Consolidation of the School of Public Health faculty into five core departments—Biostatistics; Environmental and Industrial Health; Epidemiology; Health Behavior and Health Education; and Health Management and Policy—was approved by the Regents at their April meeting..
“The Review Committee of the School of Public Health has completed its study of the mission and functions of the School,” said Richard G. Cornell, interim dean of the School, and Gilbert R. Whitaker Jr., provost and executive vice president for academic affairs.
“The committee’s deliberations included extensive discussion with faculty, students and alumni of the School, as well as representatives of other schools and colleges within the University. Two external consultants, both deans of other schools of public health, also assisted with the review. The committee developed a new mission statement and 16 recommendations that deal with the teaching, research and service of the School. The faculty and Executive Committee of the School strongly endorsed the mission statement and all the recommendations.”
One of the recommendations is the consolidation of the faculty into five core departments. The departments that will no longer be separate academic/instructional units are Community Health Programs, Population Planning and International Health, and Public Health Policy and Administration.
“Population planning will become an interdepartmental concentration,” Cornell and Whitaker said. “Other teaching programs will be maintained as concentrations within or between departments. Informal discussion of reorganization has already taken place among affected faculty. Consolidation should be completed by Sept. 1, 1995.
“The endorsement of the mission statement and recommendations of the Review Committee by the faculty and Executive Committee forms a strong basis for progress towards fulfillment of our mission as a School of Public Health and for the recruitment of a new dean.”
