School of Dentistry Bylaws

Preamble

Bylaws are the written rules that define the form, manner, and procedures by which an organization functions; the written rules for the conduct of an organization.  These Bylaws are essential in helping the University of Minnesota School of Dentistry map out its purpose and the practical day-to-day details of how it will conduct its business.  The Bylaws serve as guidelines for the operation of the School of Dentistry, and the organization could be challenged in court for its actions if it violates them.

These Bylaws help define the mission of the School of Dentistry and clarify the structure of its organization to achieve that mission.  The structure of these Bylaws is based on the core missions of the School of Dentistry with the standing committees responsible for the activities of the school that will achieve those core missions.  It is expected that in order to achieve their responsibilities, the standing committees will utilize subcommittees and ad hoc committees to accomplish the various tasks required to meet the overall goals and missions of the School of Dentistry.  

The standing committees are directly responsible to the Council of Faculty in assuring that the operations of the school meet the global goals and mission of the School of Dentistry.  The Council of Faculty expects from the standing committees oversight regarding the form, manner, and procedures of the cooperative governance of the School of Dentistry.

Article I. Council of Faculty

Section A. Composition of the Council of Faculty

The membership of the Council of Faculty (COF) of the School of Dentistry (SOD) is defined in the Constitution, Article III, Faculty, Section 1: Membership.

Section B. Responsibilities of the Council of Faculty

The responsibilities of the COF are defined in the Constitution, Article III, Faculty, Section 3: Council of Faculty.

Section C. Meetings of the Council of Faculty

1. The COF secretary of the SOD shall preside at meetings of the COF and supervise all school-wide elections (except for the election of the COF secretary). The COF secretary shall attend regular meetings of the Council of Chairs (COC), at least once monthly or at a greater frequency as the dean directs. The chair of the Faculty Consultative Committee (FCC) shall serve, ex officio, as vice chair of the COF and shall oversee the election of the COF secretary and preside in the absence of the COF secretary.
2. The COF secretary shall convene regular meetings of the COF at least quarterly per academic year and shall distribute the meeting agenda at least 5 working days in advance of meetings to all members of the COF and to such others as the COF, FCC, COC, or dean directs.
3. Members of the COF may submit items for the agenda to the COF secretary and may introduce additional items to the agenda during the agenda approval process at the beginning of COF meetings.
4. Special meetings of the COF shall be held on the call of the COF secretary or the dean, or in response to a petition by any 10 voting members of the COF. Such meetings shall not require the 5 working days of notice required for a regular meeting.
5. At any regular or special meeting of the COF, 25 percent of the voting membership of the COF shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of procedural business. It shall be the responsibility of the COF secretary to determine and announce at the beginning of each meeting whether a quorum is present. Substantive issues that appeared on the distributed agenda shall be submitted to the entire COF for consideration and ballot. For issues dealt with at a meeting of the COF that did not appear on the distributed agenda, any member in attendance at the meeting may request that the issue be submitted to the entire COF for consideration and ballot. Ballot decisions not related to Constitutional or Bylaw changes shall be determined by a majority of those voting on the issue.
6. Changes to the Bylaws require a majority of the eligible voting faculty.
7. The COF secretary receives reports and recommendations from the FCC and SOD administration and various committees established by the Constitution and these Bylaws during regular meetings of the COF. Reports from the dean, subcommittees, and ad hoc committees, Academic Health Center (AHC) Committees, and University Senate are also presented at regular meetings of the COF. The reports shall be made part of the minutes of the COF meeting.
8. Students, graduate students, residents, and civil service personnel may be invited by any COF member to participate in specific meetings and have the right of the floor but not voting privileges.
9. Draft minutes of meetings of the COF shall be prepared, distributed to all members, and posted on the SOD intranet site within 5 working days, by an individual appointed by the COF secretary. This appointed individual shall serve as custodian of the COF records and shall be responsible for circulating the agenda and keeping the minutes of each COF meeting. Formal approval of the minutes shall be voted upon at the subsequent meeting of the COF, distributed to all members and posted on the SOD intranet site within 5 working days of approval.

