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TennACADA By-Laws

Revised – March 2026 

Article I. Name and Acronym 

The name of this association shall be the Tennessee Academic Advising Association. The official acronym of this association shall be TennACADA. 

Article II. Purpose 

The Tennessee Academic Advising Association was created as a forum for sharing ideas and exchanging information related to academic advising and student success strategies at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. A primary goal is to provide members with opportunities for professional networking and peer support, ultimately building a network of resources to enhance student success. Equally important is the representation and promotion of student success through academic advising and campus partnerships throughout the university community. 

Objectives: 

  1. To foster an environment that supports academic advising as a teaching/learning relationship between students and advisors,
  2. To promote collaboration across university advising, academic success, and career programs, and
  3. To provide professional networking for those engaged in academic advising and student success. 

Article III. Association with the Global Community for Academic Advising (NACADA) 

TennACADA is associated with the Global Community for Academic Advising (NACADA) and supports the goals and programs of NACADA. 

Article IV. Membership 

Section I. The membership and opportunities for leadership shall be open to all individuals and there shall be no discrimination for reasons of religion, age, race or ethnicity, gender identity, marital status, national origin, ability, or sexual orientation. 

Section II. Membership 

  1. Eligibility: Active membership shall be open to faculty members, administrators, counselors, staff, and graduate students at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville whose interests support student success through excellence in academic advising. 
  1. Procedure: An eligible individual shall become a regular member upon enrollment in the records of TennACADA. Interested members must complete the membership form located on the TennACADA website. Members must renew their membership annually. Members may remove themselves from TennACADA membership by completing the membership form located on the TennACADA website.  
  1. Rights: All members shall be eligible to vote, hold office, and attend meetings of TennACADA and are entitled to the services and benefits provided by TennACADA. Graduate student members are not eligible to hold office within TennACADA.  

Article V. Meetings of Membership 

Section I. The Executive Board shall meet at scheduled times as determined by the Executive Board. The calendar year shall run from May to May. Special interest meetings of the membership shall be held with the approval of the Executive Board. 

Section II. The Executive Board is responsible for the preparation of the agenda. Individual members shall submit agenda items to the Executive Board in advance of the meeting. 

Article VI. Officers 

Section I. The officers of the association shall consist of a President, Vice President, Secretary, Communications Coordinator, Membership Coordinator, and all Committee Chairs.  

Section II. The Executive Board of TennACADA shall be comprised of a President, Vice President, Secretary, Communications Coordinator, Membership Coordinator, and all Committee Chairs. Any of these positions may be shared by no more than two active members. These officers shall be elected by a simple majority of the votes cast by ballot or proxy vote. A member may not hold the same office for more than three years consecutively. The chair of the Executive Board shall be the President of TennACADA. The term for each office is one year. 

  1. President—The President shall preside at all meetings of the association and of the Executive Board. The President is generally responsible for overseeing the association’s activities. The President’s professional job responsibilities should be at minimum 50% academic advising per UTK Human Resources job description. The President may call special meetings of the Executive Board. The President will attend the Advising Council and handle TennACADA finances. The President shall coordinate the Outstanding New Advisor and Outstanding Advising – Primary Role awards. 
  2. Vice President—The Vice President shall perform the duties and responsibilities of the President in his or her absence and when so acting shall exercise the powers of the president. The Vice President’s professional job responsibilities should be at minimum 50% academic advising per UTK Human Resources job description. The Vice President serves as program chair for the association and coordinates all activities relating to programs approved by the Executive Board. The Vice President shall coordinate the Melissa “Missy” Parker Outstanding Advising Administrator award. 
  3. Secretary—The Secretary records and posts minutes of each meeting. The Secretary will be the chair of the Nominations Committee and oversee officer forms. The Secretary shall coordinate the Outstanding Advising – Faculty Advisor award. 
  4. Communications Coordinator—The Communications Coordinator is responsible for maintaining the membership distribution list, the association’s website, and email. The Communications Coordinator will obtain content for and create TennACADA newsletters. The Communications Coordinator shall coordinate the Outstanding New Advisor – Faculty Advisor award. 
  5. Membership Coordinator—The Membership Coordinator is responsible for maintaining the membership roster, welcoming new members, and recruiting for TennACADA. The Membership Coordinator will connect with new members and introduce TennACADA, send out recruitment messaging to bring new members to TennACADA, and liaise with campus partners to remove former employees from the membership list. The Membership Coordinator shall coordinate the Ruth Darling Excellence in Advising Leadership award. 
  6. Professional Development and Education Committee Chair— The Chair of the Professional Development and Education Committee is responsible for overseeing the membership and programming of the Professional Development and Education Committee. The Chair is also responsible for appointing a Vice Chair for the committee. The Chair must have at least 6 months of experience on the committee and must have professional job responsibilities of at least 50% academic advising per UTK Human Resources job description. The Chair of the Professional Development and Education Committee shall coordinate the Innovative Advising award. 
  7. Community Building and Engagement Committee Chair— The Chair of the Community Building and Engagement Committee is responsible for overseeing the membership and programming of the Community Building and Engagement Committee. The Chair is also responsible for appointing a Vice Chair for the committee. The Chair must have at least 6 months of experience on the committee. The Chair of the Community Building and Engagement Committee shall coordinate the Advocate in Advising: Friend to the Community award. 

Section III. In the event of a vacancy on the Executive Board following elections, the Executive Board shall have the discretion to appoint a member of the association to serve in the position until the next election cycle. The Executive Board may make the decision not to appoint a new member if the duties of the member can be delegated until the next election cycle. 

