SCHOOL OF NURSING BYLAWS

Transcription

1 SCHOOL OF NURSING BYLAWS ARTICLE I ORGANIZATION OF THE SCHOOL OF NURSING Section 1 - Composition of the School The School of Nursing, hereafter referred to as "the School" is an integral part of the Faculty of Medicine, American University of Beirut. It is composed of the officers and academic personnel of the School. Section 2 - Officers of the School Officers of the School shall include the following: 1. The President of the University. 2. The Provost. 3. The Vice President of Medical Affairs and Dean, Faculty of Medicine and Medical Center. 4. The Associate and Assistant Deans, Faculty of Medicine. 5. The Director of the School. 6. The Registrar of the University, ex officio. 7. The Director of Admissions, ex officio. 8. The Medical Librarian, ex officio. 9. Assistant Director for Academic Affairs 10. Conveners of the undergraduate and graduate programs. Section 3 - Academic Personnel of the School The academic personnel of the School shall consist of: 1. Professors (including clinical). 2. Associate professors (including clinical). 3. Assistant professors (including clinical). 4. Senior lecturers (including clinical). 5. Lecturers (including clinical). 6. Instructors (including clinical). 7. Assistant instructors (including clinical). 8. Academic associates 9. Clinical associates. 10. Research associates. 11. Research assistants. Section 4 - The School The School is an academic unit of the Faculty of Medicine, as defined in article IV, section 1 of the by-laws of the Faculty of Medicine.

2 SN Bylaws Page 2 Section 5 - Standing Committees of the School The following shall be the Standing Committees of the School: 1. Undergraduate Curriculum and Student Academic Affairs 2. Administrative 3. Undergraduate Admissions 4. Advisory 5. Graduate Studies 6. Research 7. Student Affairs Section 1 - Prerogatives and Duties ARTICLE II THE SCHOOL 1. Subject to the provisions of the Institution by-laws, Rules and Regulations and the established general policies of the University, the School through its internal organization shall determine its own academic policy and shall have authority to direct its own affairs. The Director shall refer actions by the School that may affect either the financial commitments of the University, or the academic policy of the University as a whole, to the President, Provost and Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, for consideration. 2. The faculty of the School of Nursing shall have the right to review any action by any committee of the school (with the exception of actions of the Advisory Committee concerning individual faculty members and other confidential matters) and, if it deems fit, to refer such action back to that committee for reconsideration. If the faculty rejects an action after its reconsideration by a committee, then it becomes the responsibility of the School itself to take action. 3. It shall vote to recommend to VP / Dean for Medical Affairs and then to the Senate candidates for degrees in the School. 4. It shall elect representatives to the Faculty of Medicine, Senate and University Committees. 5. It shall act on other matters referred to it by the Director.

3 SN Bylaws Page 3 Section 2 - Meetings 1. The director shall call regular meetings of the faculty of the School at least three times a year. A written notice with a stated agenda shall be sent to faculty members at least four working days prior to the date of the meeting. 2. Special meetings shall be called by the Director, at her/his discretion, or at the written request of three voting faculty members, with a stated agenda. 3. The Director or her/his designate shall chair all faculty meetings. 4. The Director shall appoint a secretary for meetings of the faculty, on a yearly basis, from the voting faculty. 5. The voting faculty shall consist of all non-visiting full-time academic and clinical faculty members of professorial ranks. 6. Voting in faculty meetings shall be limited to faculty members actually present at the meeting. In special cases, voting rights may be extended to faculty in rank of instructor and lecturer in academic affairs pertaining to the School, excluding personnel matters 7. A majority of the voting faculty, exclusive of those on leave, periodic paid research leaves or duty outside Lebanon, shall constitute a quorum. In the absence of a quorum, another meeting to consider the same agenda shall be called within within 2 weeks at which voting members present shall constitute a quorum, provided that all members of the faculty shall have had a notice in accordance with the call for regular meetings. 8. A two-thirds majority vote is required for by-laws amendment. ARTICLE III OFFICERS OF THE SCHOOL Section 1 - The Vice President for Medical Affairs and Dean of the Faculty of Medicine Refer to Article III Section 1 of the Faculty of Medicine by-laws. Section 2 - The Director of the School 1. The Director of the School shall be appointed by the President of the University upon recommendation of the Dean and after consultation with the voting members of the faculty of the School and the Advisory Committee. The appointment is normally for a