Article II. Committees of the School of Dentistry

Section A. Committee Formation

1. Standing committees are permanent components of the SOD’s administrative structure and can be created, modified, or abolished only by amending the Constitution and these Bylaws. The nomination process for standing committee members shall be as follows:
   1. The department chair will call for nominations from department faculty.
   2. If no nominations are forthcoming, recommendations will be made by the department chair.
   3. Every effort will be made to maximize the diversity of faculty nominated for standing committees.
   4. Department faculty will vote to select their nominees.
   5. The department chair will forward the names of selected nominees to the FCC. The FCC will review the candidates and recommend selected nominees for the dean’s approval.
2. In the event that a member of a standing committee is to be replaced, the three parties charged with the appointment process, i.e.; the department, the FCC, and the dean, shall consult to determine, by consensus, whether there is reasonable cause for the member’s removal or retention. If it is determined that a member is to be replaced, an interim appointment should be made in accordance with the same procedures followed for normal committee member selection. The length of the interim appointment should coincide with the appointment they are replacing.
3. A standing committee may, by consent of a majority of its members, establish subcommittees or ad hoc committees to address specific issues but such committees shall not have responsibilities that duplicate those of the standing committees. Subcommittees may be composed primarily of standing committee members. The COF or the dean may also create ad hoc committees. Subcommittees and ad hoc committees without ongoing responsibilities may be abolished by the standing committee(s) or their appointing bodies when their duties have been discharged.
4. The process of selecting chairs for each standing committee is defined under the descriptions of the committees in Section C. Ex officio members, if they are voting faculty as defined in the Constitution, are eligible to serve as chairpersons. Chairs of subcommittees and ad hoc committees formed by the standing committees shall be appointed by their respective standing committee chairs. Chairs of ad hoc committees created by the COF shall be appointed by the COF secretary. Chairs of ad hoc committees created by the dean shall be appointed by the dean.
5. Terms of appointments for members of standing committees shall be 2 years. Unless noted otherwise and with the exception of ex officio member appointments, interim appointments, and IEC member appointments, committee members shall serve no more than 2 consecutive terms.
6. All departmentally appointed faculty representatives may vote on committee matters. Ex officio members shall vote if their primary role on a given committee is to represent a constituency. Ex officio members shall not vote if they have an executive or consultative role for that committee.
7. In the unusual event that an individual represents two constituencies, that individual must bring a delegate to register a vote for the second constituency during committee proceedings.

Section B. General Responsibilities of All Committees

1. All standing committees shall meet at least once during the academic year. Meetings shall be conducted according to the most recent revision of Robert’s Rules of Order. The presence of a simple majority of voting members shall constitute a quorum. It is the responsibility of regular members to arrange for an alternate person to represent them if they are unable to attend regularly scheduled meetings. Laws and regulations of the State of Minnesota and the University of Minnesota regarding “open meetings,” the Data Practices Act, individual privacy, and the public’s “right to know” shall apply to all committee proceedings, as applicable.
2. Each standing committee, subcommittee, or ad hoc committee shall distribute an agenda to members at least 3 working days in advance of each meeting.
3. All committees shall keep minutes of their meetings and proceedings. Once approved, these materials will be distributed and posted on the SOD intranet.
4. Standing committee chairs are required to report on their activities at least once a year at a regularly scheduled meeting of the COF. Subcommittee chairs are required to report on their activities to their respective standing committees at least once a year. Ad hoc committee chairs are required to report on their activities to their standing committee(s) and/or appointing bodies.
5. The dean or his/her designated representative may attend meetings of the standing committees, subcommittees, or ad hoc committees as a non-voting guest.

Section C. Committees

A. Faculty Consultative Committee

1. Membership

   The FCC shall consist of two voting faculty members from each department, each from different divisions, and one alternate member from each department. The dean, the COF secretary, and the SOD AHC FCC representative shall serve as ex officio members of this committee and, given that they serve in either an executive or consultative role, shall not vote. There shall be 8 voting members.

