NIRSA Elections

Proposed Amendments to NIRSA’s Bylaws for March 2026 elections

There are three proposed amendments to the Bylaws on the March 2026 ballot. The Governance Review Steering Committee worked with the NIRSA Board, Member Network, NIRSA staff, and NIRSA’s legal counsel to prepare the proposed amendments and execute a communication plan. On December 9, 2025, the NIRSA Board gave final approval to present these amendments to the membership for a vote. The proposed amendments are being submitted to the NIRSA membership for consideration and adoption as part of the March 2026 NIRSA online voting and elections process.

“Amended” bylaws are for the current proposed amendments. All previous versions of amended and approved bylaws are kept on file with NIRSA. NIRSA’s current bylaws can always be viewed from the links on the NIRSA Governing Documents webpage.

For the upcoming ballot, there are three proposed amendments. The rationale was created by the Governance Review Steering Committee using information provided by leadership groups and focus groups. The proposed amendments are shown below. Red font denotes new language and ~~red strikethrough font denotes deleted language.~~

According to the bylaws, adoption of the proposed bylaw amendments shall require approval by 2/3 of the ballots cast.

Committees & Volunteer Groups

These proposed bylaw amendments strengthen the effectiveness, flexibility, and consistency of the Nominations & Appointments Committee by streamlining the appointment process, expanding the pool of qualified committee members, and aligning committee structure and term lengths with other NIRSA standing committees. The changes would shift committee appointments from the Member Network to the NIRSA President and subject to approval by the Board and update the committee’s composition to include two Board members (one serving as chair), one member from each region, and up to five additional professional members, and extend staggered terms from two to three years.

Committees & Volunteer Groups

Redlined

Article V. Committee and Volunteer Groups
Section 1. Creation of Committees and Volunteer Groups
The board of directors, by resolution adopted by a majority of the directors in office, may create one or more committees or volunteer groups, which shall not be considered board committees within the meaning of ORS 65.354 and which shall not exercise the authority of the board of directors. Each committee or volunteer group shall perform such duties as may be delegated from time to time by the board of directors. The president shall have authority to appoint the members of all committees or volunteer groups.~~, except as follows: the regional members of the Nomination and Appointments Committee shall be appointed as provided in Article V, Section 2, subsection A, and.~~ The president’s appointments to Standing Committees are subject to approval by the board of directors. The board of directors may designate some committee and volunteer group appointments to the executive director.

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Article V. Committee and Volunteer Groups
Section 1. Creation of Committees and Volunteer Groups
The board of directors, by resolution adopted by a majority of the directors in office, may create one or more committees or volunteer groups, which shall not be considered board committees within the meaning of ORS 65.354 and which shall not exercise the authority of the board of directors. Each committee or volunteer group shall perform such duties as may be delegated from time to time by the board of directors. The president shall have authority to appoint the members of all committees or volunteer groups. The president’s appointments to Standing Committees are subject to approval by the board of directors. The board of directors may designate some committee and volunteer group appointments to the executive director.

Standing Committees (Change make up of Committee)

Redlined

Article V. Committee and Volunteer Groups
Section 2. Standing Committees (Change make up of Committee)
A. Nominations and Appointments Committee. The Nominations and Appointments Committee shall be a standing committee of the Association comprised of two members of the board of directors (one serving as Chair), one member from each region, and up to five professional members, serving staggered three-year terms.a Past Presidents’ Representative, two members from each region, and the NIRSA Student Leader. The Regional Representative shall recommend a Nominations & Appointments Committee Member from their region to the Member Network. The Member Network shall then appoint the Regional Members. The two members from each region shall serve staggered two-year terms on the Nominations and Appointments Committee. The Chair of the Committee may seek information on specific appointments from additional professional and student members, who will not be members of the Committee. The NIRSA Student Leader shall serve a one-year term on the committee.

Clean

A. Nominations and Appointments Committee. The Nominations and Appointments Committee shall be a standing committee of the Association comprised of two members of the board of directors (one serving as Chair), one member from each region, and up to five professional members, serving staggered three-year terms.