4 SN Bylaws Page 4 period of three years, subject to renewal. The Director shall normally be of the rank of Associate Professor or Professor. The Director may appoint one or more members of the School to assist her/him as deemed necessary, subject to approval by the Dean. 2. Duties and prerogatives of the Director shall include at least the following: a. Responsibilities for the administration and academic development of the school. b. Ensure the proper teaching of the programs of study c. Prepare the budget proposal of the School in consultation with the voting faculty for submission to the Dean. d. Present to the Dean, in accordance with established University procedures, recommendations on all matters pertaining to appointment, reappointment, promotion, appointment to indeterminate status, sabbatical leave, leave of absence, and advancement in remuneration of academic personnel. e. Co-ordinate and approve expenditures within the budget of the School. f. Reviews the annual and research reports of the School for transmission to the Dean. g. Appoint ad hoc committees as may be deemed necessary. h. Recommend to the Dean the appointment of an Acting Director during the absence of the Director. i. Represent the School on the University Senate. j. Chair faculty and advisory committee meetings and be ex-officio on other committees. k. Assign mentors to new faculty members l. Prepare written annual performance reviews on all academic staff, making those reviews available to individual faculty members, and discussing those reviews face to face with the faculty member. Section 3 The Program Convener 1. There are conveners for the MSN and BSN programs appointed by the Director of the School in consultation with the Advisory Committee. The appointment is normally for a period of three years, subject to renewal.

5 SN Bylaws Page 5 2. Duties and prerogatives of the convener shall include the following: a. Administration and academic development of the program b. Preparation of the teaching schedule in consultation with voting faculty members. c. Appointment of academic advisors to students in the program. d. Co-ordination of the preparation of course descriptions and related program material for the University Catalogue. e. Presentation to the Director, in accordance with established university procedures, recommendations on all matters pertaining to the appointment, reappointment, or non-reappointment, promotion, appointment to indeterminate status, periodic and research leave, leave of absence, and advancement in remuneration of academic personnel following consultation with the Assistant Directors for Academic Affairs. f. Co-ordination of expenditures within the approved budget for the program. g. Preparation of the interim and annual reports for transmission to the Director. ARTICLE IV ORGANIZATION OF THE SCHOOL Section 1 - Organization of the School of Nursing The School consists of the following Programs: a. Baccalaureate Programs b. Master of Science in Nursing Program c. Rafic Hariri Center for Nursing Research (planned) The School shall consist of all appointed academic personnel. The School shall have an appointed Director. The Director shall appoint directors for Research, Post Graduate Nursing Education, and conveners for the BSN and MSN programs. The term of appointment of directors and conveners is three years. Section 2 - Decisions on Personnel Matters 1. Established University policies and procedures shall govern actions on faculty recruitment and promotion.

6 SN Bylaws Page 6 2. Requests for leave (both sabbatical leaves and leaves of absence for one semester or more) shall be discussed and voted on by the Advisory Committee of the School. The Director shall transmit the results of the vote to the Dean together with her/his recommendations. Evaluation of candidates for appointment shall be restricted to the voting faculty members of ranks equal to or higher than that of the faculty member whose contract is being considered. Evaluation of candidates for reappointment or promotion shall be restricted to the voting faculty members of ranks higher than that of the faculty member whose contract is being considered. In the case of full-professors, all voting fullprofessors shall participate in the evaluation and recommendations. In all cases, recommendations to the Dean shall give the numerical results of voting arrived at in a meeting of the voting faculty of the School. The Director shall express her/his opinion in all cases. Section 3 - The Director of the School Refer to Article III section 2 of these by-laws. ARTICLE V STANDING COMMITTEES STANDING COMMITTEES OF THE SCHOOL Section 1- The Undergraduate Curriculum and Student Academic Affairs Committee Section 2- The Administrative Committee Section 3- The Advisory Committee Section 4- The Graduate Studies Committee Section 5- The Research Committee Section 6- The Student Affairs Committee Section 7- The Undergraduate Admissions Committee The School shall have representatives on the University and Faculty of Medicine Committees below: 1. Financial Aid Committee 2. Library Committee 3. Research Committee of the Faculty of Medicine 4. Senate 5. Unified Admissions Committee 6. Institutional Review Board Standing Committees of the School Members of all standing committees, unless otherwise specified to the contrary in these bylaws, shall be elected from the voting faculty for a term of two years. If a member is unable to complete her/his term, a substitute shall be elected to complete the remainder of the term.

7 SN Bylaws Page 7 If this remainder is one year or less, the elected substitute shall be eligible for re-election to two more consecutive terms. Unexpired terms shall be filled by special elections for that purpose. If a member has been re-elected to serve for a full second consecutive term, s/he shall not be eligible for re-election except after the lapse of one year following the termination of her/his membership. All committee actions shall be recommendations to the Director. Section 1 - The Undergraduate Curriculum and Student Academic Affairs Committee 1. Composition The Undergraduate Curriculum and Student Academic Affairs Committee shall consist of: 2. Functions a. The Director or her/his representative as chairperson. b. The Registrar or his/her representative (non-voting). c. Three elected members from different nursing specialties. d. The assistant Director for Academic Affairs as appointed by the Director. e. One student representatives: (non-voting; excluded on academic matters). The committee shall advise the Director on matters related to: a. General academic development of the School. b. Review of the curriculum of the School, including introduction, revision, integration, coordination or discontinuation of academic programs, and modification of program graduation requirements. c. Approval, upon the recommendation of the faculty concerned, of new courses and their syllabi, discontinuation of existing courses, and modification of courses as to their length, content and number of credits assigned. d. Policies on academic rules and regulations. e. Recommending any modifications on policies of academic rules and regulations. f. Academic status of students, including recommendations regarding graduation, promotion, repetition of classes, dismissal and re-examination.

