Bylaws
THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA
Graduate
Interdisciplinary Program in
Biomedical
Engineering
The Interdisciplinary Biomedical
Engineering Program is composed of research and graduate educational activities
in a broad range of biological and medical engineering areas. The program
involves faculty members from the Colleges of Medicine, Agriculture, Arts and
Sciences, and Engineering and Mines who form the "Committee on Biomedical
Engineering." The Executive Committee is appointed by and responsible to
the Director of Graduate Interdisciplinary Programs, who reports to the Vice
President for Research, Graduates Studies and Economic Development. The
Executive Committee serves as the executive, policy and administrative agency
for the Program. The structure and organization of the Committee on Biomedical
Engineering shall conform to the Guidelines for Interdisciplinary Programs
established by the Director of Graduate Interdisciplinary Programs.
It is the responsibility of the
Biomedical Engineering Program to provide a graduate educational program in the
various areas of biological and medical engineering, to publicize the program,
and to maintain graduate and postdoctoral participants of the highest quality.
It is also the responsibility of the program to maintain vigorous, productive
research activities, to maintain an interacting community of biological and
medical engineering scientists by providing seminars and promoting campus-wide
interdisciplinary activities, and to identify promising areas of biological and
medical engineering research and the faculty expertise and facilities needed to
explore these areas.
Creative planning and leadership
are essential to maintain and foster excellence in Medical and Biological
Engineering research. These and related functions are served by the Committee
on Biomedical Engineering and its Executive Committee. In the following
sections the By-laws that govern policies and operating procedures are
outlined.
Article I. Executive Committee and
Chairperson of the Committee on Biomedical Engineering
The Executive Committee
administers activities of the Biomedical Engineering Program. The chair of the
Executive Committee shall also serve as Chairperson of the Committee on
Biomedical Engineering. The Executive Committee will report to the Director of
Graduate Interdisciplinary Programs and to the Deans of the Colleges of
Medicine and Agriculture and of the Faculty of Science.
A. Chairperson of the
Committee on Biomedical Engineering
1. The Chairperson of the Committee will be appointed by the
Director of Graduate Interdisciplinary Programs from nominees submitted by the
Executive Committee. The Chairperson will serve a renewable five year term.
a. The duties of the Chairperson of the Committee are: a) call and
preside at meetings of the Executive Committee as needed but not less than once
per quarter; b) call and preside at meetings of the Committee on Biomedical
Engineering at least once per year and as needed; c) appoint and supervise the
Standing Subcommittees on Recruiting and Admissions, Program, Resources and
Activities as detailed in Article II; d) administer the budget of the Committee
on Biomedical Engineering; e) manage administrative matters (such as qualifying
and thesis committees) with the Graduate College and Deans of the Colleges of
Engineering, Agriculture and Medicine and of the Faculty of Science at meetings
to be held no less than twice a year; and f) direct course change and approval
forms and monitor catalogue copy.
2. The Executive Committee will consist of five faculty members
representing the major areas of Biomedical Engineering and one graduate
student. Faculty members of the Executive Committee will be appointed only
from the members of the Committee on Biomedical Engineering. Each Executive
Committee member will serve a three-year term, and the terms will be staggered
so that at least two members of the Executive Committee are replaced each
year. New members of the Executive Committee will be appointed each year by
the Director of Graduate Interdisciplinary Programs from nominations submitted
by the Executive Committee. The graduate student member will be elected
annually by the students in good academic standing in the Program. Outgoing
members of the Executive Committee are not eligible for reappointment to the
Executive Committee until one year after the termination of the previous
appointment.
a. The Executive Committee is responsible for administering the
graduate program in Biomedical Engineering including admission of graduate
students and evaluation of continuing graduate students, publicizing the
Biomedical Engineering program intra- and extra-murally, planning the
development of the Biomedical Engineering Program, formulating the annual
budget of the Committee on Biomedical Engineering, securing and allocating
necessary funding, and advising the Director of Graduate Interdisciplinary
Programs and the Vice-President for Research, Graduate Studies & Economic
Development on issues pertinent to Biomedical Engineering.
