Constitution

[Last Revised: 10/08/2021]

Preamble

In order to promote cooperation in international education among educational institutions and organizations in Virginia this Constitution is hereby established. The participants of this organization pledge themselves to cooperate as may appear desirable and feasible to achieve the stated purposes of this Constitution.

Article I – Name, Purpose, Membership of the VIE

A. The name of the organization shall be the Virginia International Educators (VIE).

B. The purposes of the VIE shall be:

1. To serve as a regional networking and support group for staff, administrators, and faculty who work in international education and/or promote internationalization of their campuses.
2. To provide regional professional development as well as networking and training opportunities.
3. To share program resources, expertise, and ideas.
4. To explore ways to collaborate.
5. To foster cooperation in the field of international education in order to strengthen international, global, and cross-cultural dimensions of education.
6. To organize and support programs and activities designed to strengthen faculty/staff resources for international education by meeting twice a year.
7. To promote cooperation in both international student affairs and study abroad.

C. Participation in VIE:

Any staff member, faculty, volunteer, or student of an educational, governmental, or international organization in the state, or the surrounding states, is eligible to become a participant.

Article II – The VIE Board

A. Membership:

The Board shall consist of the five officers plus up to eight additional members from diverse professional fields.

B. Functions:

The functions of the Board shall include determination of policies, programs, meeting registration costs, budgets, and organizational structure.

C. Officers of the Board:

The officers shall be a President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, and Liaison Officers.

D. Meetings of the Board:

The Board shall meet at least annually and upon the call of the President. Meetings of the Board are open to the public.

E. Elections and Term of Board Members:

a. Each board member’s term will be three years with one renewable term possible. Board members can return to the board after a 3 year cycle off the board.
b. Election of the board shall be at the spring meeting, and new board members begin their terms in the summer.
c. Officers will be appointed from within the elected board.
d. Board members are expected to participate in both board meetings and in conferences. After conferring with the active board members, and at the discretion of the President, board members who have been unable to attend meetings for the previous year will be asked to step down.

F. Ex-Officio board membership

An ex-officio shall be a person who has served on the board for two terms and elects to continue his/her involvement in an ex-officio capacity. Ex-officio board members will be invited to all board meetings which they may or may not attend, at their discretion. Ex-officio members will be invited to continue to provide service to VIE through their expertise, experience, and knowledge. They will be non-voting members of the board, but their opinions and ideas will be valued.

Article III – Officers of the Board

A. President – It shall be the duty of the President to:

  1. Preside over meetings and programs.
  2. Work with the host institution to coordinate programs for VIE conferences and set agenda for meetings.
  3. Provide review of the programs of the VIE.
  4. Serve as liaison with NAFSA Region VIII and State organizations.

B. Vice-President – It shall be the duty of the Vice-President to:

  1. Assist the President with coordination of the VIE conferences
  2. Prepare the agenda for the Board meetings.
  3. Promote VIE participation and public relations
  4. Serve otherwise at the request of the President.

C. Secretary – It shall be the duty of the Secretary to:

  1. Maintain minutes, records, and a directory of membership for the VIE.
  2. Provide needed updates to the web page.
  3. Manage EventBrite registration system
  4. Maintain the VIE listserv

D. Treasurer – It shall be the duty of the Treasurer to:

  1. Manage the fiscal affairs of the VIE by maintaining bank account records and authorizing expenditures as approved by the board.
  2. Report to the Board on the status of VIE funds.

E. Liaison Officer – It shall be the duty of the Liaison Officer to:

  1. Coordinate the various interest group liaisons: Education Abroad, International Students and Scholar Services, International Enrollment Management, K-12 Education
  2. Solicit conference proposals from interest groups 
  3. Provide updates at board meetings on the activity of interest group

F. Education Abroad Liaison Officer – It shall be the duty of the Education Liaison Officer:

  1. Solicit professional development and training opportunities, brown bags
  2. Coordinate roundtable discussions aligned with and outside of the conferences
  3. Contact/communicate with NAFSA representative for the sector or area of focus

G. International Student and Scholars Services Liaison:

  1. Solicit professional development and training opportunities, brown bags
  2. Coordinate roundtable discussions aligned with and outside of the conferences
  3. Contact/communicate with NAFSA representative for the sector or area of focus

H. International Enrollment Management Liaison

  1. Solicit professional development and training opportunities, brown bags
  2. Coordinate roundtable discussions aligned with and outside of the conferences
  3. Contact/communicate with NAFSA representative for the sector or area of focus

I. K-12 Liaison

  1. Solicit professional development and training opportunities, brown bags
  2. Coordinate roundtable discussions aligned with and outside of the conferences
  3. Contact/communicate with NAFSA representative for the sector or area of focus

Article IV – Amendments and By-Laws

A. Amendments to this Constitution may be proposed at meetings of the Board by any member. A two-thirds majority vote of members of the Board is required for the adoption of Amendments.

B. By-laws may be proposed by any Board member and shall be adopted by a simple majority of the Board members present.