MEDICAL FACULTY ASSEMBLY
MINUTES FOR THE MEETING OF JUNE 3, 1997
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Attendance
Report Regarding MFA Budget
Report
on May Senate Meeting
Approval of Minutes of April Meeting
Report on
Election of MFA Representatives
Election of
MFA Officers and Board Members
MFA Executive Board Reports
Restructuring
Plans
CPSA and
Contract Issues
Installation
of New Officers and Adjournment
Attachments
ATTENDANCE BY OFFICERS AND MEMBERS OF THE EXECUTIVE BOARD:
President Robert Stellwagen present President-Elect Kathryn Challoner present Secretary Harvey Kaslow present Treasurer Wendy Mack present Past President Donna Shoupe Member-at-Large Silvia Formenti Member-at-Large Loren Laine Member-at-Large Laura Wachsman present
REPRESENTATION AT THE MEETING:
Anesthesiology Jim Daniel Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Robert Stellwagen Cell and Neurobiology Children's Hospital Emergency Medicine Kathryn Challoner Family Medicine Jerry Gates Medicine Mohammad Akmal Molecular Microbiology and Immunology Axel Schönthal Neurological Surgery Neurology Cheryl Waters Norris Medical Library Alice Kawakami Obstetrics and Gynecology Ophthalmology Orthopedics Tom Hedman Otolaryngology Dennis O'Leary Pathology Arnis Richters Pediatrics Laura Wachsman Physiology and Biophysics Herb Meiselman Preventive Medicine Wendy Mack Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences Henry Slucki Radiation Oncology Radiology Rancho Los Amigos Hospital Surgery Urology
The meeting was called to order at approximately noon by President Robert Stellwagen.
1. REPORT REGARDING MFA BUDGET.
The Administration appropriated $2,000 to the MFA for its administrative operations for 1996-97. Treasurer Wendy Mack provided an accounting of the expenditures for the year (attached) which leaves a balance unspent of $850.
2. REPORT ON THE MARCH MEETING OF THE UNIVERSITY ACADEMIC SENATE.
Robert Stellwagen (Senator, School of Medicine) reported on actions at the Academic Senate meeting of May 7, 1997. He stated that two major actions were taken by the Senate:
Senator Stellwagen also reported that outgoing Academic President Erwin Chemerinsky in his final report to the Senate expressed concern and disappointment about the attitudes of University Counsel Robert Lane and University President Steven Sample toward elected faculty governance at USC.
The incoming President of the Senate for the 1997-98 academic year will be J. Lawford Anderson from the Department of Earth Sciences. Silvia Formenti (Radiation Oncology) from the School of Medicine was elected Administrative Vice-President. Also from the School of Medicine, Robert Farley (Physiology and Biophysics) was elected to the Executive Board of the Senate for the coming year.
By voice vote with no objection or abstention, the minutes of the April 8, 1997 MFA meeting were approved as previously posted at the MFA WWW site.
4. REPORT ON ELECTION OF MFA REPRESENTATIVES.
A sheet was distributed (attached) listing the nominees for election to the MFA for next year. MFA President Stellwagen has contacted the departments listed with no nominees, and asked them to hold internal elections by secret ballot. The results of the elections of MFA representatives using ballots mailed out by the Academic Senate office will be received in time for those elected to attend the next meeting of the MFA.
5. COLLECTION OF BALLOTS FOR ELECTION OF MFA OFFICERS FOR 1997-98.
There have been no additional nominations for officers of the MFA beyond those put forth by the MFA nominating committee. The ballots were distributed. Herb Meiselman asked that his name be removed as a candidate for Treasurer. The ballots were marked and collected by Kathryn Challoner who announced the results at the end of the meeting.
6. MFAEB REPORTS REGARDING:
APPOINTMENTS
AND PROMOTIONS COMMITTEE
TEACHING
PROBLEMS INVOLVING THE DEPARTMENT OF CELL AND NEUROBIOLOGY
The MFAEB (MFA Executive Board) had been instructed by the MFA to draft reports regarding concerns involving the operation of the Appointments and Promotions Committee, and the teaching services provided by the Department of Cell and Neurobiology. Draft reports (attached) were distributed for comment. The comments were collected by MFA President Stellwagen who will revise the drafts for presentation and consideration for approval by the full MFA, hopefully at its next meeting scheduled for July 1, 1997.
