SUNY ESF
Constitution

Article I. Name and Purpose

Section 1

The name of this organization shall be the New York State Ranger School Alumni Association, Inc (the Association). It was incorporated on November 29, 1960. It was preceded by the New York State Ranger School Alumni Association founded on August 25, 1928.

Section 2

The purpose of this organization shall be those purposes set forth in the Certificate of Incorporation of the Association.

Article II. Membership

Section 1

There shall be three grades of membership: Active Members, Inactive Members, and Honorary Members known collectively as MEMBERS.

1. Active Members are those persons:
   1. whose annual dues are paid in full or otherwise waived by the Association and
      1. who have attended at least one continuous semester at the Ranger School of the College; or
      2. who have attended at least two months at the Ranger School of the College and are approved by the Board of Directors to be admitted as a Member of the Association; or
      3. who have served the Ranger School of the College with distinction, have maintained active interest in the Association and are approved by the Board of Directors to be admitted as a Member of the Association; or
      4. are past and present faculty of the Ranger School of the College.Only Active Members shall have the right to vote, hold office, participate in the transaction of Association business and all other privileges secured or determined appropriate by the Association, including but not limited to, the use of alumni facilities.
2. Inactive Members are
   1. those persons listed in subsections (B) above, but whose current annual dues are not paid in full or otherwise waived by the Association.
      Section 2. Honorary Membership. The Board of Directors may nominate persons to be admitted as honorary members of the Association ("Honorary Members"). Honorary Members are those persons who do not meet the requirements of Active Membership but have a long-standing connection to the mission and purpose of the Ranger School of the College and the Association. Honorary Members shall not be entitled to vote or hold office. Honorary Members shall not be required to pay dues, but may use alumni facilities.

Article III. Membership Duties and Privileges

Section 1. Dues:

Members shall pay dues annually.

Section 2.

Privileges: Active Members may hold office and may use alumni facilities. Honorary members may use alumni facilities.

Article IV. Officers, Board of Directors and Election

Section 1.

The officers of the Alumni Association shall be: 1.) President, 2) Vice-President, 3.) Treasurer, 4.) Secretary, 5) Properties Manager, and 6) Immediate Past President.

Section 2.

All officers shall be elected at the annual business meeting of the Alumni Association from a list of candidates presented by a nominating committee and from nominations presented from the floor by the membership.

Section 3.

All officers shall be elected for a three-year term.

Section 4. 

The Board of Directors has the authority to appoint any eligible member to an office in the event that office becomes vacant, until the next scheduled annual business meeting of the Alumni Association.

Section 5.

Duties of the officers of the Association:

Section 1. President.

The President shall be the Chair of the Board of Directors and shall preside at all meetings of the Members and Board of Directors, and shall appoint such committees as he or she or the Board of Directors shall consider expedient or necessary. The President shall act as ex-officio member of all Committees of the Board. The President shall have general management of the affairs of the Association subject to the approval of the Board of Directors and shall perform all other duties incidental to the office of President. The President will be the direct supervisor of the office manager.

Section 2. Vice President.

In the absence of the President, the Vice President shall perform the duties of President, and when so acting, shall have all the powers and be subject to all the responsibilities of the office of President. The Vice President shall have such powers and perform such duties and functions as the Board of Directors may prescribe.

Section 3. Secretary.

The Secretary shall have charge of such books, documents and papers as the Board of Directors may determine and shall have the custody of the corporate seal. The Secretary shall attend and keep the minutes of all the meetings of the Members and Board of Directors and shall attend to the giving and waiving of all notices of the Association. The Secretary shall, in general, perform all the duties incident to the office of Secretary, subject to the control of the Board of Directors, and shall do and perform such other duties as the Board of Directors may determine from time to time.

Section 4. Treasurer.

The Treasurer shall have care and custody of all receipts, monies and securities of the Association and shall deposit the same in the name of the Association in such banking institution or institutions as the Board of Directors may designate, and shall disburse funds of the Association as ordered and authorized by the Board of Directors. The Treasurer shall keep regular accounts of the receipts and disbursements and shall deliver a report of the same at regular meetings of the Members and Board of Directors.

Section 5. Properties Manager.

The Properties Manager shall be responsible for the scheduling and organization of projects for the Annual Spring Clean-up Weekend, the Fall Close-up weekend, of the Alumni House and campground, overseeing the maintenance of property, coordinating other projects adopted by the Association and reviewing and drafting policies for use of the property.

Section 6. Immediate Past President.

The Immediate Past president will have no official duties,  but will serve as an advisor to the rest of the board

Section 7.

