SPH Standing Committees and Their Functions

Student representation on School of Public Health standing committees is an integral part of the School’s governance. Students enrolled in any of the School's degree programs are eligible to serve on School of Public Health standing committees. Non-degree students, and students from other colleges and campuses of the University of Illinois at Chicago, are not eligible to serve.

The list of School of Public Health committees to which students are elected follows.

Students are elected to the committees by the student body during the Fall Semester of each year. Students are elected to serve for one academic year.

Committee Functions

Ad hoc committees with specific missions are appointed by the Dean, Executive Committee or Faculty. Recent examples include: Strategic Planning; MPH Core Course Integration; and Safety.

Executive Committee - This committee advises the dean on matters of educational policy, faculty appointments, promotions, tenure and dismissals, and represents the faculty on matters of policy and budget. This committee receives the recommendations of all other standing committees and initiates actions on behalf of the faculty. It determines the effectiveness of standing committees and recommends the establishment or dissolution of other standing committees. The committee is empowered to establish a mechanism to hear and evaluate grievances by faculty, staff members and students with regard to policies, programs and operations within the school.

Committee on Academic Progress - This committee is charged with developing and implementing overall guidance for student academic progress and formulating policy and developing procedures for monitoring academic progress; academic advising; matters pertaining to enrollment; registration and time-to-degree requirements for MPH and DrPH students; the DrPH preliminary examination; academic retention; student dismissals; and academic grievances. It recommends to the Executive Committee the granting of degrees to all students who have fulfilled the degree requirements.

Committee on Admissions and Recruitment Policies - This committee is charged with establishing overall policy for school admissions for the four degree programs to assure quality and diversity of the student body and minimum admissions criteria. The committee also is charged with developing an appropriate protocol to ensure schoolwide adherence to the admissions policy. With regard to recruitment, the committee is charged with developing and overseeing recruitment policies and providing guidance on recruiting.

Committee on Educational Programs - This committee is charged with making recommendations to the Executive Committee of the school on behalf of the faculty with respect to the quality and appropriateness of the school curricula in all degree programs. It reviews the structure and content of curricula within the school. This includes new curricula, new programs (e.g., the public health informatics MPH degree program), and new modalities (e.g., distance learning), as well as periodic review of already-established curricula. It makes recommendations regarding the evaluation of faculty teaching performance and periodically reviews the methods used to evaluate teaching performance.

Committee on Student Affairs - This committee is charged with oversight of the nonacademic aspects of all students and of student counseling by the faculty. It serves as a forum for improving student-faculty relationships. Finally, this committee, through a Subcommittee on Student Discipline, considers all nonacademic student grievances.

The basic governing unit of the student body is the Public Health Student Association (PHSA). All students, both full- and part-time, are members of PHSA and have a vote in all PHSA decisions. PHSA acts as the liaison organization between students and faculty of the School. Members are elected or appointed by students through the PHSA to School of Public Health Committees. The PHSA also serves to promote communication between students in the School and represents the interests of the School of Public Health on the Executive Student Council of the Health Sciences Center. The Associate Dean for Student Affairs is the administrative officer responsible for providing assistance to the PHSA. A copy of the PHSA bylaws may be obtained from the Associate Dean for Student Affairs. All student, faculty and staff organizations operating on University property are required by the Board of Trustees to be registered with the Office of Student Affairs and to conduct their business operations through the Chicago Organizations Funds. For details, consult the UIC Student Handbook or confer with the campus Office of Student Affairs.

The PHSA Office is located in 136 SPHPI.

The Doctoral Students’ Forum is an ad hoc committee of the School representing PhD and DrPH students. Its purpose is to provide an opportunity for doctoral students to get to know one another and to share information concerning research, funding and other opportunities. The Forum exists by initiative of interested students and may not be active every year.

The School of Public Health (SPH) Alumni Association is a constituent member of the University of Illinois Alumni Association (UIAA). According to UIAA bylaws, the role of constituent member associations is "to promote the general welfare of the university as an agency for education, research, and public service and to encourage and stimulate interest in the university in order to promote more effectively the programs and progress of the university and its related organizations."