SMD Faculty Council Charter and By-Laws

Article I: Purpose

The general purpose of the School of Medicine and Dentistry Faculty Council (SMDFC) is to foster communication by serving as a two-way liaison between the Dean and the faculty of the School of Medicine & Dentistry. Specifically, the SMDFC will:

1. 1. Serve as a forum for discussion and expression of faculty views in matters relevant to the faculty.
   2. Bring key topics and issues concerning the faculty to the attention of the Dean.
   3. Disseminate ideas and information from the Dean to faculty in matters relevant to faculty as related to all missions of the School and Medical Center.
   4. Obtain faculty perspectives and feedback on specific topics at the request of the Dean. Some key issues may require a vote by the SMDFC as representatives of the whole faculty.
   5. Carry out tasks as requested by the Dean and/or as specified by the SMDFC.

Article II: Organization

Section One

The SMDFC shall constitute a committee of the Medical School Advisory Council (MEDSAC) representing the voice and opinion of the faculty of the School.

Section Two

The Chair of the SMDFC shall be an ex officio member of MEDSAC during his/her term in office.

Section Three

The Vice Dean for Academic Affairs (VDAA) shall be an ex officio member of the Medical Faculty Council and present at all meetings held by the SMDFC. The Dean may appoint another representative at times when the VDAA cannot participate.

Section Four

The SMDFC may establish subcommittees or workgroups as it deems necessary to conduct business. These groups shall have a specific task for a specified duration and shall report progress and accomplishments directly to the SMDFC. Membership of such groups shall not be limited to members of the SMDFC, but at least one member must be a member of the SMDFC and serve asa liaison between the group and the SMDFC.

Article III: Membership

Section One

The voting membership of SMDFC will consist of one representative from each School-level Department and Center.

Section Two

Each Department/Center must have at least one primary SMDFC representative. Each representative must have a primary appointment in the Department or a secondary appointment in the Center, must have a full-time or academic part-time faculty appointment, and must hold a rank of Assistant Professor or higher. Each representative should be submitted by the Department Chair/Center Director, based on input from constituent faculty members; the use of electronic voting processes for this purpose is strongly encouraged. The SMDFC Chair and the VDAA will ensure that each Department/Center has a representative who participates actively in the SMDFC.

1. 1. Large Departments, defined as ≥50 faculty members, may select two primary SMDFC representatives. Such Departments would still only have one vote at formal SMDFC voting procedures; the purpose of having more than one representative is to assist with the bidirectional Departmental communications that are essential to the representatives’ roles.
   2. All Departments and Centers should identify at least one alternate representative, to ensure their representation should the primary representative be unable to attend a MFC meeting. Alternates should meet the same criteria as the primary representative.

Section Three

Each representative will serve a three-year term on the SMDFC, with terms beginning in August.Individuals may be chosen to serve a second three-year term, but may not serve for more than two consecutive terms. At initial implementation of this SMDFC Charter, initial appointments will be for staggered terms of 1, 2, or 3 years in order to avoid full turnover of SMDFC members three years hence.

Section Four

Ex officio (non-voting) members of the SMDFC will include the Dean, the VDAA, and all School faculty members who currently serve on the University Faculty Senate.

Article IV: Officers

Section One: Medical Faculty Council Officers

Chair

This officer can be any faculty member who has been a SMDFC representative for at least one year. The Chair will serve for a single one-year term beginning July 1st.The Chair will be present at and conduct all SMDFC meetings and will set the agenda foreach SMDFC meeting. The Chair will act as a liaison for the Dean and will work closely with the Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs or other Dean’s office ex-officio member to organize agenda for SMDFC meetings. The Chair will be an ex-officio member of MEDSAC to represent the SMDFC at each MEDSAC meeting.

Associate Chair

This officer can be any SMDFC member. The Associate Chair will serve for a single one-year term, but then will serve as Chair for the following year. The Associate Chair should be present at all SMDFC meetings and will aid in conduct of the meetings. Additionally, if, for any reason, the current Chair is unable to fulfill their SMDFC duties, the Associate Chair will become Chair and another Associate Chair will be elected.

