College of Pharmacy Faculty Bylaws

Faculty Bylaws 2021

 

dean and provost signatures

Table of Contents

Preamble and Principles

  • Section A. Introduction to HSC College of Pharmacy Bylaws
  • Section B. Purpose, Vision, Mission, Motto, Values and Goals

Bylaws

Article I. Organizational and Administrative Structure

  • Section A. Administrative Structure of the UNT Health Science Center
  • Section B. Administrative Structure of the College of Pharmacy
  • Section C. Departments
  • Section D. Executive Council of the College of Pharmacy

Article II. Faculty & Staff

  • Section A. Faculty Responsibilities
  • Section B. Composition and Voting Privileges
  • Section C. Faculty Meeting
  • Section D. Staff Responsibilities

Article III. Programs, Students, and Trainees

  • Section A. Programs
  • Section B. Graduate Faculty
  • Section C. Professional Degree Students
  • Section D. Pharmacy Residents & Postdoctoral Research Assistants
  • Section E. Graduate Students

Article IV. Standing Committees

  • Section A. Committee Appointments, Length of Service & Procedures
  • Section B. Standing Faculty Committees
  • Section C. Other College of Pharmacy Representation

Article V. Procedures

Article VI. Amendments to Faculty Bylaws

Preamble and Principles

Preamble:

The University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth (UNT HSC) is one of the nation’s premier graduate academic medical centers, with six schools/colleges that specialize in patient-centered education, research and health care. The UNT System College of Pharmacy, also known as HSC College of Pharmacy (HSCCP) is one of the colleges along with five other schools/colleges: Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine; Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences; School of Public Health; School of Health Professions; and TCU and UNTHSC School of Medicine.

The UNT System College of Pharmacy (here on referred to as HSCCP) was established in 2011 to offer a Doctor of Pharmacy Degree (Pharm.D) in north Texas. The college graduated its first class of Pharm.D. students in 2017 and was fully accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education in the same year. The college has a target class size of 100 students and is located in two buildings: a state-of-the-art Interdisciplinary Research and Education Building (IREB) and a Research and Education Building (RES) at 3500 Camp Bowie Blvd, Fort Worth, TX 76107. The college also offers Master of Science (M.S.) and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree programs in Biomedical Sciences through the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences with a combined track in Pharmaceutical Sciences and Pharmacotherapy.

With more than 600 active pharmacist preceptors, the HSCCP has cultivated extensive clinical partnerships across Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex and throughout Texas, and developed innovative care models integrating pharmacist faculty and trainees into patient care teams. Through institutional partnerships with HSC Health, Medical City Arlington and Medical City Fort Worth, HSCCP offers post-graduate resident training programs, including an accredited PGY1 residency and a PGY2 ambulatory care residency, and collaborates with CVS Health via its Managed Care PGY1 residency program.

Section A. Introduction

The HSCCP Bylaws document is for the governance of the college in its education, research, and service missions. It is the purpose of these Bylaws to foster an active, informed faculty, and to promote open communication among all members of the community of the HSCCP. Toward this end, the HSCCP Bylaws apply the philosophy of shared governance by faculty and administrators to HSCCP’s operations by providing guidelines for decision-making and promoting efficient and effective conduct of the business of the college of pharmacy. It provides a framework that defines the roles of the Dean and faculty in initiating recommendations, formulating decisions, and communicating the basis for decisions to those affected. The HSCCP Bylaws are intended to be consistent with the Faculty Bylaws of the University of North Texas Health Sciences Center (hereafter referred to in this document as “HSC”). HSC Faculty Bylaws will be relied upon for guidance for areas not specifically included in this document. The HSCCP Bylaws will be updated at a minimum frequency of every five years or as needed.

Section B. Purpose, Vision, Mission, Motto, Values and Goals

Purpose:

Transform lives in order to improve the lives of others.

Vision:

Be an extraordinary team committed to excellence and unafraid to challenge conventional wisdom.

Mission:

Create solutions for a healthier community by developing patient centered pharmacy professionals, promoting team healthcare, and optimizing health through discovery.

Motto:

“We make healthcare better”

Our motto reflects the increasing contribution to healthcare that can be provided by pharmacists trained in the highly inter-professional and primary care environment present at the HSC. This also extends to the contribution that our faculty and graduates will make to develop new and more effective pharmacotherapy.

Values:

In addition to the below HSC values, the HSCCP recognizes nurturance, accountability, and transparency.

  • Serve Others First: Encourage growth, wellbeing and success of each other and people we serve.
  • Integrity: Uphold the highest ethical standards
  • Respect: Treat everyone with dignity and compassion
  • Collaboration: Work together to achieve shared goals
  • Be Visionary: Create innovative solutions in the pursuit of excellence

Goals:

  1. To produce highly competent pharmacy professionals for the provision of pharmacist-delivered patient care, including comprehensive medication therapy management services, the advancement of the practice of pharmacy and its contributions to society.
  2. To produce pharmacy professionals who fully understand the contributions to health care of other health professionals, who embrace and can function in a team approach to health care, and who can serve as effective partners in providing primary care services to improve the health and wellbeing of their patients.
  3. To conduct and disseminate research and other scholarly activity that improves the maintenance of health and delivery of health care in Texas and beyond.
  4. To prepare graduates with life-long learning skills so they continue to extend their competence through accredited continuing professional education, evidence-based learning and utilizing clinical guidelines in their practices.
  5. To create a culture of assessment wherein education, research, practice and outreach are continually examined for optimization of outcomes.

Bylaws

Article I. Organizational and Administrative Structure

Section A. Administrative Structure of the UNT Health Science Center (HSC)

President of HSC

The President is the chief administrative officer of the HSC, who reports to the Chancellor of the University of North Texas System (UNT System). The UNT System is comprised of the University of North Texas, the University of North Texas Health Science Center (HSC), and the University of North Texas at Dallas, each headed by a President who reports to the Chancellor of the UNT System. The Chancellor is appointed by the UNT System Board of Regents. The Board of Regents, the governing body for the UNT System, is composed of nine distinguished and dedicated Texans, who are appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the Senate of the great state of Texas.

