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Faculty and Staff Handbook » School of Pharmacy

School of Pharmacy Bylaws and Committee Structure

[ Article I ] [ Article II ] [ Article III ] [ Handbook: School of Pharmacy ]

Approved by TTUHSC Regents 6-9-95
Amended 5/14/99

ARTICLE I

FUNCTION, FACULTY MEMBERSHIP, ORGANIZATIONAL OFFICERS, AND GOVERNANCE

SECTION A: FUNCTIONS OF THE FACULTY

The Faculty of the School of Pharmacy shall be responsible for the governance of its affairs including, but not restricted to, student policies, curricular matters, faculty promotion and tenure policies, and such operational policies as may be specified by the Bylaws.

SECTION B: MEMBERSHIP

All persons holding a 50 percent time or greater appointment with Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center in the School of Pharmacy at the rank of Instructor or above shall be voting members of the faculty of the School of Pharmacy.

SECTION C: DEAN OF THE SCHOOL OF PHARMACY

The Dean of the School of Pharmacy, as the presiding officer of the faculty, is the primary faculty organizational officer responsible for all faculty and student activities and academic business directed to the successful completion of the role and mission of the School of Pharmacy.

The Dean of the School of Pharmacy is appointed by and serves at the discretion of the President of the Health Sciences Center.

SECTION D: FACULTY OFFICERS OF THE SCHOOL OF PHARMACY

The Dean of the School of Pharmacy shall be assisted by other faculty members who have been appointed to administer specific responsibilities delegated to them by the Dean. The title of Associate Dean will be reserved for faculty officers and Assistant Dean for professional staff officers. Such additional officers shall be: (1) The Associate Deans for Clinical Affairs, Curriculum and Students, Patient Care Services, Research, Student Assessment of Learning, and regional campus Deans, and (2) The Assistant Dean for Financial and Administrative Affairs, (3) The academic department chairpersons, and (4) other program administrators who may be appointed as department vice chairpersons, chiefs of clinical services, directors or coordinators.

Faculty officers are appointed by and serve at the discretion of the Dean.

SECTION E: MEETINGS OF THE FACULTY

Meetings of the faculty shall be convened at least once during each fall and spring semester. Additional meetings of the faculty may be convened at the discretion of the Dean, and shall also be called upon receipt, by the Dean, of a signed petition from five or more members of the faculty. Notice of such meetings must be announced no later than five working days after receipt of the petition.

The Dean shall preside over all meetings of the School of Pharmacy faculty organization, or in his/her absence, by another member of the faculty officer designed by the Dean.

Robert's Rules of Order, Newly Revised, shall be the parliamentary authority for all meetings, except as otherwise specified in the Bylaws. Faculty voting should be conducted in a manner so that faculty at distant sites have an opportunity to vote on faculty business.

A Secretary of the faculty may be appointed by the Dean to assist in the administration of faculty meetings, prepare minutes, and serve as the School parliamentarian.

All actions of the faculty establishing policy recommendations and/or changes in the Bylaws shall require an affirmative vote by a two-thirds majority of the eligible voting members of the faculty. All other actions of the faculty shall require an affirmative vote by a majority of the members voting.

Items requiring a faculty vote must be submitted to the faculty at least 72 hours prior to faculty meetings (see Section G for bylaws amendments).

SECTION F: EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE OF THE SCHOOL OF PHARMACY

The Dean, assistant/associate deans, and academic department chairpersons shall constitute the EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE of the School. The chairperson of this committee shall be the Dean.

The Executive Committee shall serve to advise the Dean, and under his/her direction, shall coordinate and cause to be implemented all faculty, student and staff activity required to fill the role and mission of the School. The Committee shall be guided in its several administrative and governance functions by policy and recommendations proposed by faculty committees and ratified by a two-thirds majority vote of the faculty membership. To this end, the Executive
Committee shall recommend to the Dean:
1. The appointment of the committee chair and faculty members nominated to serve on both standing and ad hoc faculty committees, except where membership is determined by faculty vote.
2. The charges to each standing and ad hoc committee.
3. The disposition of all minutes, recommendations and policy made by standing or ad hoc committees.
4. Budget allocations and adjustments.
5. Strategic planning activities, goals, and initiatives of the School.
6. Changes, additions and deletions to the School of Pharmacy Faculty and Staff Policies and Procedures Manual.
7. Other matters as may be brought to the committee by the faculty and officers of the school.
Minutes of the Executive Committee shall be kept and copies will be placed on the WEB page of the School's LAN. Faculty comments, suggestions or objections to decisions made by the Executive Committee and stated in these minutes shall be made in writing and directed to the Dean.

