Web Exclusives:

More...

CHARTER OF THE PRINCETON ALUMNI WEEKLY

I. Statement of Purpose

A. The Princeton Alumni Weekly (PAW) is the principal means of communication among alumni of Princeton University and between alumni and the University.

B. Its purposes are: (1) to arouse, foster and maintain interest in, and disseminate information concerning, the University; (2) to record news of the alumni and to review without partiality the achievements and problems of the administration, faculty and student body of the University; (3) to convey as complete, fair and accurate an understanding of the University and its alumni as possible; (4) to strive for standards of excellence befitting the University and the alumni body and to change over time in ways that reflect changes in the University and in the interests of the alumni; (5) to provide alumni with a continued sense of belonging to the University and with opportunities to communicate with each other; and (6) to advance the longterm best interests of the University and the alumni.

C. To inform, engage and inspire its diverse and ever-evolving readership, the magazine must be well designed, with editorial content that evokes memories of Princeton past, conveys an understanding of Princeton today, and fosters thoughtful consideration of the many challenges facing Princeton and Princetonians in the future.

II. Editorial Independence

A. A defining characteristic of the PAW is its editorial independence.

B. In carrying out the purposes of the magazine, the editor shall have sole responsibility for the editorial content of the magazine, including such editorial decisions as the commissioning and editing of articles, the selection of articles and letters for publication, the treatment and layout of articles, and the design of the magazine. While the editor is expected to consult widely within the alumni body and on campus in developing story ideas and is encouraged to evaluate regularly whether the magazine is achieving its purposes, the editor has final authority to determine what is published in the magazine and how it is presented, except with respect to the President's Pages as provided in section VI.E.

III. Management and Oversight

A. The PAW shall be constituted as an office of the University associated with the Alumni Council and, as such, shall be eligible to draw as appropriate on the administrative resources of the Council and the University.

B. All members of the PAW staff shall be University employees. All members of the staff except the editor shall report to the editor.

The editor of the PAW shall report:

(1) with respect to administrative matters (including adherence to University management and budgeting policies and procedures), to the director of the Alumni Council.

(2) with respect to performance review, salary review, and goal setting of the editor to a management committee of the PAW Board, as described in section V.

(3) with respect to other matters, including adoption of the magazine's annual budget and overall editorial direction and long-term planning, to the PAW Board, as described in section IV.

D. The editor shall be hired and/or removed by the PAW Board upon the recommendation of the management committee as described in section V.

IV. PAW Board

A. Purpose: The PAW Board shall provide editorial guidance and broad oversight for the PAW, adopt each year's operating budget and financial plan, and ensure responsible exercise of the PAW s editorial independence and freedom of expression.

1. The proposed annual budget for the magazine shall be presented to the PAW Board for approval each year by the editor, following consultation with the chair of the Alumni Council Committee on Class Affairs regarding the financial circumstances of the classes and the vice president for public affairs regarding the financial circumstances of the University.

2. The PAW s fiscal year shall run from July I through June 3 0.

B: Composition: The PAW Board shall consist of the following I I voting members:

1-3: Three alumni with professional experience in the editorial side of journalism, one elected each year for a three-year term.

4-5: Two alumni with professional experience in publishing (which may include web publishing), elected in different years for three-year terms.

6: One representative of graduate alumni with professional experience in the editorial side of journalism or in publishing, elected for a three-year term in years in which there is no election in the category of alumni with professional experience in publishing.

7: One member of the faculty, designated by the Dean of the Faculty for a three-year term following consultation with the PAW Board.

8: The vice chair of the Alumni Council.

9: The chair of the Alumni Council Committee on Class Affairs.

10. The vice president for public affairs of the University.

The director of the Alumni Council.

C. Selection Process: As indicated in section IV.B.7., the faculty member shall be designated by the Dean of the Faculty following consultation with the PAW Board. The vice chair of the Alumni Council, the chair of the Alumni Council Committee on Class Affairs, the vice president for public affairs and the director of the Alumni Council serve ex officio.

1 . The three alumni with professional experience in the editorial side of journalism and the two alumni with professional experience in publishing shall be elected by the Alumni Council following nomination by its Committee on Nominations. The PAW Board will recommend candidates to the Committee on Nominations. The Committee on Nominations may choose to nominate a candidate who has been recommended by the PAW Board, or it may nominate another candidate after obtaining the advice and consent of the PAW Board. It is expected that the Committee on Nominations will present a single candidate for each board position in each election for approval by the Alumni Council. Any of these five alumni may be undergraduate or graduate alumni. Neither the PAW Board nor the Committee on Nominations shall act unreasonably in exercising their rights and performing their obligations with respect to the nominating process.

2. The representative of graduate alumni shall be nominated and elected in similar manner, except that the nomination shall be made by the Association of Princeton Graduate Alumni.