Article II. Standing
Subcommittees
A. The Subcommittee on Recruiting and Admissions shall be
appointed annually by the Executive Committee on Biomedical Engineering and
shall consist of at least three faculty members and one graduate student who
represent the various disciplines within the Committee. At least one member of
the Recruiting and Admissions Subcommittee shall be from the Executive
Committee. The graduate student member will be elected annually by the
students in good academic standing in the Program. The Recruiting and Admissions
Subcommittee shall be responsible for publicizing the program, developing an
active minority recruitment plan, evaluating applicants, and recommending
admission of qualified candidates to the Executive Committee. At its
discretion, the Recruiting and Admissions Subcommittee may ask a postdoctoral
trainee to assist in its work.
B. The Program Subcommittee shall be appointed annually by the
Executive Committee on Biomedical Engineering and shall consist of at least
three faculty members and one graduate student who represent the various
disciplines within the group. The graduate student member will be elected
annually by the students in good academic standing in the Program. At least
one member of the Program Subcommittee shall be from the Executive Committee.
The Program Subcommittee shall make recommendations to the Executive Committee
on curriculum and course development. The Program Subcommittee shall prepare
and maintain the Student Handbook, suggest potential advisors to students, and,
on a yearly basis, prepare an evaluation of graduate student progress. The
Program Subcommittee shall submit the report of student progress by June 1 of
each year to the Executive Committee.
C. The Resources Subcommittee shall be appointed annually by the
Executive Committee on Biomedical Engineering and shall consist of at least
three faculty members and one graduate student who represent the various
disciplines within the group. The graduate student member will be elected
annually by the students in good academic standing in the Program. At least
one member of the Resources Subcommittee shall be from the Executive
Committee. The Resources Subcommittee shall be responsible for developing and
implementing the overall financial plan for Biomedical Engineering including
extramural fund raising for Program activities, identifying funding
opportunities and advising students on predoctoral awards and applying for
fellowships and scholarships from the Graduate College.
D. The Activities Subcommittee shall be appointed annually by the
Executive Committee on Biomedical Engineering and shall consist of at least
three faculty members, one graduate student, and one postdoctoral fellow who
represent the various disciplines within the group. The graduate student member
will be elected annually by the students in good academic standing in the
Program. At least one member of the Activities Subcommittee shall be from the
Executive Committee. The Activities Subcommittee shall be responsible for
organizing educational and social events that promote interactions among the
members of the Biomedical Engineering Program. These activities shall include
at least one picnic at the beginning of each academic year, supervision of
Student Forum, at least one annual poster session, and a Program Newsletter.
Article III. Membership
in the Committee on Biomedical Engineering
The Committee on Biomedical
Engineering consists of tenured (or tenure-eligible) faculty members at the University of Arizona who participate in graduate education and research in Biomedical
Engineering. An affiliate membership is available to non-tenure-eligible
faculty.
A. Membership
1. Criteria
a. Faculty (tenure-eligible only) shall be nominated for membership
in the Committee on Biomedical Engineering by submitting a request for
membership and a recent curriculum vita to the Executive Committee. A
two-thirds majority of positive votes of the Executive Committee shall be
required for nomination to membership to the Director of Graduate
Interdisciplinary Programs who shall confer membership. Criteria for
membership shall include demonstrated research activity, interest in graduate
education, and resources for graduate training.
b. A member of the Committee on Biomedical Engineering shall be
dropped from membership for failure to participate in the activities of the
Committee. Participation includes service as a thesis/dissertation director for
graduate students in Biomedical Engineering, service on a Subcommittee of the
Committee on Biomedical Engineering, teaching a graduate course in Biomedical
Engineering, giving a departmental seminar on a topic related to Biomedical
Engineering, continued scholarly and research productivity in Biomedical
Engineering. Membership shall be subject to periodic review and failure to
satisfy those criteria as decided by a two-thirds majority of the Executive
Committee shall result in loss of membership.
c. Members dropped from membership may reapply for membership as
specified in Article III. a.1.