2. Responsibilities
   1. Serve as the executive committee of the COF.
   2. Elect a chair who will serve for a two-year term. The FCC chair shall attend regular meetings of the COC, at least once monthly or at a greater frequency as the dean directs.
   3. Maintain and update the list of voting faculty members from all departments.
   4. Serve as the nominating committee for all standing committees. The FCC shall request a list of selected nominees from department chairs who will follow the nomination process as specified in Article II, Section A. The FCC may request a list of additional nominees from the department chairs as required to achieve appropriate representation on committees, including appropriate diversity of membership. During the month of May, the FCC shall present its nominees to the dean for consideration. Nominees endorsed by the dean shall take office on July 1.
   5. Review and make recommendations to the COF regarding the FCC’s interpretation of and proposed amendments to the Constitution and Bylaws of the SOD.
   6. Advise and make recommendations to the dean about matters of mutual concern on behalf of the COF.
   7. Participate with the SOD’s administration in the preparation of strategic plans, and review implementation and outcomes on a regular basis.

B. Educational Policy Committee

1. Membership

   The Educational Policy Committee shall consist of two voting faculty members from each department, each from different divisions, and one alternate member from each department. The director of the Dental Hygiene (DH) program or their assigned delegate, the director of the Dental Therapy (DT) program or their assigned delegate, and the director of the Program for Advanced Standing Students (PASS) or their assigned delegate shall be ex-officio members and, given that their primary role is to represent a constituency, shall be voting members of the committee. The associate dean for academic affairs shall be an ex officio member and chair of this committee and, given that s/he serves in an executive role, shall not vote. Four Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS) students, two DH students, two DT students, and two PASS students, representing each graduating class of their respective program, as nominated by the Council of Students (COS) shall be additional non-voting members of this committee. There shall be 11 voting members.

2. Responsibilities
   1. Create policies to improve the delivery of educational programs.
   2. Coordinate educational endeavors with clinical programs.
   3. Coordinate educational efforts between professional programs.
   4. Oversee the curriculum management process for the DDS, DT, DH, and PASS educational programs by the use of appropriate subcommittees. Each subcommittee will be charged with the following responsibilities:
      1. Review and evaluate program curricula to ensure consistency with the mission, goals, and objectives of the SOD and the oral health needs of   Minnesota citizens.
      2. Review and assess the program’s course objectives, course competencies, and instructional units to ensure that course design, content, evaluation methods, clock hours, and teaching methods are appropriate and consistent with curriculum goals.
      3. Evaluate and act on requests for new course offerings and major alterations in existing courses within programs, and assign clock hours (credits) to new and existing courses with major alterations.
      4. Review and evaluate the program to assure integrity, consistency, and compliance with relevant university policies.

C. Clinical Affairs Committee

1. Membership

   The Clinical Affairs Committee shall consist of one ex officio voting faculty member representing each clinical division (endodontics; operative dentistry; prosthodontics; periodontology; orthodontics; pediatric dentistry; oral and maxillofacial surgery; outreach; dental hygiene; dental therapy, comprehensive care; TMD and orofacial pain; oral and maxillofacial pathology; oral medicine, diagnosis and radiology). The associate dean for clinical affairs shall be an ex officio member and chair of this committee and, given that s/he serves in an executive role, shall not vote. The director of quality assurance, the clinic manager, the instrument management systems manager, the reception supervisor, and the principal systems project manager shall be ex officio members of this committee and, given that they serve in either an executive or consultative role, shall not vote. Two DDS students, one DH student, and one DT student as nominated by the COS shall be additional non-voting members of this committee. There shall be 14 voting members.

2. Responsibilities
   1. Develop policies and procedures to improve the quality and scope of patient management and student clinical education.
   2. Maximize the efficient use of clinical resources.
   3. Evaluate and monitor the implementation of clinic operations and policies to optimize patient care and student clinical education.
   4. Review and make approvals on faculty applications for clinical and teaching privileges presented by department chairpersons.
   5. Review clinical teaching and clinical privileges of faculty in light of available quality assurance instruments. Make recommendations appropriate to findings of such review, following the proper hearing process. Final recommendations made on a faculty member’s clinical teaching and clinical privileges should be reported to the department chair and the dean.

