Council of ChairsOctober 1, 2003

BMES Meeting, Nashville TN

Agenda

I. IntroductionsPurpose of the Council (Bylaws attached)

Web page: http://www.coc-bme.org/Address list: circulating

II. Approval of the minutes(Attached)

III. Treasurer’s Report(Attached)

IV. ABET (Paul Hale)(Council letter attached)New role for BMESImplications

V. Whitaker Foundation’s 2nd Educational Summit (Jack Linehan)

VI. Discussion of a possible BME Design Competition (Phil Weilerstein)

VI. Old BusinessBylaw change: Motion to change quorum from 11 to 1/3 of the membership:

(currently, there are 47 paid members/3 = 16)2/3 needed for bylaw changes: 31

Ad hoc Long Range Planning Committee(Rich Hart, Pat Crago, Matt Glucksberg, Chris Sotak, Vijay Goel)Potential initiatives

ABETDesign CompetitionFuture SummitsLabs: workshops, best practices, databaseStudent travel fellowshipsSeminar speakers

VII. New Business

VIII. Adjourn

Circulated at the meeting:Membership list (role)

Attachments:CoC BylawsMinutes from Annual Meeting (2/24/2003)Treasurer’s ReportLetter on behalf of the Council regarding BMES as lead society for Bioengineering with ABET

BYLAWSOF THE

COUNCIL OF CHAIRS OFBIOENGINEERING AND BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING

ARTICLE I Name and Purpose

Section 1.

The name of this organization is the Council of Chairs of Bioengineering andBiomedical Engineering and shall be referred to herein as the Council.

Section 2.

The Purpose of the Council is to promote excellence in undergraduatebioengineering and biomedical engineering degree programs.

ARTICLE II Membership

Section 1.

Membership is restricted to chairs or directors of undergraduate degree-grantingprograms in bioengineering or biomedical engineering.

Section 2.

Voting members are those who have paid their annual dues. These dues will beestablished by the Council.

ARTICLE III Officers

Section 1.

The officers shall be a Chairperson, Vice-Chairperson, Secretary, and Treasureras selected from the membership. They shall be nominated and elected at theannual meeting. The term of office of each officer shall extend until a successoris elected; normally this shall be approximately one year.

Section 2.

The duties of the Chairperson shall be to preside at the meetings of the Council,to schedule, make arrangements for, and prepare agenda for meetings of theCouncil, appoint committees, and represent the Council in working with boards,councils and associations.

Section 3.

The duties of the Vice-Chairperson shall be to act for the Chairperson in his orher absence at meetings of the Council, and to carry out such other duties as theChairperson may deem appropriate. The Vice-Chairperson shall be theChairperson elect.

Section 4.

The duties of the Secretary shall be to keep minutes of the meetings of theCouncil and preserve and transmit the records of the Council to his or hersuccessor.

Section 5.

The duties of the Treasurer shall be to collect dues and administer all funds ofthe Council.

PAGE 2 - BYLAWS

Section 6.

The officers of the Council and the immediate Past Chairperson shall comprisean Executive Committee. This Committee shall be responsible for conductingsuch administrative matters as may be necessary between annual meetings of theCouncil. The Executive Council will meet at such tunes as deemed appropriateby the Chairperson of the Council.

Section 1.

A meeting to be designated the Annual Meeting of the Council shall be at atime and place as designated by the Council. This time and place will bedetermined at the annual meeting of the council.

Section 2.

Section 3.

A quorum shall consist of eleven members. A member may designate a votingrepresentative.

Section 4.

"Roberts Rules of Order" (Bantam latest revision) shall govern the deliberationsof the Council in all cases where they do not conflict with these Bylaws.

Section 1.

Standing committees of the Council may be established

or abolished at ameeting of the council. One of the standing committees will be a nominatingcommittee.

Section 2.

ARTICLE IV Meeting

Special meetings may be called by the Chairperson, with approval of the officers.

ARTICLE V Committees

The Chairperson may establish ad hoc committees as deemed necessary.

