3. Plan Administration.
3.1 Committee. The Plan shall be administered
by the Committee, which shall consist of at least two members of
the Board of Directors who shall be appointed by, and shall serve
at the pleasure of, the Board of Directors. Except as otherwise
determined by the Board of Directors, the members of the Committee
shall be “non–employee directors” under Rule 16b–3 of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the “Exchange Act”); provided,
however, that the failure of the Committee to be so comprised shall
not cause any Award to be invalid. The Committee may delegate any
of its powers under the Plan to a subcommittee of the Committee
(which hereinafter shall also be referred to as the Committee). It
is expected and permitted that members of the Committee shall be
Participants.
3.2 Authority. The Committee shall have full
authority, subject to the terms of the Plan (including
Section 12), to (a) exercise all of the powers granted to
it under the Plan, (b) construe, interpret and implement the
Plan and all Awards and Award Agreements, (c) prescribe, amend
and rescind rules and regulations relating to the Plan, including
rules governing its own operations, (d) make all
determinations necessary or advisable in administering the Plan,
(e) correct any defect, supply any omission and reconcile any
inconsistency in the Plan, (f) amend the Plan, (g) grant
Awards and determine who shall receive Awards and the terms and
conditions of such Awards, (h) amend any outstanding Award in
any respect, including, without limitation, to (1) accelerate
the time or times at which the Award becomes vested or unrestricted
or may be exercised or at which Shares are delivered under the
Award (and, without limitation on the Committee’s rights, in
connection with such acceleration, the Committee may provide that
any Shares delivered pursuant to such Award shall be subject to
vesting, transfer, forfeiture or repayment provisions similar to
those in the Participant’s underlying Award) or (2) waive or
amend any restrictions or conditions applicable to such Award, or
impose new restrictions or conditions and (i) determine at any
time whether, to what extent and under what circumstances and
method or methods (1) Awards may be (A) settled in cash,
Shares, other securities, other Awards or other property,
(B) exercised or (C) canceled, forfeited or suspended or
(2) Shares, other securities, cash, other Awards or other
property and other amounts payable with respect to an Award may be
deferred either automatically or at the election of the Participant
or of the Committee. The enumeration of the foregoing powers is not
intended and should not be construed to limit in any way the
authority of the Committee under the Plan which is intended, to the
fullest extent permitted by law, to be plenary. The Plan, and all
such rules, regulations, determinations and interpretations, shall
be binding and conclusive upon the Company, its stockholders and
all Participants, and upon their respective legal representatives,
heirs, beneficiaries, successors and assigns and upon all other
persons claiming under or through any of them.
3.3 Liability. No member of the Board of
Directors or the Committee or any employee of the Company or any of
its affiliates (each such person a “Covered Person”) shall have any
liability to any person (including, without limitation, any
Participant) for any action taken or omitted to be taken or any
determination made in good faith with respect to the Plan or any
Award. Each Covered Person shall be indemnified and held harmless
by the Company against and from any loss, cost, liability or
expense (including attorneys’ fees) that may be imposed upon or
incurred by such Covered Person in connection with or resulting
from any action, suit or proceeding to which such Covered Person
may be a party or in which such Covered Person may be involved by
reason of any action taken or omitted to be taken under the Plan
and against and from any and all amounts paid by such Covered
Person, with the Company’s approval, in settlement thereof, or paid
by such Covered Person in satisfaction of any judgment in any such
action, suit or proceeding against such Covered Person, provided
that the Company shall have the right, at its own expense, to
assume and defend any such action, suit or proceeding and, once the
Company gives notice of its intent to assume the defense, the
Company shall have sole control over such defense with counsel of
the Company’s choice. The foregoing right of indemnification shall
not be available to a Covered Person to the extent that a court of
competent jurisdiction in a final judgment or other final
adjudication, in either case, not subject to further appeal,
determines that the acts or omissions of such Covered Person giving
rise to the indemnification claim resulted from such Covered
Person’s bad faith, fraud or willful criminal act or omission. The
foregoing right of indemnification shall not be exclusive of any
other rights of indemnification to which Covered Persons may be
entitled under the Company’s Certificate of Incorporation or
by–laws, as a matter of law, or otherwise, or any other power that
the Company may have to indemnify such persons or hold them
harmless.
4. Eligibility. All Non–Employee Directors are
eligible for the grant of Awards.
5. Shares Subject to the Plan.
5.1 Number. The aggregate number of Shares
that may be subject to Awards granted under this Plan shall not
exceed 665,000, which may be either treasury Shares or authorized
but unissued Shares. To the extent that (i) an Award shall be
paid, settled or exchanged or shall expire, lapse, terminate or be
cancelled for any reason without the issuance of Shares or
(ii) any Shares under an Award are not issued because of
payment or withholding obligations, then the Committee may also
grant Awards with respect to such Shares. Awards payable only in
cash or property other than Shares shall not reduce the aggregate
remaining number of Shares with respect to which Awards may be made
under the Plan and Shares relating to any other Awards that are
settled in cash or property other than Shares, when settled, shall
be added back to the aggregate remaining number of Shares with
respect to which Awards may be made under the Plan. The maximum
number of Shares that may be issued under the Plan shall be
adjusted by the Committee as appropriate to account for the
adjustments provided for in Section 5.2 hereof. Any Shares
with respect to which the Company becomes obligated to make Awards
through the assumption of, or in substitution for, outstanding
awards previously granted by an acquired entity, shall not count
against the Shares available to be delivered pursuant to Awards
under this Plan.