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Procedures for the Reorganization, Consolidation & Elimination of Programs (RCEP): Performance Criteria for the School of Pharmacy

1. School of Pharmacy Overview

The School of Pharmacy at the University of Washington was established in 1894
and shares the University’s overall mission to generate, disseminate and
preserve knowledge, and provide service to the community. The School is an
integral part of the University of Washington Magnuson Health Sciences Center,
which includes the Schools of Dentistry, Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, Public
Health and Community Medicine, and Social Work, as well as University and
Harborview Medical Centers and the Cancer Consortium with Children’s Hospital
and the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. In addition, the School
partners with the Madison AIDS Clinic, the Pike Place Market Shelter, the
Hearthstone Retirement Center, and the Native American Heal Center to provide
pharmaceutical services. The School offers programs leading to the professional
Pharmacy Doctorate (Pharm.D.) degree, and Master of Science (M.S.) and Doctor of
Philosophy (Ph.D.) in the pharmaceutical sciences of Medicinal Chemistry,
Pharmaceutics, and Pharmaceutical Outcomes Research. In addition, the School
offers Pharm.D. residency and fellowship training, and serves as the major
provider of continuing education for practicing pharmacists in the State,
including Geriatric Certificate and External Pharm.D. degree programs. These
educational programs are enriched by the School’s strong commitment to research
through programs in drug interactions, pharmaceutical outcomes and policy, and
operation of a state-of-the-art mass spectrometry center that provides
analytical services regionally and nationally. The School is part of
interdisciplinary training programs in the Pharmacological Sciences,
Biomolecular Structure and Design, Public Health Genetics, Health Sciences
Interdisciplinary Partnerships in Clinical Education, and the Center for
Nanotechnology. The School values diversity in its students, staff, faculty and
patient populations, and fosters an environment of mutual respect.

2. General Procedures for RCEP

Under the current requirements of Section 26-41 of the University of Washington
Handbook, if a budget reduction or reallocation of resources is necessary, the
Dean “shall request authority from the Provost to initiate a formal review to
identify one or more programs for elimination, reorganization, consolidation
with another unit and/or reduction in size.” In order to assess these programs,
the Dean and members of the Faculty Council and Promotion and Tenure Committee
will use the following measures of quality and centrality to the School, the
University, the region and the nation. Due to the breadth and distinctive
characteristics of the programs, not all criteria will apply equally to all
programs. In general, programs will be addressed on the value of their
teaching, research and service contributions.

Evaluation of Academic Programs/Teaching

  • Program accreditation by the American Council on Pharmaceutical Education

  • Performance of our professional students on board examinations leading to successful licensure

  • Student demand, measured by number of applicants compared to available spaces;
    number of admission offers to number of acceptances (both include
    under-represented minorities)

  • Quality of admitted students based on admission criteria

  • Student honors and awards from the University and from professional

  • Employment of professional graduates as licensed pharmacists, and acceptance into graduate programs, residencies and fellowships; employment of M.S. and Ph.D. graduates in academia, industry, government research laboratories, and other appropriate settings

  • Satisfaction of students with programs based on course evaluations and exit surveys

  • Satisfaction of employers with graduates based on surveys

  • Proportion of Ph.D. students who have published in peer-reviewed scientific journals within 2 years of graduating

  • Ability of programs to attract, retain, and diversify high-quality faculty

  • Excellence in teaching is recognized by teaching awards to faculty

  • Training of health care professionals is minimally considered good, based on student and peer evaluations

  • Programs are recognized, based on national rankings (when available), based on major grants from the public and private sectors, and based on gifts from the private sector

  • Programs are integrated into the Health Sciences Center and the University

Evaluation of Research Programs

  • Record of productive research based on number and quality of peer-reviewed publications

  • Citation rates for faculty publications (from Scientific Citation Index), compared to peers

  • Ranking of program compared to other Schools and Colleges of Pharmacy, based on dollar amount of research grants per faculty FTE

  • National/international recognition of faculty based on invited presentations, invited reviews and book chapters, and service on research advisory panels

  • Regional, national, and international research honors and awards

  • Demand for faculty by industry/private sector as consultants

  • Interdisciplinary research collaborations with other departments, schools and colleges


Evaluation of Service Programs

  • Service on School and University Committees

  • Service on editorial boards

  • Service on regional, national and international committees

  • Leadership roles in professional organizations

  • Requests for faculty to review grants, journal articles and books<

  • Faculty, staff and student participation in outreach educational services

  • Demand from practitioners/organizations outside the University for the expertise and assistance of program faculty, staff and students