D. Research Committee

1. Membership

   The Research Committee shall consist of two voting faculty member from each department. The director of research clinic and the director of the student research program shall be ex officio members of this committee and, given that their primary role is to represent a constituency, they shall be voting members of the committee.  The associate dean for research shall be ex officio member and chair of this committee and, given that s/he serves in an executive role, shall not vote. There shall be 10 voting members.

2. Responsibilities
   1. Foster and support local, national, and international research, scholarship, and training activities through ongoing strategic planning and implementation.
   2. Assist in the SOD’s Student Research Fellowship Program, including solicitation and evaluation of research proposals, matching of students with faculty preceptors, evaluation of posters, evaluation of papers, and selection of awardees.
   3. Administer any visiting professorship programs including publicity, solicitation of applicants, and selection of awardees.
   4. Consider and make recommendations to the Dean on faculty requests for research funding to support equipment purchases and maintenance, small projects, matching funds and bridge funds.
   5. Review submissions for the paper of the year and similar faculty honors.

E. Student Affairs Committee

1. Membership

   The Student Affairs Committee shall consist of two voting faculty members from each department, each from different divisions, and one alternate member from each department. The associate dean for academic affairs shall be an ex officio member and chair of this committee and, given that s/he serves in an executive role, shall not vote. The director of the DH program or their assigned delegate, the director of the DT program or their assigned delegate, the director of the PASS or their assigned delegate, the director of the Office of International Affairs, and the director of the Office for Student Affairs shall be ex officio members of this committee and, given that they serve either in an executive or consultative role, shall not vote.  Four DDS students, two DH students, two DT students, and two PASS students, representing each graduating class of their respective program, as nominated by the COS shall be additional non-voting members of this committee.  Students shall be excluded from any discussion regarding performance, standing, and advancement of specific students.  There shall be 8 voting members.

2. Responsibilities
   1. Review and recommend revisions to the Student Handbook in consultation with the COS, Office of Academic Affairs, Student Affairs, and other administrative units.
   2. In accordance with the Code of Conduct, SOD policies, and University of Minnesota policies assemble a hearing board to hear and act on violations of the Code of Conduct for students. The majority of the members of this hearing board shall be faculty.
   3. Work with the COS to identify and address academic and non-academic concerns from students regarding the operations of the SOD, and to communicate those concerns to appropriate councils, committees, and administrators.
   4. Immediately upon completion of a semester solicit, compile, and review input from all course directors, subcommittees, and the Office of Academic Affairs with regard to student performance and recommended actions such as remediation or dismissal in accordance with relevant policies.
   5. Evaluate the academic performance of all students at the end of each term regarding deficiencies as well as exceptional performance and present findings of such to the dean and the Admissions Committee.
   6. Compile an annual listing of all awards, honors, and scholarships and inform department chairpersons of the awards relative to the specific discipline.
   7. Review and recommend nominations for awards, honors, and scholarships as presented by departments, divisions, the Office of Academic Affairs and others as appropriate to the donor’s wishes.
   8. Serve as a clearinghouse for information related to international study, travel, and other professional development opportunities available to students.
   9. Serve as a resource for students from international institutions who are visiting the University of Minnesota SOD. These responsibilities shall include working with administrative personnel to ensure that questions or problems dealing with such matters as admission, visas, housing, language testing, and tuition are properly addressed.
   10. Manage SOD international student exchange programs and review and recommend nominations for such programs as presented by the program directors.

F. Graduate and Advanced Education Committee

1. Membership

   The Graduate and Advanced Education Committee shall consist of the directors of graduate studies and the directors of the advanced education programs as ex officio members and, given that their primary role is to represent a constituency, they shall be voting member of the committee. The associate dean for academic affairs shall be an ex officio member of this committee and, given that s/he serves in an executive role, shall not vote. This standing committee shall elect its own chair among the voting faculty on an annual basis.