7. CONSIDERATION OF DR. RYAN'S RESTRUCTURING PLAN AND ALTERNATIVE PLANS.
There was first discussion of the presentation of a restructuring plan for the delivery of patient care given by Dr. Ryan and other administrators at the open faculty meeting sponsored by the MFA on May 6, 1997. The slides used in the presentation have been posted on the Dean's Page on the WWW. There was general agreement that the presentation and the posted material had not allowed faculty to clearly understand the plan. It was noted that one slide, that portrayed an organizational chart, placed governance in a large box containing the President and Provost of the University at the top of the page, with the faculty mentioned in a much smaller box near the bottom of the page immediately above "students and customers."
A letter from Dean Ryan has been received by many faculty asking for faculty input regarding this plan by the end of June. It was the consensus of the MFA that the MFA President should write Dean Ryan asking for specific information about the plan regarding governance and the rights and responsibilities of faculty.
Discussion then turned to the notion that any plan should be based on clear and agreed-upon principles. The consensus of the MFA was that the MFAEB and faculty volunteers should expeditiously develop a set of principles to be considered at the next meeting of the MFA, scheduled to be held on July 1, 1997. Principles that were discussed included:
1. The mission of the School involves teaching, research, and public service.
2. It is appropriate for faculty to obtain salary reimbursement funds for the School from ethical sources outside the School.
3. The academic enterprise of the School should not subsidize for-profit enterprises.
4. It is appropriate for clinical care enterprises to support the academic enterprise.
After principles are agreed to, then revisions of governance documents can proceed so that the documents are consistent with the principles and University policy.
8. ONGOING ISSUES REGARDING THE CPSA AND FACULTY CONTRACTS.
It appears that on July 1, 1997, funds equivalent to 97%-98% of last year's CPSA allocation will be received by USC from the Los Angeles County. A report from Kathryn Challoner was emailed out last week describing the situation in some detail. The agreement between the County and USC was struck without participation by faculty representatives (Drs. Heseltine or Challoner) elected by the MFA to represent the faculty in this negotiation.
To date, faculty in the School have not received contract documents from the University for the upcoming fiscal year which begins July 1, and the terms of their employment remain unclear. If the sole reason for not issuing contract documents arose from doubts regarding funds from the County, then there may no longer be a reason preventing the University from issuing contract documents to faculty.
It was then pointed out that the University has not yet issued contracts to any faculty University-wide. When asked why those documents were not issued, Vice-Provost Solomon stated that the current contract form was on an old computer system that has been taken out of service. The new system will have to be programmed to accept the contract form. Programming was held up during the year pending a decision on the proposal for a revised contact form. The Academic Senate Executive Committee decided that no revision would be considered until approval of a revised Faculty Handbook and recommended that the current contract form be used for 1997-98. The Provost's office has now recommended that the Deans issue a standardized letter to all faculty which will state their continuing appointment and any changes from their last contract.
Discussion then involved the concern that this action of the Provost might mean that contract documents would not be issued at all for the year. The consensus of the MFA was that the MFA President should write the Provost, point out that the Faculty Handbook states that faculty status depends on receipt of contracts, and ask when contracts will be delivered to the faculty of the School of Medicine.
9. INSTALLATION OF NEW OFFICERS AND ADJOURNMENT
Kathryn Challoner, President-Elect of the MFA , announced the results of the election of new MFA officers:
President-Elect:
Harvey Kaslow, Physiology and Biophysics
Secretary: Loren
Laine, Medicine
Treasurer: James
Daniel, Anesthesiology
Executive Board Members-at-large: Jerry Gates,
Family Medicine
Wendy
Mack, Preventive Medicine
Austin
Mircheff, Physiology and Biophysics
MFA President Stellwagen passed the gavel to Kathryn Challoner, who became the new President.
The meeting was then adjourned at approximately 1:45 PM.
Minutes prepared by Harvey Kaslow, Secretary, MFA
Attachments:
MFA Treasurer's
report
Nominees
to be representatives of the MFA
MFAEB Reports regarding:
Appointments
and Promotions Committee
Teaching
problems involving the Department of Cell and Neurobiology