SECTION G: AMENDMENTS

Amendments to the Bylaws shall be presented in writing to each member of the faculty at least fifteen working days prior to the meeting at which such amendments shall be voted. Amendments to the Bylaws shall require a two-thirds majority vote of the faculty membership to be adopted.

ARTICLE II

ORGANIZATIONAL UNITS

SECTION A: ACADEMIC DEPARTMENTS

The faculty of the School of Pharmacy shall be organized into academic departments according to professional or scientific area and teaching discipline. Two of these departments shall be known as: (1) The Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, and (2) The Department of Pharmacy Practice.
Additional departments, which may be created to meet future needs of the School, shall be formed and governed in accordance with these Bylaws for the two departments here named.
1. The Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences shall be composed of all faculty holding an academic appointment in pharmacology, toxicology, pharmaceutical or medicinal chemistry, pharmaceutics, pharmacy administration, or similar and related basic pharmaceutical science disciplines.
2. The Department of Pharmacy Practice shall be composed of all faculty holding an academic appointment in clinical pharmacy, hospital pharmacy, community pharmacy, pharmacy practice, or similar and related practice disciplines.
Each department shall formulate and follow a departmental role and mission statement and goals which are in support of the role, mission and goals of the School. This mission and role of the department shall also adequately and appropriately support the special and unique faculty development needs of that department, and shall also effectively contribute to the development and delivery of the professional curriculum, to policy pertaining to faculty governance, and academic standards.
Each department shall be allocated a separate operational budget, and each shall be administered by a member of the departmental faculty appointed to such responsibility by the Dean. These administrators shall be the academic department faculty chairperson, and each will be responsible for providing leadership and governance to all faculty and staff appointed to that department.
Other, more specific responsibilities of the academic department chairperson shall include, but not be restricted to:
1. The recruitment, and recommendation for academic appointment, of departmental faculty as directed by the Dean. It is expected that departmental faculty search committees be used appropriately in the process.
2. The assignment of teaching responsibilities to optimally deliver the professional and graduate curriculum assigned to that department by the Dean.
3. Provide opportunity for and assist each member of the faculty in achieving optimal professional development in teaching, research or scholarly activity, and professional service.
4. Conduct ~~bi-~~annual and special evaluations of departmental faculty and staff as required by University or School policy, and make recommendations pertaining to salary adjustments and personnel actions to the Dean.
5. Conduct the departmental review of applicants for promotion and/or tenure, according to the policies and procedures established in the Bylaws. Formulate recommendations for academic promotion and the awarding of, or continuance of tenure to the School of Pharmacy Faculty Affairs Committee who shall stand as the Faculty Promotion and Tenure Committee in the School.
6. Manage and direct the acquisition and disposition of the departmental budget as directed by the Dean, and in accordance with University and School policies.
A departmental chairperson may be assisted in his/her responsibilities by other faculty
members appointed to serve as vice departmental chairpersons, as chiefs of clinical services, program directors or coordinators or in other specific administrative functions. Such appointments, like that of the chairperson, is through approval by and action of the Dean.
Departmental chairpersons are appointed by the Dean, ordinarily with the affirmative recommendation and support of the departmental faculty. In making this recommendation, the departmental faculty as a whole shall serve as a search committee, and will recommend a choice of candidates only upon an affirmative vote of a simple majority of the voting faculty members in the department. The search committee, as a whole, may be assisted in this process by a subcommittee of its members appointed by the Dean to screen and review candidates for the position.
Departmental chairpersons in the School of Pharmacy shall serve at the discretion of the Dean, unless otherwise directed by University policy.