2. Responsibilities
   1. Coordinate the SOD’s advanced education programs and/or graduate degree programs.
   2. Advise the SOD’s administration in consultation with the appropriate discipline regarding resource issues affecting post-doctoral certificate and graduate degree programs.
   3. Oversee the development and distribution of marketing and recruitment materials for advanced education programs and/or graduate degree programs.
   4. Explore interdisciplinary issues affecting the operation of graduate degree programs in the SOD.
   5. Provide assessment of admissions for all advanced and graduate degree programs according to the policies of the School of Dentistry, Graduate School, and relevant external agencies.

G. Faculty Affairs Committee

1. Membership

   The Faculty Affairs Committee shall consist of two voting faculty members from each department, one of whom must be a regular (tenure track or tenured) faculty member and one of whom must be a term faculty member. There shall be 8 voting members. This standing committee shall elect its own chair among the voting faculty on an annual basis.

2. Responsibilities

   The Faculty Affairs Committee shall be concerned with the policies and procedures that influence the personal and professional welfare of the faculty.  Specifically, the Faculty Affairs Committee will:

   1. Review and suggest revisions on the departmental criteria for appointment, onboarding, and promotion of term and adjunct faculty.
   2. Assemble a Salary Equity Review subcommittee (SERC) charged with conducting periodic salary equity reviews of a cohort of faculty, reviewing faculty concerns or appeals regarding annual salary decisions, and advising the dean regarding faculty salary equity matters in the school. The intent of the subcommittee is to focus on gender equality issues. The subcommittee shall consist of one faculty representative from each department. The SOD Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action (EOAA) Liaison and a representative from Human Resources will serve as non-voting ex-officio members to assist in gathering necessary information for the subcommittee’s review. Every effort will be made to balance the committee membership in terms of gender.
   3. Enhance faculty's skills in clinical and classroom teaching, research, leadership and scholarship by providing the tools and resources they need to navigate a successful career at the U of MN.
   4. Provide regular information sessions on the promotion and tenure process.
   5. Encourage that faculty teaching, research and service responsibilities are equitable and transparent across departments.
   6. Develop and recommend policies, procedures, actions and expectations to create an environment in which work-life balance is expected, enabled, and supported.
   7. Periodically review faculty benefits and forward suggestions for changes to the University Senate Faculty Affairs Committee (SCFA).

H. Promotion, Tenure and Appointment Committee

1. Membership

   The Promotion, Tenure and Appointment (PT&A) committee shall consist of two faculty members from each department, one of who must be a full professor.  One alternate tenured member from each department shall also be included.  In compliance with University guidelines on promotion and tenure, as well as SOD policies on tenure and rank, membership on the committee shall be limited to tenured faculty.  There shall be 8 voting members.

2. Responsibilities
   1. Elect a chair who is a full professor and report the results of deliberations regarding promotion and tenure to the dean.
   2. Evaluate the recommendations for promotion and/or tenure of all regular faculty received from departmental chairpersons, the candidates themselves, interested faculty colleagues, and/or SOD administrators.
   3. Review and suggest revisions on the departmental criteria for promotion and/or tenure of all regular faculty and apply those criteria in the best interests of the SOD and the University.
   4. Determine whether supportive material submitted for the promotion and/or tenure of all regular faculty is adequate and, when necessary, make recommendations to the dean for modification of the supportive material.
   5. Review the curriculum vitae documentation of proposed new regular faculty appointments to consider the appropriate level of hire and tenure status, and forward recommendations to the dean.
   6. Assist departments and divisions in the recruitment, promotion, retention, development, and assessment of all faculty as appropriate to the missions of the SOD.

I. Admissions Committee

1. Membership

   The Admissions Committee shall consist of two voting faculty members from each department, each from different divisions, and one alternate member from each department. The assistant dean for admissions and diversity shall be an ex officio member and chair of this committee and, given that s/he serves in an executive role, shall not vote. The director of the DH program or their assigned delegate, the director of the DT program or their assigned delegate, and the director of the PASS or their assigned delegate shall be ex officio members of this committee and, given that they serve in either an executive or consultative role, shall not vote. Ex officio members may serve as chairs of the DDS, DH, DT, and PASS admissions sub-committees. There shall be 8 voting members.

