Section 1: Name
The name of the organization shall be the Council of Deans of the Association of American Medical Colleges.
Section 2: Purpose
The purpose of the Council of Deans is the continuing improvement of the nation's medical schools. As a forum for deans of medical schools, the Council identifies issues affecting academic medicine and develops strategies to achieve the various missions of medical schools. This body addresses: policies guiding the association in its service and advocacy functions; programs for the advancement of institutional management; and support for the deans' leadership role in guiding individual schools toward excellence in medical education, research and patient care.
The Council provides:
- a venue for deans to address the concerns of their constituencies: medical students; graduate students in the life sciences; physicians-in-training; physicians and scientists on medical school faculties;
- assistance to deans in fulfilling individual school missions;
- a means for deans to develop consensus among their broad and varied perspectives;
- a conduit for deans to advocate their views within and through the AAMC; and
- mentoring for and professional development of deans.
Section 3: Membership
a) Members of the Council of Deans shall be the Deans of those medical schools and colleges which are members of the Association of American Medical Colleges as defined in the AAMC Bylaws: Institutional Members and Provisional Institutional Members and Program Affiliate Members and Provisional Program Affiliate Members. For the purposes of these Rules and Regulations the dean shall be that individual who is charged by the institution with the direct responsibility for the operation of the school of medicine.
b) Each dean of a medical school or college which is an Institutional Member or a Provisional Institutional Member which has admitted its first class shall be entitled to cast one (1) vote in the Council of Deans.
c) A dean who is entitled to vote in the Council of Deans may designate in writing to the Chair an alternate who is entitled to vote in those cases in which the dean is unable to be present at a meeting. A designation of a substitute shall require separate and written notification for each such meeting.
d) The council may, from time to time, conduct elections or votes by electronic means using tools suitable for that purpose provided by the AAMC.
Section 4: Officers and Administrative Board
a) The officers of the Council of Deans shall be a Chair and a Chair-Elect, and Immediate-Past-Chair. The Chair shall be, ex-officio, a member of all committees of the Council of Deans.
b) The term of office of all officers shall be for two years. All officers shall serve until their successors are elected, provided, however, that the Chair may not succeed himself until after at least one year has elapsed from the end of his term of office.
c) Officers will be elected bi-annually at the time of the Spring Meeting of the Council of Deans.
d) There shall be an Administrative Board composed of the Chair, the Chair-elect, Immediate-Past-Chair, nine (9) members who are elected for three-year terms, and three (3) members elected for one-year terms. Vacancies created by the completion of terms shall be filled at the time of the election of officers. Interim vacancies may be filled by action of the Administrative Board until the next regularly scheduled election.
e) If the Chair is absent or unable to serve, the Chair-Elect of the Council of Deans shall serve in and assume the functions. If the Chair-Elect succeeds the Chair before the expiration of a scheduled term of office, such service shall not disqualify the Chair-Elect from serving a full term as Chair.
f) The Chair of the Council of Deans shall appoint a Nominating Committee of not less than five (5) voting members of the Council who shall be chosen with due regard for regional representation. This Committee will solicit nominations from the voting members for open or vacant positions on the Administrative Board. From these nominations a slate will be drawn, with due regard for regional representation, and will be presented to the voting members of the Council of Deans at least two weeks before the meeting at which the elections will be held. Additional nominations may be made at the time of the meeting.
g) The Administrative Board shall manage the affairs of the Council of Deans, to carry out the policies established by the Council of Deans at its meetings, and to take any necessary interim action on behalf of the Council that is required. The actions of the Administrative Board shall be subject to ratification by the Council at its next regular meeting.
Section 5: Meetings, Quorums, and Parliamentary Procedure
a) Regular meetings of the Council of Deans shall be held in conjunction with the AAMC Annual Meeting.
b) Special meetings may be called as set forth in the AAMC Bylaws.
c) Subdivisions of the Council, consisting of Deans who share a definable community interest—whether geographic or with a subject matter focus—shall be called Sections of the Council of Deans. Sections ordinarily function as forums for the exploration of topics of common interest to members but of less than general interest to the Council as a whole. The AAMC will act as fiscal agent for the collection and disbursement of dues and/or registration fees for Sections and will otherwise facilitate their meetings and activities. Sections have no formal role in the governance of the Council or the AAMC.
d) A simple majority of the voting members shall constitute a quorum.
e) Formal actions may be taken only at meetings at which a quorum is present. At such meetings decisions will be made by a majority of those present and voting.
f) Procedures and rules of order will be governed by decisions of the chair, subject to override by a two-thirds vote of the members present.
Section 6: Amendments
Subject to the approval of the AAMC Board of Directors, these Rules and Regulations may be altered, repealed, or amended, or new Rules and Regulations adopted by a two-thirds vote of the voting members present and voting at any meeting of the membership of the Council of Deans for which thirty days' prior written notice of the Rules and Regulations change has been given, provided that the total number of the votes cast for the changes constitute a majority of the Council's membership.
Appendices
A. The Council of Deans was established with the adoption of amended Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws of the Association of American Medical Colleges by the Institutional Membership on November 4, 1968.
B. On November 3, 1981 the amended Rules and Regulations were adopted.
C. On June 21, 2012, the Board of Directors approved an amendment to the COD Officers length of service (changing their length of service from one year to two years).
D. On September 24, 2019, the Board of Directors approved an amendment to the number of three-year terms on the Administrative Board (changing the number of three-year terms from six to nine).
Information: Alison Whelan, MD, Chief Academic Officer, AAMC