2. Responsibilities
a. Members of the Committee on Biomedical Engineering may serve as
academic and research advisors of graduate students in the program and as
members of graduate and other Subcommittees.
b. Members of the Committee on Biomedical Engineering shall meet
annually and as needed. Meetings shall be conducted in accordance with
Robert's Rules of Order.
c. Each member of the Committee on Biomedical Engineering shall have
one vote on matters brought to the Committee by the Executive Committee. A
quorum shall constitute one-third of membership. Failing a quorum, a mail vote
shall be required.
d. Members shall be listed as Faculty of the Committee on Biomedical
Engineering in the Graduate Catalog.
e. Members shall be expected to share in the financial support of graduate
students at a level determined by the Executive Committee.
B. Affiliate Membership
1. Non-tenure-eligible faculty who otherwise meet the criteria for
membership (Art. III, 1.a.), may apply for affiliate membership in the
Committee on Biomedical Engineering by submitting a request for membership and
a recent curriculum vitae to the Executive Committee. A two-thirds majority of
positive votes of the Executive Committee shall be required for election to
affiliate membership.
2. Affiliate members shall have all the privileges and responsibilities of
regular members (Art. III, 1.b.) except that they shall only serve as
co-directors of graduate dissertation committees in conjunction with a regular
member
C. Peer Review Committee
1. Reviews of all faculty members/affiliate members contributions to the
IDP will be reviewed annually by the Peer Review Committee, which will consist
of at least three Biomedical Engineering faculty members. The Peer Review
Committee will be nominated by the Chair of the program and approved by the
Executive Committee.
D. Annual Faculty Report/Performance Reviews (IDP)
1. The Annual Faculty Report/Performance Review will be conducted each
year, beginning in January. The review period will cover the previous calendar
year. The Program office will issue the annual report form to all faculty no
later than January 10 of each year. Each faculty member must return the report
to the Program office no later than February 1 of each year. The Peer Committee
will submit its evaluations to the Chair of the program no later than April 1.
A copy of this report will be sent to the Faculty Member’s primary department
or academic unit for inclusion in her/his Annual Performance and Post-Tenure
Review dossier.
Article IV. Annual
Performance Reviews/Promotion and Tenure for Faculty whose tenure lines reside
in BME
A. Annual Performance Reviews
1.
Annual Performance Reviews for faculty with primary
appointments in BME will be conducted in conjunction with the Biomedical
Engineering IDP Annual Faculty Report/Peer Review initiated in January. Each
faculty member shall submit a report to the Chair of the Program no later than
February 1 of each year. This report shall list the goals and objectives for
the current reporting period, describe contributions for the previous three
years and state goals and objectives for the next reporting year. The report
will include summaries of student evaluations for all courses taught during the
previous calendar year.
2.
Workload Assignments will be formulated and the faculty
rated in each of the three primary areas of responsibility - teaching,
research/scholarly activity, and service.
a. Workload assignments will be established annually by the Chair of
the Program in consultation with the faculty member. These assignments will
take into account the mission of the program and the goals and objectives
stated in the annual report. The assignments may vary depending on the current
needs of the program, career progression of the faculty and strengths that the
faculty bring to the program.
3.
Faculty will be rated on a five-level scale: Truly
Exceptional, Exceeds Exceptions, Meets Exceptions, Needs Improvement or
Unsatisfactory.
4.
Faculty will be evaluated in Teaching by the positive
contributions done in classroom teaching; developing course materials;
coordinating a course; supervising independent study courses, seminars,
graduate and undergraduate student; advising/mentoring graduate students;
advising/mentoring postdoctoral associates.
5.
Faculty will be evaluated in Research/Scholarly Activity
and will be assessed by the quality and quantity of publications in
peer-reviewed journals; obtaining grants from outside agencies; invited
presentations at local/national meetings in other universities; presentations
at national/international meetings; publishing chapters in research-oriented
books; honors and awards for research.
6.
