Amended October 7, 2011; Annual Meeting, Colorado Mesa University

Amended October 9, 2010; Annual Meeting, Weber State University

Amended October 9, 2009; Annual Meeting, Mesa State College

Amended October 11, 2008: Annual Meeting, Idaho State University

Amended October 12, 2007: Annual Meeting, University of Nebraska at Kearney

Amended October 20, 2006: Annual Meeting, Utah Valley State College

Amended October 16, 2004; Annual Meeting, Mesa State College

Amended October 4, 2002; Annual Meeting, Fort Lewis College

Approved October 13, 2000; Annual Meeting at Southern Utah University

BYLAWS OF THE MOUNTAIN PLAINS MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATION (MPMA)

ARTICLE I: NAME

The organization to be governed by these bylaws is the Mountain Plains Management Association (MPMA).

ARTICLE II: OBJECT

2.1 Purpose. The primary purpose of the organization, Mountain Plains Management Association (MPMA), is to conduct an annual conference for the members. The annual conference is sponsored by a host college or university that is solely responsible for planning the conference, organizing the activities necessary to provide a program of interest to academics and practitioners, and arranging for the intellectual stimulation and physical comfort of members at the meeting.

2.2 Geography. The annual conference will be held in a state that is located in the mountain-plains region of the United States of America. Members and attendees are welcome from any state or country.

2.3 Host Colleges or Universities. The Board of Directors is responsible for approving a rotation of host colleges or universities.

2.4 Organizing Interest Divisions. Although none exist at this time, functional areas of business and related subjects are encouraged to organize into divisions. This would facilitate the growth of membership and participation. Potential organizations would apply for approval of formal status by submitting bylaws to the Board of Directors.

2.5 Mountain Plains Journal of Business and Economics. The Mountain Plains Journal of Business and Economics (MPJBE) is a double-blind peer-reviewed electronic publication hosted by Southern Utah University, which is responsible for operations, interaction with authors and reviewers, and the journal’s budget. MPJBE’s editor periodically informs the Board as to the state of the journal.”

ARTICLE III: MEMBERS

3.1 Members. A member is one who paid a conference fee to attend the annual conference. The membership period extends from one annual meeting to the next annual meeting.

3.2 Voting Rights of Members. The annual conference program will include a session for a meeting of the MPMA membership. All official business of the MPMA will be conducted at this meeting. Members present at this meeting may cast votes as required by the agenda. On occasion, it may be necessary to conduct balloting by using electronic mail or surface mail.

ARTICLE IV: OFFICERS

4.1 Conference Officers and President. The Conference officers of the MPMA shall be the: Conference Chair, Past Conference Chair, and Future Conference Chair. The President of the Board of Directors shall be elected by the Board of Directors. These Conference Officers and President shall perform the duties prescribed by these bylaws and by the parliamentary authority adopted by the MPMA.

4.01a Conference Chair. This officer is the designee of the host-college or university that was approved by the Board of Directors for the next annual meeting. The Conference Chair will assume office at the close of the last year’s annual conference and serves in that capacity until the next annual conference.

4.01b Past Conference Chair. At the close of the annual conference the Conference Chair becomes the Past Conference Chair.

4.01c Future Conference Chair. This officer is the designee of the host school for the year-after-next annual meeting.. It should be the track chairperson, but could be a designee. The purpose is to maintain continuity of operations and to learn how to improve the conference.

4.01d President of the Board of Directors. The President of the Board of Directors shall be one of the six elected directors and is elected by members of the Board of Directors described in section 6.3 below.

Terms of Office. As prescribed above, except that the President of the Board of Directors is restricted to serving two consecutive one-year terms.

Service. No member shall hold more than one office at a time, and no member shall be eligible to serve more than two consecutive terms in the same office.

ARTICLE V: MEETINGS

5.1 Annual Conference. The annual conference of the Mountain Plains Management Association (MPMA) shall be the Mountain Plains Management Conference (MPMC) and shall be held in the fall, usually October, as established by the Board of Directors in cooperation with the host-college or university.

5.01a Best of Track Award. The Mountain Plains Management Association wishes to acknowledge the best conference papers submitted each year. The host school reviews the submissions in each track and awards a “Best of Track” plaque and a single cash award to the author of that paper. If there are multiple authors, they can divide the cash award to their satisfaction.

5.01b Contribution to subsequent conference. At the conclusion of a conference, the host school will deliver $500 to the next host school to assist in financing the initial activities for the subsequent Mountain Plains Management Conference.

5.01c Conference tracks. The following tracks are offered at each management conference: Pedagogy, Economics, Accounting, Computer Information Systems, Management, and Marketing. Additional special focus tracks sponsored by the host university are acceptable.

5.01 d Host Colleges or Universities. The Board of Directors is responsible for approving a rotation of host colleges or universities. This conference is hosted on a rotating basis among four colleges, including Idaho State University, Southern Utah University, Colorado Mesa University (Grand Junction), and University of Nebraska at Kearney and other colleges chosen by the Board of Directors. The directors will choose from among those colleges who have submitted a letter of intent from the dean (or similar authority) of the candidate college.

