GUIDELINES FOR THE ADVISORY BOARD SCHOOL OF OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY I. BACKGROUND The School of Occupational Therapy Advisory Board was organized to assist the Pacific University School of Occupational Therapy in the development and advancement of its program and to provide support as a continuing advisory group for the School of Occupational Therapy. The Advisory Board serves in an advisory capacity and is used at the discretion of Pacific University to seek counsel and advice as needed. Final authority and responsibility for the School of Occupational Therapy Program is retained by Pacific University. II. MISSION STATEMENT. to assist the Pacific University School of Occupational Therapy in its recruitment, development, and promotion of students and the profession, through the integration of community, energy, knowledge and support in order to realize the vision to. P rovide an exceptional educational environment A cademic credentials second to none C adre of the best professional educators and administrators available I nsight into the ever changing requirements of professional education F acilities with resources to service the needs of the program I nteractive involvement with the local professional & international communities C areer opportunities for our graduates with significant personal and financial rewards in. O ccupational T herapy III. BOARD RESPONSIBILITES A. Board should engage in ongoing activities as necessary to determine the mission of the organization, to define specific goals and objectives related to the mission and to evaluate the success of programs towards achieving that mission. IV. STRUCTURE AND ROLE OF THE BOARD A. Executive Committee 1. Board Chair a. oversees the board meetings and executive committee meetings b. works in partnership with school director c. prepares agenda for the board meetings d. reviews board minutes with the secretary e. works with board members on their roles and helps them assess their performance f. makes offer to new member nominee to join the board 2. Board Vice Chair a. attends all board meetings
b. serves on the executive committee c. carries out special assignments as requested by the chair d. understands the responsibilities of the board chair and is able to perform these duties in the chair s absence e. participates as a vital part of the board leadership f. responsible for membership issues 3. Board Secretary a. attends all board meetings b. serves on the executive committee c. maintains all board records and ensures their accuracy and safety d. reviews the board minutes with the board chair and sends completed minutes to the board members (see documentation section below) e. understands the responsibilities of the board chair and is able to perform these duties in the absence of the board chair and vice chair f. provides notice of additional meetings when appropriate g. coordinates, with school of OT secretary, documentation provision for members who are not able to attend board meetings live 4. Chair Emeritus a. outgoing chair maintains the role of mentor B. Standing Committees 1. Curriculum and Facilities a. makes recommendations regarding course content curriculum, instructional materials, equipment, and facilities b. assists in accreditation efforts and outcome assessments c. assists in development of new facilities planning 2. Promotion, Diversity, Recruitment a. assists in promoting programs to the professional community and to the public b. recommends strategies for student recruitment c. suggests strategies for promoting diversity within the OT school d. assists in board member orientation 3. Alumni, Continuing Education a. recommends alumni activities b. suggests continuing education programs which could be offered by the School of Occupational Therapy c. review post professional program options 4. Resources and Stewardship (previously scholarship and fundraising) a. review sources of program funding b. explore opportunities for variety of fundraising activities
c. possible community connections for existing programs V. FUNCTIONS OF THE ADVISORY BOARD Advisory Boards do not have any legal authority, therefore all of their responsibilities are assigned at the discretion of the executive director and/or board of directors. Responsibilities assigned to an advisory board may include any or all of the following: 1. Provides support for the development of excellence in education of occupational therapists by advising on ways to: a) build and enhance quality of professional education, b) assure the relevance of the educational process to the occupation-related health needs of the community, and foster relationships that support fulfillment of the School s mission. 2. Serves as a communication link between the Pacific University School of Occupational Therapy and the community. 3. Provides information and ideas regarding course offerings, course content, curriculum, instructional materials, equipment and facilities. 4. Identifies information about the labor market and employment opportunities for program graduates. 5. Provides information about the occupation-related health needs of the community and current trends in occupational therapy. 6. Assists in promoting programs offered by the School of Occupational Therapy to the professional community and to the public. 7. Identifies community resources which may support development of programs, staff, and funding. 8. Facilitates outcomes assessment by evaluation of the program s success in meeting the needs of the community. 9. Suggests ways to enhance the program s public image and foster community relations 10. Recommends, and supports execution of, strategies to promote diversity of the students, staff and faculty of the School. 11. Provide advice concerning the design and plans for the program. 12. Help create policies which provide direction and support for the program staff. 13. Spread the word regarding program services 14. Explore opportunities for variety of fundraising activities 15. Develop subcommittees for assigned tasks in specific areas. VI. VII. COMMITTEE STRATEGIC PLANS 1. Executive Committee 2. Standing Committees DOCUMENTATION A. New Board Member Notebook to be provided by school of OT administrative assistant
B. Board meeting minutes (board secretary) -> meeting minutes sent quickly to executive committee and director of the school of OT to review -> corrections back to board sec. and corrections made as needed -> board sec to send minutes to board and director of OT school -> executive committee meeting to occur in between board meetings and agenda to be set for the next board meeting -> board sec to send agenda to school sec -> school sec to email meeting reminder with directions for conference call access and agenda to board members and make paper copies to be on tables for board meeting. Meeting minutes to be given to school sec from board sec with documents to be scanned and put on the website at the board meetings from the previous board meeting. C. Director of the School of OT will provide a Director s Report at each Board Meeting. This will be included as an attachment to the Board meeting minutes. VIII. OPERATIONS: A. BOARD MEMBERSHIP/ MAKEUP 1. Goal of 14-16 members 2. 10 Occupational Therapists 3. 4 Public representatives (consumer, other professional) 4. 2 students (in good standing with the OT program) 5. Director of the school of OT attend meetings 6. School of OT faculty representatives to attend meetings as appropriate 7. Membership length of stay and rotation *** This may be changed at the discretion of the Board B. NEW BOARD MEMBER QUALIFICATIONS 1. New board members must have an expressed interest in Occupational Therapy practice and/or academic development AND 2. have an education in a field related to Occupational Therapy or public, personal, professional experience with Occupational Therapy OR 3. have a history of professional work and/or community contribution OR 4. have had leadership experience. 5. If you are a student or a professional you must be in good standing with the OT program and your licensing board. C. PROCEDURE FOR NOMINATIONS TO THE BOARD 1. Board members or John White nominates potential candidates. 2. Executive Committee gathers additional information on the nominee. Executive committee discusses with John White as needed. Executive committee checks for student or professional good standing and then brings information to the whole Board. 3. Board chair will do official offer to nominee for the Board. 4. Orientation will be provided with the new member packet provided by the Executive committee.
D. PROCEDURE/OPTIONS FOR IF UNABLE TO ATTEND BOARD MEETING LIVE: Phone conference call is available for those unable to travel to a meeting 1. Phone call initiation will begin at Pacific University (by the director of OT or the board chair) 2. Instructions: call (866) 893-4880; when asked for a PIN, punch in 4880 in the dialpad and you will be connected and await, or join, the others on the line. 3. if you have documents that you plan to share at the meeting, please get these to the board secretary or school of OT administrative assistant (Kelly Hering at Khering@pacificu.edu) a week prior to the meeting. These will then be distributed via email or brought to the board meeting. E. TERM LENGTH AND ROTATION 1. A term of 4 years is suggested for the professional and public board members 2. A choice of a second term may be optional or a choice of returning for an addition term is an option. 3. Length of term for student members is the length of time they are a registered student in the school of OT at Pacific University. F. VOTING QUORUM G. CONCERNS 1. If complaints or conflicts with board member discuss with board chair. If complaints or conflict with board chair discuss with director of school of OT