Section 3.

The nominating committee shall consist of the most immediate past Chairperson,as the Chair of the committee, the current Chairperson and the Vice Chairperson.

ARTICLE VI Elections

Section 1.

Elections shall be held at the annual meeting of the Council.

Section 2.

The nominating committee shall bring to the annual meeting of the Council aslate of nominees for the following positions: Vice Chairperson, Secretary andTreasurer.

Section 3.

Nominations for any of the officers may be made by the Council at large.

Page 3 - BYLAWS .

Section 1.

Amendments to these bylaws may be presented at the annual meeting. Ifadopted by the majority of those present, they shall be presented to the fullmembership for approval.

Section 2.

Amendments to the bylaws require approval by two-thirds of the Councilmembership.

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ARTICLE VII Amendments

Council of Chairs of Bioengineering and Biomedical Engineering ProgramsMeeting Minutes

Thursday, February 20, 2003Westin Washington Hotel, Washington, D.C.

Attendees:Name Affiliation Email AddressJack Winters, Chair Marquette University jack.winters@marquette.eduChris Sotak, Treasurer Worcester Polytechnic Institute csotak@wpi.eduPatrick Crago Case Western Reserve pec3@po.cwru.eduGene Ecskstein University of Memphis eckstein@memphis.eduMatt Glucksberg Northwestern University m-glucksberg@nwu.eduRob Linsenmeier Northwestern University r-linesenmeier@nwu.eduVincent Turitto Illinois Institute of Technology turitto@iit.eduSteven Jones Louisiana Tech University sajones@coes.latech.eduJames Baish Bucknell University baish@bucknell.eduTom Harris Vanderbilt University thomas.r.harris@vanderbilt.eduDan Cavanagh Bucknell University dcavanag@bucknell.eduVijay Goel University of Toledo vijay.goel@utoledo.eduWilliam Hyman Texas A&M University w-hyman@tamu.eduKen Diller University of Texas kdiller@mail.utexas.eduEd Grood University of Cincinnati ed.grood@uc.eduDavid Reynolds Wright State University david.reynolds@wright.eduPaul Benkeser Georgia Tech paul.benkeser@bme.gatech.eduGeorge Wodicka Purdue University wodicka@purdue.eduJohn Enderle University of Connecticut jenderle@bme.uconn.eduSteve Schreiner Western New England College sshreine@wnec.eduSteve Knisley University of North Carolina kinsley@bme.unc.eduClinton Rubin SUNY at Stony Brook clinton.rubin@sunysb.eduVladimir Hlady University of Utah vladimir.hlady@m.cc.utah.eduBinh Tran Catholic University tran@ca.eduRob Radwin University of Wisconsin radwin@engr.wisc.eduStephen Quint Univ. of North Carolina quint@bme.unc.edu Paul Hale Louisiana Tech University phale@coes.latech.eduRichard Schoephoerster Florida International University schoepho@fiu.eduKathy Ferrara University of California – Davis kwferrar@ucdavis.eduVan Mow Columbia University vcm1@ccolumbia.eduRich Hart Tulane University rthart@tulane.eduKen Lutchen Boston University klutchen@bu.eduRick Waugh University of Rochester waugh@bme.rochester.eduFrank Yin Washington University yin@biomed.wustl.eduMort Friedman Duke University mort.friedman@duke.edu

Documents Handed Out:Meeting AgendaMinutes of February 28, 2002 meeting in Washington, D.C.Minutes of October 23, 2002 meeting in Huston, Texas“Institutions” from COC website“Issues” from COC websiteBylaw of COC“Officers” from COC websiteTreasurer’s Report

Old BusinessCall to Order: The meeting was called to order by Jack Winters and introductions weredone for attendees.

Approval of Past Minutes: The minutes of the last two meetings were reviewed andapproved. These meetings were February 28, 2002 in Washington D.C. and October 23,2002 in Huston, Texas.