Standing Committees (Change to term length)

Redlined

Article V. Committee and Volunteer Groups
Section 2. Standing Committees (Change to term length)
A. Nominations and Appointments Committee. The Nominations and Appointments Committee shall be a standing committee of the Association comprised of two members of the board of directors (one serving as Chair), one member from each region, and up to five professional members, serving staggered three-year terms. a Past Presidents’ Representative, two members from each region, and the NIRSA Student Leader. The Regional Representative shall recommend a Nominations & Appointments Committee Member from their region to the Member Network. The Member Network shall then appoint the Regional Members. The two members from each region shall serve staggered two-year terms on the Nominations and Appointments Committee. The Chair of the Committee may seek information on specific appointments from additional professional and student members, who will not be members of the Committee. The NIRSA Student Leader shall serve a one-year term on the committee

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Background Information and Rationale for each recommendation:

Removal of appointment by Member Network

This is the only committee or volunteer group that is appointed differently than the others. The other standing committee (Audit and Finance) is appointed by the President and approved by the board of directors; all other committees and volunteer groups are appointed by the President. This committee should be appointed in the same manner as the other standing committee in the association.
This responsibility is a departure from the other responsibilities held by Member Network representatives and is something that past representatives have said was a task that likely did not receive the attention it deserved because of a lack of understanding of the purpose of the committee or the importance of the qualifications sought in an appointee.

Reduction of Regional quota requirements

A person’s immediate presence in a particular region does not necessarily portray the professional network from which they could provide ties during nominee recruitment.
While there is a desire to maintain regional representation, there is also a desire to allow greater flexibility in the formation of a diverse and highly qualified Nominations and Appointments Committee.
The reduction of required regional representation and the addition of other professional members will help to balance the committee membership and allow the focus of the appointment to lean more toward the qualifications of the individuals rather than being bound by their physical location.

Change in number of Professional Members (from 14 to 12)

The number needs to be adjusted to align with the three-year staggered term format.
While studies indicate that decision-making groups function optimally with five to nine members, the desire to maintain a balance of regional representation and professional members warrants the need for more in this case.
Instances may occur where the committee must decide between seemingly evenly matched and qualified members in the creation of their list of nominees. In this case, the Chair of the committee would serve as the tie breaking vote, should a stalemate in discourse warrant a vote and simple majority to move forward with the creation of a nominee list.

Removal of the Past Presidents’ Representative

As NIRSA adopted a new governance model in 2010, a Past Presidents’ Representative was designated as a required position on many association committees and volunteer groups. At the time of the governance change, that designation within these groups may have been important for the purposes of continuity and historical context.
Much like the recommendation to amend the regional quota in the makeup of this committee, a person’s past role as President of the association does not automatically provide them with a unique qualification needed on this committee.
The two board members appointed to this committee will be the primary representatives and educators on the Board’s needs and the context that comes from participating in the work.
There are other opportunities for Past Presidents or Past Board members to aid in the recruitment of board members without being appointed to this committee or could be selected as one of the professional members if they apply.

Removal of the NIRSA Student Leader

By virtue of their typically short time in the association, the NIRSA Student Leader is unlikely to have a network of professional colleagues that would allow them to be especially effective in identifying and recruiting the right nominees.
When this committee requirement was established, only the NIRSA Student Leader could vote in board of directors’ elections, so the position on the Nominations and Appointments committee was likely critical to maintain student perspective and input in the nominations process.
In 2024 voting rights were expanded, providing the right for NIRSA Student Members to vote in the board of directors’ elections.
The new voting right should replace the position on the committee, as the goal of student engagement and input is now being fulfilled through the right of Student Members to vote.

Change from two-year terms to three-year terms

There was a feeling that members of the committee could have an enhanced impact on the committee and the process if they had an additional year of engagement in the committee, especially because of its complexity.
This recommended change was based on feedback from past Nominations and Appointments Committee members.
This mirrors the association’s other multi-year appointments, including the commitment expected by members of the other standing committee in the association, Audit & Finance.