Elections of New Executives for EMA-AC

There is a new call on all Erasmus Mundus Alumni and current students in Europe and Africa to express interest in various posts to contribute to making the African Chapter fulfill its mission in Africa and Europe. The Guidelines for the elections are below:

Dear EMA - African Chapter Members,

As some Directive members are completing their term, we would like to open the call for candidates for the following positions:

1. 1. President
2. 2. Vice-president
3. 3. Secretary General
4. 4. Treasurer/Financial Secretary
5. 5. Event/Conference Coordinator
6. 6. Sub-Regional Coordinators (for West Africa, Eastern Africa, Central Africa, Northern Africa and Southern Africa)

The roles and responsibilities of these positions are the following:

President Responsibilities

1. The President is the primary representative of the Chapter in external affairs, in particular regarding the cooperation with the European Commission's Directorate General for Education and Culture, and the Service Provider. He shall be assisted by the Vice President.

2. The President chairs the annual General Assembly and meetings of the Directive Board

3. The President has the responsibility to ensure the overall performance and regular operation of the Chapter, with the assistance of the Directive Board.

4. The President may delegate limited Presidential duties to the Vice-President upon receiving Directive Board approval.

Vice-President Responsibilities

1. The Vice-President shall assist the President in all his/her duties

2. The Vice-President is expected to fulfil the duties of the President whenever he/she is unable to perform them.

3. He/she shall be the time keeper and shall ensure orderliness at meetings.

Secretary General

1. The Secretary General shall be the chief administrator of the Chapter in consultation with the President and the Vice President.

2. He/she shall be responsible for all correspondences between the chapter and all external stakeholders.

3. The Secretary General shall be the automatic successor to the Vice President in his/her absence and shall succeed the President in the absence of both the President and the Vice President.

4. The Secretary General shall assist the President and the Vice in the identification of the Agenda of Directive Board Meetings.

5. The Secretary General shall write the minute of all Directive board meetings as well as all other official meetings. He/she shall read all previous minutes for correction and adoption prior to the new Directive Board Meeting

6. The Secretary General shall write the Chapter’s annual report in consultation with Sub-Regional Coordinators for subsequent approval of the Directive Board

7. The Secretary General shall be the custodian of non-financial properties of the Chapter.

Treasurer/ Financial Secretary

1. The Treasurer/Financial Secretary of the Chapter shall be elected for a two year term

2. The Treasurer/Financial Secretary shall be the custodian of the Chapter’s finances/funds

3. He/she shall keep all financial records of the Chapter

4. The Treasurer/Financial Secretary shall lead the Chapter’s Directive Board in the preparation of the Chapter’s annual budget in consultation with the President.

5. The Treasurer/Financial Secretary shall be in charge of any internal revenue generation efforts of the Chapter.

Event/Conference Coordinator

1. The Event or Conference Coordinator of the Chapter shall be elected together with the other officials of the Directive Board for tenure of 2 years.

2. The position of the Event/Conference Coordinator could be held by the same person for only one term,

3. The Event/Conference Coordinator shall be responsible for organizing events held by the Chapter in the entire Continent.

4. He/she shall be assisted by the Sub-Regional Coordinating in the respective region where an event in taking place.

5. Prior to a Chapter’s event, the Event/Conference Coordinator shall give periodic report to the Directive Board on plans and logistics to be put in place for the successful event.

6. The Event/Conference Coordinator shall be responsible for making sure that a conference venue is put in place appropriately in accordance terms agreed with the owners.

Responsibilities of Sub-Regional Coordinators:

Coordinators are needed for:

• West Africa,
• Eastern Africa,
• Central Africa,
• Northern Africa and
• Southern Africa

1. Sub-Regional Coordinators shall be the representative of the Chapter in their areas of jurisdiction.

2. Sub-Regional Coordinators shall be responsible to stimulate and coordinate Chapter’s activities in their region.

3. They shall participate in the Directive Board meetings as full members, expected to bring concerns of the region they represent.

Sub-Regional Coordinators shall liaise with Country Representatives in their region and help to plan events.

4. They are responsible for ensuring that the activities of each region are compatible with each other.

5. The Sub-regional coordinators shall prepare annual reports of the region to the Chapter’s Directive Board regarding the activities and performance of their respective regions.

Requirements for these positions

• High sense of commitment and responsibility
• Excellent communication and team work skills
• Project administration / team coordination experience

§ Erasmus Mundus student or alumni from Africa

§ Registered EMA member

§ Passionate to help promote Erasmus Mundus in Africa

§ Strong vision and availability to work for the improvement of the African Chapter

§ Resident in Africa or in Europe

§ Regular access to the internet

 The call for candidates starts on 09.06.11 until midnight of 28.06.11 (Brussels time). Candidates shall fill the application formulary before the 23:59hrs (CET) of 29.06.11. Please do not forget to complete all the fields of the formulary. 

All Applicants shall be vetted by the Election Committee between 29^th June and 12^th July before the successful Applications will be posted on the EMA website and shared among all the members of the Chapter by 13.07.11, so that all of you can read them and make a decision on your vote. Elections will be conducted using the eVoting system set up by EMA and will take place from 13.07.11 until the midnight of 30.07.11 (Brussels time). The entire process will be closely monitored by a neutral Committee. Final results will be given in the end of July 2011. In case of a tie, elections will take place again to select between the two finalists. All EMA registered members from Africa by (end of May 2011) have the right to apply for the position and vote.

Note that the dates given in this document are subject to change by the election committee in the event of unforseen circumstances.

We look forward to working with you and receiving your applications to the Directive positions. We would also like to invite you all to get involved in the activities planned for this fiscal year 2010- 2011.

Best whishes to all Candidates

The Link for the announcement on the EMA website is here

The EMA-African Chapter Directive Elections Committee