9. General Information

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9.1 Governance

Faculty involvement in the governance of the University occurs in several ways. The most basic way is through the academic departmental committee. Each academic program, and therefore each faculty member, has regular departmental meetings to consider the business of that educational unit. It is from those committees that the various admission, progress, and completion policies for those programs are initiated. In addition, those committees establish learning outcomes, oversee curricular development and propose new degree programs within a given department. 

Policies, curricular matters, and program development recommendations move from these committees to the Academic Policies Committee (APC). The Academic Policies Committee is chaired by the Provost, and its membership, is representative of each academic program and department of the University. The APC studies course content changes, changes in course descriptions, and curriculum changes and then makes recommendations to the President’s Council for approval. Final approval for curriculum changes rests with the Board of Trustees. Approved changes are then communicated to departmental faculty via their department directors/chairs by the Office of Academic Administration. 

Other faculty involvement in governance occurs through their membership on other committees. For example, the Faculty Handbook Committee is led by and comprised of faculty members. This committee oversees the annual revisions of the Faculty Handbook. These changes may range from editing and formatting to proposing and vetting policy changes. Another important policy and governance committee is the Curriculum Committee. This committee is responsible for leading the institution through the process of developing the seven institutional learning outcomes which have shaped the direction of the institution for the past several years. 

Faculty form the core of the membership on a number of other policy and governance related committees. The Faculty Rank and Promotion Committee, in addition to making recommendations to the President for initial rank and rank promotion assignments, the Committee has been commissioned by the President to work on the development of the rank criteria, the promotion procedures, and improvements in the hiring process for faculty. Faculty membership on the Technology Committee has also engaged them in the development of policies in the respective areas of responsibility. 

A list of committees, their primary duty, and their reporting structure follows:

AdventHealth University

(Committee assignments are made annually and current assignments can be found at SharePoint/AHU Document Library/Committees/2024-2025 List).

1. Colloquium meetings

​​(1^st week prior to Fall Trimester)

Josef Ghosn, Chair

Required attendance:

All full-time faculty and staff

2. Townhall Meetings / AHU Forum / Chats with the President

(2^nd Monday Monthly)

Josef Ghosn, Chair

Required attendance:

All full-time faculty and staff

3. Academic Leadership Committee (Monthly)

Reviews and discusses academic and operational issues and their potential impact on the academic programs of the University.

Reports to: Academic Policies Committee

4. Academic Policies Committee (APC) (Monthly - 2^nd Wed.)

Reviews and recommends all academic policies and processes, including the academic catalog and handbooks.

Reports to: AHU Cabinet

5. Academic Review Committee (Once a Trimester)

Reviews academic progression for all undergraduate students who are not in a program, including those on probation.

Reports to: Academic Policies Committee

6. AHU Cabinet Committee (Twice / Month)

AHU Cabinet functions as the ultimate decision-making group deciding what policies and procedures need Board approval as well as directing and implementing daily operations of the University.  

Reports to: 

7. Citizenship Committee (As called)

Upholds standards of conduct by assessing serious or repeated violations, assigning and recommending appropriate penalties.

Reports to: AHU Cabinet

8. Colloquium Committee (As called)

Planning and implementation of annual and monthly Colloquium check meetings working closely with the President.

Reports to: President

9. Community Engagement Committee (Monthly or As called)

Oversight for Carnegie Classifications for Community Engagement and policy and procedure setter for Community Engagement efforts.

Reports to: AHU Cabinet

10. Convocation Committee (As called)

Planning and implementation the annual Convocation program.

Reports to: President

11. Curriculum Committee (As called)

Reviews, evaluates and recommends to the Academic Policies Committee all program development as well as all academic changes of programs, tracks, certificates and courses.

Reports to: Academic Policies Committee

12. Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee  (Monthly)

Provides educational resources on diversity issues for faculty, staff and students and facilitates spaces for students to address identity concerns as they arise.

Reports to:  AHU Cabinet

13. Educational Technology Committee (Monthly)

Identifies challenges with current educational technology providing recommendations for improvement and new technology. Connects educational technology, faculty development, and IT infrastructure to enhance the delivery of education.