SECTION B: FACULTY COMMITTEES

Standing faculty committees shall be appointed to represent the total School faculty organization in the governance of their affairs and to protect and promulgate faculty interests pertaining to the mission, role and functions of the School. These committees shall develop policy and provide recommendations for the governance of the following specific areas of academic business:
1. Student qualifications and standards for admission into the professional and graduate education programs, and for progression in either curriculum.
2. The requirements and standards for graduation from the professional and graduate education programs.
3. The requirements and standards for faculty professional development, including academic promotion and the achievement of tenure.
Faculty membership on standing School of Pharmacy committees shall be determined by the requirements of committees as described in these Bylaws, and shall equally represent each department (Article III). When membership is determined by faculty nomination and vote, such elections will be conducted by the Dean's Office. Committee memberships shall be appointed by the Dean from nominations submitted by the Executive Committee. In either case, individual faculty members shall serve on only one standing committee in the School at any one time, except, if a department does not have sufficient qualified members to serve, or where a faculty member may be elected to serve on the Faculty Affairs Committee while still serving on another committee. Individual committee memberships shall also be limited to a period not to exceed two consecutive academic years, except as provided for initial committee appointments. The two-year limitation also does not apply to designated administrative representatives. A retiring member of any one committee may again be appointed, nominated or elected to that same committee after a lapse of one academic year. A retiring chair of standing Committee will not be expected to serve on any standing School Committee for a period of 1 year.

If an elected or appointed departmental faculty representative to a standing School committee leaves the faculty organization permanently, or temporarily for a period to exceed six or more months, the Dean shall cause to have an alternate representative to that committee elected or appointed no later than ten working days following the occurrence of the committee vacancy. An alternate representative shall serve only for the time remaining on the original term of the faculty representative replaced, but will be eligible for re-election or re-appointment to that same committee as a regular representative immediately following the completion of the alternate's term of committee membership.
Faculty membership on standing School committees shall be appointed initially to allow a replacement of only 50% of its elected or appointed membership in an academic year. To accomplish this, each standing committee to be newly organized under these Bylaws shall be appointed with one-half of the faculty membership serving for a period of three years, and one-half for the regular two-year period. Those members appointed for three years initially will be replaced after that period by an equal number of representatives appointed for the normal two-year period.
A standing academic year shall be from May 1 through April 30 of the next year, with the exception of the Student Affairs Committee that will serve through the end of the school year (~May 15), in order to complete the student admissions cycle. Each year will begin with the seating of new members, the election of new committee officers, and the determination of a specific agenda for the next year. These organizational functions shall be accomplished by each committee by May 1 (or as close to this date as possible) of each year. Each committee will then begin its work, fully organized, during the first thirty days of the next academic year beginning approximately August 1.
1. New committee appointments are to be determined, as specified, no later than April 15, and be seated on the respective committees by May 1.
2. In addition to seating new members and approving the new agenda, each committee will, unless otherwise directed by these Bylaws, elect a vice chairperson. The committee chairperson shall direct the activities of the committee and preside over its meetings, with the assistance of the vice chairperson.
3. Committee officers shall serve for a period of one academic year beginning with the organizational meeting in which they were appointed or elected and extending through the next organizational meeting the following year.
4. The initial formation of each committee shall be under the direction of the appointed chairperson, who shall cause the first membership to be elected or appointed, and the first organizational meeting to be scheduled and called no later than May 10 of each new academic year.
Standing committees shall keep and approve all minutes of meetings and business. The secretary shall be responsible for the timely preparation of the minutes. Minutes shall be posted on the Committee WEB page on the School LAN within 48 hours of approval by the Committee. When accepted and approved by committee membership, minutes shall be distributed to the Executive Committee through the designated liaison. When such minutes include a specific recommendation or policy for faculty consideration, the Executive Committee shall communicate their recommendations to the standing committee recommendations within fifteen working days after receipt. This paragraph is not intended to preclude the chair of a standing Committee to make recommendations on policy changes to the faculty that may not conform with the recommendations of the Executive Committee.