Treasure’s Report: The treasures report was presented by Chris Sotak with thefollowing discussion.

a. Whitaker Speakers Account: This account has a balance of approximately$2,500 and will be spent out within two years. Typically, 2 speakers/year aresupport.

b. Regular Account: This account balance has decreased by approximately$3,000. The reduction reflects the fact that invoices for current year dueshave only recently been sent out. These dues payments are the only source ofincome. There are approximately 48 current members so expected income is48 x $50 = $2,400.

c. Dues: A brief discussion was held regarding raising dues from $50 to $75 peryear. It was noted that at present the only recurring expense is the COCdinner and that there are no on-going initiatives existed that would justifyraising dues. A brief discussion on what responsibilities COC should take onwith sunset of The Whitaker Foundation. It was suggested that the officersmake a recommendation at the fall meeting as to dues increases. This issuewas revisited in new business.

d. Jack Winters noted that the COC officers recommend that the duration of theTreasurer’s appointment be increased from 1 to 2 years for improvedcontinuity.

US News and World Report (USNWR) Ratings: A brief history was giving thatUSNWR ratings for undergraduate programs included non-existent programs. TheUSNWR ratings are solicited from college of engineering deans. Based on past COCdiscussion, Ken Lutchen sent a letter to engineering deans informing them of theproblem and providing a list of existing bioengineering, biomedical engineering, andbiological engineering programs. It was noted that the list of programs is dynamic withnew programs being formed. It was also noted that the by-laws require that programs be

titled – “Bioengineering” or “Biomedical Engineering” so that “Biological Engineering”programs should not be included on the list.

A motion was made by Ken Lutchen and seconded by Vijay Goel to have thelist of programs on the COC website (www.COC-BME.org) revised toremove programs that are focused on agricultural engineering. The motionpassed.

COC Website Status: Jack Winter discussed the COC website and asked if the websiteshould have a news section. He also noted that COC is separate form AIMBE &Whitaker. In the ensuing discussion it was informally agreed that the COC websiteshould have a links to both organizations.

COC By-Laws: These were reviewed section-by-section.1. Official annual meeting is to be held at the annual AIMBE meeting.2. Section IV-3 on Quorum. Van Mow made motion to change the constitution

quorum from 11 to one-third of membership. Motion was voted on andapproved by approximately 75% of those present. An additional vote will beconducted by email because two-thirds of members were not present. Theattendance list was passed and those supporting the amendment wrote “Yes”by their name.

COC Textbook Survey: There were 18 responses from the 48 members. A discussionwas held on whether COC should continue the survey. The survey is a list of textbooksfor each of the courses taught by each program. It was decided to continue this project.

Undergraduate Laboratory Partnership: Vince Turitto (Illinois Institute ofTechnology discussed the issue of lab development and sharing of materials. MitchellLitt of the University of Pennsylvania has idea of developing a consortium of individualswith similar lab interests. He suggested the following steps be taken.

1. Set up an ad hoc committee2. COC might support this committee3. Workshops could be organized

A discussion followed on benefits and concerns and the role of COC in this endeavor. Itwas agreed that Vince will forward a recommendation to Jack and Jack will pass thisalong to next chairman.

REU Poster Session at BMES meeting: This was information and no action was taken.

Nominations and Elections:1. Treasurer: It was moved and seconded that Chris Sotak (Worcester

Polytechnic Institute) continues as Treasurer for 2nd year. This motion wasapproved.

2. Secretary: Clint Rubin (SUNY at Stoneybrook) and Matt Glucksberg(Northwestern) were nominated. Matt Glucksberg was elected

3. Chair Elect: Rick Waugh (University of Rochester) and Patrick Crago (CaseWestern Reserve University) were nominated. Patrick Crago was elected.

New Business

Special Project Fund: Van Mow (Columbia) suggested we set up a special project fundand support these activities by an increase in dues which are currently low. Thediscussion that followed was supportive. Vijay Goel (University of Toledo) suggestedthat we use fundraisers. Van moved that COC agree, in principle, to set up a project fund.This motion was seconded. Van was asked to table the motion until the Long RangePlanning Committee could report back. Motion was tabled. Eric (?) moved we empowerthe COC to develop a plan for an increase in dues and how that money would be used.Vote will be taken at the next fall meeting.