The Board of Directors shall determine and approve the amount of the annual dues of the Members each year. Notwithstanding the foregoing, any person that is an Active Member and has reached their 50th class anniversary as an alumni of the Ranger School of the College shall have his or her membership dues waived for the remainder of their lifetime

Section 6. The Board of Directors shall consist of the following:

1. The elected officers of the Association.
2. The Director of the Ranger School “ex officio”
3. The Campus President or designee. “ex officio”
4. The Campus Development Officer. “ex officio”
5.  ESF Director of Alumni Relations. “ex officio”
6.  As many as 15 additional members-at-large, to be selected from the active members, and to be elected by the above members of the Board of Directors. A majority of the members of the Board of Directors must be graduates of the Ranger School. The At-Large Directors shall serve for a term of three (3) years or until their successors are duly elected and qualified.

Section 7. Appointive positions. The following appointments and/or others may be made by the Board of Directors on an annual basis or as required:

1. The Office Manager. This individual shall maintain the Alumni Office and alumni records, generally provide assistance to the officers and to the Board of Directors, co-chair of Reunion Committee with the Head of the Reunion Committee and may perform other duties as assigned by the Board of Directors. The hiring and decisions about work schedule and compensation for the office manager is the responsibility of the executive committee.
2. The Editor of the Alumni News. This individual shall be responsible for the publication of the alumni news.

Section 8. All elected officers and appointive positions shall be limited to those members who reside within a reasonable distance of Wanakena, New York in order that they may effectively administer the activities and business of the Alumni Association, which are predominantly centered at the Ranger School, unless the nature of the position is such that the required activities do not necessitate a close proximity to the Ranger School.

Article V. Meetings

Section 1.

There shall be an annual meeting of the Association. The date shall be determined by the Board of Directors. Additional meetings may be called by the President of the Association.

Section 2.

The Board of Directors shall meet at least three times each year. A meeting of the Board of Directors shall be called at the direction of the President or upon the written request of five members of the Board of Directors.

Section 3.

Notice of meetings of the Association shall be given by mail, not less than 30 nor more than 70 days prior to the meeting. Notice of meetings of the Board of Directors shall be given not less than 10 nor more than 50 days prior to the meeting.

Article VI. Quorums and Voting

Section 1.

A quorum of the Alumni Association shall consist of at least 50 voting members (in person or by proxy). A quorum of the Board of Directors shall consist of a majority of the members of the Board of Directors.

Section 2.

Voting by Alumni Association members shall be in person, by mail or email when a mail referendum is authorized by the Board of Directors. For election of officers and for any other matter required to be voted upon by the membership, except as otherwise provided in the Constitution and Bylaws, or as otherwise required by law, a majority of a quorum shall be sufficient.

Section 3.

Voting by Board of Directors shall be in person, by proxy, by mail, or by email.

Article VII. Amendments

Section 1.

The Constitution may be amended with a two-thirds majority of the votes cast, at the Annual meeting of the Association during which the proposed amendment is to be acted upon.

Section 2.

A copy of the proposed amendment shall be mailed to all voting members not less than 30 days prior to the date of the meeting at which the proposed amendment(s) is to be acted upon.

Article VIII. Committees

Section 1.

A Nominating Committee of at least three Active members of the Association shall be appointed by the President prior to the annual business meeting of the Association to select nominees for office for the coming year.

Section 2.

The following are standing committees of the Board of Directors.

1. Finance: co-chaired by the Vice-President and Treasurer with a minimum of three (3) Active members of the Association. The duties include, but are not limited to: assist the Treasurer with the preparation of the Annual Budget, and review financial reports for completeness and accuracy.
2. Alumni Properties and Projects: Chaired by the Properties Manager with a minimum of three (3) Active members of the Association. The duties include, assist the Properties Manager in the completion of his/her duties, and review and draft policy for use of property. This was formerly known as the Special Projects Committee.
3. Reunion: Co-chaired by the Head of the Reunion Committee and Office Manager with minimum of five (5) Active members. The duties include, but are not limited to: organize and implement the annual Alumni Reunion.
4. Archives: Chaired by the Secretary with a minimum of three (3) Active members of the Association to maintain archives of the Ranger School Alumni Association.
5. Social Media Committee: Chaired by a member of the Board of Directors with a minimum of three (3) Active members. This committee is tasked with the engagement of the alumni via various mechanisms. These shall include, but not limited to, the website, Facebook/Instagram. Flickr, etc. These mechanisms will be used to communicate various topics of interest to the alumni.
6. Audit Committee: Chaired by the President with a minimum of three (3) active members. Duties are spelled out in the Bylaws.

Section 3.

Special committees may be appointed by the Board of Directors.

Article IX. Fiscal Year

Section 1.

The fiscal year of the Association shall be the calendar year.

Updated August 2025