3. With the exception of the Board members serving ex officio, all other members of the Board (i.e., the six members elected by the Alumni Council and the faculty representative) shall be limited to no more than two consecutive terms, although they may be reelected to the Board after at least one year off the Board. and end on June 30.

4. Over time the Board should reflect the diversity of the alumni body with respect to such characteristics as age, gender, and ethnicity.

5. Terms of elected or appointed members of the Board shall begin on July I

D. Spring 2000 Elections: The first election of Board members shall take place as part of the regular Alumni Council election process in the spring of 2000. In that election, one member of the Board with professional experience in the editorial side of journalism shall be elected for a regular three-year term, one shall be elected for a two-year term, and one shall be elected for a one- year term. Also in that election, one member of the Board with professional experience in publishing shall be elected for a regular three-year term and one shall be elected for a two-year term. The representative of graduate alumni in that election shall be elected for a one-year term. Terms of less than three years shall not count toward the prohibition against more than two consecutive terms of service as described in section IV.C.3.

E. Vacancies: In the event a vacancy shall occur in any position on the Board except the ex officio members, a successor shall be selected for the unexpired term in the same manner as the member whose place is to be filled. Board membership filling an unexpired term shall not count toward the prohibition against more than two consecutive terms of service as described in section IV.C.3.

F. Officers: Each year the Board shall elect one of its members as chair and another as vice chair, with the term of office to run from July I through June 30. These shall be members of the Board with professional experience in the editorial side of journalism.

G. Meetings: The Board shall meet at least once each year between July I and December 31 and at least once between January I and June 30. Other meetings may be called by the chair or at the request of any three members of the Board. A majority of the Board shall constitute a quorum and members of the Board participating by telephone may be considered in determining whether a quorum is present.

V. Management Committee

A. The Management Committee shall consist of the director of the Alumni Council and the chair and vice chair of the PAW Board. The chair of the PAW Board shall also chair the Management Committee.

B. The Management Committee shall have responsibility for bringing recommendations to the PAW Board regarding the hiring and/or removal of the editor of the magazine. Following a recommendation from the Management Committee, a two-thirds majority vote of the entire Board shall be required to hire the editor and a majority vote shall be required to remove the editor.

C. The Management Committee shall have responsibility for conducting periodic reviews of the editor's performance, to be done not less frequently than once a year. The performance review shall also specify goals for the editor for the ensuing review period. The Management Committee shall set salary and any other compensation for the editor, consistent with the performance review and in compliance with all applicable University policies regarding compensation.

VI. Funding and Distribution

A. After accounting for all anticipated advertising income and any other revenues (including graduate alumni subscriptions and University subscriptions for students, faculty, and staff), the remaining costs of the magazine shall be covered half by the undergraduate alumni classes and half by the University. It shall be a goal of the magazine to cover approximately one- third of its costs through advertising.

B. After the total charge to the undergraduate alumni classes is determined each year, a single class subscription rate shall be determined, that rate shall be multiplied by the number of individuals on each class's roll, and then a University subsidy shall be subtracted from the resulting amount for each class to yield that class's bill for that year. The amount of University subsidy may vary across classes. The magazine's regular subscription rate may differ from its class subscription rate.

C. Each issue of the PAW shall be distributed to all undergraduate alumni and to all graduate alumni who have subscribed or for whom the Alumni Council, the Graduate School, the Association of Princeton Graduate Alumni, or others have subscribed on a per issue or annual basis. In addition, if adequate funding is available, the PAW may agree either occasionally or on a regular basis to publish special issues to be distributed to graduate alumni.

D. (Amended as follows at the PAW board meeting October 3, 2003): PAW shall be permitted to retain an ongoing escrow account, with a goal of maintaining the account at a minimum of 1 percent and a maximum of 10 percent of the annual PAW budget, but with the account normally in the range of 5 to 10 percent except following its use to fund significant expenditures. The PAW Board shall have discretion to use the escrow account for operating and capital purposes (including equipment upgrades and design costs) and to replenish it through surpluses. Use of the account must be approved through the annual budgetary process.

* Point D was

E. The PAW shall make available in each issue space for the President of the University to communicate with the alumni. The amount, location and design of this space shall be agreed upon by the editor and the President at the beginning of each publication year.

F. In addition to distributing a printed magazine, the PAW may distribute the same content and/or other content in electronic format. The provisions of this Charter regarding purpose, editorial independence, management, and oversight that apply to the printed magazine shall also apply to content distributed electronically.

VII. Amendments to the Charter

This Charter may be altered, amended or repealed by a two-thirds vote of the members of the Executive Committee of the Alumni Council, provided that no such action shall take effect unless it is subsequently ratified by a two-thirds vote of the PAW Board.