PSNES Constitution

(As amended May 19, 2018)

Article I. Name

The name of this organization shall be the Penn State Nuclear Engineering Society, hereinafter referred to as PSNES or the Society. This Society shall be an affiliate group of the Penn State Engineering Alumni Society (PSEAS).

Article II. Purpose

The purpose of this organization shall be to promote fellowship and communication among the alumni, faculty and students of the Nuclear Engineering Program (NE or Program), Radiation Science and Engineering Center (RSEC), the Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering Department, and other nuclear engineering technology related programs across the College of Engineering and University in order to work for the improvement of those organizations.

Hereinafter, reference to Program graduates or alumni includes reference to alumni of the former Department of Nuclear Engineering.

Article III. Membership

Section 1.

Members - All living Alumni of the Program and faculty and staff of the Program or RSEC who are PSU Alumni and who have indicated a desire to be a member of PSNES are automatically members. In the context of this Article, “Alumni of the Program” is defined as 1) graduates of the Program, 2) all persons who have received a bachelor or advanced degree from PSU involving nuclear engineering technology, or 3) all students who have completed one semester or two terms of work in any University program involving nuclear engineering technology requiring at least two years of completion or as part of an accredited post-graduate program.

Section 2.

Associate Members - Penn State Alumni who are not nuclear engineering graduates or currently enrolled University students (full or part-time) involved in nuclear engineering technology programs who desire to become a member of PSNES can do so by either self-nomination or submission of a written nomination to a PSNES Officer.

Non-Alumni friends of the University, including faculty, staff members, and others who wish to join PSNES as Associate Members can do so by either self-nomination via the PSNES website or submission of a written nomination to a PSNES Officer.

Section 3.

Honorary Members - When appropriate, the Board of Directors may designate non-alumni as Honorary Members in recognition of acknowledged eminence in some area of engineering or who have rendered outstanding service to the Program or RSEC. Honorary Membership requires approval by a majority vote of the Board of Directors.

Section 4.

Members shall have the following rights and privileges: 1) vote on all Society elections (including Constitution changes), hold office in the Society, and 3) be eligible to receive all Society communications and attend Society events. Associate and Honorary members shall be accorded the privileges of membership in the Society except they may not hold office in the Society or vote in Society elections.

Article IV. Organization

Section 1.

A Board of Directors shall govern the general affairs of PSNES; the Board shall consist of:

(a) the Society Officers: President, Vice-President and Secretary/Treasurer,
(b) the Chair of the Program, ex officio with vote,
(c) the Director of Radiation Science and Engineering Center, ex officio with vote,
(d) a current NucE faculty member (with vote),
(e) the PSNES immediate past president (ex-officio with vote),
(f) six to nine members (directors) to be elected at-large,
(g) the President of the PSEAS or designee (ex officio without vote)
(h) the Penn State American Nuclear Society (ANS) Student President or designee (ex-officio without vote),
(i) the Penn State Institute of Nuclear Materials Management (INMM) Student President or designee (ex-officio without vote)
(j) the Penn State Women in Nuclear (WIN) Student President or designee (ex-officio without vote), and
(k) the Penn State Alpha Nu Sigma Honor Society Student President or designee (ex-officio without vote).

Section 2.

All actions of the Board of Directors shall be decided by majority vote when a quorum is present. A majority vote is defined mathematically as one (1) plus half of those Board members who are present (either physically or by telephone conference call, assuming an even number of participants); or in the case of an odd number of participants (either physically or by telephone conference call) a majority shall be half of the participants rounded to the next higher even number present at any regular or duly called meeting of the Society.

A quorum shall consist of eight members of the Board. If a quorum is not present at a scheduled Board of Directors Meeting, a detailed description of the proposed action may be prepared and distributed to all Board Members within 14 days of the meeting. Within 14 days of receiving the proposed action, each member must submit their vote electronically to the Board Secretary/Treasurer. A tally of the votes will dictate the disposition of the action.

Section 3.

The Board of Directors may solicit funding from members as necessary to cover the cost of special projects or operations. PSNES fundraising activities shall not conflict with the University’s development efforts. The College of Engineering Development Director or designee shall be informed of all fundraising activities of PSNES.

Section 4.

To remain in good standing with the PSEAS, PSNES must submit an Annual Report to PSEAS.

Article V. Elections

Section 1.

The Board of Directors will nominate a slate of candidates for At-Large Board positions and for the Society officers: President, Vice-President and Secretary/Treasurer. The nominations will be posted on the PSNES website and the membership will be notified of this electronically three months prior to the election. Additional nominations from PSNES members may be made over the next 30 days after the list of candidates is sent to the membership electronically provided that the nominee has agreed to be nominated.