5.01 e Conference Chair Responsibilities. This person is responsible for planning and executing the entire annual conference, including paper sessions, refreshments, banquets, awards, identifying lodging and parking, and other aspects necessary for a successful conference. This person shall appoint track chairs, discussants and reviewers to conduct blind reviews for papers submitted, organize and staff paper sessions, and determine best paper awards. This person shall be responsible for producing a Proceedings CD to be distributed at the MPMC. The Conference Chair shall also communicate at least monthly via email with the President of the Board of Directors as to the status of preparations for the conference and shall submit a final financial statement at the Board of Directors’ annual meeting.

5.01 f Contractual Obligations. No member of the host school shall be allowed to bind MPMA into any contractual obligation or legal status. All financial and contractual arrangements for MPMC will be solely the responsibility of the host school, including but not limited to the establishment of any bank accounts.

5.01 g Conference Registration Fee. The Board of Directors will set the MPMC registration fee for the next year’s conference at its meeting at the present year’s conference.

5.01 h Conference Profit or Loss. The host school is responsible for all revenue and expenses of the MPMC that it hosts. MPMA is not responsible for any operating loss. The host school is entitled to retain any profit it might earn, less any annual charges set by the Board of Directors, such as a contribution to the subsequent conference.

5.01 i. Advertising the Conference. The host school will advertise MPMC with its ordinal designation and as a national conference.

5.2 Members Business Meeting. At the annual conference, the program schedule will include a time and place for a business meeting of the MPMA membership. This meeting will have as its purpose the election of board members, receiving reports of officers and committees, and for any other business that may arise. An agenda will be provided in the registration packet at the conference site.

5.3 Board of Directors Meeting. The Board will meet at the annual meeting, prior to the members business meeting. Special meetings of the Board may be called by the President of the Board of Directors if a majority of the Board’s members support such a meeting.

5.4 Quorum. A quorum for the members’ business meeting is those present at the meeting. The Board of Directors needs the presence of a simple majority of the Directors to conduct business.

ARTICLE VI: BOARD OF DIRECTORS

6.1 Definition of Board. The officers of the Mountain Plains Management Association (MPMA) and the Directors constitute the Board of Directors.

6.2 Responsibilities. The Board of Directors represents the interests of the members of the MPMA. The Board shall have general supervision of the affairs of the MPMA between its annual conferences, approve conference sites and/or host-colleges or universities, establish a rotating schedule of conference sites, approve requests for formal organization status, make recommendations to the membership, and perform other duties as specified in these bylaws.

6.3 Composition. The Board of Directors shall consist of nine members, including six elected Directors (one of whom shall serve as President of the Board) and three Conference Officers: Conference Chair, Past Conference Chair, and the Future Conference Chair. The Conference Officers shall be selected by their respective educational institutions. Directors shall be elected to three-year staggered terms by the members of MPMA who are in good standing. A Director may also hold a position as a Conference Officer, in which case that person is simultaneously serving two separate terms that might have differing ending dates; should that person's term as Director end before the term as Conference Officer ends, that person shall be eligible to be reelected as a Director.

6.4 Eligibility. Members of the MPMA who are in good standing are eligible for nomination as a Director. The Nominating Committee will nominate members for election, but nominees will always be taken from the floor. Those receiving a majority of the vote are elected.

6.5 Replacement of Directors or Conference Officers: In the event any director is unable to fulfill his/her term, The President of the Board of Directors shall appoint a replacement until the next scheduled Board of Directors meeting at which time the Nominating Committee will recommend a permanent replacement and the Board of Directors will vote for a replacement to fill the unexpired term of the director being replaced. In the event any Conference Officer is unable to complete his/her term, his/her respective educational institution shall fill the vacancy.

ARTICLE VII: COMMITTEES

7.1 Nominating Committee. The Nominating Committee will consist of three members appointed by the President of the Board of Directors. The Past President is one of the three members and serves as chairperson of the Nominating Committee. The Committee’s purpose is to present a slate of nominees to the membership at the Members Business Meeting.

7.2 Forming Committees. The Board of Directors is authorized to form committees as needed in the performance of its duties, to improve conference quality, and to improve service to the membership.

7.3 Ex Officio Member. The President of the Board of Directors shall be ex officio, nonvoting, member of all committees except the Nominating Committee.

ARTICLE VII: PARLIAMENTARY AUTHORITY

The rules contained in the current edition of Robert’s Rules of Order, Newly Revised shall govern the MPMA in all cases to which they are applicable and in which they are not inconsistent with these bylaws and any special rules the MPMA may adopt.

ARTICLE IX: AMENDMENT TO BYLAWS

These bylaws may be amended at any members business meeting of the MPMA by a two-thirds vote, provided that the amendment has been submitted in writing to the membership one month prior to the members business meeting.