School of Medicine Governance Document 4/2/98

FINAL DRAFT 4/2/98

SCHOOL OF MEDICINE
GOVERNANCE DOCUMENT

Appendix I: Standing Committees

Appendix II: Administrative Structure under the Dean of the School of Medicine

Structure under Dean Stephen J. Ryan, M.D.

Appendix III. Guidelines for review of department chairs (pending Provost Committee recommendations)

GOVERNANCE OF THE UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
SCHOOL OF MEDICINE

EXECUTIVE AUTHORITY
As a private corporation, the University of Southern California (USC) is governed by the Board of Trustees. The Board of Trustees establishes policies, exercises powers as stated in the Bylaws of the University, controls property and conducts the affairs for the University. The Board is a self-perpetuating body that elects one- third of its members each year for a three-year term of office. The Board of Trustees delegates certain powers to the administration of the University and serves as the ultimate decision-making unit. The President of the University is the chief executive officer in charge of all University operations. He/she is responsible for carrying out policies established by the Board of Trustees and in so doing has the power to delegate any of this authority to the officers of the University.
The President of the University of Southern California has delegated the responsibility for the operation of the School of Medicine to the Dean of the School of Medicine.
The Student Senate, Graduate and Professional Student Senate, Staff Assembly and Academic Senate serve as consultative bodies for the President and the administration, preparing studies and reports and making recommendations directly to the President on matters pertinent to the functioning of the University. The Executive Council of the School of Medicine and the Medical Faculty Assembly serve as consultative bodies for the Dean of the School of Medicine, preparing studies and reports and making recommendations directly to the Dean on matters pertinent to the functioning of the School of Medicine.
RESPONSIBILITY OF THE DEAN OF THE SCHOOL OF MEDICINE
The Dean shall be responsible for the operation of the School of Medicine. His/her responsibilities shall include
- developing and maintaining outstanding educational programs for medical students, graduate students, postdoctoral trainees, and postgraduate physicians;
- recruiting and retaining a faculty that excels in educational, research and clinical endeavors;
- providing an environment that encourages scholarly activity;
- managing all fiscal matters pertaining to the operation of the school.
At the Dean's discretion, he/she may appoint a Task Force which may be charged with assessing needs of the school, analyzing problem areas identified within the school, or making recommendations for solutions to problems.
THE FACULTY OF MEDICINE
1. By virtue of its competence and concern with education, research, patient care, university and community service, the Faculty of Medicine, through its elected representatives or their delegates, shall exercise primary responsibility for making recommendations to the Dean relative to all matters pertaining to academic policy and faculty status within the School of Medicine. Such policy matters shall include, but not be limited to,
  - For medical and graduate students: admissions, curriculum, evaluation, discipline and student affairs;
  - For faculty: appointments, promotions, quality of research and quality of medical care.
  - For physicians: graduate and continuing medical education programs.
  When appropriate, the Faculty of Medicine, through its elected representatives or their delegates will contribute to long-range planning, achievement of stated goals and objectives, preparation of budget requests and the allocation of available resources.
2. For the purposes of this governance document, the Faculty of Medicine shall include all persons with full-time academic appointments (tenure tracks and non- tenure tracks) at the School of Medicine whether or not primarily located at the Health Sciences Campus.
3. The primary organization of the faculty will be by departments established according to academic disciplines. The Faculty of Medicine may make recommendations to the Dean about the creation of new academic departments, or consolidation or realignment of existing departments. The Dean shall consult with the affected faculty when creating a new department or consolidating existing departments.
  1. Department chairs shall be appointed by the Dean in accordance with the following procedures:
    1. When a vacancy in the chairmanship of a department occurs, the Dean shall appoint an ad hoc search committee that shall include faculty members from within the department as well as outside the department in which the vacancy has occurred. The search committee shall include representation from both clinical and basic science departments. The search committee shall conduct a search, and submit to the Dean the names of candidates, either from within the department or from the outside, who the search committee believes are potentially qualified for the appointment. The means for conducting the search shall be the prerogative of the search committee, but the Dean shall specify the charge and the job description to the committee after appropriate consultation with the faculty of the department. As part of the selection process, the committee shall meet with the final candidate(s) for the job of chair. After consultation with the Executive Council and with the faculty of the department, the Dean shall make the appointment in a timely fashion.
