Article V - ACADEMIC DEPARTMENTS
Section 1 Definition
An academic Department is an organizational unit that is discipline based, incorporating a body of knowledge and reflecting a national norm. It must meet the educational, research, and clinical needs of the College. Sufficient funds shall be provided by the College to support the academic responsibilities of the Preclinical Academic Departments and the Clinical Academic Departments as outlined in Sections 2(1) and (2).
Section 2 Academic Departments
The academic Departments of the College are:
(1) Preclinical Academic Departments:
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Microbiology and Immunology
Neurobiology and Anatomy
Pharmacology and Physiology
(2) Clinical Academic Departments:
Anesthesiology
Cardiothoracic Surgery
Dermatology
Emergency Medicine
Family, Community and Preventive Medicine
Medicine
Neurology
Neurosurgery
Obstetrics and Gynecology
Ophthalmology
Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery
Orthopedic Surgery
Pathology and Laboratory Medicine
Pediatrics
Psychiatry
Radiation Oncology
Radiologic Sciences
Surgery
Section 3 Creation of New Academic Departments
Any decision to create a new academic Department should be the result of a conscious decision that creation of a new Department will enhance management of the education, research, and clinical services of the College for the benefit of the Faculty, students, and patients. Creation of a new academic Department is a significant decision that requires approval by the Board of Trustees, based on its determination that the new Department will meet the needs and further the mission of the College, provide a distinct service, and allow for more effective management of the College.
(1) Criteria for Departmental Status. To qualify for Departmental status, a petitioning division or other group generally must demonstrate:
(a) That there is an academic and operational benefit to establishing the proposed Department.
(b) That the nature and practice of the medical specialty or basic science requires an expertise beyond the competence of other disciplines, including those for which primary Board Certification may be necessary.
(c) That the discipline represented by the proposed Department is recognized by generally accepted criteria, such as credentialing by the American Board of Medical Specialties, the existence of a national organization of Chairs of the discipline, membership in the Council of Academic Societies, and recognition as a Department by a significant number of U.S. medical schools.
(d) That the proposed Department will consist of a critical mass of qualified full time Faculty as well as volunteer Faculty where appropriate.
(e) That the proposed Department has a commitment to medical education, evidenced by active involvement in undergraduate medical education and, where appropriate, participation in graduate biomedical education and/or in ACGME approved, accredited graduate medical education programs where supported by one of the major affiliated hospitals.
(f) That the proposed Department has a commitment to research, evidenced by publications, by presentations at national meetings, by success in obtaining external funding for research, and by participation of Faculty members as principal or co- principal investigators; each proposed Department shall demonstrate a commitment to pursue research at a level that will permit the Department, within a reasonable time, to compare favorably with nationally recognized Departments in the discipline.
(g) That the proposed Department will support the College’s commitment to maintaining the financial viability required to fulfill its mission.
(h) That the creation of the proposed Department will enhance the ability to attract and retain qualified Faculty in the discipline.
(2) Procedure for Consideration of Creation of New Departments
(a) If a division or other group believes that it meets all of the above criteria, it may petition the Dean for a recommendation to be made to the Board of Trustees for approval of the new Department.
(b) The Dean shall forward the petition to the Executive Committee of the Faculty for consideration. With the approval of the Executive Committee, the Dean shall appoint an ad hoc Committee with appropriate expertise to evaluate the request for Departmental status.
(c) The ad hoc Committee shall evaluate the request and determine if the criteria listed above are met by the petitioning group. The ad hoc Committee shall forward its recommendations and justification to the Executive Committee.
(d) The Executive Committee shall evaluate the report of the ad hoc Committee and shall vote on the request. A two-thirds majority of the entire body of the Executive Committee is required to approve any request for Departmental status.
(e) If approved by the Executive Committee, the request shall be forwarded to the Faculty of the College for its approval as a revision to the Faculty Bylaws, according to the procedure outlined in Article IX.
