American Indian Higher Education Consortium, Bylaws

Bylaws of American Indian Higher Education Consortium

AIHEC bylaws were adopted by the AIHEC Board of Directors on March 23, 2007, at Rapid City, SD, and updated through August 2017.

ARTICLE I

Name

Section 1.01. NAME.The name of AIHEC shall be American Indian Higher Education Consortium (hereinafter, AIHEC).

ARTICLE II

Offices

Section 2.01. PRINCIPLE OFFICE. The principal office of AIHEC shall be 121 Oronoco Street, Alexandria, Virginia 22314, or at such other place as designated by the board of directors.

ARTICLE III

Classes of Membership

Section 3.01. MEMBERSHIP. AIHEC shall have six classes of membership: Regular Member, Associate Member, International Member, Organization Member, Developing/Emerging Member, and Honorary Member.

Section 3.02. REGULAR MEMBER. A regular member shall be a tribally-controlled institution of postsecondary or higher education that:

1. is a subdivision of a government of a federally recognized American Indian tribe, Alaska Native village, or Alaska Native corporation or has been chartered, sanctioned, or formally established by a federally recognized tribal government or an Alaska Native village, or Alaska Native corporation;
2. has a governing board that is comprised solely of American Indian or Alaska Native members, except in those cases where the charter of the tribal college authorizes a majority of such members;
3. primarily serves an American Indian or Alaska Native community or communities;
4. has a majority of full-time equivalent American Indian or Alaska Native students;
5. has demonstrated that it is fulfilling the goals and purposes for which it was established, sanctioned or chartered and is adhering to an educational plan of operation;
6. is accredited or a candidate for accreditation by a regional institutional accrediting association recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education; and
7. has made application as outlined in Section 3.08 of these bylaws and has received an affirmative vote of 75 percent of the directors in attendance at a meeting of the board of directors.

A postsecondary or higher education institution that has been granted membership status by action of the AIHEC Board of Directors on or before October 9, 1998, (i.e., Haskell Indian Nations University, Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute, Institute of American Indian Arts, White Earth Tribal and Community College, and Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College [by action of the board on March 15, 2014]), will be recognized as a regular member and enjoy all of the privileges and rights associated with the status of a regular member.

Section 3.03. ASSOCIATE MEMBER. An associate member shall be a tribally controlled institution of postsecondary or higher education that:

1. is a subdivision of a government of a federally recognized American Indian tribe, Alaska Native village, or Alaska Native corporation or has been chartered, sanctioned, or formally established by a federally recognized tribal government or an Alaska Native village, or Alaska Native corporation;
2. has a governing board that is comprised solely of American Indian or Alaska Native members, except in those cases where the charter of the tribal college authorizes a majority of such members;
3. primarily serves an American Indian or Alaska Native community or communities;
4. has a majority of full-time equivalent American Indian or Alaska Native students;
5. has demonstrated that it is fulfilling the goals and purposes for which it was established, sanctioned or chartered and is adhering to an educational plan of operation;
6. is not accredited or a candidate for accreditation by a regional institutional accrediting association recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education; and
7. has made application as outlined in Section 3.08 of these bylaws and has received an affirmative vote of 75 percent of the directors in attendance at a meeting of the board of directors. Associate members shall have no voting rights and may not hold office in AIHEC, but may have other rights and responsibilities as specified in these bylaws and the AIHEC Membership Handbook.

Section 3.04. INTERNATIONAL MEMBER. An international member shall be an institution OF higher education that:

1. is located outside of the United States;
2. serves primarily indigenous students from the region of the world in which such institution is located;
3. has a majority of indigenous people on its governing board and has an educational plan of operation to which it is adhering;
4. has a statement of mission and has demonstrated that it is meeting the goals and purposes for which it was established; and
5. has made application as outlined in Section 3.08 of these bylaws and has received an affirmative vote of 75 percent of the directors in attendance at a meeting of the board of directors. International members shall have no voting rights and may not hold office in AIHEC, but may have other rights and responsibilities as specified in these bylaws and the AIHEC Membership Handbook.

Section 3.05. ORGANIZATION MEMBER. An organization member shall be an association or organization composed of institutions of postsecondary or higher education that:

1. serves primarily indigenous people, institutions, or organizations from any region of the world;
2. has a majority of indigenous people on its governing board;
3. is incorporated as a nonprofit entity that serves the higher education needs of its membership; and
4. has made application as outlined in Section 3.08 of these bylaws and has received an affirmative vote of 75 percent of the directors in attendance at a meeting of the board of directors. Organization members shall have no voting rights and may not hold office in AIHEC, but may have other rights and responsibilities as specified in these bylaws and the AIHEC Membership Handbook.

Section 3.06. DEVELOPING/EMERGING MEMBER. A developing/emerging member shall be a federally recognized American Indian tribe, Alaska Native village, or Alaska Native corporation that has expressed to AIHEC an immediate interest in exploring establishing a TCU that would ultimately meet all of the criteria of an associate as outlined in Section 3.03, and has made application as outlined in Section 3.08 of these bylaws, and has received an affirmative vote of 75 percent of the directors in attendance at a meeting of the board of directors. Developing/emerging members shall have no voting rights and may not hold office in AIHEC, but may have other rights and responsibilities as specified in these bylaws and the AIHEC Membership Handbook.

Section 3.07. HONORARY MEMBER. In the event that a founding member of the American Indian Higher Education Consortium, i.e. D-Q University, Navajo Community College (Diné College); Oglala Sioux Community College (Oglala Lakota College); Sinte Gleska College (Sinte Gleska University); Standing Rock Community College (Sitting Bull College); and Turtle Mountain Community College, is deemed ineligible for regular membership in AIHEC, such founding institution shall be an honorary member as set forth in Section 3.10.01. Honorary members shall have no voting rights or responsibilities and may not hold office in AIHEC.