ABET Update: A discussion was held on who would represent Bioengineering andBiomedical Engineering on the ABET Engineering Accreditation Committee (EAC).

Robert Linsenmeier (Northwestern) moved that the COC support the BiomedicalEngineering Society (BMES) as the lead society representing Bioengineering andBiomedical Engineering programs. The motion was seconded and unanimously passed.

COC Chair will write a letter to the Chair of the EAC.

Minutes respectfully submitted by:Edward S. Grood, University of Cincinnati

Council of Chairsof Bioengineering and Biomedical Engineering

Richard T. Hart, PhDChairTulane University

Patrick Crago, PhDChair ElectCase Western Reserve University

Richard Magin, Ph.D.SecretaryUniversity of Illinois, Chicago

Christopher Sotak, PhDTreasurerWorcester Polytechnic Institute

COC Members:

Arizona State UniversityBoston UniversityBrown UniversityCase Western Reserve UniversityCatholic University of AmericaColumbia UniversityDrexel UniversityDuke UniversityJohns Hopkins UniversityLouisiana Tech UniversityMarquette UniversityMercer UniversityMilwaukee School of EngineeringNorth Carolina State UniversityNorthwestern UniversityPennsylvania State UniversityRensselaer Polytechnic InstituteRose-Hulman Inst. of TechnologyState Univ. of New York, Stony BrookSyracuse UniversityTexas A&M UniversityTulane UniversityUniversity of AkronUniversity of California, San DiegoUniversity of Illinois at ChicagoUniversity of IowaUniversity of MiamiUniversity of MichiganUniversity of North CarolinaUniversity of PennsylvaniaUniversity of PittsburghUniversity of RochesterUniversity of Southern CaliforniaUniversity of Texas at AustinUniversity of ToledoUniversity of UtahUniversity of WashingtonUniversity of WisconsinVanderbilt UniversityVirginia Commonwealth UniversityWalla Walla CollegeWashington University in St. LouisWestern New England CollegeWorcester Polytechnic InstituteWright State University

July 15, 2003

Dr. George D. PetersonExecutive DirectorABET, Inc.111 Market Place, Suite 1050Baltimore, MD 21202

RE: Lead Society Responsibility for Bioengineering

Dear Dr. Peterson:The Council of Chairs for Bioengineering and Biomedical

Engineering was established in 1991 with the single purpose of promotingexcellence in undergraduate bioengineering education and biomedicalengineering education. Today, there are over 40 universities withmembership in the Council -- including all of the universities with ABET-accredited undergraduate programs and the majority of the universities thatwill be seeking ABET-accreditation in the near future. Therefore, webelieve that the Council can speak for the educational community ofbioengineering and biomedical engineering academic programs.

At our meeting on February 20, 2003, the Council membersdiscussed the issue of ABET-Lead Society responsibility forBioengineering. It was the unanimous vote of the membership to supportthe request by the Biomedical Engineering Society to be named the LeadSociety for Bioengineering in addition to being the Lead Society forBiomedical Engineering

Since both bioengineering programs and biomedical engineeringprograms are accredited under the same set of program criteria, the Councildoes not see the merit of two different societies being given Lead Societyresponsibility for these programs. The Council believes that the BiomedicalEngineering Society is well qualified to function as the Lead Society forboth Biomedical Engineering and Bioengineering.

This letter is to respectfully request that the ABET EngineeringAccreditation Commission and the ABET Board of Directors giveconsideration to our input in making this important decision, and name theBiomedical Engineering Society as the Lead Society for Bioengineering.

Sincerely yours,

Richard T. Hart, Ph.D.Chair – Council of Chairs

Cc: Dr. Daniel B. HodgeABET Accreditation Director

Mr. Larry A. KayeChair – ABET Engineering Accreditation Commission