September 25, 2007

MINUTES
University of Minnesota
Academic Health Center
Deans Council
September 25, 2007

The regular meeting of the Deans of the Academic Health Center was held on Tuesday, September 25 at 2:00 p.m. in 475 ChRC.

Members present:
Frank Cerra, Senior Vice President for Health Sciences
John Finnegan, Dean, School of Public Health
Patrick Lloyd, Dean, School of Dentistry
Charlie Moldow, Senior Associate Dean, Medical School (for Deborah Powell)
Marilyn Speedie, College of Pharmacy
Linda Watson, Director, Health Sciences Libraries

Staff present:
Terry Bock, Chief of Staff
Barbara Brandt, Assistant Vice President, Office of Education
Charles Christiansen, Director, Center for Allied Health Programs
Jennifer Cieslak, Special Assistant to the Senior Vice President for Health Sciences, AHC
Mary Koppel, Assistant Vice President for Public Affairs
Beth Nunnally, Chief Financial Officer, AHC

Guests present:
Mark Bohnhorst, Associate General Counsel, Office of the General Counsel
Greg Brown, Associate General Counsel, Office of the General Counsel

Review and Approval of Minutes -- September 11, 2007
The council approved the minutes of September 11, 2007.

Center for Global Studies
The Center for Global Studies was initially proposed as an Academic Health Center (AHC) center 1½ years ago, however, it was put on hold until there was a clearer plan.  Frank Cerra stated that student, faculty, and resident international exchanges have proceeded well. However, it is at the institutional level, the point where there is delivery of a degree, that the complexity of working in another country increases dramatically.  There are layers of legal complications such as tax issues, business issues, transfer of money, and culture.  The University¿s General Counsel has a legal team that is working on these complex issues, and the University has hired a law firm in India for their expertise.  Cerra is proposing moving forward with the Center for Global Studies which will focus on strategic planning for international studies.  John Finnegan said that the AHC needs a mission globally that aligns with the AHC.  In addition, he stated that the reality of the marketplace is such that there needs to be a presence internationally and relationship building will be key.  Finnegan stated that this would be an administrative center which supports the faculty, students and many other global initiatives.  Cerra will bring the proposal for a Center for Global Studies to a future meeting of the Deans Council.

Board of Regents Subcommittee on the AHC
The Board of Regents has established a short-term AHC workgroup consisting of Regent Allen, Regent Baraga, Regent Frobenius, and Frank Cerra.  This group has been charged with assessing and making recommendations on the role of the Board of Regents in governance of the AHC.  Frank Cerra commented that this workgroup will be meeting over the next several months to work through the primary challenges of the AHC and a five year financial model to meet those challenges.

Frank Cerra stated that Deborah Powell is undertaking a strategic process in the Medical School to determine the timeline and strategy for moving the Medical School into the top twenty medical schools.  The alignment of practice plans with Fairview Health Services and areas of research focus will also be evaluated. 

FY09 Budget Update
Beth Nunnally discussed the FY09 budget and specifically the student tuition fees that will be 7 ½% rather than the 4% the deans were expecting. 

Strike Impact
Terry Bock stated that on Friday, September 21, the University and AFSCME announced the conclusion of the strike.  AFSCME employees must be back to work no later than Thursday, September 27.  At this time, there has been no settlement or agreement.  A vote by AFSCME employees will occur in the next few weeks.

CTSA Comment
Frank Cerra asked the deans to provide feedback to Jas Ahluwalia on the CTSA grant.

Educational Intellectual Property
Mark Bohnhorst and Greg Brown discussed the current policy for educational intellectual property.  They stated there has been a lot of confusion about what faculty can/cannot do with intellectual materials.  The Office of the General Counsel (OGC) has provided a development agreement and assignment to be used with faculty members.  The agreement sets forth the terms under which the faculty is providing instructional design, computer programming, and/or related services to support or distribute the curriculum and content for a course.  Frank Cerra stated the deans have a policy and tool for educational intellectual property, and suggested they work with the OGC if needed to assess risk.  The new policy will be presented to the Board of Regents for approval in November. 

The meeting adjourned at 4:10 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Kathy Anderson
Staff to the Academic Health Center Deans Council