Officer Position Descriptions for the Beta Phi Mu – Beta Delta Chapter at SUNY Buffalo, Department of Library and Information Studies
Chapter President
The Chapter President is the chief executive officer of the Chapter and may serve as an ex-officio member of all committees, with the possible exception of the Nominating Committee.
The Chapter Bylaws stipulate the president is an elected position.
The general duties of the president:
- Consult with the Board of Officers on matters of Chapter policy and the development of annual goals and objectives.
- Report information, instructions, recommendations, and suggestions received from Beta Phi Mu National Headquarters to the Board of Officers.
- Represent the Chapter in relations with other professional, business, service organizations, and with Beta Phi Mu Headquarters.
- Acknowledge letters and other correspondence addressed to the Chapter and route to the appropriate Chapter officer for proper handling. He or she may prepare letters/e-mail and other official communications to the Chapter.
- Maintain current policies, procedures and Chapter Bylaws and ensure that the successor knows how and where to access them.
- Attend various functions to promote the Chapter.
The committee duties of the president:
- Appoint committee chairs and members as instructed per the Chapter Bylaws and/or policies and procedures.
- Communicate with committees and assisting in special projects.
- Receive reports from the committees and obtaining the necessary action by the Board. Forwarding these reports to the Secretary/Treasurer for the Chapter records.
The meeting and Chapter operation duties of the president:
- Preside at regular and special meetings of the Chapter, issue calls for meetings of the Board of Officers, and prepare the agenda and forward it to the Board members with the meeting notice.
- Conduct meetings of the Board of Officers.
The communication duties of the president:
- Review incoming postal mail and e-mail addressed to the Chapter at least once a week.
- Look for reply or response dates that must be met. Check weekly for the deadlines for what must be done.
- Send out communications to the appropriate Board or Committee members for their information or action. If it pertains to more than one person, distribute as necessary.
- Follow up on delegated tasks and re-assigning those tasks if necessary.
- Break down the Chapter responsibilities into small, manageable tasks. Do not overwhelm new or potential members and do not expect them to know what to do.
- Encourage new ideas. Ask for input from the entire Chapter. Be an approachable and available president. Encourage all Board members to do the same.
- Share what you have learned! Share successes with the Beta Phi Mu Headquarters leadership. Network with other chapters.
- Recognize the hard workers within the Chapter.
Chapter Vice-President/President-Elect
The Beta Phi Mu Beta Delta Chapter Vice-President/President-Elect is the second executive officer of the Chapter. As such, the vice-president/president-elect should be familiar with the general duties of the office.
The general duties of the Chapter Vice-President/President-Elect:
- In the absence or disability of the President, perform all the duties of the President. The Chapter’s Board of Officers or the President may delegate other powers or duties to the Vice-President/President-Elect.
- Be familiar with all duties of the President in the event he/she must act in the President’s absence.
- Assist the President in the executive direction of the Chapter affairs.
- Accept specific duties assigned to him or her – preferably responsibilities where he/she has had no previous exposure – in order to obtain experience that will be helpful for a potential president.
- Act as chair of a standing committee when asked to do so.
Chapter Secretary/Treasurer
The secretary/treasurer for the Beta Delta Chapter of Beta Phi Mu is the financial officer of the chapter. As such the secretary/treasurer must be an official citizen and resident of the United States. This position is responsible to the President and the Board of Officers for the receipt and deposit of all funds of the Chapter and for the disbursement of funds for properly vouched and approved expenditures.
The general duties of the Secretary/Treasurer:
- Report names of the Chapter officers and committee chairs to Beta Phi Mu National Headquarters.
- Prepare minutes and keeping records of all Board of Directors Meetings.
- Maintain Chapter records in accordance with any applicable retention and disposition schedule.
- Under the direction of the nominating committee, prepare the ballot of slate of nominees and distributing it to the chapter members.
- Acknowledge and preparing letters and other communications as required on behalf of the Chapter.
- Deposit all receipts, membership dues, fees from meetings, etc. Record receipts in a journal and in a checkbook register with the following information: date, from whom received, items covered, and the amount. Retain deposit receipts kept for record.
- Maintain a book of accounts showing receipts and expenditures which is open at all times for inspection by the Board, officers and membership.
- Pay by check all the approved bills of the Chapter. All payments should be accompanied by an invoice.
- Prepare a Chapter financial budget for approval by the Chapter Board of Officers which also includes: (a) request a budget from each committee chair so a budget for Board approval can be prepared; and (b) direct the Board’s attention to expenses that are running over the budget appropriation.
The monthly duties of the Secretary/Treasurer:
- Reconcile monthly bank statements and attaching all receipts to cancelled checks. The President should receive and review the statements before forwarding them to the Secretary/Treasurer as a security precaution.
- Prepare a monthly balance sheet and account statement for distribution to Board members. This report should show the previous month’s balance, all deposits for the current month, all disbursements for the current month, and the current month’s balance. These financial statements are filed with the monthly bank reconciliation.
The year-end duties of the Secretary/Treasurer:
- Prepare annual Chapter financial information forms at the end of the fiscal year.
- Furnish all financial records for the annual audit to the Financial Review Committee.
Chapter Directors
The Directors are elected members of the Board and serve as members of various committees.
The Chapter Bylaws stipulate Directors are elected positions.
The general duties of a director:
- Attend all Board meetings and Chapter meetings.
- Consult with other members of the Board on matters of Chapter policy and the development of annual goals and objectives.
- Represent the Chapter in relations with other professional, business, service organizations.
- Attend various functions to promote the Chapter.
- Serve on various committees.
- Assist in special projects.
- Review reports from various committees and actively participating in any necessary actions by the Board.