Reports to: Academic Policies Committee

14. External Funding Steering Committee  (As called)

Provides strategic direction and advice on funding opportunities for AHU and nominates research grant awardees.

Reports to: AHU Cabinet

15. Faculty Development Committee (Monthly)

To strengthen and expand the professional development training offers for faculty at AHU.

Reports to:  Academic Policies Committee

16. Faculty Handbook Committee (As called)

Reviews, edits, and produces the Full-Time and the Adjunct Faculty Handbooks.

Reports to: Academic Policies Committee

17. Faculty Rank & Promotion Committee (Weekly)

Recommends academic rank to the President after examining the credentials of incoming faculty and regular faculty seeking academic promotion and includes the study of policies for academic faculty sabbaticals, annual portfolios, and merit awards. Membership is by administrative appointment. 

Reports to: Provost & President

18. Graduation Committee  (As called)

Works with the President & Provost in the organization and implementation of the graduation programs of AHU, including responsibilities for planning the various components of the program, staffing the event, and preparing the printed program. 

Reports to: Provost & President

19. Health & Wellness Committee  (Monthly)

Makes policy and procedural recommendations to administration relative to the health, safety, and security of the University community.

Reports to: AHU Cabinet

20. Hope Clinic Committee  (Monthly)

To ensure optimal clinic planning, functioning, sustainability, and growth.

Reports to:  Academic Policies Committee

21. Institutional Biosafety Committee  (As called)

Responsible for evaluating the biosafety containment level for research involving recombinant DNA and synthetic nucleic acid molecules. It carries out these functions pursuant to requirements set forth by federal, state, and local agencies, as well as AHU. It also oversees research with other potentially hazardous biologics.

Reports to: Academic Policies Committee

22. Institutional Effectiveness Leadership Council Committee  (As called )

Develops overarching approaches for institutional effectiveness.

Reports to:  AHU Cabinet

23. Institutional Review Board (IRB) Committee  (As called)

Ensures that research conducted under the auspices of AHU meets ethical standards for research that are congruent with the Mission of the University, the principles presented in the Belmont Report, and the federal requirements presented in 45-CFR-46 (Code of Federal Regulation, 1983).

Reports to: Academic Policies Committee

24. Interprofessional Practice and Education Committee   (2-3/term, As needed)

To foster the development, implementation, and ongoing assessment of evidence-based IPE experiences, practices, and resources internal and external to AHU.

Report to:  Academic Policies Committee

25. Library Committee   (As Called)

Provides guidance and oversight by serving in an advisory capacity to the Library Director regarding library policies and planning.

Reports to: Academic Policies Committee

26. Mission integration (Monthly)

Assist in preparing students to meet the diverse spiritual needs within the healthcare environment.

Reports to: AHU Cabinet 

27. Policies and Procedures Committee    (2^nd & 4^th Friday)

Reviews approved policies and procedures to ensure consistency in all posting on appropriate media, i.e. employee manuals, AHU website etc.  Approves final content for the Policies and Procedures Section of the AHU website.  Conducts an annual review and update of all documents containing policies and procedures to maintain accuracy.

Reports to: AHU Cabinet

28. Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) Committee  (Monthly)

Develops and coordinates the Quality Enhancement Plan by providing oversight to the faculty and staff employed in the day-to-day running of the plan.

Reports to: Academic Policies Committee

29. Recognition Committee    (As called)

Oversees the process and nomination for merit/recognitions awards and recommends the names of awardees to the President.

Reports to:  President

30. Retention Committee (Monthly)

Enhance the effectiveness and alignment of the institution’s retention efforts through rigorous annual reviews, ensuring all initiatives and strategies are in accordance with the strategic plan, mission, vision, and values. 

Reports to: Academic Policies Committee

31. Research Steering Committee (Bi-Monthly)

Provides oversight and support for research processes, infrastructure, and productivity to assure that high standards for both scientific and ethical merits are upheld.

