President Victor A. Yanchick welcomed the Board and staff members present at the Westin Boston Waterfront Hotel at 8:30 a.m. on July 16. The following board members participated in the discussion: Jeffrey N. Baldwin (President-elect), J. Chris Bradberry (Council of Deans), Rodney A. Carter (Speaker), Brian L. Crabtree (Council of Faculties), Supid K. Das (Council of Sections), Barbara E. Hayes (Council of Deans), Keith N. Herist (Treasurer), Michelle M. Kalis (Council of Sections), Patricia D. Kroboth (Council of Deans), Lucinda L. Maine (Executive Vice President), Gary R. Matzke (Council of Faculties), Julie E. Szilagyi (Council of Faculties), and David P. Zgarrick (Council of Sections).
AACP staff included: Mark R. Anderson, Jennifer L. Athay, Daniel J. Cassidy, Melinda D. Colón, Arlene A. Flynn, Barbra A. Gustis, Robert Kerr, Will G. Lang, Allan L. Lee, Kenneth W. Miller, Rebecca M. Morgan, Jennifer M. Patton, Cecilia M. Plaza and Sibu Ramamurthy.
Guests included John A. Bosso (Council of Faculties Chair-elect), John A. Pieper (Speaker-elect), Patricia A. Marken by phone on July 16th, (Council of Sections Chair-elect), and Joseph T. DiPiro (Editor, AJPE). John Deadwyler and Denise Knight with Bernard Consulting Group attended both days. Robert Bachman, President of AFPE, was present July 16. Phil Hritcko, Chair of the Experiential Education Section attended the Board discussion on IPPE on July 16th.
Other guests on July 17 included William Gouveia, ACPE President, and ACPE Board members Robert Beardsley and Heidi Anderson. ACPE staff guests included Greg Boyer, Peter Vlasses and Jeff Wadelin.
2. Additions to the AgendaJohn Deadwyler briefed the Board on the role the Bernard Consulting Group would play in supporting AACP's strategic planning process over the coming year. The aim is to build a new model for strategic and operational planning that maximizes the contributions of all governance groups to advancing the AACP strategic plan. He will work with the Strategic Planning Committee chaired by President-elect Rod Carter.
3. Conflict of InterestPresident Yanchick read the conflict of interest statement and reminded Board members of their responsibility to identify potential conflicts of interest. No conflicts were identified for this Board agenda.
4. Approval of March 28, 2009 MinutesOn MOTION (Crabtree/Bradberry) the minutes of the March 28, 2009 minutes were approved.
5. Pharmacy Education Assessment Services (PEAS)/Institutional Research and Assessment Committee (IRAC) UpdateJennifer Patton, Director of Institutional Research, discussed the progression of the joint project with the ACPE to build an online assessment and self-study management system. The team selected Liaison International as the technology vendor and will complete contracting and kick off the project by September. A letter of agreement has been drafted to support the collaboration with ACPE and includes an 80/20 cost sharing and data confidentiality agreements. Jen announced that Brad Miller has been hired as the new project manager for Academic Affairs.
Cecilia Plaza, Director of Academic Affairs and Assessment, discussed the progress of implementing the Pharmacy Education Assessment Services section of the Web site. The testing of the assessment tool posting and retrieval process is ongoing. The Institutional Research and Assessment Committee will meet in late September and will work to stimulate submission and review of tools submitted by members to use in assessment program development. IRAC will also continue efforts begun by the IPPE Competency Task Force and will provide guidance specifically on assessment strategies for identified IPPE competencies. Cecilia added that IRAC has recommended establishment of an Assessment SIG which will be an agenda item for the Board in November 2009.
6. Experiential Education Program UpdateKen Miller, Senior Vice President, and Robert “Buzz” Kerr, Vice President of Academic Affairs, led a discussion on the portfolio of programs, projects and services supporting the delivery of quality introductory (IPPE) and advanced (APPE) practice experiences. The ACPE, in July 2008, encouraged the formation of an IPPE Task Force to outline the competency expectations, assessment strategies & tools for introductory rotations. The IPPE Task Force created a map of competencies to be achieved prior to the beginning of advanced practice rotations rather than just the required 300 hours specified by ACPE. The task force also supports the use of simulation for some competencies. As noted in item #5, the IRAC has been charged with developing recommendations related to assessments for IPPE/pre-APPE activities. The Experiential Education Section feedback on the initial competency list is that it should be “rationalized” to identify the essential IPPE competencies.
During the discussion it was emphasized that AACP needs to advance discussions with NABP and member state boards on some of these experiential education issues
Buzz Kerr provided an update on the end of the year pilot project led by Brodie Scholar in Residence Doug Reid. Eight schools had used the Florida SUCCESS program for evaluation of students in APPE rotations. A written report has not been received but it does not appear many of the pilot schools will continue using the SUCCESS system. Other alternatives for a standardized evaluation of student performance on APPE are under evaluation.