      The Dean, after consultation with the members of the department, may designate an individual as acting (or interim) chair until such time as the vacancy in the chairmanship is filled in accordance with the procedures stated above.
      The same search and appointment procedures shall be implemented in the selection and appointment of a director of an individually budgeted institute that resides outside the individual departments, but within the School of Medicine.
    2. Appointment as department chair will be for an indefinite period. The decision to replace a department chair shall be the prerogative of the Dean, as the department chair serves at the pleasure of the Dean and may be terminated at any time.
    3. Chair Review Process: Guidelines for the review of department chairs are currently being developed by a task force appointed by the Provost and will detail requirements for the periodic review of chairs. That policy will become an appendix to The Governance Document.
  2. The department chair, under the authority delegated by the Dean, shall be responsible for the operation of the department with regard to its internal organization and its relationship to the school as a whole. The chair shall have the authority to create divisions within the department and to appoint division chiefs. He/she shall be responsible for maintaining standards of excellence in teaching, scholarship, patient care (if a clinical department) and university and community service. He/she shall further have the responsibility to inform, seek advice from, and represent the interests of the department faculty.
  3. It shall remain the prerogative of the departments under the leadership of the chair to establish their own procedures of governance consistent with the provisions of this document and university policies. These procedures shall ensure that each department has a mechanism for input from the faculty to the chair to maintain a dialog needed to make academic personnel decisions (appointments, promotions, merit evaluations) and other matters of concern to the faculty.
  4. Department chairs (or their designees) shall meet annually with each faculty member in the department, and prior to the beginning of the School of Medicine academic year, to assess the faculty workload, modify the faculty profile, if needed, and to discuss the prior year's academic activities and those proposed for the coming year.
4. The faculty-at-large shall meet at least twice annually for the purposes of the exchange of information, discussion and advice regarding matters pertaining to the School of Medicine and its programs. The President of the Medical Faculty Assembly (MFA) shall preside at such meetings (See section IV.B).
  1. The meetings shall be conducted as described in the Medical Faculty Assembly constitution and bylaws.
  2. Special meetings of the faculty may be called at any time by the Dean, the President of the Medical Faculty Assembly, or upon petition by any twenty members of the faculty.
THE PRIMARY BODIES OF THE SCHOOL OF MEDICINE ADVISORY TO THE DEAN
1. THE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL (EC)
  1. Duties
    The Executive Council shall be advisory to the Dean in all substantive matters pertaining to the governance of the School of Medicine. The Executive Council will notify the Dean of its recommendations pertaining to such matters as soon as possible after their adoption. The Dean shall acknowledge receipt of the recommendations in a timely manner. If the Dean decides not to act upon the recommendations, he/she shall provide a written response citing the reasons for this decision to the Executive Council and to the Medical Faculty Assembly (as appropriate).
    Recommendations of the Medical Faculty Assembly (see section IV B.1.e. below) that have been submitted to the Dean and presented to the Executive Council at a scheduled meeting shall be considered by the Executive Council at the next available scheduled meeting following the meeting at which the recommendations were distributed. The Executive Council shall discuss and modify (if necessary) these recommendations and then shall vote upon them. The recommendations as voted upon by the Executive Council shall become the recommendations of the Council. These proceedings shall be entered into the minutes of the Executive Council.
  2. Membership
    1. Voting membership in the Executive Council shall consist of the following:
      1. Chairs of all individually budgeted academic departments;
      2. Directors of all individually budgeted institutes, such as the Cancer Institute and Institute for Genetic Medicine, who report directly to the Dean;
      3. The President of the Medical Faculty Assembly;
      4. The two Co-Presidents of the Associated Students of the School of Medicine (one vote collectively);
      5. The President of the Health Sciences Campus Graduate Students Association;
      If an individual holds more than one position, he/she shall have only one vote.
    2. Ex officio members serving without voting privileges shall include:
      1. The Dean;
      2. The associate and assistant deans;
      3. Key administrators such as the Director of Public Relations, Director of Development, Director of the Norris Medical Library, and administrators responsible for clinical activities within the Clinical Organization with direct reporting responsibilities to the Dean (as specified in the appended organizational chart, Appendix II);
      4. Chief Executive Officers of the four integrated hospital partners;