Executive Vice President and Provost (EVP/Provost)

The Executive Vice President and Provost for Academic Affairs is the HSC’s Chief Academic Officer, reporting directly to the President. The Office of the Provost is committed to promoting academic excellence at the HSC.

Section B. Administrative Structure of the College of Pharmacy

Dean

The Dean, as the presiding officer, is responsible for all faculty and student activities and academic business directed to the successful achievement of the mission of the HSCCP. The Dean is appointed by the EVP/Provost and also reports to this person. The qualifications and credentials of the Dean will merit an academic appointment at the rank of professor. The Dean understands and supports the rights and responsibilities of faculty and maintains open and effective communication with faculty. The Dean, or a designated representative, represents the college both internally and externally in relationship to HSC matters and provides leadership in promoting its core values, fostering innovative programs, advancing scholarly activity, formulating policies and procedures, introducing and testing educational ideas and proposals, and supporting efforts toward continuous improvement of the college’s programs and scholarly activities. The Dean prepares an annual budget for the operation of the college and presents the budget to the Provost and the President’s Cabinet annually.

The Dean may appoint, in accordance with HSC policy, Assistant or Associate Deans, Department Chairs and Vice Chairs, administrative directors, and other administrators as may be required to carry out the mission, goals, and strategic initiatives of the HSCCP. The Dean appoints these administrative officers and performs comprehensive reviews of their administrative roles. They all serve at the discretion of the Dean. The administrative officers with faculty appointments are also evaluated by their respective chairs for their teaching, research, and service roles following the annual faculty review processes of the HSCCP.

The Dean may create additional new leadership positions or make changes to the existing positions as necessary for the effective governance of the college.

A complete list of all administrative positions is available in the college’s organization chart (accessible via the HSCCP shared drive).

Associate and Assistant Deans

Associate and Assistant Deans, each with specific administrative duties as determined by the Dean, are administrative officers of the college who report directly to the Dean for their administrative roles. Appointments to these positions are made by the Dean with the approval of the EVP/Provost.

Department Chairs

The Department Chairs serve as the chief administrative and academic officers for the departments and provide leadership, evaluation and governance to departmental faculty and staff. As such, the HSCCP relies upon department chairs to administratively oversee faculty and staff activities. A departmental chair may be assisted in her/his/their responsibilities by other faculty members appointed to serve as vice or associate chairs or program directors with specific administrative functions.

Departmental chairs are appointed by the Dean, ordinarily based on the recommendation of a search committee named by the Dean. Vice / associate chairs and program directors (for specific educational programs) are appointed by their respective department chair with approval of the Dean, and report to the Chair. Vice / associate chairs do not formally participate in the evaluation of faculty. Experiential and curriculum directors (and similar director roles) are appointed by the Chair in consultation with the respective Associate Dean.

General duties of a department chair include:

  1. With participation and advice of the faculty, staff, and student representatives from that department, will devise and implement procedures necessary for the orderly function of the department and its academic mission.
  2. Represent the department on the Dean’s Executive Council and in matters referred to the Dean for approval or decision. In the absence of the Chair, the Vice-Chair, or another suitable designate selected by the Chair, will take the Chair’s place.
  3. With participation and advice of the faculty, will coordinate and manage:
    • adherence to the values of the institution
    • assignment of academic workload for faculty in research, teaching, and service,
    • support of research and scholarship by faculty and students,
    • assignment of academic teaching duties,
    • professional development of faculty,
    • faculty recruitment and recommendations to the Dean for faculty appointment, reappointment, salary, promotion, award of tenure, periodic peer review, leave, retirement, and appeals,
    • annual evaluation of faculty and staff performance,
    • regular coaching/mentoring of faculty and staff,
    • the department budget,
    • planning and allocation of department resources,
    • assigned aspects of the HSCCP strategic plan, and
    • hiring, evaluation, and promotion of non-faculty staff within the department.

Directors

Directors manage the day-to-day operations of specific program areas of the HSCCP. The duties of each director are delineated in the individual position descriptions.

Faculty Representative

The major duties of the Faculty Representative include representing the faculty at Executive Council Meetings and serving as the Chair of Faculty Meetings. The Faculty Representative and Faculty Representative-Elect are elected annually from among the Voting Faculty. The election is to be done electronically with the votes sent to, recorded, and tallied by an assigned administrative staff. The administrative staff member shall report the anonymous voting results to the current Faculty Representative. The current Faculty Representative verifies the voting results and notifies the faculty of the results no later than the Faculty Meeting prior to the start of the academic year. Should there be a tie in votes for either new Faculty Representative or Faculty Representative-Elect, a run-off election will be held electronically prior to the last Faculty Meeting of the current academic year. The Faculty Representative serves for the elected academic year and the Faculty Representative-Elect serves the following academic year as Faculty Representative. Under circumstances when the Faculty Representative is absent or unable to perform his/her/their duties, the Faculty Representative-Elect will serve as the Faculty Representative. The Faculty Representative may serve more than one term, but not in consecutive academic years.

Section C. Departments

The faculty and staff of the HSCCP are organized into academic departments according to professional or scientific disciplines or interest. These departments include: Pharmaceutical Sciences and Pharmacotherapy. If additional departments are necessary to meet future needs of the HSCCP, they shall be formed and governed in accordance with these bylaws. Each department works to support the college’s mission statement and strategic plan.

Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences

The Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences (PS) consists of faculty with training and research expertise in the fields of basic and applied sciences pertaining to the discovery, design, synthesis, action, disposition, formulation, delivery, manufacture, and evaluation of drugs. The department consists of faculty members with expertise in pharmacology, pharmaceutics, medicinal chemistry, molecular biology, immunology, biochemistry, and physiology. PS faculty members are typically involved in classroom and/or laboratory instruction in the four-year professional pharmacy (Pharm.D.) curriculum and graduate instruction (M.S. and Ph.D. degree programs) with research.

