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Structure & Governance

College Governance

I          The College Assembly

II         The College Council (formerly College Board)

III        College Executive

IV        The School

Structures of governance for the College of Medicine and Health are intended to provide a flexible framework that can be adjusted at local level to meet particular needs, professional and academic, and can evolve as the faculty grows and will mesh with existing College structures of governance.  Of fundamental importance is the need for a structure that will promote co-ordinated growth, allow regular and easy consultation, and facilitate delegation of responsibility and workloads in a flexible manner.  It is designed to promote a collective sense of shared purpose between and within schools and departments.

I     The College Assembly

All academic members of the College of Medicine & Health, full and part time, belong to the College Assembly.  The College Assembly meets once a year, in the first teaching term.  The main item of business is the presentation of an annual report by the Head of College, presenting the work of the College of Medicine & Health over the past year and signalling strategic directions in the year ahead. Each school contributes to this report.

II     The College Council (formerly College Board)

The principal function of the College Council is to co-ordinate policy across the different schools and to consider issues relating to the inter-relationship of schools with one another, with the University and with the wider community.  College reports are directed to schools prior to being considered at College Council and are considered together with school responses where appropriate.  Any issues of co-ordination are debated in this forum.

Membership is as follows:

Heads of Schools

 

5

Chairs of School standing committees (see below)

5 x 5

25

Research Co-ordinator

 

1

President, Registrar and Dean

 

3

Faculty and School Managers (in attendance)

 

6

One student representative per school

5 x 1

5

Three Health Board nominees

 

3

Nominees of other faculties

 

4

College nominees on University Committees

 

8

TOTAL

 

60

                                                                               

Nominated members serve for periods in accord with accepted College practice.  The College Council meets once or twice per term prior to meetings of the Academic Council.

The College Council dates have been finalised for the forthcoming academic year as follows:

Thursday 25th September 2008

Thursday 6th November 2008

Thursday 8th January 2009

Thursday 12th February 2009

Thursday 12th March 2009

Thursday 30th April 2009

Thursday 4th June 2009

All meetings will take place at 3.30pm in Room 2.25 Brookfield Health Sciences Complex.

III     College Executive

The principal function of the College Executive is to assist the Head in College management, taking executive decisions on behalf of College Board when necessary, subject to later ratification.

Membership is as follows:

Head of College (Chair)

Head of Clinical Therapies School

Head of Dental Hospital and School

Head of Medical School

Head of Nursing School

Head of Pharmacy School

College Research Coordinator

College Manager (in attendance)

All members of the College Executive are members ex officio. It meets fortnightly outside vacation periods or more frequently if pressure of business dictates.

IV     The School

The principal function of the School is to co-ordinate the resources (physical, financial and human) necessary to deliver the educational programmes of a profession (or professions) and the promotion of related postgraduate study and research.

Schools function to deliver academic programmes.  Substructures appropriate to the efficient delivery of those programmes should be devised to suit the needs of particular schools.  The Head of School has executive responsibility to the Head of College of Medicine & Health for all matters relating to the academic administration and resource management of the School.  The responsibilities of the Head of School include:

The Head of School may delegate subsidiary authority to a member or members of the School and this authority may include responsibility for staff, students, professional programmes and finance, under such terms as shall be agreed by the Head of School and the Head of College.  Suitable titles such as Director, Co-ordinator, etc. may be used.

Each School shall have a number of standing committees dealing with:

In smaller schools, it is permitted for one committee to fulfil the functions of several. Chairs of standing committees are appointed by the Head of School following consultation and serve for periods of time to be decided at School level within university norms. Each school has five places on College Board, normally occupied by the chairs of the five standing committees. In schools where there are less than 5 standing committees, there shall still be 5 representatives, one representing each of the above areas of school activity. 

Each School has an Executive Committee including the Head of School, the chairs of the standing committees and the School Manager.  The Head of School chairs the Executive Committee, which meets regularly outside vacation periods. In schools comprising different departments, the Head of School may establish a forum to meet with heads of department.

Each academic programme in a school has a Board of Studies, the chair of which, if not the Head of School, is responsible to the Head of School for the management and quality of that programme.