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Constitution and Bylaws

CONSTITUTION

Article I
Faculty of the School of Medicine

  1. Membership: The Faculty of the School of Medicine shall consist of all members of the staff of the School of Medicine who hold the academic rank of Instructor or above.

  2. Responsibilities: The Faculty of the School of Medicine are responsible and authorized to:

    1. determine the educational policies of the School of Medicine and the rules and regulations which govern the conduct of the educational activities of the School;
    2. prescribe the requirements for admission, promotion, programs of study, and degree requirements in the School of Medicine.

  3. Faculty Functions: The Faculty of the School of Medicine may:

    1. hold meetings for the discussion of matters relating to the life of the School of Medicine;
    2. adopt Bylaws to govern its proceedings;
    3. provide for such Standing Committees as may be necessary for executing faculty responsibilities, and to support or disapprove actions of these Committees;
    4. act upon reports from and make recommendations to the Dean, faculty committees, Departments and other academic units of the School of Medicine;
    5. Voting: All full-time salaried members (tenure track and fixed term) of the Faculty of the School of Medicine who hold academic appointments of Assistant Professor or above shall be eligible to vote on faculty business in the School of Medicine. Other members of the Faculty may become eligible to vote, if so recommended by their respective Department Chair and approved by the Advisory Committee of the School of Medicine and the Dean.

      The faculty shall vote on any recommended changes in these Constitution and Bylaws. In addition, the Dean may elect to seek the vote of the faculty on other issues.

  4. Appointments, Promotions, and Tenure: Policies concerning appointments, promotions, and tenure of members of the Faculty of the School of Medicine shall be as stipulated in the Trustee Policies and Regulations Governing Academic Tenure in the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, effective June 18, 1976, and including all subsequent amendments.

 

Article II
Dean of the School of Medicine

The chief administrative officer of the School of Medicine shall be a Dean, whose appointment, duties, and authority shall be in keeping with the rules and regulations of the University. He/she shall administer the affairs of the School of Medicine in consultation with the Faculty of the School of Medicine, by means of direct contact and through faculty committees.

The Dean may delegate authority to a Vice Dean to administer the affairs of the School of Medicine in consultation with the Faculty of the School of Medicine.

 

Article III
Departments of the School of Medicine

  1. Organization: The Departments of the School of Medicine shall be the Departments of Allied Health Sciences, Anesthesiology, Biochemistry and Biophysics, Biomedical Engineering, Cell and Developmental Biology, Cell and Molecular Physiology, Dermatology, Emergency Medicine, Family Medicine, Genetics, Medicine, Microbiology and Immunology, Neurology, Nutrition, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Ophthalmology, Orthopaedics, Otolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery, Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Pediatrics, Pharmacology, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Psychiatry, Radiation Oncology, Radiology, Social Medicine, and Surgery.

  2. Departmental Chair: Each Department shall be administered by a Chair, who shall be recommended for appointment or reappointment by the Dean to the Chancellor. The Chair shall be responsible to the Dean and shall have the appropriate authority for carrying out his/her duties. The Chair shall administer the affairs of the Department in consultation with its faculty. Appointment as a Chair of a Department is dependent on the maintenance of a tenured faculty appointment in that Department. The appointment as Chair ends without notice if that faculty appointment is terminated or relinquished. Prior to the end of a Chair's fifth year of appointment and at intervals thereafter of no longer than five years, the Dean shall initiate a review of the Chair and the Department. Based upon that review, and following consultation with the Advisory Committee of the School of Medicine, the Dean shall recommend whether the incumbent Chair should continue to serve in that position. Upon recommendation of the Dean, the appointment of a Chair may be terminated by the Chancellor when such action is deemed to be in the best interests of the School. The Dean must consult with the Advisory Committee of the School of Medicine before making a recommendation of termination of a Chair to the Chancellor, and shall inform the Chair of the reasons for the action. The Chair shall have the right to appeal a termination to the Chancellor. In circumstances requiring immediate action, at the Dean's request the Chancellor may suspend a Chair's appointment pending the Dean's consultation with the Advisory Committee.

  3. Directors of Centers, Programs or Curricula: Appointments of Directors of Centers, Programs, or Curricula shall be governed by the provisions applicable to appointments of Department Chairs.

 

Article IV
Amendments

This Constitution may be amended in the following manner:

  1. The proposed amendment shall be presented at a regular meeting of the Faculty of the School of Medicine or a special meeting called for this purpose, or by e-mail communications.
  2. The proposed amendment shall be acted on at a regular meeting or meeting called for this purpose occurring no sooner than thirty days after the meeting at which it was introduced. Notice of the proposed action shall appear in the agenda for the meeting, which shall have been circulated to all voting members of the Faculty of the School of Medicine at least one week in advance of the meeting.
  3. The Dean, with approval of the Advisory Committee, may elect to utilize mailed ballots or e-mail communications for certain proposed amendments. In such instances ballots will be distributed to all voting members of the Faculty.
  4. An amendment is adopted if it is approved by two-thirds of the votes cast.

