MISSION & BYLAWS OF THE

Strategic Design MBA Alumni Association of the Philadelphia University

SDMBAAA

Mission: To engage and serve SDMBA Alumni throughout their lives in order to
advance the growing mission of hybrid-thinkers to bridge business and design worlds.

Article I. Purpose

SECTION 1. The purpose of the Strategic Design MBA Alumni Association of

Philadelphia University SDMBAAA (shall be referred to hereafter as the Alumni
Association):

Connecting
a. To connect graduates of the Strategic Design MBA (SDMBA) program with other
Alumni, academic and industry networks related to strategic design and
business.
Promoting
b. To promote professional development of SDMBA Alumni through career-related
opportunities in areas not limited to design thinking principles, sustainable
business, strategic design and other areas deemed appropriate to the continued
education within the realm of strategic design and business.
Supporting
c. To support and sustain the mission of the Hybrid Thinkers Student Group of
Philadelphia University both financially and professionally.
Developing
d. To develop educational materials that disseminate knowledge, and cultivate
emerging leadership in fields not limited to design thinking, sustainable
communities, collaborative processes, human-centered research, service design,
business design and best practices;
Sharing
e. To share and improve methods and practices through workshops, charrettes,
and programs to develop better public understanding and appreciation of the
challenges and solutions posed by hybrid thinking.

Article II. Membership

SECTION 1. Membership shall be open to all graduates of the Strategic Design MBA
program at Philadelphia University. There shall be no discrimination on account of race,
religion, political views, nationality, color, ancestry, ability, sex, gender, sexual
orientation, height, weight, or military status. No membership of any class shall be
transferable or assignable.

SECTION 2. Voting Rights - Voting rights shall be granted to all SDMBA Alumni in
good standing with the SDMBAAA by payment of annual dues and no other outstanding
financial commitments to the SDMBAAA.

SECTION 3. Membership Effective Dates & Dues - Annual Membership dues will
renew one year from the original effective date of the alumni join date. The membership
expiration month and day will remain unchanged in the event that the renewal payment
is received within 30 days following membership expiration. The membership expiration
month and day will be revised to one year from the date of payment for renewal
payments that are received more than 30 days following expiration. A dues fee in the
amount of $50 is applicable to each annual membership and is due to the SDMBAAA
Treasurer on behalf the Alumni Association. The Executive Committee shall set dues.
There will be no dues collected from any alumni members during the first year of
membership.

SECTION 4: Quorum. A simple majority (half plus one) of the Executive Committee,
Committees, General Body Elections, and where otherwise voting is needed, shall
constitute a quorum for the transaction of business.

Article III. Executive Committee

SECTION 1. The Executive Committee shall be the President, Vice President,

Communications Officer, Finance Officer, Alumni Coordinating Officer. All Executive
Committee members must pay dues and remain in good standing.

SECTION 2. The Executive Committee and officers shall be elected in November of

each election year with the term beginning in January of the following year and
remaining in effect for two years. Elections will be held before November 30th.

SECTION 3. All elected officers shall be chosen by vote of the members, and
nominations shall be made from the floor. The candidates receiving a quorum of all
votes cast shall be elected. The presidents vote will equal two votes when serving on
the Executive Committee in the event of tie vote occurs.

SECTION 4. Any board member ["remove board member or other"?] or other elected
officer who fails to fulfill the terms of office or to serve in an agreed-upon official capacity
may be removed. Such action shall be effective only upon a majority vote of the
Executive Committee taken at an official meeting called for such purpose.

Article IV. Duties of the Executive Committee

SECTION 1. The President's duties shall be to preside at all meetings, to appoint all
special committees, except the Nominating committee, to be the chairperson of the
Executive Committee, serve as ex-officio member of all committees except the Elections
committee, and coordinate the work of the officers and committees in order that the
purposes may be promoted. He/she will be responsible for maintaining correspondence
between appropriate parties as well as seeking opportunities to further sustain the
Alumni Association through, but not limited to strategic partnerships, sponsorship,
fundraising, and giving opportunities, and maintaining the continued relationship

between the Strategic Design & Innovation Club of Philadelphia University and the
SDMBAAA.

SECTION 2. The Vice President shall perform the duties of the president in the
president's absence. In the event of vacancy of the presidency, the executive vice
president shall succeed to the presidency. This person will be responsible for planning
the logistics of events, committees meetings, social events and other gatherings
requiring resources from the Alumni Association. He/she shall also chair special
committees, as needed.

SECTION 3. The Communications Officer shall conduct correspondence as directed

by the president, maintain a file of correspondence received by the association, keep a
record of all meetings of the Alumni Association and the Executive Committee, read or
distribute copies of the minutes and make available online to all members, be custodian
of the permanent files and online presence of the Alumni Association, maintain an
accurate membership list and a list of names and addresses of the Executive Committee
and Committee Chairs and ensure the Philadelphia University Alumni Office is updated
with such accurate lists accordingly. Only this position along with the designated
webmaster(s) shall have administrative access to all online accounts.