      5. The Director of Graduate Medical Education at Los Angeles County/University of Southern California Medical Center.
  3. Officers
    1. The chair of the Executive Council shall be the Dean.
    2. In the Dean's absence, the Dean shall appoint an associate dean to preside.
    3. An administrative staff person shall be appointed by the Dean as Secretary of the Executive Council; he/she will be responsible for creating the agenda for all forthcoming meetings based on requests from the Dean, and from voting and non-voting members of the Executive Council; notifying all members of forthcoming meetings and distributing the agenda for all regularly scheduled meetings; preparing and distributing minutes of all meetings; and preserving all documents of the Executive Council meetings and task forces.
  4. Meetings
    1. The schedule for the Executive Council meetings shall be circulated prior to the first meeting of the calendar year and any subsequent changes in those dates should occur at least seven days in advance of the meeting.
    2. Special meetings of the Executive Council may be called at the behest of:
      1. The Dean;
      2. Any four members of the Executive Council;
      3. The President of the Medical Faculty Assembly;
      4. Any twenty members of the faculty.
    3. Quorum
      One-half of the voting members of the Executive Council shall constitute a quorum.
    4. Recommendations of the Executive Council shall require a simple majority vote of those present provided that:
      1. A quorum is present;
      2. The agenda and notice of the meeting were distributed to the members at least three days in advance of the meeting and only topics listed on the agenda are acted upon, except under special circumstances. This provision may be waived by a unanimous vote of those present;
      3. If a quorum cannot be obtained for a special meeting, the requirement for a quorum may be waived provided that the Secretary made a reasonable effort to contact a sufficient number of committee members so that an expression of opinion could be obtained from two-thirds of the membership.
    5. Attendance at Executive Council meetings shall be limited to members and guests invited by the Dean. Minutes of meetings will be recorded except when the Executive Council is in executive session as determined by a majority vote of the voting members present. When the Executive Council is in executive session, only voting and ex officio members shall be present.
    6. Approved minutes of the Executive Council shall be made available to all faculty by posting on the Dean's Web Page or through alternative means.
2. THE MEDICAL FACULTY ASSEMBLY
  1. Duties
    1. The Medical Faculty Assembly is the elected faculty council for the School of Medicine. Its purpose shall be to represent the faculty of the School. It shall be concerned with issues directly related to faculty status, responsibilities and welfare within the School of Medicine. In discharging its functions, the Medical Faculty Assembly serves as a fact-finding, deliberative and consultative body with the authority to make studies, reports and recommendations on all matters that have a significant bearing on the work or status of the faculty. The Medical Faculty Assembly shall discuss and debate current issues and matters of interest to the faculty and may advise the Dean and the Executive Council on academic and faculty status matters.
    2. Elections: To assure representation of faculty within the Medical Faculty Assembly, each department in the School of Medicine shall elect two faculty members, one to serve as its representative and the other to serve as an alternate. Representatives shall be faculty members who hold full-time academic appointments (tenure track or non-tenure track) at the School of Medicine. These representatives shall serve for a two-year term and may be reelected for a second two-year term. Other approved constituencies shall be similarly represented. These other constituencies are defined as major hospital affiliates with ten or more full-time faculty and the Norris Medical Library. All faculty members who hold full-time academic appointments (tenure track or non-tenure track) in the School of Medicine shall be eligible to vote for a representative. Those who are members of more than one constituency (such as a department and a hospital affiliate) must choose to cast a vote from only one of the two constituencies.
      Representatives shall be subject to recall if a petition requesting recall is signed by at least 20% of their constituency. The secretary of the Medical Faculty Assembly shall distribute a ballot to the constituency upon receipt of this petition. A simple majority vote determines the outcome of this ballot. If a Medical Faculty Assembly representative is recalled, that position is then filled by the department's or constituency's alternate and a special election is held to elect a new alternate.
    3. Officers:
      1. Officers of the Medical Faculty Assembly shall be the President, President-elect (who functions as Vice President), and Secretary. When the President is from a clinical department, the President-elect shall be from a basic science department and vice versa. Officers shall be elected by the representatives and shall serve for one year with terms of office beginning at the close of the June meeting.
      2. No officer shall hold more than one position at a time nor shall he/she serve more than 2 consecutive terms in the same office.
      3. Election Procedures
        
