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Class Officer Job Descriptions

Class President Job Description

The president is the chief executive officer of the class and takes the lead in determining class objectives. The president can set the tone for the class and its relationship with MIT. The recognition the president gives to officers who do a good job is important in many classes. The president works with all class officers to ensure that the class' interest is being observed in matters of finance, publicity, news of classmates, informal reunions, and fundraising programs. It is the duty of the president to maintain contact with MIT on behalf of the class.

The president, after consultation with the Class Programs staff, is responsible for the appointment of a class agent, a reunion chair, the reunion gift chair and webmasters. Some presidents choose to appoint nominating committee chairs, executive committee members, and members at large. The careful selection of class officers is key to an energetic, active class. The president may be asked to fill officer vacancies arising between class officer elections.

The class president selects the reunion and reunion gift chairs 12 to 24 months in advance of a reunion. These chairs, with advice from the president and the Class Programs staff, recruit their own committees. In most classes, the president sits ex officio on both the reunion gift and the reunion planning committees. Coordinating the work of these two committees is a major responsibility of the class president. The president assists the class agent with class fundraising activities and is involved in stewardship activities for recipients of class gift funds.

Class Vice President Job Description

The vice president works with the class president and other officers in planning, organizing, and implementing class programs. In the absence of the president, the vice president exercises the powers and duties of the president.

Some classes have regional vice presidents who assist with activities and communication in different areas of the U.S. Others assign particular class projects to vice presidents, such as newsletters, community service projects, mini reunions, etc.

Class Secretary Job Description

The secretary communicates news about class members through a class notes column in Technology Review. For many alumni, these notes, published six times a year, are the primary source of news about their class and classmates.

Secretaries are provided with a variety of materials to help them in their task. Some examples are an updated class list including the current alumni/ae volunteer records for each member; lists of missing and deceased classmates; and an update on any student being supported by scholarships the class has funded. Also, Technology Review mails out a packet for each issue that includes information on individual classmates gathered from many sources.

Secretaries keep excellent records of the whereabouts and activities of classmates. Class secretaries actively solicit news. Some examples include the following: sending out letters or postcards with return sections; sending holiday or birthday cards; calling or visiting classmates; taking advantage of weddings and professional conferences to gather news; listing names in each column of classmates from whom they want to hear; and enlisting the help of other class members in gathering material.

Many secretaries also serve as the editors of an Association-provided e-mail list for their class. This can be a particularly effective way to gather news for the column and to generate interest in reunions and other class activities.

Once the column is written, the secretary (and only the secretary) is responsible for delivering it to Technology Review via e-mail or fax. A copy of Technology Review's guidelines is updated and sent periodically to class secretaries along with additional supporting materials prepared by the Alumni Association Class Programs staff.

Class Treasurer Job Description

The treasurer serves a critical role for the alumni class. While the president is responsible for overall leadership and for coordinating with all officers, the treasurer is the most called-upon officer involved in strategic planning and finances for every program the class undertakes. The other class officers, classmates, and the Alumni Association rely on the treasurer’s attention to detail, patience, and diplomacy in the job.

The term of a class treasurer begins on July 1, following their election during reunions, and ends five and a half years later, in the December following their next reunion. The first six months of their term will be a training period during which they will work with the outgoing treasurer to finalize the payment of all reunion expenses and learn the role of the class treasurer.

The treasurer is responsible for the financial resources and liabilities of the class. The treasurer budgets and disburses class funds to pay necessary and authorized charges, and maintains all financial records of the class. One of the treasurer’s most important functions is to serve as reunion treasurer, working in close collaboration with the reunion chair and reunion staff. The class account that the treasurer maintains will be used to pay for class expenses associated with class reunions, e.g., publicity, newsletters, informal reunions, catering, etc. In most classes, the treasurer gives a financial report setting forth the amount, management, and disposition of the class funds at each meeting of the class.