Report to: Academic Policies Committee

32. Research Institutional Clearance (RIC) Committee (As Called) 

Responsibile for ensuring the scholarly activities.  (IRB review and non-IRB review track projects) are conducted in compliance with AHU and federal policies, guidelines and regulations that govern research and Quality Improvement (QI) and Quality assessment (QA). Institutional Review Board (IRB) review track projects include the Human Subject Research and Non-Human Subject Research. The non-IRB review track projects include the Quality Improvement (QI), and Quality Assessment (QA) studies.

Reports to: Academic Policies Committee

33. Scholarship Awards Committee (As called)

Determines processes for selection of scholarship awards and the amount they will receive for the next school year.

Reports to: AHU Cabinet

34. Scientific Review Committee (As called)

Ensures proposed studies at AHU meet acceptable standards of scientific rigor and merit PRIOR to submission for IRB review.

Reports to: Academic Policies Committee

35. Simulation Committee  (Quarterly)

Monitors the development and implementation of the simulation initiatives at AHU as well as collaboration with AdventHealth.

Reports to:  Academic Policies Committee 

36. Social Committee (As called)

Promotes social interaction and communication among the faculty and staff of AHU.

Reports to: President

37. Strategic Enrollment Management Committee (As called)

Provides a comprehensive framework for optimizing student recruitment, retention, and graduation rates.

Reports to: Academic Policies Committee

38. Student Advancement Committee (As called)

Provides a venue to listen to and foster the student voice at AdventHealth University. 

Reports to: AHU Cabinet

39. Writing Across the Curriculum Committee (Monthly)

Support and sustain faculty in incorporating writing across the curriculum that will increase student writing proficiency, create a campus culture that supports writing, and foster a community of faculty around teaching writing.

Reports to: Academic Policies Committee 

40. AD HOC Committees (As called)

• Campus of the Future Task Force

NOTE:

• The President is an Ex-Officio member of all Committees
• The Provost in an Ex-Officio member of all Academic Committees
• All committees report to one of the 2 committees listed below – with the exception of the Faculty Rank & Promotion Committee and the events committees (Colloquium/Forum, Convocation, Graduation, Recognition, and Social) that report directly to the President, the Provost or both:
  • Academic Policies (APC): academic committees.
  • AHU Cabinet: strategic, operational & student affairs committees.

• These 2 committees have final approval authority over the committees that report to them – unless the committee chair deems a particular action should be elevated to Cabinet.
• AHU Cabinet will approve minutes for APC and those committees reporting directly to the Cabinet.

9.2 Other Professional Employment 

A full-time faculty is expected to faithfully fulfill University responsibilities by full-time service. There are occasions when it is permissible for faculty to engage in a minimal amount of work outside of the University for extra remuneration for such activities as teaching a class, consultation, or clinical service. This can be of value to both the faculty member and the University.

University faculty may accept part-time employment only if such activity does not interfere with the individual’s duties or responsibilities to the University. Such employment is subject to the following conditions:

• No more than one class per quarter (maximum four credit hours) or trimester (maximum three credit hours) may be taught by full-time faculty.
• No more than two classes may be taught in any one calendar year.
• Clinical service must be done outside of the regular workday unless it is part of the calculated workload.
• Other employment must not compete with regularly scheduled classes, labs, or University and departmental meetings.

Prior to any part-time employment, the faculty member must have the written consent of the appropriate Department Chair and the Department Chairs’ supervisor. This request needs to be provided to the AHU Human Resources and Compliance Departments which will be reviewed with the Department Chair and approved or denied.  See CW HR 270 Moonlighting Policy. If the Department Chair or the Department Chairs’ supervisor determines that outside employment is interfering with the faculty member’s responsibility to the University, the individual will be asked to decrease or cease such employment.

9.3 Rising Together Awards

The Rising Together Awards recognize, award, and highlight employees who exemplify and exhibit key values at AHU.  Each year cash awards and certificates will be presented to a maximum of eight employees. The award categories are:

LOVE ME

OWN IT

MAKE IT EASY

KEEP ME SAFE

One staff member and one faculty member are awarded for each category. Recipients will be eligible for only one Rising Together award while employed at AHU. Award winners cannot win again in another category.

9.4 Travel

AHU reimburses employees for business related expenses.  Please refer to Policy FIN-404.01, FIN-404.02 Policies & Procedures | my.ahu.edu