Section 2.

Officers and Board Members shall be elected by a majority vote of those Society members who have submitted their vote electronically. The electronic vote will be taken by posting nominees names on the PSNES website for one month. In the event that all of the final nominated candidates are running unopposed, the Board of Directors may waive the need for balloting (by approved motion) and declare the winners of the election without balloting Society members.

Section 3.

At-large members' terms shall be staggered such that half (or approximately half) are subject to election/re-election every two years. At-large members may be appointed at any time by the Board of Directors to fill Board vacancies. At-large members so appointed will serve the balance of the unexpired term.

Section 4.

Officers shall be elected for two year terms. At-Large Board members shall be elected for four year terms. Vacancies may be filled by appointment by the Board of Directors between every two-year election. Board members and Officers so appointed will serve the balance of the unexpired term.

Section 5

No Officers may be elected to the same office for more than two consecutive terms. There are no term limitations for At-Large Directors.

Article VI. Duties of Officers

Section 1.

The President shall preside at all meetings and shall be responsible for general supervision of all work of the Society. The President, Vice-President, and Secretary/Treasurer must be Penn State Program graduates.

(a) The President, or designee, shall serve on all committees as an ex-officio member.
(b) The President, or designee, shall serve as this society's delegate to the PSEAS Board of Directors and will submit the PSNES Annual Report to PSEAS.

Section 2.

The Vice-President shall serve in the absence of the President and shall also perform such duties as may be assigned by the President. The Vice-President shall assume the duties of the President in the event of the incapacity or absence of the President. The Board may elect to appoint an acting Vice-President until the next election to assist the President as determined to be necessary.

Section 3.

If both the President and Vice-President are unable to fulfill their terms, the Board shall appoint individuals to fill one or both roles on an interim basis until either the Board elects a permanent replacement or a special or regularly scheduled election can be held.

Section 4.

The Secretary/Treasurer shall be responsible for the recording and reading of the minutes of all meetings, creating Society correspondence and reports, and shall be responsible to oversee financial controls for depositing, disbursing and accounting of all monies of the Society.

Article VII. Committees

The President may appoint standing and/or ad-hoc committees as required to accomplish the purposes and objectives of the Society. Furthermore, the President may terminate previously established standing or ad-hoc committees as required.

Article VIII. Meetings

Section 1.

At least one meeting of the membership shall be held each year to be known as the annual meeting, and it shall be held at the time and place fixed by the Board.

Section 2.

Special meetings of the Society shall be called at the discretion of the President. The Secretary shall send electronically, to the membership, written notices of the annual and special meetings at least one week in advance.

Section 3.

The Board shall meet at the call of the President or at the request of a majority of the members of the Board. Secretary shall send electronically, to the membership, written notices of the Board meetings at least one week in advance.

Section 4.

The committees shall meet on the call of the committee chairman or at the request of the President.

Article IX. Amendments

Section 1.

This Constitution may be amended by a two-thirds vote of the Society members either present at any Society meeting as defined by Article VIII (meetings) above or participating in electronic balloting provided:
(1) The amendments have been placed before the Board of Directors at least one month before the meeting, and
(2) The amendments have been approved by a majority vote of the board members as defined in Article IV Section 2 above.

Section 2.

This Constitution and its amendments must not be in conflict with the constitution of the PSEAS or the rules and regulations for constituent societies as established by the Penn State Alumni Association. PSNES Constitution changes shall be submitted to a PSEAS Officer for approval.

 
 

About

The Ken and Mary Alice Lindquist Department of Nuclear Engineering at Penn State is one of the top ranked nuclear engineering programs in the United States. The department distinguishes itself with a strong focus on experimental research. The actively growing department leads four educational programs for students pursuing a bachelor of science, a master of science, a master of engineering, or a doctoral degree. The Radiation Science and Engineering Center (RSEC) facilities, including the Breazeale Reactor, are available to nuclear engineering faculty and students at Penn State for research and instruction. RSEC houses the Breazeale Nuclear Reactor, the country’s first and longest operating licensed nuclear research reactor. Having access to an operating research reactor is a key strength for the department and enables Penn State to harness research and educational opportunities that are unique in the United States. See how we’re inspiring change and impacting tomorrow at nuce.psu.edu.

Department of Nuclear Engineering

206 Hallowell Building

The Pennsylvania State University

University Park, PA 16802-4400

Phone: 814-863-6222