ARTICLE III

STANDING FACULTY COMMITTEES

SECTION A: FACULTY AFFAIRS COMMITTEE

The Faculty Affairs Committee shall be composed of three faculty members from each academic department in the School of Pharmacy. At least two of these committee members from each department shall be tenured, or at least one tenured faculty member if the department does not have two tenured faculty members available for service. Neither the Dean of the School of Pharmacy nor the academic department chairs are eligible for election to the committee.
When this committee is functioning as the peer review committee, the membership shall also include two professional pharmacy students selected by the Pharmacy Student Senate, each having 0.5 vote.
Two of the faculty membership elected by the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences shall, at the initial committee formation, serve for three years, and one member will have a two-year appointment. One of the faculty membership elected by the Department of Pharmacy Practice shall, at the initial Committee formation, serve for three years, and two members will have a two-year appointment. Thereafter, all members shall be elected for a two-year period. The student representatives shall serve for one year. Faculty Affairs Committee members who will be evaluated for promotion and/or tenure may not serve on the Committee during the year they will be evaluated. An election will occur to fill this vacancy.
The Faculty Affairs Committee shall serve as the standing peer faculty evaluation body, and shall conduct all individual faculty activity evaluations requested by the Dean for purposes of recommending academic promotion, for the awarding of tenure, and in special circumstances for the continuance of tenure (tenure competency reviews when required). This Committee shall also represent the total faculty of the School in all matters pertaining to the purposes and powers of the faculty as defined in University and/or School of Pharmacy Bylaws and policies. This Committee, as an advocate of faculty welfare, may thus consider all matters of relevant business referred to it by the faculty, as well as by the Dean or other faculty officers. In more specific terms, this committee shall develop policy and make recommendations pertaining to:
1. Procedures and instruments to be used in the evaluation of individual faculty activity by students and faculty peers for the evaluation of petitions for promotion and tenure.
2. Any other matter its chooses to consider pertaining to faculty welfare.
The Faculty Affairs Committee shall also be responsible for the maintenance of the School of Pharmacy Bylaws, and will also advise the Executive Committee of the School on recommended changes, additions or deletions to the School of Pharmacy Faculty and Staff Policy and Procedures Manual. The Committee will review the School bylaws every 2 years.
The Faculty Affairs Committee shall elect its own officers at its initial meeting of the new year and report its minutes, policies and recommendations to the Executive Committee through the Dean.
The Faculty Affairs Committee shall serve as the standing committee of the faculty to foster, promote and assess teaching enhancement. Specific activities include, but are not limited to:
1. When requested in writing by an individual faculty member, conduct a peer evaluation of the teaching effectiveness of that faculty member. The results may, at the faculty member's discretion, be reported to the faculty member's department chairperson to be included as part of the chairperson's formal evaluation.
2. Conduct a peer review of teaching effectiveness of each faculty member who has requested promotion and/or tenure. The results of this review shall be included in written form in the promotion and/or tenure report of the Committee. A copy shall also be delivered in writing to the candidate who may, at his/her discretion, deliver a copy to the department chairperson.
To accomplish the work in the several areas of responsibilities, this Committee may be divided into subcommittees under the direction of subcommittee chairs, except any subcommittee assigned the duties of peer review of teaching effectiveness shall have a two third's majority of the members (4 members) holding rank and tenure status at least equivalent to the individual faculty member being reviewed.

SECTION B: CURRICULAR AFFAIRS COMMITTEE

The membership of the Curricular Affairs Committee shall be composed of:
1. The Associate Dean for Curriculum and Students of the School (Ex Officio with a vote), who shall serve as the permanent secretary to the Committee.
2. Two members of the faculty from each academic department who are appointed to this committee by the Dean. The representation between departments shall be equal.
3. No more than 1 professional pharmacy student/class nominated by the Pharmacy Student Senate will serve on the Committee. Professional student Committee members will have a total of 1 vote.
The Curricular Affairs Committee shall be responsible for conducting a continuing appraisal and evaluation of the current professional pharmacy education curriculum, and for the development of recommendations of curricular revision, additions and other alterations to assure optimal student learning and outcomes. To accomplish this essential goal and purpose, this committee shall have both the responsibility and right to:
1. Develop and maintain a description of expected student learning and outcomes in terms of the total curriculum and each discrete course within the curriculum. The document shall be written in terms of competencies and published annually in the Student Handbook.
2. Review the content of individual and collective courses as to the completeness and contemporary nature of the content, and contribution to the breadth, depth and value to the total curriculum, according to the expected competencies of students completing each course.
3. Develop and sponsor programs to encourage and reward faculty for innovative teaching, educational research, and for the development of innovative new course offerings or mechanisms to enhance student learning.
The Curriculum Affairs Committee shall report its minutes and recommendations to the Executive Committee through the Associate Dean for Curriculum and Students.