They work together with clinical faculty in teaching highly integrated courses as well as participate in other research/scholarship endeavors. Faculty in the PS department are typically tenure-track with a significant workload allocation to research and expectations to obtain and maintain extramural grant funding in addition to teaching at the professional or graduate degree levels. The department also includes: (1) Pre-Clinical Services (PCS), a group that conducts government, academic, and industry sponsored research studies utilizing established and custom-developed models of both acute and chronic bacterial and fungal infections in several different animal species, including pharmacokinetic / pharmacodynamic studies with bioanalytical LCMS / HPLC analysis; and (2) Pharmaceutical Analysis Core Lab (PACL), which is a fully equipped shared use facility for those engaged in multiple aspects of drug discovery and development, including the analysis and characterization of small molecules and nanoparticle drug formulations. PACL supports the drug discovery and development endeavors of HSC faculty and others through collaboration as well as fee-for-service.

Department of Pharmacotherapy

The Department of Pharmacotherapy (PT) consists of three areas: clinical pharmacy, health outcomes, and pharmacometrics. The clinical faculty are primarily comprised of non-tenure track faculty who provide clinical expertise and train the Doctor of Pharmacy students in the skills needed for contemporary pharmacy practice. Thus, PT clinical faculty provide didactic training in the classroom and laboratory to prepare students to lead in an ever-changing healthcare environment. Clinical practice faculty are involved with patient care at HSC Health and also partner with area hospitals and clinics to deliver the experiential portion of the curriculum, including Introductory Pharmacy Practice Experiences (IPPEs) and Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experiences (APPEs). PT faculty are at the forefront of scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL) activities and practice innovation, involving pharmaceutical care services to improve patient care. Currently, the department supports three pharmacy residency programs. Clinical faculty also contribute to other scholarly activities and are involved in professional activities and service within the college, university and the community. The goal of the department is to provide students with an enriching experience as it relates to clinical care and patient communication. The PT faculty also consists of pharmacometrics and applied outcomes researchers, who are primarily tenure-track faculty with more emphasis placed on their research productivity, including expectations of maintaining extramural grant funding in addition to teaching at the professional or graduate degree levels. Applied Outcomes research (AOR) faculty provide teaching in areas such as health outcomes, pharmacoepidemiology and health economics. Areas of research among AOR faculty include health disparities, medication use (e.g., opioids), cancer, women’s health, and cardiovascular disease. AOR faculty incorporate qualitative methodologies, quantitative approaches (e.g., advanced statistical methods), and the social behavioral sciences to achieve their research objectives. Pharmacometrics faculty include several internal PT faculty and adjunct faculty who teach in the certificate program in pharmacometrics and provide research mentoring to students.

Section D. Executive Council of the College of Pharmacy

Purpose / Responsibilities:

The Executive Council advises the Dean on all matters affecting the welfare and function of the College to fulfill the mission of the college. The Executive Council meets regularly as determined by the Dean. The Executive Council is the administrative organization responsible for making strategic decisions and policies regarding matters other than curriculum. The responsibilities of the Executive Council include:

  1. Developing and implementing strategic planning activities and establishing goals of the college.
  2. Approving charges to each standing and ad hoc committee.
  3. Creating and/or reviewing guidelines and procedures.
  4. Advising the Dean on budget allocations and adjustments, as appropriate.
  5. Identifying and developing relationships with internal and external constituents of the college.
  6. Overseeing enhancements in space and design in areas such as laboratories, classrooms, common rooms, and offices assigned to the college.
  7. Assisting the Dean in making space assignments in the college.
  8. Monitoring achievement of accreditation status/standards.
  9. Completing other issues as deemed necessary to ensure the efficient and effective operation of the college.

Composition:

Chaired by the Dean, membership of the Executive Council includes the Faculty Representative, Senior Associate Dean, Assistant and Associate Deans, Department Chairs, administrative directors, and Senior Executive Assistant. In consultation with the Executive Council, the Dean may appoint additional ad hoc members to the Executive Council as needed. Faculty will be invited to attend Executive Council meetings as necessary.

Reports:

Minutes of the Executive Council shall be made available to faculty through the HSCCP shared drive. Faculty comments, suggestions or objections to decisions made by the Executive Council and stated in these minutes shall be made in writing and directed to the Dean.

Article II. Faculty & Staff

Section A. Faculty Responsibilities

Functions of the Faculty:

Faculty members have a primary responsibility for meeting obligations associated with the HSC’s and the HSCCP’s missions and their individual appointments in a specific department. In addition to the responsibilities delegated to the faculty of the HSCCP by the Dean, the faculty shall have the authority and responsibility to: (1) Develop and implement the teaching, research and service programs of the college; (2) Determine the requirements for admission, progression, degrees, programs of study, and changes in the curriculum; (3) Disseminate procedures and guidelines for the college; (4) Develop and implement the mission and the strategic plan of the college; (5) Participate in assessment and continuous quality improvement activities for all the college’s programs; (6) Conduct the internal governance of the college in accordance with these Bylaws.

The professional responsibilities of a faculty member typically involve the broad categories of teaching, scholarship/research, and service (including patient care). While the relative effort given to these activities may vary, faculty members teach and mentor students, colleagues, practitioners, and/or members of the broader community. To meet these responsibilities, each faculty member must disseminate individual scholarship to her or his unit, profession, and/or community. Faculty members also play key roles in collaborating with scientific and professional constituencies to develop and advance the missions of the HSC and HSCCP.

Section B. Composition and Voting Privileges

HSCCP faculty shall be defined in accordance with HSC Faculty Bylaws. All tenured, tenure-track, and non-tenure-track faculty with at least 50% employment in the HSCCP are Voting Faculty, and as such, attend college faculty meetings. HSCCP non-voting faculty shall consist of instructors, lecturers, research title series faculty, and part-time (<50% employment in the HSCCP) faculty, post-retirement faculty, emeritus faculty, visiting faculty, and adjunct faculty. Non-voting faculty also includes faculty with joint and cross appointments whose primary appointments are outside the HSCCP. Non-voting faculty members are not allowed to attend HSCCP faculty meetings, unless invited as a guest.