8 SN Bylaws Page 8 g. Ruling on all cases of undergraduate students whose academic status is irregular and also on requests and petitions from undergraduate students concerning academic matters. h. Making exceptions to academic regulations in extraordinary circumstances in individual cases. A summary of all such exceptional decisions shall be communicated to to the faculty at least once in each academic year. i. Recommending to the faculty candidates for the BSN degree. j. Coordinate its work with the Registrar s Office, the Senate Academic Development Committee, and the Senate General Education Committee. Section 2 The Administrative Committee 1. Composition The Administrative Committee shall consist of: a. The Director as chairperson b. The conveners of the BSN and MSN programs. c. The Assistant Director for Academic Affairs. The Director appoints the Assistant Director as secretary. 2. Functions a. The Administrative Committee shall advise the Director regarding strategic planning. b. It shall follow up on accreditation activities, including bench-marking, self evaluation or external reviews and consultations with any external advisory board. c. It shall review faculty workload and professional development. d. It shall recommend appointment of class advisors. e. Coordinating activities such as faculty retreats, annual reports, websites and other events f. Advising the Director regarding the physical facilities of the faculty. g. Review of operating and capital budgets Section 3 - The Advisory Committee 1. Composition

9 SN Bylaws Page 9 The Advisory Committee shall consist of the Director as chairperson and three full time members elected for a term of two years. Every year, one or two members shall be elected, each member serving for a term of two years. Normally, full professors or associate professors who have served in the University for at least a period of three consecutive years shall be eligible to serve on the Advisory Committee. Not more than one committee member can be elected from one specialty. 2. Functions The Advisory Committee shall act in an advisory and consultative capacity to the Director on: a. All matters submitted to it by the Director or any of its members. b. Appointment, promotion, reappointment or non-reappointment, leaves of absence of three months or more, of faculty members. c. Appointment of program conveners, track coordinators, course coordinators/co-coordinators. d. The Advisory Committee shall oversee the University s policies on faculty academic integrity and professional conduct, and acts upon infringements of these policies. e. It shall revise affiliation proposals and make recommendations to the Director. Deliberations and minutes of the Committee are confidential. Section 4 - The Graduate Studies Committee 1. Composition a. The Director or her/his representative as chairperson. The Chair of the Graduate Studies Committee shall preferably be of the rank of professor. b. The Registrar or her/his representative, non-voting. c. The Director of Admissions or her/his representative, non-voting. d. Three elected faculty members. e. The convener of the MSN program (ex-officio), f. The Chair of the Graduate Council.

10 SN Bylaws Page Functions g. One graduate student (non voting). a. The Graduate Studies Committee shall act on admission to graduate work of all applicants. It shall submit its recommendations to the Director who will forward his/her final recommendation to the Admissions office, with a copy to the Graduate Council. b. The Graduate Studies Committee shall examine and approve the following course related matters: Course number of credit hours. New course. Cross listing a course in two programs. Deletion of a course that is no longer offered (only if it does not affect other programs outside the department.) c. The Graduate Studies Committee shall examine and recommend to the Director the following program related matters: Minor changes in graduate program core courses, which do not affect the core courses number of credits and the same total program, credit requirement. Any changes in a program that affect other units or programs in the same faculty/school. d. The Graduate Studies Committee shall examine and recommend to the Director and the Board of Graduate Studies the following graduate program modifications: Changes of program requirements, which do not change the number of credits. These changes may be core course credit requirements or changes in assigned credit for the thesis and/or the number of permitted tutorial courses. Any changes in a program that affect other units or programs at the university outside the concerned faculty/school. e. The Graduate Studies Committee shall examine and recommend to the faculty/school, the Board of Graduate Studies, and the senate major graduate program modifications including: Introduction of a new graduate degree program. Discontinuing of a graduate degree program. Changing a graduate degree program title. Major modifications including - Changes in the required number of credits for the completion of a program. - Changes in a Master s-level degree from a thesis to a nonthesis option or vice versa. - Introduction of new tracks in the Master s-level programs.