SECTION C: STUDENT Assessment of Learning COMMITTEE

The membership of this committee shall include:
1. The Associate Dean for Student Assessment of Learning, who serves as the Executive committee's representative to the committee (ex officio with a vote) and serves as the secretary to the committee.
2. The Chairperson, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences (ex officio with a vote).
3. The Chairperson, Department of Pharmacy Practice (ex officio with a vote).
4. The Associate Dean for Curriculum and Students (ex officio without a vote).
5. Two members of the faculty from each academic department appointed to this committee by the Dean.
6. Two professional student members nominated by the Pharmacy Student Senate.
The committee chair and vice chair shall be elected from the members representing the academic departments.
This committee shall develop policy and make recommendations to the Executive Committee as required in all matters relating to assessing student progress in achieving the educational outcomes as identified by the faculty of the School of Pharmacy. Such activities shall include:
1. Define and delineate student educational outcomes for each year of the professional program, according to the educational outcomes identified by the faculty. These outcomes shall be annually communicated in writing to the students in the Student Handbook.
2. At the beginning of the spring semester each year, conduct assessments of each students' progress towards accomplishing the outcomes defined and delineated for each year.
3. In cooperation with the faculty, develop remediation programs for students who do not accomplish the outcomes.
4. By April 1 of each year, deliver a confidential report on each student's performance, with recommended action, to the Student Credentialing Subcommittee of the Student Affairs Committee.
5. By May 1 of each year, deliver a summary report on the students' outcomes to be presented to the faculty at is spring meeting.
This Committee shall report its minutes, recommendations and policies to the Executive Committee by the Associate Dean for Student Assessment of Learning.

SECTION D: STUDENT AFFAIRS COMMITTEE

The Student Affairs Committee shall be composed of the following membership:
1. The Associate Dean for Curriculum and Students of the School (ex officio with a vote) who shall serve as the secretary to the committee.
2. Four members of the faculty in the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences appointed by the Dean.
3. Four members of the faculty in the Department of Pharmacy Practice appointed by the Dean.
4. One professional pharmacy student from each class nominated by the Pharmacy Student Senate.
5. Two practicing pharmacists appointed by the Dean who are not paid faculty members of the School of Pharmacy.
6. Student and practitioner representatives shall serve for one year.
The Student Affairs Committee shall serve as the standing faculty committee to develop policy and to make recommendations pertaining to standards for professional pharmacy student recruitment and admission to the existing program, and for academic standards required for curricular progressions and completion. This Committee shall also establish and recommend standards for the awarding of professional pharmacy student scholarships, awards and prizes, and shall supervise the giving of such.
1. According to the Buckley Amendment to the Federal Higher Education Act, student and practitioner members of this committee shall not have access to student's records, and shall not participate in student grievance and progressions procedures.
2. Student and practitioner members of this committee may participate in interviewing students, submitting written recommendations to the committee, and contributing to nominations for student awards
To accomplish the work in the several areas of student affairs, this committee shall be divided into subcommittees under the direction of subcommittee chairs to consider the natural divisions of student admissions, academic progressions and the awarding of scholarships and student awards. Faculty from each department shall be equally represented on each subcommittee.
1. The Admissions Subcommittee shall be comprised of the Associate Dean for Curriculum and Students, and all members of the committee. The Associate Dean for Curriculum and Students shall serve as permanent secretary for this Subcommittee. This Subcommittee shall review all applicants for admissions to the professional programs of the School of Pharmacy, conduct interviews, and make recommendations to the Dean on the admission of students.
2. The Student Credentialing Subcommittee shall be comprised of the Associate Dean for Curriculum and Students who shall serve as the permanent secretary of the Subcommittee, and four faculty members, two from each academic department. The Subcommittee Chair shall be appointed by the Student Affairs Committee Chair. This Subcommittee shall review the credentials for applicants for advanced standing in one of the professional programs of the School of Pharmacy, recommending to the Student Affairs Committee of the whole, the appropriate placement of students within the curriculum. This Subcommittee shall also annually review each professional student for satisfactory progressions through the curriculum, considering the report and recommendations of the Student Assessment of Learning Committee. This Subcommittee shall recommend to the Student Affairs Committee of the whole the disposition of each professional student, either for continuance, continuance with remediation, probation for one year with remediation, or suspension. The Student Affairs Committee shall annually make its recommendation to the Dean by June 1st of each year for each student enrolled in the School of Pharmacy.
3. The Student Awards Subcommittee shall be comprised of four faculty members, two from each academic department. This Subcommittee Chair shall be appointed by the Chair of the Student Affairs Committee. This Subcommittee shall seek nominations and applications for student awards, including School administered scholarships, cash and other awards for achievement, and recommend recipients to the Student Affairs Committee of the whole. The Student Affairs Committee shall select students for each award and recommend the recipients to the Dean.
The minutes, reports, recommendations and policies of this standing committee shall be reported to the Executive Committee by the Assistant/Associate Dean for Student Affairs.