Section C. Faculty Meeting

i. Frequency.

The College of Pharmacy faculty shall hold regularly scheduled Faculty Meetings called by the Dean with notice of the date and time at least five business days prior to the meeting. Faculty Meetings shall occur at least once quarterly and may be conducted in-person or virtually. The Faculty Representative will organize and chair all Faculty Meetings. Staff Directors may attend as observers only and at the discretion of the Dean. Meeting materials (such as agenda, slide presentations, proposed motion language and documents) will be circulated at least two business days prior to the meeting. In instances where the materials cannot be circulated at least two business days prior to the meeting, documentation of the rationale shall be included in the minutes of the meeting. In addition to regularly scheduled Faculty Meetings, a special meeting may be called by any College of Pharmacy Voting Faculty member following submission to the Faculty Representative a written petition of at least 20% of the Voting Faculty members and with specific agenda items. The Faculty Representative shall organize such Special Faculty Meeting to be held within 15 business days upon receiving a valid petition, to discuss the specific agenda items. Notice of such Special Faculty Meeting, the agenda and all materials must be circulated at least five business days prior to the meeting.

ii. Parliamentary Procedure.

The latest revision of Robert’s Rules of Order governs the conduct of all faculty meetings. The Faculty Representative makes all decisions regarding the implementation of the Rules of Order should there be a “point” of order called.

iii. Agenda.

Except for a Special Faculty Meeting, the agenda for a regularly scheduled Faculty Meeting is developed by the College of Pharmacy Faculty Representative and Dean and is sent to all attendees at least two business days in advance.

iv. Order of Business.

The Order of Business will be determined by the Faculty Representative. Generally, it will be:

  1. Call to Order
  2. Approval of the Minutes of the Last Meeting
  3. Announcements (including Admissions Updates)
  4. New Business
  5. Old Business
  6. Reports as appropriate from Committees, Department Chairs, Senior / Associate Deans, Directors, and representatives from the HSC
  7. Report from the Dean or Dean’s designee
  8. Adjournment

v. Quorum.

To conduct business, a Faculty Meeting must have a participating quorum consisting of greater than 50% of Voting Faculty, including the Faculty Representative. Off-campus faculty may attend via audio or video conference provided that the connection is reasonably secured and the connecting faculty member is in an area with reasonable privacy.

vi. Voting and Approval of Motions.

Motions must be seconded and approved by a simple majority of casted votes by faculty in attendance. Voting may be done by voice, hands, paper or via “electronic” / “virtual” means by those present in the meeting. Following sufficient deliberation at the meeting, paper or electronic voting may occur up to fifteen business days following the meeting and should be done in a manner that ensures voter integrity and confidentiality. Such paper and electronic votes will be sent to, recorded, and tallied by an assigned administrative staff. The administrative staff member shall report the anonymous voting results to the Faculty Representative and in the meeting minutes. The Faculty Representative verifies the voting results and notifies the faculty of the results.

vii. Minutes.

For all Faculty Meetings, the College of Pharmacy Dean appoints an administrative staff member to take minutes, which will be reviewed by the Faculty Representative and Dean prior to submission to the faculty for approval. Approved minutes are kept on the HSCCP shared drive and available to any College of Pharmacy constituency in accord with HSC and UNT System record retention policies.

Section D. Staff Responsibilities

Administrative staff members provide support services to the college to facilitate the teaching, scholarship/research, patient care, and service mission of the organization. While administrative staff members have a primary assignment to an area or department, they collaborate with the entire faculty and fellow staff members to achieve the larger mission of the college.

Article III. Programs, Students, and Trainees

Section A. Programs

In addition to the Pharm.D. program, HSCCP offers dual degrees (Pharm.D./M.PH., Pharm.D./M.S./Ph.D., with others in the planning stages). The M.S. and Ph.D. degrees are offered in a combined track in Pharmaceutical Sciences and Pharmacotherapy (PSPT) through the HSC Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences. There are non-thesis programs in development, including the M.S. in Drug Discovery and Development (DDD) and M.S. in Applied Outcomes Research (AOR). The college has two affiliated residency programs, a residency teaching certificate, and specialized certificate programs. New programs may be developed as necessary with the involvement of the faculty, and programs may be discontinued if they do not have adequate enrollment numbers or are not financially viable.

Certificate Programs and Areas of Emphasis

Apart from the degree programs, HSCCP has other expanded opportunities for specialty training for Pharm.D. and other health professions students, as well as individuals holding a bachelor’s degree. Certificate programs require 12-15 credit hours of training and less for Areas of Emphasis. Currently, the college offers Certificate in Pharmacometrics, Drug Discovery and Development (DDD), and Applied Outcomes Research (AOR), planned and under review. DDD and AOR are described separately below. The college also currently offer Areas of Emphasis in Pharmacometrics and Compounding for Pharm.D. students only.

i. Programs in Pharmacometrics

The HSCCP offers a one-year, 15 SCH, online certificate program in Pharmacometrics and a 9 SCH, online Emphasis in Pharmacometrics exclusively for HSCCP Pharm.D. students. The pharmacometrics courses are designed to build knowledge and skills in pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic analysis, statistics, clinical pharmacology and proficiency in various software programs used in pharmacometrics. The goal of these programs is to train healthcare professionals in pharmacometrics methods to enable career progression into clinical pharmacology and pharmacometrics.

ii. Programs in Applied Outcomes Research

The HSCCP offers a one-year, 12 SCH certificate program in Applied Outcomes Research (AOR) and a 30 SCH M.S. degree in AOR. Both the certificate program in AOR and M.S. in AOR are exclusively offered online. The certificate program includes an offering of five courses in the areas of evidenced-based healthcare, economic evaluations and policy, patient reported outcomes, pharmacoepidemiology, and a capstone course. The M.S. in AOR expands on the certificate course offerings and includes a capstone project. The M.S. degree may be completed in 12 months. Faculty teaching in the AOR programs consists primarily of HSCCP faculty, adjunct faculty and guest lecturers from the pharmaceutical industry with expertise in outcomes research and statistical analyses. The goal of the program is to provide health care professionals and those interested in working in healthcare with applied skills necessary to make health care decisions based on evidence-based medicine, cost-effectiveness and available real-world data.