11 SN Bylaws Page 11.f. It shall recommend to the Director the appointment of the examining committee and thesis topic of students working towards a Master s degree. The Committee shall transmit its recommendations to the Graduate Council. g. It shall rule on all recommendations for exceptions to existing regulations concerning graduate work at the master s level, in conformity with general university policy. It shall transmit its recommendations on these issues to the Registrar with a copy to the Graduate Council h. A summary of all such exceptional decisions shall be communicated to the faculty at least once in each academic year. i. It shall review and act upon graduate student petitions of academic nature including, but not limited to late registration, late withdrawal, make-up of missed final exams/coursework, retake of final exams, and correction of records. j. It shall coordinate and determine the dates of the written comprehensive exams of the graduate students k. Upon the recommendation of the advisor the Graduate Studies Committee shall act on cases of graduate students whose work is unsatisfactory. l. It shall periodically evaluate the graduate program as a whole, consider specific changes to graduate programs submitted by the tracks, and recommend changes to the Faculty and subsequently the Board of Graduate Studies as applicable. m. It shall oversee and evaluate policies and requirements regarding graduate admission and shall recommend changes or amendments of such to the Faculty and Board of Graduate Studies. n. It shall oversee enrollment management and recruitment strategies for graduate programs. o. It shall review and act on applications for graduate assistantship p. It shall coordinate its work with the Board of Graduate Studies, the Registrar s Office, and the Graduate Council. Section 6 The Research Committee 1. Composition The Research & Continuing Education Committee shall consist of: a. The Director or her/his representative as chairperson.

12 SN Bylaws Page 12 b. Three elected faculty members. c. One graduate student (non voting). 2. Functions a. It shall stimulate, encourage and promote research in the School. b. It shall review all research proposals for recommendation to the Director and refer applications of research projects including human subjects or animals to the University s Institutional Review Board and Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee.. c. It shall promote communication between researchers within the School and within the University. d. It shall promote dissemination of nursing knowledge and research utilization. e. It shall prepare the annual research report of the School. f. It shall submit to the Director of the School an annual summary report on all activities and developed policies and guidelines by the Committee to be included in the annual report of the School. g. It shall Act as liaison to the Office of Grants and Contracts and keep the faculty informed of available sources for research support. Section 6 - The Student Affairs Committee 1. Composition The Student Affairs Committee shall consist of: a. The Director or his/her representative as chairperson. b. The Dean of Student Affairs or her/his representative, ex-officio. c. Four faculty members who are the three undergraduate class advisors and the Nursing Student Society advisor. d. Two student representatives; one undergraduate and one graduate (voting except on disciplinary matters). 2. Functions

13 SN Bylaws Page 13 a. It shall deal with any aspect of student life referred to it by the Director. b. It shall work with faculty and students to enrich the School cultural activities. c. It shall consider and recommend action to the Director on all disciplinary matters involving students in the School. d. It shall promote the University s policies on academic integrity and the Student Code of Conduct, and act upon infringements of the Student Code of Conduct, in accordance with university policy, involving academic and nonacademic matters. e. It shall promote and oversee the activities of the Nursing Student Society and the Student Representative Committee. Section 7 - The Undergraduate Admissions Committee 1. Composition The Admissions and Recruitment Committee shall consist of: 2. Functions a. The Director or her/his representative as chairperson. The chairperson shall represent the School of Nursing on the University Admissions Committee. b. The Director of Admissions or his/her representative, ex-officio. c. Three faculty members elected for a term of two years from undergraduate programs. d. One student representative (non-voting). a. The Admissions Committee shall oversee and evaluate policies and requirements of the School of Nursing regarding undergraduate admissions and recommend changes or amendments to the Director. b. It shall review and recommend to the Unified Admissions Committee (UAC) admission of undergraduate applicants referred to it by the Admissions Office at AUB, including requests for student transfers from within AUB or from outside, as well as students working for a second degree and readmission of returning students. c. It shall be responsible for recruitment activities in collaboration with AUB Admissions office.

14 SN Bylaws Page 14 d. It shall gather statistics over the years to evaluate criteria for admissions. e. It shall alert the Director to trends and changes in admissions at the School and University levels. f. It shall regularly review the admission requirements and formulate School relevant policies and recommend any changes to the School and relevant bodies including the UAC. g. It shall act on HSON merit scholarships and AUBMC bursaries and make recommendations to the Director. ARTICLE VI AMENDMENTS Recommendations to the Senate for amendment of these by-laws require a two-third majority of the members of the faculty members of the School present at any meeting at which a quorum exists, provided written notice of the proposed amendment has been circulated to the faculty members no less than one week prior to the meeting. Amendments are subject to the approval of the University Senate, the President, and the Board of Trustees. ARTICLE VII PROCEDURE 1- All standing and Ad Hoc committees of the School, except the advisory committee, shall present their meetings to the faculty. 2- Procedural matters, which are not covered by the by-laws above, shall be in accordance with the latest edition of Robert's Rules of Order (latest version of which can be found at the Jafet Library). Approved by the faculty December 5, 2011 Revised November 25, 2011