AMENDED CHARTER
for the
COUNCIL OF THE JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE
Approved by the Medical School Council - September 15, 1993
Approved by Dean Johns - September 27, 1993
Approved by President Richardson - September 27, 1993
In order to provide a mechanism for the Faculty, Fellows and Students of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine to participate more effectively in the deliberations and governance of the Institution, the President of the Johns Hopkins University established THE COUNCIL OF THE MEDICAL SCHOOL. The Council was established in 1970, and its goals, composition, and procedures are set forth below:
1. POLICIES AND FUNCTIONS
1. The Council shall on its own initiative consider matters of concern to the Medical school. The Council shall report its proposals and recommendations to the President of the University and the Dean of the Medical School. The Council has the privilege of making recommendations to the Advisory Board of the Medical School as set forth in Sections 1.c and 1.d.
2. The Council shall be informed by the Dean’s Office at an early stage of any proposals affecting the overall policy, long-term objectives, or major commitments of resources of the Medical School originating in the Advisory Board of the Medical Faculty or the Dean’s Office.
3. The agenda of the Advisory Board shall contain items referred from the Council and, likewise, the agenda of the Council shall contain items referred from the Advisory Board.
4. The Chairman and Vice-Chairman of the Council shall serve as members of the Advisory Board.
5. The Council shall be informed at an early stage of plans for all standing committees and ad hoc committees of the Medical School and may nominate individuals for consideration by the Dean for membership thereon.
a. The Council may request inclusion of items in the agenda of all faculty meetings and may request that the Dean call special meetings of the faculty or other segments of the academic community and may submit items to the Dean for inclusion in the agenda of those meetings.
2. COMPOSITION OF THE COUNCIL
For the purposes of electing representatives to the Council, the Medical School community shall be divided into the following electorates:
1. Those members of each Department (or other functional unit recognized by a majority vote of the Council as having comparable status) who are full-time faculty at any rank or who are part-time faculty at the rank of Professor, Associate Professor, or Assistant Professor, shall constitute a separate electorate and shall elect members to the Council in a proportion of one representative for each 100 members or fraction thereof.
When a new Department (or other major functional unit) is created, or when one currently represented on the Council is abolished or its functional status is significantly altered, that fact may be called to the Council’s attention by the Chairman or any member of the Council. Appropriate action will be taken on the recommendation of the Executive Committee.
a. Two members shall be elected by and from those members of the Faculty holding the rank of Instructor part-time.
3. Two members shall be elected by and from the Johns Hopkins Hospital House Staff.
a. One member shall be elected by and from the Graduate Students.
b. Two representatives from the postdoctoral fellows of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, one from the basic sciences and one from the clinical sciences, shall be appointed annually to serve as voting members of the Council. The two representatives shall be selected by the Joint Committee on House Staff and Postdoctoral Programs.
4. One member shall be elected by and from each of Class Years I, II, and III of the Medical School near the end of the academic year to represent those classes during the following academic year. One member shall be elected by and from the entering class, Year I, to represent them for the remainder of the academic year.
5. The Council thus formed may elect one additional member from any electorate. This election should take place at the first or second Council meeting of the academic year.
3. ELECTION OF THE COUNCIL
1. The Council’s Executive Committee (see below) shall supervise each annual election. This Committee will, early in April, request in writing from each member of each electorate for which vacancies exist the nomination of two individuals from his electorate for each post to be filled. Nominations are to be returned within 10 calendar days from mailing. The three individuals receiving the largest number of votes for each post shall, with their permission, constitute the list of nominees. No individual shall be affiliated with more than one electorate for the purposes of voting or serving.
a. In early May, each member of the electorate shall be sent a ballot listing the nominees within his electorate, returning no later than 14 calendar days from mailing. From these ballots, the Council members will be elected. All elections shall be by secret mail ballot. No member may serve more than two consecutive terms. A member elected to two consecutive terms may be re-elected to the Council after a one year absence from Council membership. The representative of the incoming medical school class, Year I, shall be elected during October by the process described above.
b. Terms of office shall begin June 1 (except for the Year I representative elected in October), and shall be two years for Faculty and one year for House Staff, Graduate Students, Postdoctoral Fellows and Medical Students. The term of office will end on June 30, after one or two years, whichever applies. The only exception occurs when the term of a presiding officer is due to end on June 30, in which case the term is extended to September 30.
c. Should a vacancy arise in any year prior to the February Council meeting, it shall be filled at a special election of the appropriate electorate in the manner described above for the duration of the unexpired term. A vacancy arising at or after the February meeting will not be filled until the next regular election as set forth in 3.a.