iii. Programs in Drug Discovery and Development

The HSCCP offers a 12 SCH certificate program in Drug Discovery and Development (DDD) as well as a 30 SCH M.S. degree in DDD. The certificate program is offered entirely online while the M.S. program includes online courses and an in-person research-based capstone project or internship practicum. Instructors in these programs are primarily full-time HSC faculty members, but also include adjunct faculty and guest instructors with specialized expertise. The certificate program may be completed in two semesters, and the M.S. program may be completed in 12 months. Both programs offer training designed to provide valuable skills for students interested in pursuing careers in the pharmaceutical and/or biotechnology industry.

Section B. Graduate Faculty

HSCCP faculty members who wish to serve as Major Professor (Research Advisor, Ph.D. or M.S. Committee chair), dissertation committee members, or oral qualifying exam committee members for students enrolled in the M.S. and Ph.D. degree programs in Biomedical Sciences offered through the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences (GSBS) must obtain an appointment based on eligibility criteria to the GSBS graduate faculty. Such appointment is initiated by completion of the “Nomination for Appointment to the Graduate Faculty” form, which must be signed by the Pharmaceutical Sciences and Pharmacotherapy (PSPT) Graduate Advisor and the HSCCP Department Chair in which the faculty member holds a primary appointment. The completed form and an accompanying letter of recommendation from the Department Chair will then be presented to the GSBS Graduate Council by the PSPT Graduate Advisor. The Graduate Council will vote on the nomination and if approved, it will advance to the Dean of GSBS for final approval and appointment. The HSCCP may develop its own criteria for graduate faculty status at the time it begins to offer its own M.S. and Ph.D. degree research-based programs.

Section C. Professional Degree Students

Students enrolled in the professional degree program (Doctor of Pharmacy, Pharm.D.) will comprise the professional student constituency (designated as P1, P2, P3, and P4 based on the year in the professional curriculum). Each year, students from the P1, P2, P3, and P4 student body will elect a president, vice-president, treasurer, and secretary. A subset of the officers from each class constitute the Pharmacy Student Government Association (PSGA) Executive Board that meets regularly with Associate Dean of Student and Alumni Engagement, Senior Associate Dean, and/or the Dean to discuss student-related issues. Specific details about the election, roles, and duties of the class officers can be found within HSC Student Affairs files. Professional students are also represented on many of the standing and ad hoc committees related to the professional program. Professional students are expected to abide by the standards of the institution (HSC Student Code of Conduct and Discipline) and professional program (see the Student Performance Committee SOP and the Student Code of Academic and Professional Integrity for the Doctor of Pharmacy Program).

Section D. Pharmacy Residents & Postdoctoral Research Assistants

Residents are mentored by faculty members in the Department of Pharmacotherapy who serve as Residency Program Directors and preceptors for postgraduate year one (PGY1) and two (PGY2) pharmacy residencies. All residents participate in patient care, research/scholarship and teaching activities.

Postdoctoral Research Associates (post-Ph.D. and post-Pharm.D.) may be mentored by faculty researchers in either of the College’s departments. Although their primary responsibilities are related to research, associates may also participate in teaching and/or patient care activities as appropriate. Residents and research associates may be given adjunct instructor appointments. They may attend faculty meetings as non-voting members with permission of the Dean.

Section E. Graduate Students (M.S., Ph.D.)

Students in the graduate program may be enrolled in the thesis-based M.S. or Ph.D. programs in PSPT or in the non-thesis based M.S. degree programs in Drug Discovery and Development (DDD) and Applied Outcomes Research (AOR).

Students enrolled in the PSPT graduate program may be categorized as graduate assistants with teaching and research responsibilities. They may attend faculty meetings as non-voting members with permission of the Dean.

Graduate students may also serve on faculty committees related to graduate programs. Graduate students are expected to abide by the standards of the graduate program as outlined in the HSC Student Code of Conduct and Discipline.

Article IV. Standing Committees

Section A. Committee Appointments, Length of Service & Procedures

Appointments to all HSCCP committees and the respective Chair and, if applicable, Co-Chair are made by the HSCCP Dean in consultation with the Department Chairs, Vice Chairs, and Senior Associate Dean, unless specified otherwise by the Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) of the specific committee, which are located on the HSCCP shared drive. The scope of responsibility, committee composition, meetings, member roles and voting, minutes and reports, and committee resources are outlined in committee SOPs, developed and updated periodically by each of the standing committees, and approved by the HSCCP Dean. Committees typically have members from each department. Composition of members may vary depending on the committee responsibilities or purpose. The term of membership on a committee is normally three years, unless otherwise noted in the SOP. Members of committees may be replaced when a vacancy occurs at any time during the academic year. Assistant or Associate Deans and Department Chairs may not serve as Chair or Vice Chair of a committee. Each standing committee has a purpose (general charge), as well as specific charges that are developed each year and will be completed in one to two years. Selected Strategic Directives from the College Strategic Plan will be incorporated in committee charges and may span one to three academic years. Each committee writes a one-page report on its accomplishments after each academic year ends and submits it to the Senior Associate Dean by August 31st of the same academic year and reports to the faculty either at the next Faculty Meeting or electronically.

Section B. Standing Faculty Committees

The following standing committees are hereby designated in the HSCCP:

a. Admissions Committee (Professional Program).