2. Responsibilities
   1. Establish admission, re-admission, and transfer policies in consultation with administrators for the DDS, DH, DT, and PASS programs.
   2. Oversee the admissions process by the use of appropriate subcommittees that will be charged with reviewing applications and selecting students for the DDS, DT, DH and PASS programs. Each voting member of the standing committee is required to serve on at least one sub-committee. DDS, DH, DT, PASS students, clinicians in private practice, or the director of student research may serve on appropriate sub-committees.
   3. Review and revise admissions processes, procedures, instruments, and selection criteria in consultation with administrators for the DDS, DH, DT, and PASS programs.
   4. Work with members of the Student Affairs Committee and Diversity Committee to recruit, matriculate and retain quality, diverse students to all educational programs.

J. Institutional Effectiveness Committee

1. Membership

   The Institutional Effectiveness Committee shall consist of one voting faculty representative from each department. The department chairs shall be ex officio members of this committee and, given that their primary role is to represent a constituency, they shall be voting members of the committee. The associate dean for academic affairs, the associate dean for clinical affairs, the associate dean for research, the assistant dean for admissions and diversity, the director of the DH program or their assigned delegate, the director of the DT program or their assigned delegate, the director of the PASS or their assigned delegate, the director of the division of outreach, the director of the continuing dental education (CDE) program, the director of the office of human resources, and the chief administrative/operational/financial officer shall be ex officio members of this committee and, given that they serve in either an executive or consultative role, shall not vote. Department faculty representatives may serve up to 4 consecutive terms. The chair of the committee will be appointed by the Dean on an annual basis. There shall be 8 voting members.

2. Responsibilities
   1. Ensure that the SOD evaluates its effectiveness in fulfilling its mission statement and strategic initiatives.
   2. Establish, review, and refine measurable benchmarks for each measurable outcomes assessment and annually analyze data related to these benchmarks to assess if the missions and strategic initiatives of the SOD are met.
   3. Make recommendations to the dean for improvement of the SOD’s programs in an ongoing and systematic manner.
   4. Monitor the school's financial performance and to make budget planning recommendations to best align financial decisions with the SOD’s mission and strategic initiatives.
   5. Annually review faculty distribution relative to the SOD’s mission and strategic initiatives, and make recommendations to the dean regarding any suggested changes.
   6. Annually review facilities to identify deficiencies and opportunities in space utilization, and make recommendations to the dean to update or remodel current facilities, reallocate current space, or acquire new space to best meet the needs of the SOD.
   7. Review the practice of the CDE program in alignment with the missions of the SOD and provide feedback to the CDE program.

K. Diversity Committee

1. Membership

   The Diversity Committee shall consist of two voting faculty members from each department, each from different divisions. The assistant dean for admission and diversity shall be an ex officio member and chair of this committee and, given that s/he serves in an executive role, shall not vote. The EOAA liaison shall be an ex officio member of this committee and, given that s/he serves either in an executive or consultative role, shall not vote. Two staff members nominated by the Staff Advisory Committee and one representative from each student group (DDS, DT, DH, PASS) nominated by the COS shall be additional non-voting members of this committee. There shall be 8 voting members.

2. Responsibilities
   1. Promote understanding and appreciation for all aspects of diversity (race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, nationality, age, socio-economic status, and disability).
   2. Review policies, programs and services related to equal opportunity for the diversity of students and employees and recommend any changes.
   3. Advise the dean and COF on the impact of university policies, programs, and services on equal opportunity, affirmative action and diversity from a system perspective.
   4. Provide campus resources for faculty, staff and students to connect with the larger campus in terms of diversity needs.
   5. Conduct ongoing assessment of faculty, staff and students in regard to perceptions, needs and SOD practices related to diversity.
   6. Provide a forum for discussion of issues of diversity, including issues identified in campus climate surveys, SOD surveys and the SOD strategic plan.
   7. Sponsor activities and events in the SOD that celebrate diversity and increase employee/student awareness.