4. OFFICERS OF THE COUNCIL
(Male pronouns are used simply for brevity and refer impartially to members of either sex.)
1. Officers of the Council shall be a Chairman and a Vice-Chairman, who must be members of the Council and who, along with the Council secretary, constitute the Executive Committee. The Council shall elect these officers annually by a majority vote by secret ballot at the September meeting of the Council. Nominations for these offices are to be made from the floor at the meeting at which the election takes place. In the event that the term of membership of a presiding officer was due to expire on the preceding June 30, the term for the officer will extend to September 30.
a. The Chairman shall preside over the meetings of the Council, shall represent the Council as a member of the Advisory Board of the Medical School, shall preside at meetings of the Executive Committee of the Council, shall appoint Committees of the Council, shall carry out charges upon him by the Council, and shall in general have those responsibilities expected of the Chief Executive Officer of a representative body.
3. The Vice-Chairman shall assume the duties of the Chairman in the Chairman’s absence and shall represent the Council as a member of the Advisory Board of the Medical School.
4. The term of the Chairman and of the Vice-Chairman shall be one year from July 1 through June 30 of the succeeding year. Both the Chairman and Vice-Chairman shall be eligible for re-election to that office for the year immediately succeeding.
a. In the event the Chairman’s office is vacated for whatever reason, the Vice-Chairman becomes Chairman and serves in that capacity through the ensuing June 30. At the first meeting after the Vice-Chairman becomes Chairman, a new Chairman shall be elected to serve through the ensuing June 30. In the event of the Vice-Chairman succeeding to the office of Chairman prior to January 1, he shall be eligible for election to that office in the succeeding year.
5. PROCEDURES OF THE COUNCIL
1. The Council shall have a budget, an Administrative Assistant, and office space for the Administrative Assistant.
a. The Council shall meet at some regular time at least eight times in each academic year, and on the special call of the Chairman. A quorum shall consist of one-third of the full Council membership.
b. Council meetings shall be open to the Faculty, House Staff, and Students as observers. The Council may, upon majority vote of the Council members present, call for a closed session. The minutes of Council meetings shall be available for inspection by members of the electorate.
c. Upon petition of twenty-five or more of the electorate, items shall be included on the agenda of the Council for its next meeting.
d. When a Council member is unable to attend a Council meeting, he may appoint a substitute from his electorate to serve in his place. When the Council Chairman has been so informed in writing and the Chairman has informed the Council of that fact, such substitute shall enjoy the same privileges as the member who appoints him.
2. In the case of a Council member’s absence and failure to appoint a substitute the Chairman may himself appoint such substitute from that electorate. If a Council member is absent from four consecutive meetings the Chairman will call for his resignation and another representative from that electorate will be elected.
e. The Council may appoint ad hoc, or standing Committees as required for the transaction of its business. In the selection of members for Council Committees, the Chairman of the Committee must be a Council member, but the others may or may not be Council members.
3. It is the responsibility of each Council member to maintain open communications with his or her electorate. Circulation of Council minutes and the placing of Council items on the agenda of Departmental meetings are two possible means toward that end.
f. It is recognized that special instances may arise where one or another provision of this Charter is not applicable or possible. In such instances, upon recommendation of the Executive Committee and approval of two-thirds of the full Council, appropriate exception may be made.
6. AMENDMENTS
Amendment of this Charter must be submitted to the Council at one meeting and voted upon at the next. An amendment must be approved by two-thirds of the members present and submitted to the Dean of the School of Medicine and to the President of the University, and then to the electorate for their approval. A majority of the electorate who vote will be required for approval of charter amendments.