  • Purpose / Responsibilities: The Admissions Committee makes admissions decisions on applicants to the Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) program. The Admissions Committee takes the recommendations of the Admissions Review Teams under advisement as it conducts its holistic review of applicants. The Committee also works with the HSCCP Dean on enrollment management, assists the HSC Office of Admissions and Recruitment in recruiting qualified candidates and collaborates with the Curriculum Committee to recommend prerequisites for applicants. Recommendations on prerequisite changes by the Admissions Committee are submitted to HSCCP faculty for approval before implementation.
  • Composition: Faculty from the Departments of Pharmacotherapy and Pharmaceutical Sciences.
  • Reports: Minutes will be reported monthly and stored on the HSCCP shared drive.

b. Applied Outcomes Research Committee.

  • Purpose / Responsibilities: The committee serves as the oversight body for recruitment and admissions, curriculum, progression, assessment, and academic and professional integrity issues involving students enrolled in the Certificate and M.S. degree programs in Applied Outcomes Research (AOR). The committee also selects recipients for awards and scholarships in these programs. It may have additional annual charges related to development and enhancement of graduate education in AOR as determined by the Dean and Executive Council.
  • Composition: Faculty members on the committee include the program director, appointed faculty members and staff from the HSCCP. The majority of the committee shall have regular graduate faculty status and teaching roles in the AOR programs. The chair of the committee is the program director and serves for a period of three years; the appointment may be renewed.
  • Reports: Actions of the committee are reported directly to the faculty, the program director, or to the administration of HSCCP, as appropriate.

c. Assessment Committee.

  • Purpose / Responsibilities: The Assessment Committee is charged with developing, deploying, collecting, analyzing, and reporting the results of tools designed to inform HSCCP of progress towards achievement of desired outcomes (e.g. curricular, programmatic, personnel). The Assessment Committee regularly reports to the Dean and the faculty. Recommendations by the Assessment Committee are submitted to HSCCP faculty for approval before implementation. Ongoing charges include maintenance of the Evaluation and Assessment Plan (EAP), examination of AACP quality surveys and other recurring assessments, coordination of the request and distribution of disposition reports from data users of assessments including follow-up and action plans, and electronic maintenance of the results of all assessments related to the HSCCP program enabling stakeholder accessibility.
  • Composition: Membership consists of the Associate Dean for Assessment, representatives from the Experiential Education team, Office of Student Affairs, both academic departments and one or more students. The Assessment Committee meets approximately monthly.
  • Reports: The Committee will report at the conclusion of the academic year as well as monthly. An annual report is prepared and distributed to the faculty and administration with a copy posted on the HSCCP website.

d. Clinical Preceptor Committee (CPC; Professional Program).

  • Purpose / Responsibilities: The CPC promotes the highest quality experiential education program for the Doctor of Pharmacy students by reviewing and recommending policies for standards and development regarding practice sites, preceptors, and students. The CPC reviews and revises the clinical training program, goals and objectives, quality assurance guidelines, and professional performance measures in accordance to accreditation standards and guidelines and other documents adopted by national professional organizations. Recommendations by the CPC are submitted to the HSCCP faculty for approval before implementation.
  • Composition: Membership consists of faculty from the Department of Pharmacotherapy as well as a member of the Student Experience and Academic Services (SEAS) team, and in some cases a preceptor, a pharmacy resident and student members.

e. Co-Curricular Committee (Professional Program).

  • Purpose / Responsibilities: The Co-curricular committee makes recommendations to the faculty regarding student professional development, as well as identifies curricular and co-curricular activities that support the development of student competencies related to leadership, self-awareness, professionalism, innovation, entrepreneurship, cultural sensitivity, patient education, and career development. Recommendations by the Co-Curricular Committee are submitted to HSCCP faculty for approval before implementation.
  • Composition: Membership consists of representatives from both academic departments, the Experiential Education and Student Experience and Academic Services teams as well as one or more students. The Co-curricular Committee meets approximately monthly.

f. Curriculum Committee (Professional Program).

  • Purpose / Responsibilities: The Curriculum Committee makes recommendations to the faculty on all new professional courses, course deletions, course description changes, and program changes. The Curriculum Committee periodically and systematically reviews the professional courses and sequences. In addition, the Curriculum Committee collaborates with the Admissions Committee to recommend prerequisites of Doctor of Pharmacy student candidates. Recommendations by the Curriculum Committee are submitted to HSCCP faculty for approval before implementation.
  • Composition: Membership consists of the Associate Dean for Curriculum and faculty representatives from both academic Departments, representatives from the Experiential Education and Student Experience and Academic Services teams as well as one or more students and preceptors. The Curriculum Committee meets as needed.

g. Drug Discovery and Development Committee

  • Purpose / Responsibilities: The committee serves as the oversight body for recruitment and admissions, curriculum, progression, assessment, and academic and professional integrity issues involving students enrolled in the Certificate and M.S. degree programs in Drug Discovery and Development (DDD). The committee also selects recipients for awards and scholarships in these programs. It may have additional annual charges related to development and enhancement of graduate education in DDD as determined by the Dean and Executive Council.
  • Composition: Faculty members on the committee include the program director and appointed faculty members from the HSCCP. The majority of the committee shall have regular graduate faculty status and teaching roles in the DDD programs. The chair of the committee is the program director and serves for a period of three years; the appointment may be renewed.
  • Reports: Actions of the committee are reported directly to the faculty, the program director, or to the administration of HSCCP, as appropriate.

h. Educational Programs Committee (EPC; Beyond Pharm.D. Programs).

  • Purpose / Responsibilities: The Educational Programs Committee (EPC) explores the creation of new programming for Pharm.D. students, which may include, but is not limited to: dual degrees (a second degree undertaken by a Pharm.D. student), emphasis areas, and micro-credentials. The investigation into new programs is approved by the Dean. The EPC works with another HSC college or school or other university to first determine the feasibility of adding a specific dual degree. The committee collaborates with the entity to establish a model for the placement of the dual degree courses in the Pharm.D. curriculum, as well to determine whether any credits from one program may be counted toward completion of credits in the other program. The proposal is first vetted and approved by the curriculum committee and then approved by the faculty before it is implemented. The EPC facilitates the addition of emphasis areas and micro-credentials by assisting faculty in developing a process for their creation and implementation. These programs are first vetted by the curriculum committee and the faculty before implementation. The EPC makes recommendations to the Dean and faculty on admissions, recruitment, and marketing of the programs.
  • Composition: Membership consists of faculty from the Departments of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Pharmacotherapy, as well as the Academic Communications Director and a member of the Student Experience and Academic Services (SEAS) team. It will be at the discretion of the committee chair to invite one or more students to be committee members for the current academic year.
  • Reports: The EPC reports to the Dean and the faculty as necessary.

i. Global Outreach Committee (GOC).

