You can use the following bylaws as a template for your affinity network.
The name of this organization is the Purdue [insert name]. This network [include a brief description of the network].
The purpose of the affinity network is to promote Purdue University and the Purdue for Life Foundation through involvement and support of local community activities and to provide opportunities for networking among alumni, friends, and students.
Members of the affinity network include graduates of any Purdue campus and any person who wishes to support the university. Board members must have an active Purdue Alumni Association membership.
The affinity network may collect member and nonmember registration fees for events. To qualify for member fees, you must have an active paid membership with the Purdue Alumni Association, President’s Council, or the John Purdue Club.
The board of directors is responsible for establishing policies and conducting the business of the organization. The affinity network members will elect the board of directors. The board will consist of no more than [insert odd number] people, including the president, vice president, secretary, treasurer, and other positions deemed necessary.
The board of directors will include:
// President: The president will preside at all meetings and will serve as the chief executive officer of the network. They will serve a term of [insert number] years.
// Vice President: The vice president will serve in the absence of the president and will serve a term of [insert number] years. The vice president will also serve on committees as appointed by the president.
// Secretary: The secretary will record the minutes of all meetings, preserve all written reports, and keep an active official list of network participants. They will serve a term of [insert number] years.
// Treasurer: The treasurer will be responsible for budgeting the events for each fiscal year—which is July 1–June 30—and for managing other financial documents stipulated by Purdue for Life. They will serve a term of [insert number] years.
For all other positions, please provide a job description following the same format as above.
If a board member vacates their role in the middle of a term, the president may appoint any member as successor to hold office for the remainder of the unexpired term. A majority of the board of directors must vote to affirm this selection.
Business meetings will be held regularly. The board of directors will supply minutes to Purdue for Life staff.
Any amendments to these bylaws must be approved by Purdue for Life staff.
A majority of the board of directors must vote to approve of the bylaws. Then, the Purdue for Life staff must approve of the bylaws before they can be adopted.
Patsy earned a bachelor’s degree in food and nutrition in business from Purdue in 1969, in addition to an MBA in food marketing from Michigan State University in 1970. She retired from Kraft Foods in 2006 after 36 years in corporate food marketing and marketing communications management.
A community volunteer, Patsy serves on the Women’s Fund of Central Indiana Advisory Board and the Purdue College of Health and Human Sciences Dean’s Leadership Council, in addition to the President’s Council Advisory Board. She is a former member of the Health and Human Sciences Alumni Board. Patsy held several offices from 2006 through 2013, including president and treasurer. She serves her community’s Discover Indianapolis Club in Fishers, holding several leadership roles for over 10 years.
Patsy has received several honors, including the Purdue University Nutrition Science Department Hall of Fame recipient in 2009 and the Purdue University College of Health and Human Sciences Distinguished Alumni Award in 2016. She also received the college’s Gold and Black Award in 2016, an honor reserved for donors who have moved the college forward by committing exceptional financial resources.
In addition to endowing two scholarships, the Patsy J. Mellott Scholarship and Patsy J. Mellott HHS Scholarship, she established the Patsy J. Mellott Teaching Innovation Award in the College of Health and Human Sciences in 2013. In 2015, she endowed the Patsy J. Mellott Women’s Tennis Coach Performance Award. She is a lead donor in the Christine M. Ladisch Faculty Leadership Award and the Purdue Women’s Network Virginia C. Meredith Scholarship for the College of Health and Human Sciences.