Senate & Committees

The Sidney Kimmel Medical College Bylaws (PDF) define organization, authority and basic procedures for the conduct of the Medical College and its faculty.

The goal of the Faculty Senate is to contribute to the intellectual climate of the University by providing a forum for bidirectional communication between the University administration and the University faculty. The Faculty Senate shall be a means by which the faculties of the Colleges of Thomas Jefferson University communicate with the University’s Administration through the Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs on matters which relate to the education, research and service missions of the University and/or to the welfare of its faculty.

Currently, there are 24 Faculty Senators, and the distribution among members from each Thomas Jefferson University College is as follows:

Each College within Jefferson (Philadelphia University + Thomas Jefferson University) should institute procedures to provide for the yearly nomination and election of Senators by the Faculty within that College. Terms of office for Senators shall be two years except for the first election. For the inaugural Senate only, half of the membership in each College will serve a two year term, while the other half will serve full three year terms. This will ensure that the senate membership will undergo a 50% turn-over every year, thereby maintaining continuity.

After each College elects its senators, the Senate membership will elect the Senate officers (President and Secretary) from among the senate membership per procedures established by the Senate. Based on the outcome of that election, the President and Secretary will be appointed to two year terms on the Senate. The remainder of the inaugural senate membership will be randomly assigned to either two or three year terms using a stratified randomization procedure (stratification according to College). In subsequent elections, senators will be elected to two year terms.

Officers of the Senate will include a President and Secretary who will be elected by the members of the Senate by a simple majority. Each officer will be elected for a one year term per procedures established by the Senate. The President and Secretary of the senate must be representatives of two different Colleges.

As needed and as charged by the Dean, this faculty-elected committee receives comments, suggestions, opinions and problems from faculty members. The committee discusses such matters and bring its advice and recommendations to the professorial faculty. Matters which are not resolved are channeled in the best possible manner for disposition, i.e., to other committees, to the administration or to open discussion at full meetings of the professorial faculty. Meetings of this Advisory Committee will be held as needed.