SECTION 4. The Finance Officer shall maintain accurate records of Alumni Association
funds and keep accurate record of Alumni giving to organizations including, but not
limited to the Hybrid Thinkers Student Group of Philadelphia University. He/she will
collect all SDMBAAA funds and deposit them in an account on behalf of the Alumni
Association and in accordance with Alumni office policy of Philadelphia University; have
custody of the funds (along with one other member of the Executive Committee or the
Secretary). Two officers of the Executive Committee must sign all checks and other
outgoing disbursements. He/she will also maintain a full and accurate account of the
receipts and disbursements belonging to the Alumni Association. He/she will be
responsible for making all necessary expenditures when authorized by the president,
keeping financial records, developing an annual budget, and submitting a written
financial report to the SDMBAAA at the last regular meeting of each fiscal year. He/she
will seek fundraising and giving opportunities for the Alumni Association and maintain
records of special membership involving finances to national organizations such as, but
not limited to the Design Management Institute.

SECTION 5. The Alumni Coordinating Officer is the liaison between the alumni and
student organizations. He/she will sit on both alumni and student organization
committees. This individual will ensure the SDMBAAA and Strategic Design and
Innovation Club are aware of each others activities and needs. He/she will also
coordinate with with the school and SDMBA Program Director and Philadelphia
University Alumni Association.

Article VI. Standing Committees

SECTION 1. There shall be the following standing committees: the Executive

Committee, Program Committee, Communications Committee, and Nominating
Committee.

SECTION 2. The Executive Committee, which consists of all the elected officers shall
decide on the policies of the group, as well as aid and advise the president of his/her
duties.

SECTION 3. The Program Committee, under the supervision of the program chair, who
is appointed by the president, shall arrange programs for the Alumni Association and
perform such other related duties as the president shall delegate.

SECTION 4. The Nominating Committee shall administer nominations for all officers
and preside over the election of the Executive Committee. No member of the Executive
Committee running for office shall serve on the Nominating Committee. The duties of the
Nominating committee shall be to place on the ballot the name of one member for each
of the four officer positions (i.e. one for President, one for Vice-President, one for
Secretary, and one for Treasurer). All current members will be eligible to vote for
executive committee nominees. Neither the President, nor anyone else, has veto power
over the Nominating Committee; once the Committees report is submitted, its
administration is final.

SECTION 5. Communications Committee is responsible for internal and external

communications. Internal includes managing meeting minutes, ensuring members are
updated on alumni activities, and other related communications. External
communications include developing content and managing responses for social media,
event communications and maintaining website content and platform.
This committee will work closely with the Program Committee to created marketing
communications to support programming.

SECTION 6. The Executive Committee shall appoint any other committees as deemed
necessary.

SECTION 7. Vacancies - Vacancies on Executive Committee shall be filled by a simple

majority vote of the remaining Executive Committee Members then in office. A successor
Executive Committee member, so elected, shall serve for the unexpired term of his/her
predecessor.

Article VII. Records

SECTION 1. The records of the Alumni Association shall consist of a minutes book,
made available online to all members, membership records, and financial records, as
well as any other such records as the SDMBA deems necessary and as required by the
Philadelphia University Alumni Office policy.

Article VIII. Bylaws and Amendment

SECTION 1. The constitution and bylaws shall constitute the operating basis of the
Alumni Association.

SECTION 2. The constitution and bylaws may be amended by a majority vote of the
members present, with proper notification having first been given to the entire
membership; provided, however, that the SDMBAAA members must approve any
provision which modifies the fundamental nature of the group.


SECTION 3. The SDMBAAA will be responsible for renewing its affiliation with
Philadelphia University by completing the Affinity Group Application provided by the
Alumni Office.

SECTION 4. A copy of the bylaws of the Alumni Association shall be provided for each
member of the SDMBAAA. Changes to the bylaws will be reviewed and voted upon
annually to ensure that it is in keeping with the needs and activities of the SDMBAAA.

SECTION 5. The number, location and times of meetings shall be determined by the
Executive Committee. Notice of all such meetings shall be posted or sent in writing to all
members not less than three days in advance of the date set for the meeting.

Article VIV. Definitions

Design Thinking - abductive thinking which leverages human-centered research

(finding) and visual/spatial collaboration (making) to prototype innovations through
iterative divergence and convergence.

Hybrid Thinking - integrates design thinking with other ways of thinking to produce
successful outcomes to wicked problems by co-creating more meaningful, humancentered experiences.

Hybrid Thinkers - Those individuals who integrate design thinking with other ways of
thinking in order to find, create and capture new value.

Date approved by the SDMBAAA membership:

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