Faculty Service will be evaluated by the positive contributions in serving on
divisional or university committees; chairing any committee; serving in faculty
governance (e.g. Faculty Senate); administrative assignments - including the
administration of training grants; mentoring other faculty; contributions to
interdisciplinary programs; activity in professional organizations and granting
agencies; peer review of manuscript/grants for journals and granting agencies;
service to other universities - reviewing tenure packages; organizing
scientific meetings.
B. Promotion
and Tenure Committee
1.
The BME Promotion and Tenure Committee is a standing
committee comprised of four tenured BME IDP Members whose rank shall all be
above the rank of the individual being considered for promotion, except in the
case of full professor, where the participating committee members shall each be
a full professor. Members will be nominated by the Chairman of the Program and
approved by the Executive Committee. The Chairman of the Program will be
excluded from membership on this committee. This committee will convene to
consider 2nd, 4th, 6th year reviews, promotion
or tenure. The committee will submit their evaluations to the Chair of the
Program no later then April 1 of each year. The committee may also include a
faculty member from outside the Program with research interests comparable with
those of the individual under consideration. The Committee in consultation
with the Chair will select this individual. The opinion of this committee is
communicated in a written report to the Chair, who then transmits that report
with his own recommendation to the Director of Graduate Interdisciplinary
Programs.
C. Promotion
and Tenure
6.
Decisions regarding promotion and tenure will be made at
the intervals prescribed in Chapter 3 of the University Handbook for Appointed
Personnel. Assistant Professors will normally be reviewed before the end of
the second, fourth and sixth years. These reviews will be carried out
separately from the Annual Performance Review and by the Departmental Promotion
and Tenure Committee as outlined in IV.B .
7.
Biomedical Engineering primary faculty members should contact
the program office to receive complete guidelines for the retention
review/promotion and tenure process and preparation of dossiers.
Article V. Annual
Performance Review/Promotion and Post-Tenure for Chair of BME
A. Annual Performance and Post-Tenure Review of the BME Chair whose tenure
line is within a GIDP shall be conducted by the GIDP Advisory Council in
compliance with University Handbook for Appointed Personnel guidelines (3.10).
The GIDP will consist of six GIDP Faculty Members. GIDP Advisory Council
Members will serve three year terms with service staggered such that two new
members are added every year as two members fulfill their terms. The GIDP
Advisory Council shall be elected by secret ballot from a slate of Faculty
Members that have been nominated by the Executive Committee Members of the
GIDPs. Elections will be held among Faculty Members of the GIDPs every
October.
B. The Chair will submit an Annual Performance report outlining his/her
activities as Chair to the Director of Graduate Interdisciplinary Programs. A
statement of objectives for the upcoming year should be included. This report
must be submitted no later than January 31 of each year and shall cover the
period of January 1 through December 31 of the previous year. The previous two
years report should be appended in order to provide the three year perspective
required by UHAP (3.10.05). This statement shall serve as the primary source
of information for the review by the GIDP Advisory Council and the Director of
Graduate Interdisciplinary Programs. The assessment of performance shall
include an evaluation of both the GIDP Advisory Council and Director of
Graduate Interdisciplinary Programs.
C. The GIDP Advisory Council will submit their evaluation to the Director
of Graduate Interdisciplinary Programs by April 15. The Director of Graduate
Interdisciplinary Programs will meet with the Chair to discuss the evaluation
by May 15.
D. Appeals of the Annual Performance Review for non-tenured Chairs will be
conducted in accordance with UHAP guidelines (3.10.06).
E. Appeals or Enhanced Reviews of the Annual Performance and Post-Tenure
Review for tenured Chairs will be conducted in accordance with UHAP guidelines
(3.10.04).
F. The University’s Enhanced Review Board will be available to serve for
Enhanced Reviews of the GIDP Chairs whose tenure lines are within a GIDP. This
will be done in accordance with UHAP guidelines.
Article VI. Amendments
The By-laws shall be amended or
revised by movement of the Executive Committee and a two-thirds positive vote
of the Committee on Biomedical Engineering.