        A nominating committee shall present its recommended slate of candidates to the Medical Faculty Assembly in April.
        
        A secret ballot shall be held at the June meeting with each representative entitled to one vote.
        
        If a majority of representatives present rejects the proposed slate of candidates for office, the representatives may offer nominations and elect a slate of officers at the June meeting.
      4. If an elected officer resigns or becomes unable or ineligible to serve, the representatives shall elect a successor from among the eligible representatives to serve the unexpired term.
      5. A petition of one-third of the representatives for recall of an officer is sufficient to cause a recall election. The recall ballot is then distributed to representatives by the Secretary. If 2/3 of the representatives vote in favor of the recall, the office shall be declared vacant and a special election shall be held to fill the unexpired term for that office.
    4. Duties of Officers:
      1. The President shall preside at all meetings, serve as the representative of the Medical Faculty Assembly to the Executive Council, and preside at meetings of the faculty-at- large.
      2. The President-Elect shall preside at those meetings where the President is absent and chair the Nominating Committee.
      3. The Secretary shall notify representatives of the times and places of all meetings and inform them of the meeting agenda; notify the faculty-at-large of agenda items before the Medical Faculty Assembly by publishing this information in a newsletter mailed to all members of the faculty; prepare minutes of all meetings and distribute them through an appropriate vehicle to the faculty; preserve all documents of the Medical Faculty Assembly and its standing and ad hoc committees.
    5. Recommendations of the Medical Faculty Assembly shall be made to the Dean, with a copy presented to the Executive Council at its next scheduled meeting. Procedures followed by the Executive Council after receipt of such recommendations are described in section IV.A.1 (above).
    6. The Medical Faculty Assembly shall nominate faculty members for various assignments on three current School of Medicine standing committees with the intent of providing broad participation in the affairs of the School of Medicine. These standing committees are the Educational Policy Committee, the Faculty Appointments and Promotions Committee, and the Finance Committee. The Medical Faculty Assembly shall receive reports of those standing committees on which it has formal representation.
  2. The Medical Faculty Assembly shall prepare and adopt its own bylaws consistent with University bylaws, policies and procedures.
3. ADMINISTRATION
  1. General
    The Dean shall appoint those associate and assistant deans that he/she deems necessary for the efficient administration of the School of Medicine. The associate and assistant deans shall serve at the pleasure of the Dean. The Dean shall append an organizational chart to this Governance Document that describes the administrative structure in place, with brief descriptions of the duties and responsibilities of each appointee.
    The standing committees shall function in an advisory capacity to the Dean regarding matters of policy. The standing committees shall report either directly to the Dean or through an associate or assistant dean. The Dean to whom the standing committee reports or his/her designated representative shall serve as an ex officio member without vote on the standing committee.
    Guidelines for Standing Committees
    The standing committees shall consider any and all aspects within the scope of their specific charge (committees are listed in Appendix I) subject to the approval of, and the power of review by the Dean, and subject always to the policies and directives of the University President and Board of Trustees.
    1. The Dean shall survey the faculty annually to determine their interest in serving on standing committees or special task forces that the Dean may form during the course of the year; the Dean (or the Dean's designee) shall make the final decisions on committee and task force appointments. The Medical Faculty Assembly shall elect representatives to those standing committees where this representation is designated. These include the Educational Policy Committee, Faculty Appointments and Promotions Committee and the Finance Committee.
    2. Terms of membership on the standing committees shall be three years with the possibility of reappointment.
    3. Appointments shall be staggered so that one-third of the faculty members is appointed annually.
    4. Vacancies shall be filled as they occur.
    5. Medical student members shall be nominated by the Associated Students of the School of Medicine and graduate student members shall be nominated by the Health Sciences Campus Graduate Students Association.
    6. The chair of each committee may be nominated by members of the committee and will be appointed by the Dean.
    7. Administrative personnel serving ex officio shall not have voting privileges.
    8. A quorum shall consist of one half of the voting members of the committee.
    9. Recommendations favored by less than two-thirds of the quorum present at any meeting may be accompanied by a minority report.
