Date Effective: April 11, 1983
Date Revised: February 28, 1989
Date Revised: June 27, 1995
Date Revised: December 15, 2005

POLICY AND PROCEDURE MEMORANDUM ADMINISTRATION AND GOVERNANCE – 2

SUBJECT:      Procedure for Departmental Review

POLICY

Each academic department is reviewed at five-year intervals for quality of academic and scholarly programs, and for relevance to the programs of the Bloomberg School of Public Health. This includes review of the department chair’s performance. 

PURPOSES OF THE REVIEW PROCESS

The periodic review of academic departments is a prerequisite for accreditation, for changing the stewardship of a department, and to support the Dean and Advisory Board in overseeing the academic programs of the School. Because the perceptions from such reviews provide useful insights into departmental strengths and weaknesses, such information is of critical importance to determinations by the Advisory Board and Dean concerning stewardship and department quality, relevance, and stability. It is imperative that the review process be designed and carried out in a constructive manner for the well being of the School and to support its role as a preeminent public health educational institution.

In addition, the School may undertake periodic reviews of interdepartmental and interdisciplinary programs and areas, including research and practice activities, educational programs, centers, and institutes, to assess performance and role in the School. Throughout this document, the word “department” is used. While most of the reviews undertaken will be of the academic departments, any of the above entities are subject to review. The Dean will determine which activities will undergo review in addition to academic departments.

REVIEW COMMITTEE

An implicit requirement for any departmental review is the appointment of a review committee so constituted as to possess the expertise commensurate with that of the department’s mission. The review committee shall have primary responsibility for the review process, which shall encompass educational, research, and professional practice activities of the department and their significance and relevance to the mission of the School of Public Health.

A.       Selection of Review Committee

With broad-based input from the faculty, the chair of the department to be reviewed shall suggest potential committee members with the knowledge and expertise necessary for evaluation of the spectrum of departmental activities.

B.       Appointment of Review Committee

The review committee and its chair shall be appointed by the Dean.

C.       Membership of Review Committee

The committee shall consist of no less than four and no more than seven members.

At least one-half of the members shall be full-time faculty of the School.

When practical, the committee shall include a member of the committee previously responsible for the review of the same department to determine the extent to which former recommendations have been implemented.

When appropriate, members of the committee may be from the faculty of other divisions of the University.

In order to maintain a sense of programmatic continuity among all departmental review committees, the Dean’s Office shall be represented on the committee as a non-voting member of the review process.

While most members of a review committee will be full professors, at least one member shall be at the associate professor level.

D.       Chair of the Review Committee

The chair of the review committee shall be appointed from within the faculty of the School of Public Health. The individual shall hold full professorial rank.

CHARGE TO REVIEW COMMITTEE

The review committee shall be provided with the charge to evaluate fully the intrinsic structure and governance of the department; the significance and relevance of departmental educational, research, and professional practice activities to the mission of the School; and the relevance of these activities to societal needs.

The committee shall also be charged to review and evaluate the information provided to it in the Departmental Self-Study as well as any additional aspects unique to the department which the Dean or Advisory Board may specify.

RESOURCE MATERIALS

The review committee shall be supplied with at least the following resource materials at the beginning of its work.

• Charge from the Dean

• Current departmental self-study

• Report of the previous departmental review and department response

• Curriculum vita of all full-time faculty in the department

DEPARTMENTAL SELF-STUDY

The department under review shall prepare a self-study document to provide an information base for the review process. This exercise should serve to prepare the department, its faculty, and its students for the review process and to guide it in its continued growth and development. This self assessment should propose future directions to strengthen the educational and scholarly directions of the department and its relationship to the School. The self-study should be completed within four months and is expected to be no more than 20 to 30 pages in length, exclusive of appendices. Appendices should include, at a minimum, the annual financial report of the department and descriptions and curricula of the department’s educational programs.

The department shall consider addressing some of the following areas with emphasis upon developments and changes since the previous review. The Guidelines accompanying this Policy and Procedure Memorandum suggest specific questions and details to guide the department in specific areas; however the department is not expected to address each area in great detail. Rather, the focus should be on identifying the department’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.

·         Role of the department in the School and University, and relevance of departmental mission and programs.

·         Departmental academic programs, including educational objectives, curriculum, and career paths.

·         Role and relationship of department to Master of Public Health and Doctor of Public Health degree programs.

·         Role and relationship of department to degree programs in other departments.

·         Departmental research programs and contributions to scientific knowledge.

·         Departmental professional practice activities and relevance to societal needs.

·         Faculty composition and relationship to education, research, and professional practice programs.

·         Student enrollment in degree programs and funding sources.

·         Demographic characteristics of the faculty and student bodies.

·         Departmental organization, governance, and decision-making processes.

·         Departmental resources such as space and equipment.

·         Departmental strengths, weaknesses, and constraints.

·         Future directions.

REVIEW PROCESS

The School relies primarily on internal reviews. These may be augmented by independent external review to more specifically assess the quality of educational and scholarly activities. 

Internal reviews can be particularly effective in addressing the role and contribution of a department to the mission and programs of the School and University. An internal review is required every five years and the review committee, at their discretion, may choose to involve external consultants as part of the internal evaluation process.

Independent external review can bring subject matter expertise, usually not available from internal reviewers, to evaluate the content of educational programs and the quality of scholarly programs. The Dean will commission independent external reviews when appropriate. 

A.       Internal Review, with or without external consultants

The committee shall review the department’s self-study and other relevant documents, shall receive testimony, and shall conduct interviews as it deems appropriate and sufficient for its charge.

The committee shall meet with the Dean to receive its charge. The committee shall meet with the department chair early in the review process and again near the conclusion of its work.

The committee shall seek the input of department faculty, students, and administrative staff through surveys, group meetings, and/or individual interviews.

The committee may obtain useful perspectives from the chairs of other departments in the School or University that have either close collaborations or mutual interests.

The committee shall have the privilege of calling upon consultants from outside the University if it deems this appropriate and may solicit external assessments of the department and its faculty.

The Dean shall provide the committee with a financial perspective on the department.

Normally, an internal review that uses external consultants would invite the consultant at the end of the internal review process. The external consultants should receive the completed review report and other relevant information such as the self study. 

B.       Independent External Review

The committee shall consist of a small number of individuals with expertise related to the relevant academic and scholarly programs.

The committee will review the self-study, CVs of the faculty, and other materials deemed relevant by the Dean. The committee’s visit should begin with a meeting with the Dean and other administrative officials to receive its charge.

The independent external review should follow shortly after the internal review and the report of the internal review committee should be provided to the external reviewers prior at initiation of the external review.

The committee will meet with relevant members of the faculty and students to gain additional information on the academic and research programs.

REPORT

A.       Internal Review

The committee shall integrate all relevant findings in a written report.

Before submitting the report to the Dean and Advisory Board, the committee shall share its findings with the chair of the department under review and provide the department chair and faculty with the opportunity to respond and to correct factual inaccuracies.

The committee shall then present the written report of its findings to the Dean and Advisory Board. The members of the review committee shall be in attendance at an Advisory board meeting for discussion of the report.

The committee shall complete its review and its written report within a four-month period.

The department self-study and the report of the review committee shall be available for preparation of the accreditation documents of the School.

B.       Independent External Review

The committee shall integrate all relevant findings into a brief written report.

The report will be submitted to the Dean, who will share the findings with the Department Chair and other appropriate individuals.