DRAFT REPORT -- June 3, 1997

Concerns were expressed by Year I medical students in the fall of 1996 and spring of 1997 about faculty shortages in the teaching of gross anatomy, microanatomy, and nutrition.

The MFA Executive Board requested information from Drs. Warren and Schechter and, later, from Department Chair Cheryl Craft and from all faculty members of the department of Cell and Neurobiology. The MFA request specifically asked what rules and procedures were, or were not, followed to create the current situation. Responses were received from Drs. Craft, Schechter (a second letter), Haun, and Singh.

Summary of major points:

1. In 1994 the former Dept. of Pharmacology and Nutrition was combined with the former Dept. of Anatomy and Cell Biology to create the Dept. of Cell and Neurobiology; and Dr. Craft was appointed Chair by Dean Ryan, apparently with little or no faculty consultation.
2. Few members remained of the former Dept. of Pharmacology and Nutrition and there had been little recruitment into either department from 1984-94.
3. Three faculty members were "bought-out" in 1995 (Drs. Bingelli, Ahmad, and Johnson).
4. The state of affairs in the department and school induced three faculty members to take other jobs in 1996 (Drs. Snow, Cullen, and Meskin).
5. Some faculty members have retired or are retiring (Drs. Paule, Haun, and Wood).
6. Medical teaching obligations of the combined department are several-fold greater than those of any other basic science department, including lab courses which require multiply faculty.
7. Since 1995 five new faculty members, who were recruited as assistant professors on the tenure track, were promised they would have little teaching required in their early years. They also lacked appropriate teaching experience in needed areas.
8. Departmental faculty have expressed concern to the administration on several occasions about looming teacher shortages and other problems in the department.
9. No respondent cited rules and procedures that were, or were not, followed in creating the current situation.

Dr. Gary Dunnington, Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, stated about 6 months ago that three new faculty members would be recruited into the department to deal with the teaching shortage. At the General Faculty Meeting on May 6, 1997 Dr. Dunnington indicated that any such recruitment would take more time and that the solution for the coming academic year will be to utilize existing faculty members from the Departments of Pathology and Surgery to help with the teaching of microscopic and gross anatomy.

After considering the above information, the MFA Executive Board makes the following recommendations :

1. Appropriate rules and procedures need to be developed and followed regarding governance and personnel policies as stated in our recommendations relative to the Appointments and Promotions Committee.
2. There should be a specific written plan developed by the administration in consultation with the faculty of the Department of Cell and Neurobiology to address the teaching problem in both the short and long term.
3. Objective criteria should be applied to determine whether the plan is being successfully implemented. This assessment should be made by the Year I/II Committee and reported to the Educational Policy Committee and to the Dean.