    10. The Dean's office will provide appropriate staffing for all standing committees.
    11. The chair of each committee shall prepare a brief annual report, summarizing the committee activities over the past year. Attendance records will be summarized and included.
  2. Financial Affairs
    The Senior Associate Dean for Administration (or other responsible administrator) shall be responsible for developing the budget for the School of Medicine. He/she shall advise the Dean with regard to budgetary issues and shall prepare financial reports upon the request of the School of Medicine Finance Committee. He/she shall insure that University policy is followed with regard to financial policies and procedures and shall insure that the School operates within its budget.
    Finance Committee
    1. Duties
      The Finance Committee shall advise the Dean regarding any or all areas of the budget process and will report to the Dean regularly. Final recommendations for areas of budgetary emphasis or change will be presented in time to be considered for the next annual budget of the School of Medicine.
    2. Membership
      The Finance Committee membership shall consist of at least ten faculty members, selected from the clinical and basic science departments, one student selected by the Associated Students of the School of Medicine, one student selected by the Health Sciences Campus Graduate Students Association, a representative of the Medical Faculty Assembly, and a chairman appointed by the Dean. The Senior Associate Dean for Administration Affairs (or appropriate administrative official) will serve ex officio.
  3. Educational Affairs
    The position of Senior Associate Dean for Educational Affairs (or responsible administrator) shall be responsible for overseeing the implementation of the School of Medicine's mission for medical education. This administrator shall report directly to the Dean and shall advise the Dean on curricular matters, student affairs, the effectiveness of individual departments in educating medical students and the impact of tuition costs on medical students. He/she shall oversee curriculum revision and new academic programs, and will be responsible for leading the school in preparation for LCME accreditation site visits. He/she shall supervise other associate and assistant deans appointed by the Dean who are responsible for student affairs, curriculum, women's issues (as they relate to medical students), medical student admissions, graduate medical education (training of interns and residents) and post- graduate medical education. He/she may appoint such committees or task forces as deemed necessary to fulfill the obligations of the office.
    The Admissions Committee
    1. Duties
      1. Applications for admission to the entering class of the School of Medicine shall be reviewed by members of the Admissions Advisory Subcommittee (see section 3.a. below). The Admissions Committee shall evaluate and consider all interviewed applicants and shall make recommendations concerning the admission of such applicants.
      2. The Admissions Committee shall consider and recommend procedures for the identification and consideration of applicants leading to a diverse entering class consistent with University policy on affirmative action.
      3. The Admissions Committee may pursue appropriate activities related to the recruitment of students and dissemination of information on admissions to undergraduate or secondary school campuses.
    2. Membership
      The Admissions Committee shall consist of 21 faculty members drawn from both clinical and basic science departments; one alumni representative; three students elected by their peers from the second, third and fourth year classes; and ex officio, the Assistant Dean for Admissions and a representative from the Office of Minority Student Affairs. The chair of the Admissions Committee shall be appointed by the Dean.
    3. Subcommittees
      1. The Admissions Advisory Subcommittee shall consist of the Chair of the Admissions Committee; the Deans for Admissions, Student Affairs and Curriculum (or appropriate administrators); a current member of the Admissions Committee; and a former Chair or member. The Admissions Advisory Subcommittee shall consider requests for exception to policy, review recommendations and recommend policy to the Admissions Committee and to the Dean. Members of this subcommittee shall review all applications and recommend applicants for interview.
      2. The Advanced Standing Subcommittee shall consist of the Deans for Admissions and Student Affairs (or appropriate administrators) and the Chair of the Admissions Committee. The Advanced Standing Subcommittee shall convene to consider and recommend acceptance of applicants for admission with advanced standing into the third year class.
    The Educational Policy Committee
    1. Duties
      1. The Educational Policy Committee shall consider and evaluate all matters relating to medical education within the School of Medicine.
      2. The Educational Policy Committee shall review the medical curriculum in terms of general scope, schedule and philosophy.