SECTION E: FACULTY DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE

The Faculty Development Committee shall be composed of the following membership:
1. The Associate Dean for Student Assessment of Learning of the School (Ex Officio with a vote), who shall serve as permanent secretary to the Committee.
2. Two members of the faculty from each academic department who are appointed to this committee by the Dean.
The committee chair shall be appointed from the members representing the academic departments.
This committee shall develop policy and make recommendations to the Executive Committee as required in all matters relating to faculty development. Such activities shall include:
1. Plan workshops, speakers, retreats or other structured activities designed to enhance the teaching skills of the faculty. At a minimum, 2 half day faculty development workshops should be conducted each academic year.
2. Foster activities or individuals that will increase the School's endowment, particularly in support of teaching enhancement and recognition.
The minutes, reports, recommendations and policies of this standing committee shall be reported to the Executive Committee by the Associate Dean for Assessment of Learning.

SECTION F: HEARING COMMITTEE

The School of Pharmacy Hearing Committee shall be composed of the following membership:
1. Three members appointed by the Dean.
2. Three members selected by the concerned faculty member.
3. A chairperson chose by mutual agreement between the concerned faculty member and the dean.
4. All members of the committee must be tenured.
5. The members shall hold appointments in the School of Pharmacy; the chair shall hold primary academic appointment in the Schools of Allied Health, Medicine, or Nursing.
6. Service on the Hearing Committee shall be voluntary on the part of the faculty member.
The School of Pharmacy Hearing Committee is charged with hearing cases in dispute of dismissal of tenured faculty or non-tenured faculty during their appointment. The hearing shall be scheduled upon request of the faculty member who has been dismissed, and the committee shall function according to the Board of Regents policies and procedures in dismissal cases (see Board of Regents Policy 06.04).

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ARTICLE IV

ACADEMIC APPOINTMENTS

SECTION A: FACULTY APPOINTMENTS

Establishing rank and awarding tenure in the School of Pharmacy shall conform with the policies of the Board of Regents (See 06.04 Board of Regents Policy Manual).
On or before the initial term of appointment, a full time faculty member in the Department of Pharmacy Practice shall be notified of the option for either a tenure or non-tenure track position. Upon being so notified, a faculty member who is offered an initial appointment in a tenure track position may choose a non-tenure track appointment. On or before July 1 of each year prior to the third anniversary of the initial appointment, the faculty member may petition to be re-appointed in a tenure track position. If the Department of Pharmacy Practice has a vacant tenure track position, the faculty member may be recommended by the Chairperson of the Department of Pharmacy Practice for re-appointed to a tenure track appointment. If the Dean, Executive Vice President and Provost and President concur, the faculty member will receive an appointment in the tenure track.

SECTION B: TENURE AND PROMOTION DECISION

The Tenure and Promotion Decision Process will conform with the policies of the Board of Regents (see 06.04 of Board of Regents Policies Manual).