Past Chair

This officer position is reserved for the person who has completed their single one-year term as Chair the prior academic year, assuming that they still have one year remaining in their fulfillment of the three-year SMDFC membership. This position may not be filled every year depending on when the Chair was elected during their three year SMDFC membership. The Past Chair will assist the Chair and Associate Chair with conduct of meetings and agendas. This officer position is a resource for the Chair and Associate Chair for continuity of actions and responsibilities of the SMDFC.

Secretary

This officer position can be held by any SMDFC member. The Secretary will serve for a single one-year term and may be chosen for a second one-year term. The Secretary cannot serve more than two consecutive terms. The Secretary is responsible for recording the minutes of all SMDFC meetings and any special meetings related to SMDFC business. The Secretary will distribute the minutes to all School faculty in a timely manner. The Secretary will be responsible for maintaining the SMDFC’s website and e-communications to assure faculty awareness and participation. The Secretary should be present at all SMDFC meetings. If the Secretary is unable to attend a meeting, the Associate Chair will assume the Secretary’s responsibilities at that time.

Dean's Office Ex-officio Member

The Vice Dean will attend every MFC meeting and will work closely with the SMDFC Chair to set the agenda and items for each meeting.

Section Two: Election of Officers

Officers will be elected at the beginning of each academic year (i.e., July) by majority vote of all SMDFC members; the vote may be conducted electronically. SMDFC members will nominate other members or themselves to serve as Chair, Associate Chair, and Secretary.

Article V: Meetings

Section One

The SMDFC will meet regularly every other month (i.e., 6 meetings/year). The SMDFC may hold additional or more frequent meetings if deemed necessary by the Officers. Special meetings may be held with at least one week’s notice at the discretion of the SMDFC Chair, the Dean or other Dean’s Office representative, or upon petition by one-third of the SMDFC.

Section Two

The SMDFC Chair will follow a specified agenda and shall lead all meetings as a forum for discussion and debate. If the agenda requires SMDFC approval of any item, an informal parliamentary voting procedure will be used.

1. 1. If SMDFC approval is required between meetings, at the discretion of the SMDFC Chair the SMDFC may do so using electronic voting procedures.

Section Three

Meeting agendas shall consist of four key components:

1. 1. Additions/corrections to SMDFC Minutes
   2. Chair’s report and updates
   3. Follow-up on old business or issues
   4. New topics/issues/concerns

Section Four

The agenda for each meeting will be set by the Chair and Associate Chair together with the Vice Dean for Academic Affairs or other Dean’s Office representative. The agenda should cover issues of importance to all School faculty. All faculty and SMDFC members are invited and encouraged to transmit suggestions for topics and issues of discussion and inquiry. The only stipulation is that the topics should be reasonable, relevant, and of legitimate concern.

Section Five

As required by the agenda, votes on motions may be taken on key issues brought to the SMDFC by the Dean or other leaders, SMDFC members, or other faculty concern. A simple majority of those present is required for passing such motions.

Section Six

The SMDFC Chair and Associate Chair will be responsible for communicating the results of such votes, and other recommendations and opinions of the SMDFC to the Dean’s Office and/or MEDSAC.

Section Seven

The Dean’s Office will be responsible for the cost of the SMDFC meetings, additional secretarial assistance, aid in the distribution of materials and minutes to all School faculty, and in other reasonable expenses at the recommendation of the SMDFC and at the discretion of the Dean’s Office.

Section Eight

Under special circumstances after consultation with the President of the University (or her/his designee), the SMDFC may call meetings involving all School faculty. The oversight and agenda of such meetings will be conducted as per the direction of the President/designee.

Article VI: Amendments

The SMDFC may amend this Charter & By-Laws as it deems necessary, typically as decided together with the approval of the Dean’s Office. Such amendments shall require approval by two-thirds of the SMDFC members present for a formal vote (or two-thirds of those responding to a call for an electronic vote), followed by simple majority of votes by the general faculty returned within two weeks of notification of the proposed amendments.