      3. The Educational Policy Committee shall review current standards for accreditation and licensure, insuring that the curriculum meets or exceeds such standards.
      4. The Educational Policy Committee may formulate such educational policies or procedures as it deems necessary. Such recommendations shall be reviewed by the Dean who shall have final approval authority.
      5. The Educational Policy Committee shall further be concerned with evaluation of student progress in relationship to the academic goals of the departments.
      6. The Educational Policy Committee shall establish standards and procedures for the evaluation of faculty teaching.
      7. The Educational Policy Committee may approve special or experimental programs for a certain period of time and shall inform the Dean of any such action.
      8. The Educational Policy Committee may establish such subcommittees as it deems necessary.
    2. Membership
      The Educational Policy Committee shall consist of the curriculum representative from each department, a member of the Medical Faculty Assembly, and a chairperson appointed by the Dean. One medical student representative shall be selected from each year by student election. The curriculum representative shall be chosen by the department chair with consultation of the Senior Associate Dean for Educational Affairs (or responsible administrator). Ex officio members include the Associate Deans for Curriculum and for Student Affairs (or other responsible administrators), as well as other faculty and staff deemed necessary by the committee chair.
    3. The Educational Policy Committee shall receive reports from subcommittees of its own choosing. The subcommittees may include:
      1. Curriculum committees with faculty members representing departments and student representatives. The Director of the Division of Medical Education or his designee shall serve ex officio;
      2. Curriculum committees;
      3. Committee on M.D.-Ph.D. programs in coordination with the graduate school;
      4. Committees on Graduate Medical Education and Continuing Medical Education;
      5. Student performance committees for each year of medical school, with faculty representatives charged with evaluating student achievement for that year. The composition of these committees is described in the Student Handbook;
      6. Committee on Student Evaluation.
    Administration
    The Associate Dean for Curriculum (or responsible administrator) receives recommendations from the appropriate committees and facilitates faculty teaching efforts and initiatives. The Associate Dean for Curriculum or his/her representative serves ex officio on and is responsible for staffing all teaching committees. Other responsibilities of the office include:
    1. Providing and managing teaching resources such as computer-based and multimedia instructional programs, student laboratory facilities, reproduction and distribution of class handouts or other materials;
    2. Coordinating between the Medical Librarian and Faculty Curriculum Committees to insure availability to the students of appropriate learning resources;
    3. Insuring, in conjunction with the Associate Dean for Student Affairs (or other responsible administrator), that appropriate student performance and progress records are collected and maintained;
    4. Implementing procedures for confidential evaluation of individual faculty teaching efforts. Insuring that the confidential results of such evaluations are transmitted to the faculty member being evaluated and to his/her department chair for inclusion in the faculty member's personnel file;
    5. Coordinating and revising curriculum;
    6. Implementing special or experimental teaching programs established by the Educational Policy Committee, maintaining appropriate records and coordinating evaluation procedures;
    7. Providing appropriate opportunities for enhancement of faculty skills in instruction;
    Student Affairs Committee
    1. Duties
      The Student Affairs Committee shall consider and evaluate all matters dealing with student affairs, including financial aid, student housing, student recreation, and shall assist the Associate Dean for Student Affairs (or responsible administrator) in the area of student affairs. The committee shall oversee counseling services for students, and hear student clerkship evaluation appeals as described in the Student Handbook. It may establish subcommittees it deems necessary; this shall include a subcommittee on financial aid.
    2. Membership
      The Student Affairs Committee shall consist of the chair who is a appointed by the dean, five faculty members from basic science and clinical departments, four medical student members, one elected from each class, and an alumni representative. The Associate Dean for Student Affairs, the Assistant Dean for Minority Student Affairs, and the Financial Aid Officer (or administrators responsible for these activities) shall serve as ex officio members of the committee.
    3. Subcommittee on Financial Aid