The following amendments have been incorporated into the Constitution of the School of Medicine:

  1. Article III, Section 1, was revised to include an additional Department of the School of Medicine, the Department of Genetics. Adopted March 2, 2000.
  2. Article III, Section 1, was revised to change the name of the Department of Cell Biology and Anatomy to the Department of Cell and Developmental Biology. Adopted January 13, 2001.
  3. Article III, Section 1, was revised to include an additional Department of the School of Medicine, the Department of Otolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery. Adopted July 1, 2001.
  4. Article II was revised to allow the Dean to delegate authority to a Vice Dean. Adopted September 29, 2005.
 

 

BYLAWS

Article I
Meetings of the Faculty of the School of Medicine

  1. A Meeting of the Faculty of the School of Medicine shall be held at least once each academic year. The call to each meeting and the agenda shall be made available by the Dean to all members of the School's Faculty no less than one week in advance of the meeting.

  2. Special Meetings may be called by the Dean and shall be called by him/her on the written request of ten percent of the members of the School's Faculty. Notice of special meetings shall be distributed to all members of the School's Faculty, if possible no less than one week, but in no case less than forty-eight hours, in advance of the meeting. The call to the meeting shall state its purpose.

  3. Quorum: The presence of fifteen percent of the voting members of the Faculty of the School of Medicine shall constitute a quorum at any meeting of the Faculty.

  4. Voting: Chairs of Departments may nominate, and the Advisory Committee of the School of Medicine and the Dean may approve as eligible to vote, members of the Faculty of the School of Medicine other than those designated in the Constitution as having the right to vote.

 

Article II
Faculty Committees

  1. Plan of Organization: Committees of the Faculty of the School of Medicine shall assist and advise the Dean in the areas of education, research, health care, and administration. Every effort shall be made to minimize the interference of committee assignments with the primary responsibilities of Faculty members, by:
    1. keeping the total number of Committees to a minimum;
    2. limiting membership on Committees to the smallest practicable number
  2. Standing Committees of the Faculty: Standing Committees are the Advisory Committee of the School of Medicine and others, the names and composition of which shall be made available to the Faculty as appropriate. Standing Committees shall meet on the call of the Chair of the Committee, either at the Chair's initiative or at the request of two or more members.
  3. Ad Hoc Committees of the Faculty: If a question requiring Committee action is clearly outside the area of jurisdiction of a Standing Committee, an Ad Hoc Committee may be appointed to study and advise concerning the question. Ad Hoc Committees shall be discharged as soon as their final reports have been received by the Advisory Committee of the School of Medicine or the Dean.
  4. Membership: All members of the Faculty of the School of Medicine are eligible for appointment to Committees. Any faculty member may decline appointment to any Committee. With the exception of the Advisory Committee (cf. Article III), all members and Chairs of these Committees shall be appointed by the Dean. The term of appointment to any Standing Committee generally shall be for no longer than three years. A list of Standing Committee appointments, previously cleared with appointees, shall be made available to the Faculty.
  5. Reports of Standing and Ad Hoc Committees shall be presented to the Advisory Committee of the School of Medicine in the form deemed appropriate by the Dean and the Committee. A Committee, if dissatisfied with Advisory Committee action on a report, may present the report directly to the Faculty of the School of Medicine. 

 

Article III
Advisory Committee of the School of Medicine

  1. Composition:
    1. Permanent Members: The Dean of the School of Medicine, the Vice Dean of the School of Medicine, the Chair of each Department of the School of Medicine, and the President of the University of North Carolina Hospitals, shall serve permanently and each shall have one vote.
    2. Ex officio Members: The Dean may designate such ex officio members as he/she wishes to participate in meetings of the Advisory Committee of the School of Medicine and each shall have one vote.
  2. Responsibilities: The responsibilities of the Advisory Committee of the School of Medicine include the following:
    1. Propose academic policies with and advise the Dean on the handling of administrative matters.
    2. Receive reports from other Committees of the Faculty.
    3. Refer to the Faculty of the School of Medicine, for discussion and action in open meeting, such questions as it believes require the attention of the entire School's Faculty. Any member of the Advisory Committee may introduce for discussion at meetings any subject relating to the life of the School of Medicine.
    4. Confer the right to vote on members of the Faculty of the School of Medicine not automatically accorded this right in the Constitution, Article I, Section 3 (cf. Bylaws, Article I, Section 4).
    5. Review and advise the Dean on proposed academic appointments and promotions. Voting on these actions shall be limited to the Department Chairs.
    6. Review and advise the Dean on the reappointment of Department Chairs, Center and Program Directors and other senior administrators in the School of Medicine. Voting on these actions shall be limited to the Department Chairs.
  3. Reporting: Advisory Committee actions judged by the Dean to be of major significance to the life of the School shall be reported in summary fashion to the Faculty of the School of Medicine as appropriate.
  4. Regular Meetings: The Advisory Committee shall meet at the call of the Dean, who serves as permanent Chair. Regular meetings shall be held quarterly or as deemed necessary by the Dean.
  5. During intervals between regular meetings of the Advisory Committee, the Dean may convene the Department Chairs, as he/she deems necessary and as frequently as he/she deems appropriate, to fulfill any and all responsibilities of the Advisory Committee. Any action taken by the Department Chairs at such a meeting shall be considered to be the action of the Advisory Committee.
  6. Quorum: The presence of 50% of the members of the Advisory Committee shall constitute a quorum at any meeting of the Committee. The presence of 50% of the Department Chairs shall constitute a quorum of that group.

