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Organization and Governance
Within a framework of excellence, the key concepts guiding organization and governance have been flexibility, response to change, and service to members. The Board of Directors is ever attentive to changes in the professions, world conditions, and the needs of members, and has demonstrated openness and ability to respond to new ideas. Consequently, the organization and its executive arm have undergone major changes in the past 20 years.
The governing documents have also undergone major revisions over the years, including within the past couple years. The organization maintains an “open door” policy. Members may communicate directly with the Executive Director, the International Office, or their Regional Director via regular mail, email, telephone, or fax.
Governing Documents: The Code of Epsilon Pi Tau includes a Constitution and By-Laws. It is designed to ensure input and participation from all members and chapters. The By-Laws prescribe the governing bodies and how they are organized. The Board of Directors’ functions and responsibilities and the operations of the international organization are detailed. Information upon which chapters can base their own By-Laws is provided.
Governing Bodies: Chapters (campus and field) and groupings for at-large members are the basic governing units. For governance purposes, the world is divided into five geographic regions that cover the chapters and member units. Each region has an elected Regional Director who represents and serves the region and serves on a five-member Board of Directors. Elected on a staggered basis for a three-year term, the Regional Director must have served as a chapter Trustee (advisor) and must achieve a majority of votes of the members and Trustees within the region.
Chapter Trustees must be Epsilon Pi Tau members and meet other performance criteria to be appointed. In the case of campus chapters, recommendations to the Regional Director for the appointment of Trustees are made by a retiring Trustee (in the case of existing chapters), the administrator of the program that sponsors the chapter, and the chapter’s officers and members. For field chapters, the chapter officers and the retiring Trustee will make the recommendations.
In voting on Epsilon Pi Tau matters, such as elections to the board or amendments to the Code, chapter Trustees are expected to share information with chapter officers and members and to consider their views in casting votes.
Board policy execution and normal business operations are the responsibility of the board-appointed Executive Director, Associate Executive Directors, and staff persons who are appointed by the Executive Director with board approval.
Administrative Divisions: The recent reorganization of the International Office is an example of flexibility and responsiveness. In order to provide service to two rapidly growing membership areas and to the entire membership, the Board of Directors approved three new divisions within the International Office:
•Community and Technical Colleges Division
•International Development and Services Division
•Baccalaureate and Graduate Schools
Leaders for the first-two divisions are functioning and responding to the increased interest in the areas. The third division, baccalaureate and graduate schools, assumed the responsibilities that had been ongoing and responds to renewed interests that are also being experienced in this area.
The staff and the board conduct two official meetings each year for policy, strategic, and operations planning, budgeting, financial reporting, and assessment of quality of services, with an eye toward their improvement.
These meetings are conducted in conjunction with one of the major professional associations for which Epsilon Pi Tau is the official honor society and at which at-large numbers of Epsilon Pi Tau members are present. At these assemblies, the board conducts open Epsilon Pi Tau meetings for Trustees, officers, and members to inform and seek input on organizational matters.
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