      The Subcommittee on Financial Aid shall consist of a minimum of three faculty and two fourth year medical student members, and shall make recommendations to the Dean regarding policy for the distribution of financial aid. Ex officio members of the committee shall include the Financial Aid Officer, the Associate Dean for Student Affairs, and the Assistant Deans for Minority Affairs and Admissions (or administrators responsible for these activities). The Subcommittee's policy recommendations shall guide the Financial Aid Officer's administration of financial aid. The Subcommittee may, at its discretion, appoint a group or task force to consider particular questions pertaining to financial aid such as student appeals and student recruitment.
  4. Faculty Affairs
    The Senior Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs (or responsible administrator) shall report to the Dean on all matters that pertain to the faculty and their academic activities. He/She shall counsel faculty with regard to policies and procedures of the University and the School of Medicine. He/She shall coordinate School activities related to faculty recruitment; appointments, promotions, and tenure; programs for faculty mentoring; nomination of faculty for honors and awards; awarding of sabbaticals; retirements; and grievances (which are governed by University-wide policies and procedures). He/She shall supervise the maintenance of faculty records and work with Department Chairs to ensure that faculty are advised and counseled with regard to their academic careers. The Senior Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs shall oversee the Associate Dean for Women with regard to issues related to faculty.
    Faculty Appointment and Promotions Committee
    1. Duties
      The Appointments and Promotions Committee shall act in concert with the academic personnel policies and the Faculty Records Office to advise the Dean on faculty personnel actions involving rank and duration of initial appointment, number of years credited toward the tenure decision year, re-appointments, promotions and tenure. Deliberations of the Faculty Appointments and Promotions Committee will be initiated by a written recommendation from the department chair and accompanied by the faculty member's dossier as required by University policy.
    2. Membership
      The Faculty Appointments and Promotions Committee shall be comprised of one member from each department and one member appointed by the Medical Faculty Assembly. The chair shall be appointed by the Dean from among the committee membership. Faculty members of the committee shall be appointed to two-year terms with one-half of the members appointed each year. At least three-fifths of the members shall hold tenured appointments. The Senior Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs (or appropriate administrator) shall serve as an ex officio member and advise members of the Committee, when necessary, on University policy regarding appointments and promotions.
  5. Scientific Affairs
    The Associate Dean for Scientific Affairs (or responsible administrator) shall report to the Dean on all matters pertaining to research activities at the School of Medicine as well as graduate programs and the M.D./Ph.D. program. He/She shall promote research activities and collaborations within the School of Medicine and between faculty from the School and faculty in other University units. He/She shall be responsible for issues of scientific conduct, protection of human subjects and compliance with federal and other regulations related to research. In addition, he/she shall provide administrative support for the M.S., M.P.H., Ph.D., and M.D./Ph.D. programs in the School of Medicine. He/she may appoint subcommittees to review issues of scientific misconduct pertinent to the School of Medicine.
    The Scientific Council
    1. Duties
      The Scientific Council shall consider and evaluate all activities relating to research conducted in or administered through the School of Medicine or its affiliated hospitals and shall advise the Dean through the Associate Dean for Scientific Affairs (or responsible administrator) on all such matters. The Council shall receive reports from subcommittees and may establish subcommittees it deems necessary.
    2. Membership
      The Scientific Council shall be comprised of twelve faculty members including the chair who is appointed by the Dean. These faculty shall be drawn from both the clinical and the basic science departments of the School of Medicine. Only one member from any department may serve at any given time. Faculty who are designated Principal Investigators on peer-reviewed, externally funded grants or contracts, or who are distinguished and productive authorities in academic medicine shall be eligible to serve on the Scientific Council. The Associate Dean for Scientific Affairs (or responsible administrator) and the Vice-Provost for Research shall serve as ex officio members of the Scientific Council.
    3. Subcommittees
      The Scientific Council shall establish subcommittees that are deemed necessary to achieve its objectives. These subcommittees shall include among their membership those individuals whose expertise and interest would benefit the mission of the subcommittee and may include graduate or medical students. Members of the subcommittees shall be nominated by the Scientific Council and shall elect their own chair. The Associate Dean for Scientific Affairs (or responsible administrator) shall serve as an ex officio member of all subcommittees.