Each academic department in the School of Pharmacy will establish the criteria, standards and guidelines to be considered in the tenure and promotion decision for faculty members of the department. It shall be the responsibility of the Dean to approve these standards and guidelines and to monitor their application.
The Faculty Affairs Committee of the School of Pharmacy shall be the School Committee charged with tenure and promotion reviews.
The procedure for conduct of peer review of any faculty member for purposes of recommending promotion, for the awarding of tenure, and in special circumstances for the continuance of tenure (tenure competency reviews when required) shall be as follows:
1. A faculty member must petition for peer review. The petition shall be in writing and presented to the Dean of the School of Pharmacy, the chair of the faculty member's academic department, and the Chair of the Faculty Affairs Committee by June 1 prior to the academic year the faculty member desires to undergo peer review. The petition shall request peer review for promotion, tenure, or both. All tenure track faculty members not yet tenured must be notified to seek peer review in writing by the Dean before September 1 of their sixth year for Assistant Professors, third year for Associate Professors, or second year for Professors. Untenured faculty members will be given a terminal, one year contract, prior to September 1 of the eighth year for Assistant Professors, the fifth year for Associate Professors, and the fourth year for Professors.
2. Immediately upon receipt of a written petition, the Chair of the Faculty Affairs. Committee shall institute the normal procedure to conduct a peer review of the faculty member's teaching for subsequent review by the Faculty Affairs Committee in the review of the petitioner. (See section 3.4)
3. The petitioner, in consultation with his/her academic department chair, shall develop a dossier of the faculty member's accomplishments, according to the prescribed format as established by the Faculty Affairs Committee. The petitioner may include any other such affidavits or information that the faculty member so chooses to document the faculty member's performance in assigned duties. The complete dossier must be presented to the academic department chair in its final form by the deadlines specified by the TTUHSC each year (about mid July prior to the academic year the faculty member desires to be considered for peer review).
4. Once the academic department chair has received the faculty member's complete dossier and any supporting affidavits or information, the academic department chair shall call a meeting of all the tenured faculty in the department for a petition for tenure, or all faculty members at a higher academic rank than the petitioner for promotion review. This body will serve as the Departmental Peer Review Committee. The Departmental Peer Review Committee will review the faculty member's performance according to the criteria, standards and guidelines for promotion and tenure in the Department, current at the time the faculty member petitions for peer review, including any other relevant information submitted by the petitioner. The Department Peer Review Committee will vote anonymously on the petition. Neither the chair of the department nor the Dean of the School shall participate in the Departmental Peer Review Committee deliberations and vote. Only those votes that contain a justification for the vote shall be recorded. The tally of votes, and the justifications shall be transcribed to maintain confidentiality and appended to the petitioner's dossier by the academic department chair. The Departmental review shall be completed by August 15.
5. Once the results of the Departmental Committee Review has been completed, the academic department chair shall write a recommendation for promotion and or tenure with justification. The academic department chair shall solicit external peer reviews of the petitioners dossier. The written recommendation and all external peer reviews and the petitioner's dossier and all affidavits and information given by the faculty member shall be presented to the chair of the Faculty Affairs Committee no later than the first Monday following October 1 of the academic year the faculty member petitions for peer review.
6. Once the Chair of the Faculty Affairs Committee has received the faculty member's dossier, supporting affidavits and information, and the academic Chair's recommendation, including external peer reviewers' comments, the Chair of the Faculty Affairs Committee, shall call a meeting of the Faculty Affairs Committee including student members, to review the dossier and all additional information according to the standards and guidelines for promotion and tenure of the academic department the faculty member holds a majority appointment, current at the time the faculty member petitioned for peer review. The Committee may, at its discretion, solicit external peer reviews of the faculty member's dossier and all appended affidavits and information, excluding the Academic Chair's recommendations and departmental vote, to assist in its deliberations. The Committee shall append a written recommendation with justification to the dossier and present the complete dossier along with all appended affidavits and information to the Dean of the School no later than November 15 in the academic year the faculty member petitions for peer review. A copy of the written recommendation will be provided to the faculty member.
7. The Dean shall review the dossier and all appended affidavits, information, and recommendations according to the standards and guidelines for promotion and tenure current at the time the faculty member petitioned for peer review. The Dean may, at his/her discretion, solicit external peer reviews of the faculty member's dossier, including affidavits and information appended by the petitioner, but shall not include any recommendations given at prior stages of the review. The Dean shall append a written recommendation with justification to the dossier and present the complete dossier along with all appended affidavits, information, recommendations and external reviews to the President according to the University prescribed time-table. The Dean shall present a verbal summation of prior recommendations and the Dean's recommendation to the petitioner, maintaining confidentiality of the identify of any person's recommendation.
8. The identity of all internal and external peer reviewers shall be held confidential. The petitioner shall have access to the content of the reviews with all information that could identify the reviewer obliterated.
9. The faculty member may provide a written rejoinder to the Dean on the Committee's recommendation within 10 days of receipt of the recommendation.
An academic department may recommend tenure at the time of the initial appointment of a professor in exceptional cases. An initial appointment at the rank of Associate Professor may not be recommended for tenure at the time of the initial appointment. According to Board policy, persons holding a rank below Associate Professor may not be tenured. This recommendation must be initiated by the Chairperson of the Department, and recommended by a majority of the members of the Faculty Affairs Committee. The peer review of individuals for initial appointments shall be an expedited review.

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