouses. In addition, through a regularly maintained website, the NDRFP establishes a retiree liaison network that communicates news items of importance; it is a locus for recognition of retiree contributions to the University, to the professions, and to the larger community. It provides information on social events, lectures, benefits, and other information of interest to retired staff and professional faculty.
Board of Directors & Officers
The Board of Directors consists of the two currently serving representatives of retirees on the Faculty Senate, the four officers of the Association and six at-large members.
The two Senators are nominated and elected through a process conducted by the office of the Provost, and all faculty retirees are eligible to participate in that process. Senators serve three-year terms. Retiring Senators may choose to remain on the Board as at-large members.
The President, Vice-President, Secretary and Treasurer constitute the officers of the Association and are elected for two-year terms by the Board of Directors. These officers come from within the Board.
The six at-large members are elected for four-year terms. Upon a vacancy or vacancies occurring among them, the Board will call for and seek nominations. The nominations will be presented to the Provost’s office which will conduct an election for the open seat(s) in the same fashion and often at the same time as election of Senators.
The President speaks for the Association and otherwise represents it. The President has the responsibility to call, organize and conduct the meetings of the Board which will normally occur at convivial luncheons. The President has primary responsibility for seeing that the Bylaws are followed, for overseeing the website of the Association and for appointing members of the Board and/or subcommittees to perform necessary tasks.
The Vice-President is also the President-elect and assumes the office of President after a two-year term as Vice-President or sooner if the office of President is vacated for any reason. The Vice-President assists the President in the conduct of the responsibilities of that office and has a special responsibility to handle the Board’s policy of communicating with and retaining in the Association the spouses of deceased retired faculty.
The Secretary is to keep a brief record of topics considered and decisions made in meetings of the Board and to circulate this record for approval by the Board at the subsequent meeting. The Secretary will also handle correspondence at the direction of the President
The Treasurer is responsible, in communication with the Provost’s Office, for funds provided by that Office or otherwise attained. Following the instruction of the Board, the Treasurer will provide payment arrangements for any expenses or debts incurred by the Association. The Treasurer will report on the account of the Association at the request of the Board or at least twice in a fiscal year.
Essential Operating Rules
1) The Board of Directors will meet at least once every three months.
2) As to time and place, meetings will be announced at least one week in advance.
3) Should the President be unable or reluctant to call a meeting, the Vice-President must call a meeting upon a request from three members of the Board.
4) Two-thirds or eight members of the full Board of twelve shall constitute a quorum that would allow the Board to act officially.
5) A simple majority of the quorum is determinative in most cases. Any member may request that voting be via secret ballot. In the event of a tie vote, the President’s vote is determinative.
6) A motion to amend or suspend the Bylaws or to remove any officer requires two-thirds vote of a quorum.
Transitional Procedures
The Association at present is run by an informal group of senators, officers and advisors known as “the Leadership group.” This group will seek to establish the above Bylaws by a two-thirds vote. After such a vote of approval, the group, now acting as the Board of Directors, will elect a Vice-President (President Elect), Secretary and Treasurer. In this first instance, the Vice-President will assume the presidency on July 1, 2024 while the Secretary and Treasurer will begin their two-year terms on July 1, 2023. Assuming that the two longest serving members of the leadership group, the President Emeritus and the Treasurer remain on the Board as seems appropriate, and assuming that the three new officers are elected from the current group of at large members and the current Senator completing his term chooses to remain on the Board, there will be one at-large seat to fill in a retiree-wide election this Spring. There would then be a new Senator and one new at-large member joining the Board on July 1, 2023.
Upon the completion of transition procedures at July 1, 2024 the paragraph above ceases to be part of the Bylaws.
Approved unanimously by the Leadership Group on March 14, 2023 with Walter Nicgorski serving as President, William Berry as Treasurer, Thomas Nowak and E. Jane Doering as sitting Senators.