  • Purpose / Responsibilities: The purpose of the Global Outreach Committee (GOC) is to develop a robust international program offering didactic and experiential education to promote cultural competency, exposure to diverse international pharmacy practices, and an expanded worldview among students, faculty and staff. The committee will manage and implement rotations for HSCCP students abroad as well as international students coming to HSC. The GOC will identify, evaluate and prioritize global outreach opportunities, develop and communicate procedures to ensure safety of program participants and quality of international experiences, collaborate with external partners and stakeholders to develop and maintain global education programs and pharmacy practice activities, collaborate with HSC and UNT System departments to ensure compliance and participation in local projects (co-curricular, research, small group activities or community service) aimed at promoting cultural competence.
  • Composition: The Committee will be composed of College of Pharmacy faculty from both departments with at least one staff member. It will be at the discretion of the committee chair to invite one or more students to be committee members for the current academic year. Members (except for students) will serve for a three-year term to ensure continuity of the program.
  • Reports: The GOC will report progress on charges, programs, initiatives and updates to the Dean once per academic semester, with an annual report provided to the faculty either during a Faculty Meeting or via email distribution before the end of the current academic year.

j. Promotion and Tenure (P&T) Committee.

  • Purpose / Responsibilities: The P&T Committee reviews faculty performance using the HSCCP P&T criteria and submits recommendations to the Dean for promotion and tenure consideration. The responsibilities of the P&T Committee are to: (a) advise newly hired faculty, within the first six months of employment, on promotion and tenure guidelines and expectations; (b) conduct a three-year review of faculty appointed at the rank of assistant professor to supplement yearly Department Chair evaluations and College Faculty Mentoring Plan for the purpose of providing guidance on progress toward promotion and/or tenure; (c) conduct a thorough, fair, and independent review of the dossier of a candidate requesting promotion and/or tenure based on the HSCCP promotion and tenure guidelines and provide a recommendation on the request to the Dean. In addition, the P&T Committee also conducts post-tenure review of tenured faculty and makes recommendations to the faculty member and their Department Chair in support of continued career success. Finally, the P&T Committee reviews recommendations from the Department Chair for adjunct faculty appointments prior to final recommendation to the Dean. The details of the procedures related to promotion and tenure can be found in the document HSCCP’s Guidelines for Promotion and/or Tenure. The committee also reviews and recommends changes to the P&T document as necessary, maintaining consistency with the HSC guidelines for faculty appointment, promotion, and tenure.
  • Composition: The HSCCP P&T Committee consists of six full time faculty members. All full-time faculty holding the rank of associate professor or full professor are eligible to serve on the committee. The respective Departments of Pharmacotherapy and Pharmaceutical Sciences will each have three representatives on the committee. From each department, one committee member will be elected by the faculty of the department, one will be appointed by the Department Chair, and one will be appointed by the Dean. The Dean also appoints the Chair of the Promotion & Tenure Committee. Each committee member will serve for a three-year term with one member from each department rotating off each year. Faculty members may be reelected or reappointed to the Promotion & Tenure Committee upon completion of their three-year terms.
  • Reports: Members of the P&T Committee evaluate dossiers of faculty being reviewed to decide performance in teaching, research, and service using the criteria described in the HSCCP guidelines to make an overall majority recommendation for promotion, tenure and post-tenure review. The Chair of the P&T Committee will provide a recommendation letter summarizing the decision of the committee to the faculty applicant, the Department Chair, and the Dean with an electronic copy to the Office of Faculty Affairs. The committee may report to the faculty at the end of the review process to summarize best practices and provide suggestions for improvement in reporting.

k. Residency Advisory Committee (RAC).

  • Purpose / Responsibilities: The purpose of the Residency Advisory Committee (RAC) is to establish and maintain an ASHP-Accredited Ambulatory Care Residency Program. The RAC serves as the advisory and governing structure of the residency program. The goal of the committee is to provide the resident with guidance in practical and clinical issues as well as foster the growth and development of the resident as a competent practitioner. Interactive feedback within the committee is utilized to communicate issues regarding the residency or resident. The committee serves to support the program goals and improve the quality of the residency program at HSCCP.
  • Composition: Membership consists of faculty primarily in the Department of Pharmacotherapy and serving in the following roles: Residency Program Director (RPD), Residency Program Coordinator, Chief of Pharmacy Division of HSC Health, Preceptors for all required rotations, and preceptors for elective rotations are invited to attend committee meetings when necessary.

l. Student Performance Committee (SPC)

Purpose / Responsibilities:

The Student Performance Committee (SPC) meets with Doctor of Pharmacy students who have failed a course or courses. After reviewing the academic record and the circumstances of each student, the SPC makes disposition recommendations to the Senior Associate Dean. The Senior Associate Dean determines whether each student may remediate or repeat a course or courses or whether the student is dismissed. The student may appeal the decision to the Dean, and the Dean’s decision is final. The SPC meets with students who have allegedly demonstrated unprofessional behavior as defined in the college professionalism pledge. Allegations of more than one incidence of unprofessional behavior, high alert unprofessional behaviors on clinical rotations, and misconduct, as defined by the HSC Student Code of Conduct and Discipline, are handled by the Division of Student Affairs. After meeting with the student and reviewing the evidence surrounding the allegation of unprofessional behavior, the SPC will render a decision of responsible or not responsible and will then render a decision on a disciplinary measure for a student who is found responsible. The student may appeal the decision to the Senior Associate Dean, whose decision is final. The SPC recommends new student procedures or updates to student procedures that foster students’ successful progression through the Pharm.D. curriculum. The committee’s new procedures or recommendations on procedures are submitted to the HSSCP faculty for approval before implementation.