 

Article IV 
Administrative Board, School of Medicine

  1. Composition:  Membership shall consist of ten members, nominated by the Dean and appointed by the Chancellor.  Service shall be for three years.  One-fifth of the members shall be replaced annually, and members may be reappointed for one additional successive term.  The Board shall consist of five voting members of the Advisory Committee of the School of Medicine, nominated by the Dean; one faculty member from each of the other four Health Affairs schools, nominated by the respective Dean of the School; and one faculty member from the College of Arts and Sciences, nominated by the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences.  Each of these individuals shall have one vote.  In addition, the remaining membership of the Advisory Committee of the School of Medicine shall serve as ex officio members and shall not have the right to vote. 

  2. Chair:  The presiding officer shall be the Dean of the School of Medicine. 

  3. Responsibilities:

    1. The Administrative Board shall advise the Dean in educational policies as requested by the Dean.
    2. The Administrative Board shall advise the Dean in the handling of administrative matters as requested by the Dean. 

  4. The Administrative Board shall examine and pass finally on all new courses which are the responsibility of the School of Medicine Faculty; examine, approve, and forward all graduate or undergraduate courses for which departments of the School of Medicine are responsible to the College of Arts and Sciences or the Graduate School.

  5. The Administrative Board shall perform such other duties as may be delegated to it by the Dean.

  6. Meetings:  The Administrative Board shall be convened, at the discretion of the Dean, not less often than once annually, in association with a regularly scheduled meeting of the Advisory Committee of the School of Medicine.

 

Article V
Appointment and Promotion of Faculty Members 

Each appointment to and promotion within the Faculty of a Department shall be initiated by the Chair of the Department after consultation with the assembled full professors of the Department.  Recommendations from the Chair shall be presented to the Dean.  The Dean shall seek the advice of the Department Chairs of the School of Medicine on all proposed faculty appointments at the rank of tenured Associate Professor or above and all proposed promotions within the tenure track, prior to transmitting his/her recommendations to the Chancellor.  The Dean also shall seek the advice of the Department Chairs of the School of Medicine on all proposed promotions within the fixed term track (for faculty at 0.5 FTE or higher) at the rank of Associate Professor or Full Professor, prior to transmitting his/her recommendations to the Chancellor.

 

 

Article VI
Departmental Organization

  1. The number of faculty of each Department shall be in keeping with the Department's responsibilities in teaching, research, service, and administration, and shall be determined by the Dean in consultation with the Chair of the Department. In such determinations the Dean and the Chair shall take into account, among other things, the financial and non-financial resources available to the Department, and the prevailing compensation levels of the Department's faculty in the context of similarly situated faculty in other U.S. schools of medicine.
  2. Recommendations concerning appointment of Department Chairs shall be initiated by the Dean after consultation with the full professors of the Department and the Advisory Committee of the School of Medicine.
  3. The Faculty of each Department shall meet at least once each quarter. It shall, in addition, meet on the call of the Chair, or on the request of a majority of the members of the Department. The Faculty of the Department shall hear reports from and make recommendations to the Chair concerning the affairs of the Department. The Chair shall be the presiding officer at meetings of the Faculty of a Department.

 

Article VII
Amendments

These Bylaws may be amended in the following manner:

  1. Any proposed amendment shall be presented at a regular meeting or a special meeting of the Faculty of the School of Medicine called for this purpose, or by e-mail communications.
  2. Following its presentation, the proposed amendment shall be considered by the appropriate Standing or Ad Hoc Committee.
  3. The proposed amendment shall be acted upon at a regular meeting or meeting called for this purpose occurring no sooner than 30 days after the meeting at which it was introduced. Notice of the proposed action shall appear in the agenda, which shall have been distributed to all voting members of the Faculty of the School of Medicine at least one week in advance of the meeting.
  4. The Dean, with approval of the Advisory Committee, may elect to utilize mailed ballots or e-mail communications for certain proposed amendments. In such instances, ballots shall be distributed to all voting members of the Faculty.
  5. A majority of the votes cast shall be necessary for adoption of the proposed amendment.

 

Article VIII
Suspension of the Bylaws

The Bylaws may be suspended for any meeting, at which a quorum is present, by unanimous vote of all eligible voters present.

The following amendments have been incorporated into the Bylaws of the School of Medicine:

  1. Article V was revised to reflect a change in the procedures for proposed promotions of faculty in the fixed term track such that the Dean shall seek the advice of the Department Chairs of the School of Medicine on all such promotions at the rank of Associate Professor or Full Professor, prior to transmitting recommendations to the Chancellor. Adopted September 29, 2005.

 

Effective May 1998

Amended March 2000, January 2001,

July 2001, and September 2005

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