What is the Board of Directors and its committees?
Opportunities to get involved in the alumni association

The Purpose of the Board

The Stewart Cooperative Association Board of Directors was primarily created to conduct the financial affairs of the cooperative, maintain the property of the cooperative, and plan the continuing development of the cooperative.  Our mission is to orchestrate operations, cultivate relationships, and provide counsel for Stewart Cooperative with a vision to ensure the future growth to the glory of God.  Our theme is “Involvement, not invasion”.  Our aim is to become involved in the house through, among other things, the provision of leadership and direction.  We expressly denounce any intention to overtake the house’s  decision making process or to usurp house leadership in any form.

Board Requirements

A Board member is elected to a two-year term.  Board requirements include attendance at a minimum of 2 of the 4 quarterly meetings.  The 4 meeting dates are consistent each year:  January mtg is held the Sunday evening before classes resume in conjunction with the Scholarship Dinner, the April mtg is held in conjunction with Landscaping Day the same weekend as Grand Prix, a mid-July meeting, and our annual Board retreat held on a Fri-Sat in mid-October.  The Annual Meeting for the corporation is held on Saturday morning of Homecoming in October and is recommended but not required attendance.  Responsibilities vary depending on the position on the Board. 

Board Structure

The Board consists of the Executive Offices of President, Vice President, Treasurer, and Secretary, the two House Advisors, the two House positions of President and Secretary, and the Committee Chairs for Maintenance, Social, Alumni, and Fundraising.  There is also an open seat for an additional member when all other seats are filled. 

The Executive Offices have the following responsibilities:
President is responsible for preparing the agenda and presiding over all Board meetings, managing and supervising all the affairs and personnel of the Cooperative, discharging all usual functions of the chief executive officer of a corporation, and providing focus and direction for the Board of Directors.  (Eligible candidates have served on the board for a two year term prior to applying for the presidency.)
Vice President assists the president in managing and supervising the affairs and personnel of the Cooperative, discharging the usual functions of a vice president of a corporation, and overseeing operations of all committees.
Treasurer is responsible for keeping correct and complete records of account, showing at all times the financial condition of the Cooperative, working with the House treasurer to ensure the keeping of correct and complete records, cooperating with the accounting firm who oversees quarterly audits of all house and board financials to ensure all financial data is current and accurate, and providing a report of the financial condition of the Cooperative at each board meeting.
Secretary is responsible for keeping true and complete record of the proceedings of all meetings of the board, drafting and sending all correspondence on behalf of the board, and maintaining the database of Participating Members.

The committees are charged with the following responsibilities: 
Maintenance is charged with the care and regular maintenance of the house structure including everything from small repairs requiring a handyman to overseeing large structural improvements.  This committee also plans and oversees Landscaping Day in April.
Alumni Relations is responsible for the PAL program, planning the Scholarship (Alumni) Dinner in January, Landscaping Day meal in April, and communicating with the alumni base via newsletter, blog and email.
Social is responsible for planning all social events including but not limited to the Annual Women’s Retreat, Homecoming, and upcoming special events like the 25th Reunion.
Marketing is designed to help us promote Stewart through various channels like offering Stewart items for sale, manage Facebook and blog posting, etc.

Committee Opportunities

In addition to the Board seats, there are many opportunities to get involved in the committees.  Becoming involved in a committee does not require Board meeting attendance and does not include voting priviledges in Board matters.  This is an excellent way to participate in the association without the two-year Board commitment.  Each committee contains the Chair, which is a Board seat, an Assistant Chair, and 3 additional members.  Committee meetings are held independent of Board activities and are determined by the Committee Chair. 

Get Involved!

The Board and its committees are always seeking eligible Participating Members of the association to become involved.  If you are interested in any of the board positions or one of the committees, please read the following Statement of Beliefs document or click on the What We Believe link of this blog, then download the application.  Submit the application to the board secretary at:  secretary@stewartcoopalumni.org.

statement-of-beliefs-board
Stewart Cooperative Board Application