    Graduate Council
    1. Duties
      The Graduate Council shall be responsible for recommending policies and reviewing procedures for graduate programs leading to the M.S., M.P.H., and Ph.D. degrees and shall advise the Associate Dean for Scientific Affairs (or responsible administrator) on all matters pertaining to graduate education in the School of Medicine. This will include all matters dealing with graduate student affairs, including financial aid, student counseling, student housing, and student recreation. The Council may establish appropriate subcommittees as it deems necessary.
    2. Membership
      The Graduate Council will consist of
      1. One representative from each of the basic science departments of the School including Cell and Neurobiology, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Microbiology and Immunology, Pathology, Physiology and Biophysics, and Preventive Medicine;
      2. Two representatives from the clinical science departments;
      3. A graduate student nominated by the Health Sciences Campus Graduate Students Association.
      The Dean shall appoint a chair from among the faculty members serving on the Council. Faculty members will serve three-year terms, with one-third being replaced annually. The graduate student member will be appointed annually. The Associate Dean for Scientific Affairs (or appropriate administrator) shall serve as an ex officio member of the Council.
    M.D./Ph.D. Committee
    1. Duties
      The M.D./Ph.D. Committee accepts students into the M.D./Ph.D. program of the University of Southern California, monitors student progress and mentor responsibilities, and disburses available financial support for the program. Admission of students to the M.D./Ph.D. program requires acceptance by the M.D./Ph.D. Committee as well as the School of Medicine Admissions Committee.
    2. Membership
      The membership of the M.D./Ph.D. Committee shall consist of
      1. The Director of the Program who is appointed by the Dean; the Director shall serve as the chair of the M.D./Ph.D. Committee;
      2. Nine members from the full-time faculty with one representative from each of the six basic science departments and 3 representatives from clinical or clinical/basic science departments;
      3. The Associate Dean for Scientific Affairs (or responsible administrator) who serves as an ex officio member.
  6. Office for Women
    The Associate Dean for Women (or responsible administrator) shall be responsible for providing and managing services and resources for women in the School of Medicine. Services are provided for women faculty, students and staff. The Associate Dean for Women reports to the Senior Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs (or responsible administrator) for issues regarding faculty and to the Senior Associate Dean for Educational Affairs (or responsible administrator) for issues regarding students. Issues handled by the Associate Dean for Women include professional development, negotiation, non- litigational conflict resolution and professional guidance. The office is responsible for monitoring Title IX compliance by the School of Medicine.
  7. Office for Disabled Issues
    The Associate Dean for Women is responsible for maintaining the Office for Disabled Issues on the Health Science Campus. This office is responsible for coordinating accommodation for students with disabilities and serves as liaison with the USC Office of Disability Services and Programs on the University Park Campus.
RATIFICATION AND AMENDMENT
The Board of Trustees reserves the right to alter, amend, or revoke this Governance Document in part or in whole at any time. The Medical Faculty Assembly and the Executive Council will evaluate the Governance Document every five years. Amendments to this document proposed by the faculty shall require a two-thirds majority vote of the Medical Faculty Assembly and a two-thirds majority vote of the Executive Council; subsequently these amendments shall be submitted for general faculty referendum. A simple majority vote of the faculty shall be required recommendations; if the Dean rejects an amendment to the Governance Document that has been approved by faculty referendum, he/she shall notify the faculty in writing of the reasons for this action. Final approval or rejection of amendments to this document shall rest with the Board of Trustees of the University.

Appendix I: Standing Committees

Financial Affairs:

Finance Committee

Educational Affairs:

The Educational Policy Committee
Student Affairs Committee
Admissions Committee

Faculty Affairs:

Faculty Appointments and Promotions Committee

Scientific Affairs:

The Scientific Council
Graduate Council
The M.D.-Ph.D. Committee

Appendix II: Administrative Structure under the Dean of the School of Medicine

Structure under Dean Stephen J. Ryan, M.D.
This appendix may be requested from Dr. Ryan's office.

Appendix III. Guidelines for review of department chairs (pending Provost Committee recommendations)

SCHOOL OF MEDICINE GOVERNANCE DOCUMENT

Table of Contents

GOVERNANCE OF THE UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA SCHOOL OF MEDICINE

SCHOOL OF MEDICINE
GOVERNANCE DOCUMENT

GOVERNANCE OF THE UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
SCHOOL OF MEDICINE