SCHOOL OF MEDICINE BY-LAWS

Amended: 03/27/2000; 11/10/2009, 3/20/2012

PREAMBLE

These Bylaws set forth the operational rules by which the faculty of the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center School of Medicine may conduct the affairs of the School consistent with the authorities and responsibilities granted to it by state law, the regulations of the Board of Regents and the University.

PURPOSE

The purpose of these Bylaws is to provide an educational and academic environment in which the faculty, students and the administration of the School continuously strive to attain excellence in teaching, research and patient care.

Consistent with the University of New Mexico Faculty Constitution and Faculty Handbook the following Bylaws are adopted by the University of New Mexico School of Medicine Faculty:

A. School of Medicine Faculty

  1. Membership

A. School of Medicine Faculty

  1. Membership
    • The School of Medicine Faculty shall consist of Tenured, Tenure-Track, Clinician Educator, Lecturer, Instructor, Research, Visiting, Emeritus, Adjunct, and Clinical faculty members. The latter two appointments are used for volunteer faculty members. Those holding the above appointments, with the exception of the Lecturer and Instructor appointments, may hold the rank of Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, or Professor.
    • Members of the School of Medicine Faculty who are eligible to vote, called the Voting Faculty, shall include all Tenured, Tenure-Track, Clinician Educator, Lecturer, Instructor, and Research contract faculty members with half-time or greater appointments.
    • Questions of eligibility for voting which may arise shall be settled by the Presiding Officer of the School of Medicine Faculty.
  2. Responsibilities

    The School of Medicine Faculty shall define and implement the mission and goals of the School of Medicine and shall have the responsibility of review and final action in regard to the following:
    • Creating, restructuring and dissolving departments.
    • Organizing and modifying the curricula.
    • Setting requirements for student admission, promotion and honors.
    • Approving candidates for Associate, Bachelors, Masters and Doctoral degrees.
    • Providing an educational environment and guiding policies conducive to the professional and academic development of our students.
    • Devising policies for faculty appointment, tenure, promotion, sabbaticals, and dismissal.
    • Promoting the general ability of the faculty to serve as educators, scientists and clinicians.
    • Considering other matters brought to its attention by the Dean, the Dean’s Advisory committee (Committee of Chairs) or faculty members.
  3. Administration
    • The Dean
      • The Dean of the School of Medicine shall be appointed by the Chancellor for Health Sciences after appropriate consultation with all Chairpersons of the School of Medicine, University Officers, the School of Medicine faculty and other interested persons.
      • The Dean shall be the presiding/principal officer of the School. The Dean shall act as executive officer and representative of the School of Medicine Faculty, and with regard to educational policy shall prepare plans for the consideration of the School of Medicine Faculty, shall carry into effect those plans which it adopts, and shall perform such other duties as properly fall within the scope of the office.
      • The Dean shall serve as Chairperson of the University of New Mexico Medical Group Board of Directors.

o   Other Administrative Officers

The Dean shall designate other administrative officers after consultation with the Dean’s Advisory Committee (Committee of Chairs).

B. Meetings of the School of Medicine Faculty

  1. The School of Medicine Faculty shall meet once every three months, or more often when necessary, at a time and place determined by the presiding officer.
  2. The Dean of the School of Medicine shall be the presiding officer. In the Dean’s absence, or when the presiding officer requests, or, when under Sturgis, Standard Code of Parliamentary Procedure, except as modified by Faculty vote, the presiding officer wishes to speak from the floor, the vice-presiding officer shall preside.
    • The vice-presiding officer will be appointed annually by the Dean, after consulting with the Dean’s Advisory Committee (Committee of Chairs). The vice-presiding officer may succeed himself/herself indefinitely.
    • The secretary shall record minutes and see to their timely distribution to the faculty. The secretary shall be appointed by the Dean.
  3. Twelve and one half percent (12.5%) of the voting membership shall comprise a quorum for business.
  4. An agenda for each meeting will be prepared by the secretary and distributed to the faculty no less than three days before a regular meeting.
  5. Business shall be conducted according to Sturgis, Standard Code of Parliamentary Procedure, except as modified by Faculty Vote.
  6. Special meetings may be called by the presiding officer at his/her discretion or whenever requested in writing by seven percent (7%) of the voting members of the faculty.

