Bylaws

The name of the organization shall be the Penn Association of Senior and Emeritus Faculty (PASEF).

The term for which PASEF is organized shall be indefinite and long-lasting.

The Penn Association of Senior and Emeritus Faculty informs and advocates on matters of concern to senior and retired faculty through dialogue with the University administration and communication with its members and the larger community.

PASEF, the organization of and for senior (age 55+) and retired faculty from all schools of the University, sponsors activities supporting and encouraging senior and retired faculty members to continue as active, contributing participants in the intellectual and social life of the University and to maintain and extend connections with their colleagues in the University and beyond. PASEF organizes lectures, discussions, social functions and excursions providing fellowship and interaction among members and familiarizes them, especially those planning retirement, with issues relating to retired life and benefits. PASEF also promotes opportunities for members to render service to the University and its surrounding community.

Section 1. Member Categories

There are two categories of members, emeritus members and senior members: Emeritus members, for the purpose of PASEF, are former members of the faculty of the University who have officially retired from active service in the following categories: Standing Faculty, and Associate Professors and Professors in the Associated Faculty who are Research Faculty, full-time Academic Clinicians, and full-time Practice Professors. They automatically become emeritus members of PASEF upon retirement, unless they decline such membership at any time.

Senior members, for the purpose of PASEF, are members of the faculty aged 55 or above who are in the following categories: Standing Faculty, and Associate Professors and Professors in the Associated Faculty who are Research Faculty, full-time Academic Clinicians, and full-time Practice Professors. They automatically become senior members of PASEF unless they decline or terminate such membership. Upon official retirement, senior members automatically become emeritus members of PASEF.

All Standing Faculty, and Associate Professors and Professors in the Associated Faculty who are Research Faculty, full-time Academic Clinicians, and full-time Practice Professors and are emeritus or senior members of School-based senior and/or emeritus associations, such as the Association of Senior and Emeritus Faculty of the Perelman School of Medicine, are automatically members of PASEF.

Section 2. Termination of Membership

A member may terminate his or her membership in PASEF at any time by notification communicated to the Associate Director in the PASEF Office.

Section 3. Meetings of the Members

The President may direct that the meeting be in-person or be held on Zoom or any other, readily-accessible online platform, or that the meeting be conducted in a hybrid format.

The officers of PASEF are the president, the president-elect, the immediate past president, the secretary, and nine at-large members of the Council. The president-elect serves for a term of one year from June 1 of the year of election, then for another year as president, followed by a third year as past president. The secretary serves for a term of one year from June 1 of the year of election, and each of the at-large members of the Council serves for a term of three years from June 1 of the year of election. The terms of office of the at-large members are staggered in order to provide continuity. All officers serve without compensation.

Section 1. Duties and Membership

PASEF’s governing body, called the Council, shall manage the affairs of PASEF and consists of:

• the president, who serves as its chair
• the president-elect
• the immediate past president
• the secretary
• the at-large members of the Council
• the chairs of the standing committees and also the chairs of any ad hoc committees during such period as their committees are active
• PASEF’s representative to the Executive Committee of the Faculty Senate
• PASEF’s representative to the University Council Committee on Personnel Benefits, and
• the chief officer or representative of each School-based emeritus association
• Editor of the Hitchhiker’s Guide to Faculty Retirement

Each spring the Council, by majority vote, shall approve a candidate to fill the position of PASEF representative to the University Council Committee on Personnel Benefits. This candidate will then be submitted for approval to the University Council Committee on Committees.

Other past presidents are welcome to attend Council meetings and contribute their thoughts and wisdom to its deliberations, but they will not be voting members and will not count toward any quorum requirements. Past presidents may be elected to the Council as at-large members and may be appointed as committee chairs, in which case they would have a vote.

Section 2. Meetings

Meetings of the Council will normally be held once a month during the school year, but meetings may be skipped or additional meetings added from time to time to accommodate special needs and circumstances. Meetings will be held at such times and places as determined by the president. Any member of the Council may request such a meeting. Meetings will be conducted in accordance with the University’s governing documents.

Section 3. Quorum and Voting

A majority of the Council will constitute a quorum for the transaction of business. Except for matters requiring a supermajority, as provided below, any act or decision made by majority vote (one half of the number voting plus one) present and voting at a meeting at which a quorum is present will be considered the act or decision of the entire Council. As the President deems appropriate, in consultation with the present members at a Council meeting, a vote may be taken in person during a Council meeting, using either an open or secret ballot, or it may be taken by an email or telephone polling of the entire Council membership (or some combination of the two methods).