  • Composition: Faculty from the Departments of Pharmacotherapy and Pharmaceutical Sciences are voting members. Representatives from the Division of Student Affairs are non-voting members.
  • Reports: The SPC reports to the Senior Associate Dean for progression recommendations and unprofessional behavior decisions and to the SPC faculty for college procedure recommendations.

m. Student Scholarship Committee (SSC).

  • Purpose / Responsibilities: The SSC serves as the steward of scholarship monies in the HSCCP. The SSC selects award recipients in the Pharm.D. program, based on applicants meeting the specified criteria for the awards, along with their academic and conduct standing. The SSC notifies applicants of their awards. The SSC also works with the Financial Aid Office to ensure that students receive their scholarship funds and tuition waivers in a timely manner. The SSC solicits scholarship funds from external sources, and advises the Dean regarding the distribution of scholarship funds donated to the HSC Foundation on behalf of the HSCCP.
  • Composition: HSCCP faculty and staff, and a staff member in the HSC Office of Admissions and Recruitment.
  • Reports: The SSC reports to the Senior Associate Dean and Associate Dean of Student Engagement and Alumni Affairs as necessary.

n. Work Life Journey Committee (WLJC).

  • Purpose / Responsibilities: The purpose of the Work Life Journey Committee (WLJC) is to monitor, evaluate, and make recommendations to the faculty and staff to improve and foster a wellness culture to promote the well-being of faculty, staff and students and the quality of the work they do. Responsibilities include: Develop and review a summary of all HSCCP wellness related efforts; disseminate a report annually; report monthly on work life journey wellness tips based on best practices / current trends; seek input from faculty, staff and students on monthly wellness-focused social events; and manage and update the HSCCP website.
  • Composition: The Committee will be composed of HSCCP faculty from either department, at least one SEAS or staff member, and may include a HSC Wellness Fellow.
  • Reports: The WLJC will report progress on charges, initiatives and updates to the faculty and staff either during a Faculty Meeting or via email distribution before the end of the current academic year.

Section C. Other HSCCP Representation

Other Committees.

The college participates in other HSC Committees where HSCCP representation is needed, e.g., President’s Councils and the Academic Program Assessment Review Team (APART). Depending on the committee, faculty or staff members may be appointed by the President, Provost, or Dean of the HSCCP. For other committees, faculty members are elected by the HSCCP faculty.

i. Faculty Senate.

The Faculty Senate is the voice of HSC faculty in the shared governance of the HSC and is made up of senators representing each of HSC’s colleges and schools. The Faculty Senate represents the faculty concerning issues that pertain to the institution. The Senate is comprised of faculty who endeavor to advance the welfare of the institution. Senators are charged with bringing issues from the schools/colleges, from which they are elected, to the Senate and informing their respective school and faculty about issues being considered by the Senate. The HSCCP is represented by four full-time members elected for a two-year term in accordance with the HSC Faculty Bylaws. A person elected to fill a vacancy shall serve for the remainder of the term. Elections of Faculty Senators shall be held by May 31 each year and the results reported to the Secretary and President of the Senate no later than the first week of June, with the term of service beginning in September.

ii. The AACP Faculty Delegate.

The AACP Faculty Delegate attends the AACP Annual Meeting as a representative of the faculty. The incumbent is required to attend all meetings of the Council of Faculties and House of Delegates and report the proceeding of those meetings to the faculty. The Alternate Faculty Delegate attends the meeting if the Faculty Delegate is unable to participate. Each spring, the Dean’s Office solicits candidates for the office of Alternate Faculty Delegate. An election is then conducted, and the individual with the largest number of votes becomes the Alternate Faculty Delegate for that year and serves as the Faculty Delegate the following year. The Dean serves as Administrative Delegate and appoints the Alternate Administrative Delegate from among the member of the Executive Council.

Ad Hoc Committees or Task Forces

Ad hoc committees may be created by the College of Pharmacy Dean for an expressed purpose and shall function for a period of one year or less unless re-appointed. The Faculty and Staff Outstanding Achievement Awards Task Force is an example.

Section V. Procedures

Procedures approved by the Faculty shall be organized in accordance with the HSC standard format and kept in a “Procedure” file in an orderly manner and available electronically to all faculty, staff, and students on the HSCCP shared drive. The college also has standard operating procedures and student procedures that are kept on file. In addition, student procedures are electronically stored in the student procedure section in the HSC Policy Tech on the HSC website.

The procedures contained in this document may be modified on a case-by-case basis with due regard to all parties provided such modifications do not prejudice the rights of those involved. When modifications or changes are needed, the Dean or Faculty Representative must first obtain majority approval from the Voting Faculty prior to enacting the modifications. If the situation is of such extreme urgency that faculty approval cannot be obtained prior to enacting the modifications, faculty are to be notified of the modifications and the justification as to why approval is not possible within a reasonable time period of the modifications taking effect. These notices will be appended to the next regular Faculty Meeting minutes.

Section VI. Amendments to Faculty Bylaws

Amendments to the HSCCP Faculty Bylaws, accompanied by an explanation for their proposed revision, will be e-mailed to the faculty at least five days prior to the next scheduled Faculty Meeting. The amendments will be discussed at that faculty meeting, but no votes on them will be taken. At the next scheduled faculty meeting, the proposed amendments will be deliberated, with ratification by a simple majority of votes of a quorum of the faculty. If a quorum of faculty is not present, then the amended bylaws will be deliberated and voted on at the next scheduled faculty meeting.

The revisions to the HSCCP Bylaws shall be published in the minutes and distributed to the entire faculty. The Bylaws and all amendments shall take effect when approved.

Amendments and/or substantive revisions may be proposed in writing by any faculty member. The HSCCP Bylaws will be updated at a minimum frequency of every five years or as needed.