 

C. Committees of the School of Medicine

  1. Dean’s Advisory Committee (Committee of Chairs).
    • There shall be a Dean’s Advisory Committee (Committee of Chairs) consisting of the Chairpersons of the Departments of the University of New Mexico School of Medicine or their designates.
    • The Dean of the School of Medicine shall be Chairperson of the meetings of the Dean’s Advisory Committee (Committee of Chairs).
    • The Dean’s Advisory Committee (Committee of Chairs) shall assist the Dean of the School of Medicine in the administration of the School in a manner to assure the highest academic standards and shall bring to the Dean’s attention any matters deemed necessary by members of the School of Medicine Faculty.
  2. Standing Committees of the Faculty
    • Standing Committees of the School of Medicine shall be:
      • Committee on Admissions (M.D. degree): The Committee on Admissions shall consist of members of the faculty and others representing the communities of interest of the School of Medicine. Committee members shall be nominated by faculty, department chairs and other interested individuals, recommended by the Associate Dean for Admissions and confirmed by the Dean. Members are appointed for three year terms with an annual review, and may be reappointed for a total of three successive terms. The administrative officer responsible for medical school admissions shall be a member of the Committee. The Committee shall have full authority to select members of the medical school entering class and to fill vacancies that may occur in any of the medical school classes. It shall also be the duty of this committee to review the requirements for admission and recommend revisions if necessary to the faculty. The Combined BA/MD Degree Program Admissions Committee and the PrEP Review Committee are subcommittees of the Committee on Admissions. They operate under the same membership nomination and confirmation processes, and term limits.
      • Curriculum Committee: This committee shall consist of members of the School of Medicine Voting Faculty; medical students and residents who represent the different areas of the teaching program. All members are nominated or elected by their peers and confirmed by the Dean. Members are appointed for three year terms and may be reappointed for successive terms. It shall be the function of this committee continually to review the undergraduate medical school curriculum leading to the doctor of medicine degree as a whole and recommend changes, as necessary, to the faculty. The Chairperson of the Curriculum Committee may appoint subcommittees, which may include members who are not members of the Curriculum Committee and it shall also be the duty of the Curriculum Committee to integrate and coordinate the activities of the subcommittees.
      • Committees on Graduate Student Education: These committees shall consist of members of the voting Faculty of the School of Medicine. Members are nominated by faculty, department chairs and other interested individuals and confirmed by the applicable program director or dean. The function of the committee shall be to supervise and administer the various asters and Doctoral programs sponsored by the Faculty of the School of Medicine. They shall also evaluate suggested new graduate degree programs to be sponsored by the School of Medicine and to make recommendations to the faculty as to their acceptability.
      • Research Allocation Committee: This committee shall be chaired by a designate of the Dean of the School of Medicine and will be composed of no fewer than six members of the School of Medicine Voting Faculty appointed by the Senior Associate Dean for Research.
      • Graduate Medical Education Committee: This Committee shall advise on and monitor all aspects of residency education and post-graduate medical education. Voting membership on the committee includes the Designated Institutional Officer (DIO); residents nominated by their peers, representative program directors nominated by the DIO and other administrators. All nominations are confirmed by the Dean.
    • Appointments: In consultation with the Dean’s Advisory Committee (Committee of Chairs) and other members of the faculty, the Dean shall appoint the members of all standing committees and designate their chairpersons unless otherwise stated under C.2.
    • Reports: The standing committees of the School of Medicine shall report periodically and when necessary to the Dean, the Dean’s Advisory Committee (Committee of Chairs), and the School of Medicine Faculty.
  1. Ad Hoc Committees

    The Dean may create any ad hoc committee deemed necessary to assist in the administration of the School of Medicine.