Section 1. Committee Composition and Function

The standing committees of PASEF shall be:

• the Steering Committee
• the Nominating Committee
• the Program Committee
• the Membership Engagement Committee
• the Community Involvement Committee

and such other committees as may be established by majority vote of the Council. In addition, the Council may establish ad hoc committees to accomplish specific tasks of PASEF. A new committee may be suggested by any member of PASEF.

The President, in conjunction with the Steering Committee, shall appoint the chair and the members of each of the other committees for a term of one year, except that the term may be shorter in the case of ad hoc committees. A committee shall have as many members as the president may specify (even a single member), subject to approval of the Council. The chair of each committee shall set the agenda and maintain a record of its meetings and shall present periodic progress reports, as appropriate, to the Council and to the membership.

Section 2. Steering Committee

The Steering Committee shall consist of the president, who will chair the committee, the president-elect, and the past president, plus other members of the Council whom the Steering Committee may invite to join the group from time to time.

Section 1. Nominating Committee

Each spring the President shall appoint a member of the Steering Committee to Chair the Nominating Committee, which committee shall consist of at least three members, counting the Chair.

Section 2. Nominations Procedure

The Nominating Committee shall nominate PASEF members in good standing with a goal of providing a diverse representation of the faculty. The Nominating Committee shall nominate candidates for the offices of: president-elect, secretary, three (or more) at-large members of the Council, and the representative to the Executive Committee of the Faculty Senate. The Nominating Committee shall communicate its slate of candidates to the Council for approval. Approval shall require a majority vote, which may be taken by e-mail. If three or more members of the Council wish to join together to nominate an additional candidate for any position, they may do so by notifying the secretary, who shall promptly notify all members of the Council. The Council shall have no fewer than 7 days following receipt of the Nominating Committee’s slate, or the slate as augmented by any additional nominations made as provided above, to approve it. Such approval or proposal may be done by e-mail. Non-response by a Council member within the designated time period shall be deemed approval. In the event that the Nominating Committee’s slate is not approved the Nominating Committee shall reconsider and promptly put forward an alternative slate and the approval procedure outlined above shall be repeated.

Section 3. Voting Procedure

Once approved by the Council, the slate of candidates shall be distributed to the full PASEF membership, which shall have no fewer than 14 (fourteen) days after nominations are closed to vote by e-mail. The Chair of the Nominating Committee and the Executive Director shall count the votes, and the persons receiving the most votes cast shall be elected. If there is a tie, the Nominating Committee, in consultation with the president, shall specify a reasonable and prompt procedure for a run-off election. The outcome of the election shall be announced promptly to the membership.

Section 4. Vacancy on Council

If a vacancy occurs on Council, via resignation or other means, Council shall move promptly to fill the position. The Nominating Committee shall nominate a PASEF member in good standing. If the vacancy arises shortly prior to a scheduled spring election, the procedures in Sections 2 and 3 of this Article shall be followed. Otherwise, the Nominating Committee shall select a PASEF member in good standing to fill the vacancy. Approval shall require a majority vote of the Council, which may take place at a meeting of the Council, or may be taken by e-mail ballot.

Section 1. Proposal

An amendment to these Bylaws may be proposed to the Council in the following ways: (a) a letter signed by ten or more PASEF members, (b) a letter or e-mail from three or more members of the Council, or (c) a proposal from an ad hoc committee on bylaws as may be created from time to time by the Council.

Section 2. Consideration

Any proposed amendment must be presented to the Council at a duly constituted meeting of the Committee at which adequate time is allowed for discussion of the proposal. A final vote on the proposal generally may not be taken before the next duly constituted meeting of the Council, which must be at least 21 (twenty-one) days after the proposed amendment is first presented to the Council; however, an alternative voting procedure can be adopted on an ad hoc basis for good cause shown if the alternative procedure is approved by at least 2/3 of the membership of the Council. Such vote authorizing an alternative voting procedure may be taken by e-mail ballot. The alternative voting procedure may include an e-mail ballot, provided that the final vote is not taken sooner than 21 days after the proposed amendment is presented to the Council.

Section 3. Adoption

If, pursuant to the above process, the Council agrees by a vote of 2/3 or more of its members, the Bylaws will be amended in a written document, and that document will promptly be made available to the full PASEF membership

Associate Director: The PASEF Council may select an Associate Director who is responsible for the operation of the PASEF Office subject to the direction of the President and Steering Committee.

These Bylaws were first approved by the PASEF Council on May 21, 2009. Revisions to these Bylaws were approved by the PASEF Council on February 18 & March 9, 2015; May 18, 2016, May 16, 2018, August 10, 2020, April 19, 2023, and October 18, 2023.