Section IV. The Nominations Committee oversees nominations for an election of association officers. The Nominations Committee will solicit nominations from the TennACADA membership for officer positions listed in Article VI. If there are no nominations for one or more positions, the Nominations Committee will solicit members directly for those positions. The Nominations Committee sends the election ballots to the membership, tallies the ballots received, and reports on election results to the current president. A simple majority of the votes received shall be required to ratify the election of each office. The chair of the Nominations Committee shall be the secretary. The Executive Board shall make up the membership of the Nominations Committee. 

Section V. Leadership transfer will occur after the new Executive Board is announced at the TennACADA Awards Reception/End of the Year Celebration each May. The Executive Board’s tenure begins and ends in May each year. It is the responsibility of the outgoing Executive Board to host a transition meeting with the incoming Executive Board in May to ensure successful transfer of responsibilities and records. 

Article VII. Committees 

Section I. TennACADA establishes committees to address specific needs of the academic advising community. TennACADA members may, at any time, express their desire to join a committee by completing the interest form found on the TennACADA website. It is expected that committee members will attend all meetings of the committee and be active, engaged members. There are no term limits for general committee membership, but committee members must renew their committee membership each year. 

Section II. Committee Leadership

  1. Each committee is led by an elected Committee Chair and an appointed Vice Chair. 
  2. Committee Chairs are nominated and elected positions within the Executive Board. Committee Chairs are responsible for overseeing the membership and programming of their committee. Chairs will recruit committee members, maintain a committee membership roster, coordinate programming related to their committee’s purpose, communicate with the Executive Board about their committee’s progress and programming, and collaborate with campus partners as needed for their committee’s programming. 
  3. Vice Chairs are appointed by the Committee Chairs from the membership. Vice Chairs shall perform the duties and responsibilities of the Committee Chairs in their absence. Vice Chairs provide additional support to Committee Chairs and for any committee programming as needed.  

Section III. Standing Committees 

  1. Professional Development and Education Committee [PDEC]: The purpose of the Professional Development and Education Committee is to provide year-round professional development opportunities for the advising and advising-adjacent communities on campus. Programming is expected to align with the Informational and Conceptual NACADA Core Competencies. For example, members of PDEC help coordinate the Academic Advising and Student Success Conference alongside university partners, design and/or host workshops to strengthen advising practice and bring in guest speakers related to advising and advising-adjacent topics. Each PDEC Chair may elect to establish a specific challenge or target area to address each year. 
  2. Community Building and Engagement Committee [CBEC]: The purpose of the Community Building and Engagement Committee is to provide year-round community building, social, and engagement opportunities for the advising and advising-adjacent communities on campus. Programming is expected to align with the Relational NACADA Core Competency. For example, members of CBEC will help coordinate Advisor Appreciation Week alongside university partners, organize yearly Candy Grams, and host TennACADA socials and holiday events. Each CBEC Chair may elect to establish a specific challenge or target area to address each year.  

Section IV. Creation of Committees. TennACADA members may propose the creation of new committees to the Executive Board following the policies set forth in Article IX (Amendments to By-Laws).  

Section V. Creation of Sub-Committees. Sub-committees may be established within committees to provide additional targeted support and direction to committee programming. Committee Chairs may elect to establish sub-committees upon notice to the Executive Board. Committee Chairs may elect to appoint members of their committee as sub-committee chairs with notice to the Executive Board. 

Article VIII. Standing Rules 

Section I. Adoption, Amendment, or Deletion 

  1. Standing Rules may be enacted, amended, or deleted by a majority vote of the association at a business meeting. 
  2. Standing Rules may be enacted, amended, or deleted by a majority vote of the Executive Board. 

Section II. The TennACADA website shall maintain a current copy of the Bylaws and Standing Rules. 

Article IX. Amendments to By-Laws 

Section I. Any active member(s) may submit a proposed amendment(s) to these bylaws to the president of the association. The proposed amendment(s) must be submitted in writing and with the signatures of five members. 

Section II. Upon affirmation vote of a majority of the Executive Board, the proposed amendment(s) shall be submitted to the membership at a regular or special meeting or by email within thirty days of approval by the Executive Board. 

Section III. The By-laws shall be amended by an affirmative vote of two-thirds of a quorum of the membership either by email or during a special or annual meeting of the association, following two weeks written notice of the proposed amendment(s). 

Article X. Awards 

Section I. Award Descriptions and Selection 

TennACADA has the following awards: 

  • Outstanding New Advisor Award 
  • Outstanding New Advisor – Faculty Award 
  • Outstanding Advising – Primary Role Award 
  • Outstanding Advising – Faculty Advisor Award 
  • Innovative Advising Award 
  • Advocate in Advising: Friend to the Community Award 
  • Melissa “Missy” Parker Excellence in Advising Leadership Award 

Descriptions, Eligibility, and Criteria can be found at https://tennacada.utk.edu/annual-advising-awards/ 

Section II. Awards Selection Committee 

  1. Those on the TennACADA Executive Board are not eligible for consideration while serving for the TennACADA awards listed above or on the Awards Selection Committee. 
  2. The President of TennACADA will serve as the chair of the Awards Selection Committee. All TennACADA members and previous award winners are eligible to participate on the committee and will be asked to serve by the chair. 
  3. After the Awards Selection Committee is selected, they will work with the Communications Coordinator to communicate award nominations. 
  4. The nomination process should be open no less than fourteen business days and no more than twenty-one business days. 

Section III. Nomination Process 

  1. All nominee packets will need to include the criteria set forward for each award on the TennACADA website.  
  2. The Awards Selection Committee will select the most qualified nominee to be awarded. 
  3. All winners will be awarded at the TennACADA Awards Reception/End of the Year Celebration. 
  4. The TennACADA Award winners will be considered for submission for Regional and International NACADA awards. This process will be overseen by the Associate Vice Provost for Student Success. TennACADA may be appointed to assist the process by the Associate Vice Provost for Student Success.

 

 

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