After a 15-day online election by the College of Medicine faculty, the Faculty Council introduced David W. Kays, M.D., associate professor and chief of pediatric surgery as president-elect, and Regina Bussing, M.D., professor in the division of child and adolescent psychiatry, as vice president for the next fiscal year.
Currently, Richard E. Neiberger, M.D., Ph.D., associate professor of pediatric nephrology, holds the office of president. Faculty Council representatives play a major role in effective communications between the faculty and the administrations of the College of Medicine and Health Science Center.
“We have had significant changes is leadership in the College of Medicine in the last year, and Dr. (Michael) Good has stepped up and is doing an excellent job as interim Dean,” said Kays, who will take over as president Summer 2009. “The Faculty Council and the faculty in general, with the further development of shared governance, have the opportunity to make significant positive contributions to both the stability and direction of the college during this unique period of change.”
The Faculty Council is the elected body responsible for representing the COM faculty in all aspects of shared governance and is organized to receive direct input from faculty through departmentally elected representatives and policy boards, said Bussing.
The ultimate goal of the faculty council is to contribute towards improving the college through partnerships characterized by mutual respect and collaboration.
“As VP, I look forward to doing my part to represent faculty viewpoints and to find solutions for the many challenges faced by our college,” Bussing said.
The Council meets the first Tuesday of each month and seeks to ensure maximum communication through defined orderly procedures, to clarify the means by which faculty can effectively contribute to and identify with the affairs of the College, and to allow the voting faculty to be responsible for developing the educational policies of the College.
“Unifying the faculty’s voice is what it’s about,” said Rebecca R. Pauly, M.D., associate vice president for health affairs equity and diversity and past president of the Faculty Council. “That’s why we try to have a voice for all departments in each of the meetings.”
Last year, the Faculty Council put together the COM constitution and this year plans are to write bylaws.
For more information on The Faculty Council click here.