TASK FORCE ON THE FUTURE OF THE HEALTH SCIENCES
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Letter from Walter Wolf, Co-chair of
the Task Force
Text of the resolution passed
by the Academic Senate on May 7, 1997
Text of the Final Task Force Report as
Amended on May 7, 1997
Dear Colleagues:
I have the pleasure of advising you that the recommendations developed by the Task Force on the Future of the Health Sciences were approved by unanimous vote of the Academic senate at its meeting yesterday May 7.
In behalf of Prof. Donna Shoupe and of myself, I wish to thank each and everyone of you for your excellent contribution to this effort. This part of our job is done, and the Task Force is hereby discharged, having accomplished its mission.
Much needs to be done to develop and implement these principles. We look forward to the continued contribution that each of you and all of us will continue making to our collective aspirations.
Thank you again. Here is now the final, approved version, which includes the additional principle proposed by the MFA and some other very minor changes.
Professor Walter Wolf, Ph.D Director, Pharmacokinetic Imaging Program Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences University of Southern California 1985 Zonal Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90033 E-Mail: wwolfw@hsc.usc.edu
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA ACADEMIC SENATE
It is moved that:
The Academic Senate endorse the Report of the Task Force on the Future of the Health Sciences, and that the report be forwarded to the administration for implementation.
Approved unanimously by the Academic Senate on May 7, 1997.
TASK FORCE ON THE FUTURE OF THE HEALTH SCIENCES
The Governance of the Schools and Departments of the Health Sciences shall be based on the following fundamental principles:
Principle 1: The central mission of the University of Southern California is the development of human beings and society as a whole through the cultivation and enrichment of the human mind and spirit. A university uniquely contributes to this enrichment through combining teaching and research. The foundations of these academic missions of the university are the creative activities and efforts of the faculty, making the faculty the only truly essential asset of the university.
Principle 2: Collegial interactions among the faculty and between the faculty and their students are necessary to make the overall productivity of the university greater than the sum of the individual parts. An atmosphere that is not conducive to collegial interactions diminishes an academic unit, a school or the university as a whole.
Principle 3: Creativity and productivity of the faculty requires a supportive and nurturing environment; hence, the need for an administrative structure. The role of the administration is to ensure that the faculty has the resources and the conditions to perform its mission and to provide a supportive environment that encourages and rewards the academic creativity and productivity of the faculty.
Principle 4: Neither the university (a non-profit corporation) nor any of its components can long survive unless sufficient revenues are generated to cover expenses over time. While the economic viability of a university and its component schools or divisions require responsible management procedures, the fundamental differences between the academic missions and business operations must also be recognized.
Principle 5: The management of a university must reconcile the complexities of its operation with the necessity to maintain the creativity of its faculty. This requires an administrative structure dedicated to sustain the university as a fundamentally academic enterprise. Appointees to academic administrative positions shall be members of the faculty who are both willing and capable to deal effectively with the administration of the university while securing a supportive environment for the creative efforts of the faculty in research and teaching.
Principle 6: The administration of the University and any of its units must respect the views and needs of the faculty. Faculty involvement in decision making, in matters of due process and in performance review are basic to a university structure. This principle requires that there is an effective ongoing dialog between the faculty and the administration, and that the administrative appointees have dual accountability: to the trustees for the proper management of the university's operation, and to the faculty for ensuring its academic performance.
Principle 7: Administrative appointments should be for defined terms with periodic review of the performance of the incumbent and should not be, in effect, appointments for life. The faculty of an academic unit must be given a substantial role in the review of the administrative appointee, and no reappointment to the administrative position should occur without the consent of the faculty, as ascertained by vote.
Principle 8: Governance is best accomplished with a clear statement of rules and procedures. Each school shall develop and propose a document clearly stating the rules and procedures that govern the school. In addition, the Academic Senate shall develop and propose a document that clearly states the rules and procedures by which the University approves and enforces governance documents of schools, and by which the University allows the schools to amend their governance documents.
Principle 1: Academic tenure, as defined on page 29 of the Faculty Handbook [2.4.g], is a central element in defining the relation between the University and its faculty members. It does entail both rights and responsibilities by the University and its faculty members.
Principle 2: Academic tenure has two key elements: 1) the right of a faculty member to hold his/her position until the age of retirement, a right that is protected by due process; and 2) that such a position is with pay, which is also protected by due process. Special faculty (non-tenure track) are also protected by due process, as specified in the Faculty Handbook.
Principle 3: The achievement of academic tenure also signifies that the faculty member has made a full and ongoing commitment to excellence in teaching, research and service.
Principle 4: The University (faculty and administration) must move to implement proper policies and procedures to protect two equally important rights: those related to academic tenure, and those related to the proper consideration of the changing nature of faculty teaching in the units of the health sciences.
Principle 5: The granting of tenure places financial obligations upon the University. When tenure positions are not available for valuable faculty, policies that offer limited job security are encouraged.
Principle 6: Faculty development opportunities and periodic review of academic and service activities conducted in a collegial manner are important incentives for faculty. Faculty development recognizes the investment made by the University through the award of tenure. It should also allow the faculty, whose academic excellence has been documented, to maintain their competencies and to expand their interests.
C) INTEGRATION AND COOPERATION WITHIN THE HEALTH SCIENCES AND WITH OTHER UNITS OF THE UNIVERSITY
Principle 1: Cooperative teaching, research and service activities between the Schools and the Departments in the Health Sciences and with other units of the University should be fostered.
Principle 2: Structures shall be established to implement such integration and cooperation.
Principle 3: Special attention must be given to the value of preserving programs and approaches that work, when undertaking sweeping changes that might have unforeseen and unintended consequences.
D) THE FUTURE OF THE HEALTH PROFESSIONS
Principle 1: The University should actively explore the critical issues in health care, especially in how they will affect the education of professionals in the health sciences. This task should be performed by a Commission that should explore
a) What might be the possible changes in the nature, the scope, and hence, the structure and the education of professionals in the health sciences.
b) Perform an assessment of what are the missions of the various health care professions at this time and over the next 10 years.
c) Develop a prospective approach, for the longer range future, to review the mission and the nature of the health care professions based on the list of 17 competencies that the December 1995 Report of the Pew Health Professions Commission: Critical Challenges: Revitalizing the Health Professions for the Twenty-First Century had suggested all health care practitioners should have by the year 2005, with the addition of an 18th competency in Professional Ethics.
Principle 2: That the University's Strategic Plan should address these initiatives in health care education and research.
Principle 3: While the implementation of any long range changes must be done in consonance with other educational institutions, USC should strive to be the lead University in developing novel approaches to the health care professions and the education of their practitioners.