Pilot Proposal: Alumni Council Membership Selection

Alumni Council Membership Selection

The Annual Meeting of the Harvard Medical Alumni Association convenes Friday, June 7, to vote on proposed changes to the election process for Alumni Council representatives. You have the option of accepting or rejecting this change while voting in this year’s election.

Background

After careful consideration, the Alumni Council believes the current election process for representatives should be modified to serve HMS and the alumni body better and to enhance engagement efforts.

Historically, only 5–6% of alumni participate in elections.
Volunteer leaders with available time for Council service are limited, and those who agree to run may hesitate to run again if they are unsuccessful in their election, thus limiting nominees for future elections of Council members.
Providing concise, detailed candidate information is challenging, potentially leaving voters feeling uninformed about the most qualified candidates.
HMS is one of only three (out of 12) Harvard schools still using traditional contested elections for leadership and board membership.

Currently, five nominees for each open Council position are established by a Slate Committee composed of current councilors. Subsequently, two nominations for each position are approved by a vote of the entire Council. These two candidates are then presented by ballot to HMAA members in a contested election.

The Council proposes that a single person for each position be selected by vote by the full Council and, subsequently, that individual be approved by acclamation by HMAA members.

The Alumni Council would like to pilot a program that moves from a contested election of officers and councilors to an election by acclamation.

The 2024 Council election will be a contested election. The election ballot is enclosed. Those elected will begin their three-year term in July 2024. PLEASE VOTE.
Beginning in 2025, the Alumni Council proposes a presentation of a single person for each position to HMAA members for approval by acclamation.
As in the past, the Slate Committee will seek volunteers to develop a list of four or five nominees for each position, and that list will be presented to the Council.
The full Council will vote upon the nominees presented by the Slate Committee, after which nominees will be asked to serve on the Council in order of selection based on this vote.
Once candidates agree to serve, the entire slate will be presented to the alumni body (with a professional biography and personal statement) for approval by acclamation instead of a contested election ballot.

To move forward with this proposal, we must change the HMAA By-Laws—an action that requires approval by members. Please review the proposed revisions below and respond regarding their acceptability when you vote in this year's election. PLEASE RESPOND. Your responses will be shared with the alumni present at the HMAA Annual Business Meeting on Friday, June 7, 2024, for final consideration of this proposal.

Current	Proposed
An Officers and Councilors Slate Committee to nominate Officers and Councilors shall be appointed by the President of the Association, subject to confirmation by the Council at its Spring Meeting. The Chair of this Committee shall be an Officer or Councilor who is retiring one year hence. The other four members of the committee shall be appointed for two-year terms that will be staggered. Diversity of age, gender, ethnicity, geographic location, and career paths shall be considered in the selection of other committee members.	An Officers and Councilors Slate Committee to nominate Officers and Councilors shall be appointed by the President of the Association, subject to confirmation by the Council at its Spring Meeting. The Chair of this Committee shall be the Vice President, an Officer, or Councilor. The other four members of the committee shall be appointed for two-year terms that will be staggered. Diversity of age, gender, ethnicity, geographic location, and career paths shall be considered in the selection of other committee members.
The committee shall submit to the Council before the next fall meeting a list of four candidates for each Officer and Councilor to be filled during the ensuing fiscal year. The committee shall solicit names of potential candidates for Councilors from regional Alumni groups and from members of the pentad classes coming up for election in any particular year. Devotion to the Harvard Medical School and diversity in age, gender, ethnicity, geographic location, and career paths are to be considered in the selection of potential candidates. The Council shall vote on the priority order of the nominees so the Chair of Alumni Relations can recruit two candidates for each Officer or Councilor position to be filled.	The committee shall submit to the Council, before the next fall meeting, a list of four candidates for each Officer and Councilor to be filled during the ensuing fiscal year. The committee shall solicit names of potential candidates for Councilors from regional Alumni groups and members of the pentad classes coming up for election in any particular year. Devotion to the Harvard Medical School and diversity in age, gender, ethnicity, geographic location, and career paths are to be considered in the selection of potential candidates. The Council shall vote on the priority order of the nominees for each position. The Chair of Alumni Relations shall then recruit, in order of Council selection, the candidate for each Officer or Councilor position to be filled. The Council-selected candidates for each position will then be presented to the Harvard Medical Alumni Association members for approval by acclamation.
An official ballot shall be prepared, which shall indicate the term of office for each position to be filled, and for each position, the names of the candidates shall be placed in alphabetical order, indicating their residence and the year of their graduation from the Harvard Medical School. Space shall be provided for writing in the names of nominees for each office. The Slate format shall be either paper or electronic.	An official slate of persons to fill open positions as confirmed by the Chair of Alumni Relations shall be prepared. This slate shall indicate the term of office for each position to be filled, and for each position, the name of the selected person, their city of residence, and the year of their graduation from Harvard Medical School shall be provided. Space shall be provided for writing in the names of future nominees for each office. The Slate format shall be either paper or electronic.
The Alumni Office shall, before the first of April each year, mail or email to each member of the Harvard Medical Alumni Association this official ballot together with a short biosketch, a picture, curriculum vitae, and a brief personal statement for each candidate. Only ballots properly executed, signed with the name of the member, and received at the office of the Association prior to twelve o’clock noon on the Monday preceding the annual meeting of the Association shall be counted. The results of the election of Officers and other positions shall be announced at the annual meeting of the Association.	The Alumni Office shall, before the first of April each year, mail or email this official slate to each member of the Harvard Medical Alumni Association with a short biosketch and a picture for each listed person. The Alumni Office will request that Slate selections be approved by acclamation and returned by mail or email. Only properly executed responses, signed with the name of the member and received at the office of the Association prior to noon on the Monday preceding the Association’s annual meeting, shall be counted. The results of these responses and the request for approval of the Slate by acclamation at the Association’s annual business meeting will constitute the formal election of Officers and other Council positions.
Councilors shall be elected annually to hold office for three years and to fill the place of those whose terms of office have expired.	Councilors shall be elected annually to hold office for three years and to fill the place of those whose terms of office have expired.
	The Alumni Office shall, before the fifteenth of July each year, send this official notification to each member of the Harvard Medical Alumni Association by mail or email to announce the new Officers and other positions.