University of Sydney Alumni Council

Following the approval of Convocation in 1938, the Senate of the University of Sydney under By-law made provision for the first election of the Standing Committee of Convocation to be held at the time of the quinquennial election of the Senate in November, 1939. The Standing Committee was elected in accordance with the will of Convocation for a period of five years. It is representative of all Faculties and under the By-laws must include not fewer than 40 members, of whom 25% must be women' (Minutes of Convocation, 1944, p 24).

The First Standing Committee of Convocation was elected in November 1939; its first President was JP Tivey, B.A., B.Sc., B.E.. The first meeting of the Committee was held at the University on 29 March, 1940.

According to notes in the Convocation Minutes (p 23), the annual meeting of Convocation was suspended each year because of the war (1940-1-2-3), and the first Standing Committee first reported to Convocation at its meeting on 23 October, 1944.

Page 27 of the Convocation Minutes notes that the annual meetings of Convocation were also suspended in 1945-6-7-8, but the report of the second Standing Committee of Convocation (elected 1944) was adopted at the meeting of Convocation held on 1 April, 1949.

The final entry in the Convocation Minutes was for the meeting held 3 November, 1950, when the report of the third Standing Committee of Convocation (elected 1949) was adopted.

The Minute Book of the Standing Committee of Convocation itself, however, contains an insert at page 48, of the minutes of a meeting of Convocation held 13 October, 1953, which discussed asking the Senate to rescind the section of the By-laws governing the Standing Committee and forming a new body to be called 'The University of Sydney Graduates' Association'. The meeting resolved, however, to ask the Senate to 'appoint a sub-committee from the Senate, to confer with the executive of the Standing Committee of Convocation, with a view to recommending alterations in the present constitution of that body, which will make it more effective'.

On 19 September 2005 Senate endorsed the Standing Committee's role as a key alumni advisory organisation to the Alumni Office, University Relations and Senate.
Members of the Standing Committee of Convocation felt that its name did not easily convey its new role as the peak alumni body and at a meeting on 23 May 2006 approved the use of a new name 'The University of Sydney Alumni Council' and it submitted to Council the view that this name more accurately represented its new role and its relationship with the them 44 Alumni Associations world wide. At its meeting on 18 September 2006 Senate resolved (Res. 285/06) to insert a new sub-clause 11 (3) into the University of Sydney (Amendment Act) Rule 1999 that permitted the Standing Committee of Convocation to use the name 'The University of Sydney Alumni Council'.

In December 2014 Senate adopted the University of Sydney (Alumni Council) Rule 2014 under sub-section 37 (1) of the University of Sydney Act 1989 for the purposes of the University of Sydney By-law 1999 prescribing the constitution, purpose and power of the Alumni Council; the process of the appointment of Alumni Council members and the duties of Alumni Council members.

In the rule Alumni Council means The Standing Committee of Convocation. The Council will comprise 12 members, selected and appointed by the Senate on the recommendation of its Nominations & Appointments Committee; the Senate will appoint a President and Deputy President from among the Alumni Council members; at least 25 percent of the Alumni Council members will be women and at least 25 per cent will be men; members will be drawn from a cross-section of different faculties. The purposes of the Council are to support the University and its faculties in their endeavours to grow alumni engagement across the University community and provide opportunities for alumni to develop a lifelong connection with the University, commencing when a student enters the University.