D. Departments of the School of Medicine

  1. The Faculty of the School of Medicine shall be organized into Departments and in appropriate instances into Divisions within the Departments.
  2. Subject to the regulations of the University of New Mexico, Departments shall be established or dissolved by a majority vote of the Voting Faculty present and voting. However, this question can only be presented to the Voting Faculty by referral from the Dean’s Advisory Committee (Committee of Chairs), and the question must lie on the table for at least three weeks before the vote.
  3. Changes in the names of the School of Medicine Departments shall be effected by the procedures in D.2.
  4. Divisional Status: The establishment of Divisions within a Department shall be at the discretion of the Department Chairperson after consultation with at least the tenured members of the Department and with the concurrence of the Dean after consulting with the Dean’s Advisory Committee (Committee of Chairs).
  5. Department Chairpersons: Departmental Chairpersons shall be appointed by the Dean. Such appointments shall be made after appropriate consultation with an ad hoc Selection Committee appointed by the Dean, the Dean’s Advisory Committee (Committee of Chairs), University officers and members of the Department.
  6. All Departments shall be reviewed at appropriate intervals by ad hoc committees appointed by and reporting to the Dean. Reports generated may be made available to all Department members.

E. Contract Appointments, Promotions, Tenure, Sabbatical and Leave without Pay, Retirement:

  1. Contract Appointments: The Dean may recommend to the President and Regents, in consultation with Department Chairpersons, appointments to the full time or part time faculty at either the Instructor of Assistant Professor level. Recommendations for appointments to the full time or part time Senior Faculty Positions – Associate Professor and Full Professor – will follow the procedures outlined in E.2.
  2. Promotions: Recommendations for promotions from Instructor to Assistant Professor can be made by the Departmental Chairperson. Promotion (and new appointment) to Associate Professor or Full Professor will be initiated by the Department Chairperson as a recommendation to the Dean. The recommendation of the Department Chairperson to the Dean shall include all information in support of the candidate for a Senior Faculty position. The faculty member shall assist in the preparation of the tenure and/or promotion dossier. The Dean shall appoint an ad hoc committee of no fewer than three faculty members to review and make a recommendation to the Dean as to the merits of the promotion (or new appointment) to a Senior Faculty position. The Dean shall transmit all information pertinent to the candidate to the ad hoc committee and shall act as its representative in the event that further information is needed from the Department Chairperson.
  3. Tenure: The Faculty of the School of Medicine shall follow the regulations of the Faculty Handbook of the University of New Mexico with respect to Tenure, with modifications specified in the published Tenure and Promotion Guidelines of the School of Medicine.
  4. Sabbatical and Leave without Pay: The Faculty of the School of Medicine shall follow the regulations of the Faculty Handbook of the University of New Mexico with respect to Sabbatical and Leave without Pay.
  5. Retirement: The Faculty of the School of Medicine shall follow the regulations of the Faculty Handbook of the University of New Mexico with respect to Retirement.

F. Approving Candidates for Associate, Bachelors, Masters and Doctoral Degrees

1.      Candidates for Associate, Bachelors, Masters and Doctoral degrees shall be approved by a majority vote of the Voting Faculty present and voting. Candidates may be approved either at regular meetings of the Faculty or by electronic ballot.

G. General

  1. Amendments: These Bylaws may be amended by the following processes:
    • Either the Dean or a petition signed by at least seven percent (7%) of the Voting Faculty may propose an amendment to these Bylaws.
    • In the event that an amendment is proposed, the Dean shall appoint an ad hoc Bylaws Review committee to review the proposed amendment and to report back to the Dean.
    • If the Dean and the ad hoc Bylaws Review Committee find the amendment is not in conflict with the Faculty Handbook, they shall provide their recommendations to the Voting Faculty and the proposed amendment shall be communicated in written or electronic form to the Voting Faculty.
    • The proposed amendment shall be discussed at a regular or special Faculty meeting. Modification, rejection or consent to move the proposed amendment forward may occur as a result of this meeting.
    • The proposed amendment in final form shall be communicated in written or electronic form  to the Voting Faculty within one week following the Faculty meeting at which it was discussed.
    • No less than three weeks later, a meeting will be held to debate the final proposed amendment.
    • Following this meeting, a mail or electronic ballot of the Voting Faculty shall be conducted. Adoption of the proposed amendment shall require an affirmative/favorable vote of at least two-thirds of the votes cast, with the additional requirement that at least one-third of the voting faculty cast ballots.
  2. Distribution: The Dean shall keep a copy of these Bylaws and upon their amendment shall distribute copies to all members of the School of Medicine and thereafter as new members join the faculty.