Committees

Community Engagement Council

The Community Engagement Council provides insight on the school’s strategic priorities and initiatives, guidance on the relevance of its educational programs to the public health workforce, and suggestions for community engagement activities. Council members include UAB School of Public Health alumni, community partners in Birmingham and the state of Alabama, Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH) officials, and academic partners within the university. Together these individuals offer their knowledge and expertise to advise the school in areas of improvement, inform appropriate community engagement, address stakeholder concerns, and overall ensure the school is meeting the educational, service, research, and practice needs of its students.

Admissions and Graduation Committee (A&G)

The A&G Committee is responsible for monitoring compliance with established rules and procedures for admission and graduation for all degree programs that are the responsibility of the School of Public Health including the MPH, MSPH, and DrPH. The Graduate School has responsibility for the PhD and MS degree programs. This responsibility includes but is not limited to conducting reviews and developing recommendations for admission status for individual applicants who do not meet approved admissions guidelines and developing general admission and graduation guidelines that the committee deems necessary. The A&G Committee serves as an advisory committee to the Faculty Assembly of the School, which is the final decision-maker on admissions and graduation policies.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee (DEI)

The mission of the DEI Committee is to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion at all levels of the school through advising, and by identifying and helping to implement best practices in such School of Public Health operations as developing curricula, recruiting and retaining students and faculty, and fostering an inclusive school culture. This is an advisory committee comprised of faculty representatives from each department, staff, administrators, and students that reflect diversity within the SOPH community.

Educational Policy Committee (EPC)

The Faculty Assembly, through its charter, delegates the development of policies, and discharge of certain responsibilities in academic affairs to the EPC. Fulfillment of these responsibilities includes, but is not limited to: the approval of new courses and modifications to course descriptions, objectives, or credit hours of existing courses; approving new tracks and/or degree programs and Category A academic certificate programs; approving substantial modifications to existing tracks and/or degree programs and/or Category A certificate programs which involve more than one department and/or are deemed substantial by the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs; and reviewing all programs globally for the school when departmental degree program reviews are conducted to ensure that each program meets the minimum requirements.The EPC serves as an advisory committee to the Faculty Assembly of the School, which is the final decision-maker on educational policy.

Executive Committee (EC)

The EC advises the Dean on issues and policies related to administration, budgeting and resource allocation, compensation, and planning and evaluation policies and procedures. It assesses the extent to which the School of Public Health is achieving its mission and goals, while serving as the oversight body for ongoing self-evaluation and for accreditation.

Faculty Affairs Committee (FAC)

The function of the FAC is to advise both the Dean and the Faculty Assembly. This committee is responsible for the development and review of the criteria to be met for appointment, promotion and tenure in the various faculty ranks, the conduct of interim faculty reviews, recommendations on faculty sabbatical requests, and the evaluation of proposals for the appointment, promotion and/or tenure of individuals. Occasionally, the FAC will be asked by the Dean or the Faculty Assembly to develop recommendations on other faculty-related matters.

Faculty Assembly (FA)

The FA consists of all faculty members who have primary appointments in the School of Public Health. The chair of the FA is elected from the school’s primary full-time faculty for a three-year term. The FA meets twice a year in the fall and spring unless there is reason to meet more frequently.

Staff Council

The UAB School of Public Health Staff Council was established to make the school an outstanding place to work, research, serve the community, and to learn. Its mission is to support the institutional vision, mission, and goals of UAB by promoting a positive and collaborative work environment through a diverse group of staff representatives from across the school’s academic, support, and administrative units.