(f) If approved by the Faculty of the College the request shall be forwarded to the Board of Trustees for final action.
(3) Provisional Departments. Notwithstanding the above requirements, the Dean may determine that it is in the best interests of the College to organize a unit as a Department. In such case, the Dean, with the approval of the Board of Trustees, may grant such unit provisional Departmental status for a three to five year period, allowing it time to satisfy the above requirements and allowing it to follow the established governance procedure for recognition as a Department on a permanent basis.
Section 4 Dissolution or Merger of Academic Departments
Any decision to dissolve or change the basic constituency of an academic department (for example, through merger of two departments) must be the result of a careful process that ensures that such a change will enhance the management of the education, research and clinical objectives of the College.
(1) To initiate a proposal to dissolve or merge one or more Departments, at least one of the following criteria must be met:
(a) The Department no longer plays an appropriate or independent role in the larger mission of the College, including a commitment to medical education and research as outlined in the criteria for creation of a new academic department as stipulated in Section 3; or
(b) The discipline of the Department is no longer recognized by generally accepted criteria, such as credentialing by the American Board of Medical Specialties, the existence of a national organization of chairs, and/or recognition as a department by a significant number of U.S. medical schools. Furthermore, in the case of a proposed merger, the newly merged set of disciplines must meet the criteria of a new academic department as stipulated in Section 3 (2) Procedure of dissolution or merger of departments. (a) The process will be initiated by the Dean. This may be requested by the faculty of the affected Department(s).
(b) The Dean shall appoint a committee to review the performance of the Department(s) constituted as follows:
• One member from the affected Department(s);
• Two members from outside the Department(s); and
• Two members external to the College and qualified in the field.
(c) The recommendation of the committee to retain, merge or dissolve the Department(s) must then be submitted to the Steering Committee of the Faculty for review. The Steering Committee of the Faculty will give the Dean their comments and concerns regarding the proposal, and will inform the Executive Committee of the Faculty that it does or does not support the proposal for dissolution or merger. The Executive Committee of the Faculty shall evaluate the proposal and shall vote on the requested retention, dissolution or merger. A two-third majority of the entire body of the Executive Committee of the Faculty is required to approve any change in Department Status.
(d) If approved by the Executive Committee of the Faculty, the proposal shall be forwarded to the Faculty for approval as a revision to the Bylaws according to the procedures outlined in Article IX.
(e) If approved by the Faculty, the request shall be forwarded to the Board of Trustees for final action.
(f) The final action of the Board of Trustees is binding. If approved, the former departmental structure cannot be reinstated for a period of at least three years.
Section 5 Review of Departments
Each Department shall undergo a periodic review, by a Committee of appropriate expertise, of its performance no less frequently than once every seven years. This review shall include a determination that the Department continues to adhere to the criteria for Departmental status, as set forth in Section 3 of this Article.
If the result of a review is to recommend to abolish a Department or to consolidate Departments, the issue should be brought to the Executive Committee and to the Steering Committee for their recommendations.
Section 6 Divisions
When the nature of the duties of a Department so require, subdivisions with division chiefs may be created upon recommendation of the Department Chair and approval of the Executive Committee of the Faculty and the Faculty. Revision of these intradepartmental divisions can be accomplished upon recommendation of the Department Chair and approval of the Executive Committee of the Faculty and the Faculty.
Section 7 Chair
Each Department shall have a Chair or acting or interim Chair who will be responsible for the organization and administration of all College programs in that Department. The Chairs of Departments shall oversee the medical education functions for their respective Departments and shall perform such other duties as the Dean may assign. The Chairs of Departments shall be directly responsible to the Dean. The chiefs of the subdivisions of a Department will be appointed by the Chair of such Department with the approval of the Dean.
(1) Search Committee for Department Chair
A search Committee to recommend candidates for nomination as Department Chair shall be appointed by the Dean and shall be comprised of members of the Faculty. The Chair of such Committee shall be selected from among the Committee members.
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