7. Faculty Recruitment and Retention – Board StrategyRebecca Morgan, Director of Communications, outlined the status of the board priority for faculty recruitment and retention. This included the work of the joint task force with three other national associations and the academic career exhibit program. AACP launched the online career center in 2009 and completed development of a press kit for use with media and policymakers. There are faculty development implications in the report of the 2008-09 Research and Graduate Affairs Committee.
Rebecca described and shared materials that have been developed for the inaugural American Pharmacy Educators Week (October 26-30, 2009). Kits will be disseminated to every college and school of pharmacy in September. She noted that over 300 discoveries were submitted in response to the call to members and that these would be used in a number of ways to raise awareness of the contributions of pharmacy faculty in new drug, practice model and other innovations. Evaluation of the effectiveness of APEW will include assessments of the use of materials by schools and whether the kits ultimately reached the right individual in each school. A 30% participation rate is the goal for 2009 and a 50% rate is the goal for 2010.
The AACP Communications team shared the new AJPE logo and noted that all AACP publications, including Academic Pharmacy Now will be electronic in 2010. All publications will have a subscription option for print copies.
8. Global Pharmacy EducationPresident Yanchick and EVP Maine reviewed progress over the year on defining AACP's role in global pharmacy education and specifically the formation of an international alliance of pharmacy education associations and educators. AACP leaders visited with other pharmacy educators on five continents in 2008-09 and engaged many association leaders in discussions regarding the role an alliance might play in helping to network educators in developed and developing countries. A positive response has been received from several countries with additional invitations pending as national education associations are identified. AACP is still committed to working with FIP on their global pharmacy education task force and will participate in their 4th consultation in September in Istanbul.
9. Report of the Finance CommitteeTreasurer Keith Herist and COO Dan Cassidy led the discussion about financial matters for fiscal years 2009 and 2010. The Association is in a strong financial position with a 6% growth in net assets from 2008 to 2009. As of May 2009, AACP held $1,066,000 in cash, $2,742,000 in investments and $1,679,000 in other resources (e.g., prepaid dues and meeting registrations).
AACP investments in equities and other instruments rose overall in comparison to yearend 2008 primarily from the sale of the headquarters property in December. The investment portfolio apart from the building proceeds did experience a 31% decline as the financial markets slid in late 2008. The Investment Committee worked to refine the new AACP investment policies and assisted in selection of a new asset management firm in 2009. BB&T was selected as the new investment management firm and is gradually investing the cash proceeds from the building sale and the transfer (sale) of the investment portfolio from the previous investment firm according to the investment policy.
Total revenues of $10,146,238 were recorded for the period ending May 31, 2009. Total expenses for operations were $9,554,747 yielding net operating revenue of $591,491. AACP is forecasted to end the FY09 with a net operating revenue of $162,000. Audit planning has begun for fiscal year 2009 and should be completed by the November Board Meeting.
Historical data on key revenue and expense areas were reviewed, including PharmCAS, dues and annual meeting attendance figures. All show steady growth though it appears PharmCAS revenues may have peaked despite a growth in participating schools from 60 in 07-08 to 74 in 08-09. A total of 80 schools are signed up to participate in the 09-10 cycle as of July 1, 2009.
The 2010 budget was presented with discussion of new initiatives and areas targeted for reduction. New initiatives included a reunion seminar for the Academic Leadership Fellows Program, expansion of AJPE to 9 issues, several meetings that were budgeted revenue neutral and American Pharmacy Educator Week. A full listing of new initiatives is available in the report of the 2008-09 Finance Committee. Cost reductions were budgeted in health benefits, travel, investment fees and moving from print/mailed to electronic publications.
On MOTION (Bradberry, Kroboth) the Board approved the FY 2010 operating budget with revenues projected to be $10,115,000 and expenses of $10,083,000 for a net revenue projection of $32,000. The Board requested the Finance Committee and staff prepare a 3-year revenue and expense analysis along with more detailed analysis of PharmCAS revenues and expenses. Of specific interest is how to generate net revenues from operations sufficient to support the ultimate transition to the new membership model with no individual member dues revenues.
The FY 2010 Capital Budget was reviewed showing expenditures for AJPE Web site upgrades, the on line assessment system development, new IT expenses and renovations for the AACP condominium property.
During a subsequent discussion on institutional dues and the FY 2011 budget, staff outlined potential increases in expenses that might require action by the 2010 House of Delegates to increase institutional dues. No dues increase has been implemented since 2001. In addition to inflationary costs for staffing and operations the Board discussed the need for resources to replace investment income and restore the New Investigator Program to full funding. New programs that are not revenue neutral may be identified in the strategic planning efforts underway.
On MOTION (Crabtree/Kroboth) the Board withdrew Resolution #2 in the Preliminary Report of the Bylaws and Policy Development Committee on implementing the new membership model and reducing individual member dues to zero in FY 2010. The Board emphasized that they still strongly support this membership model but that due to the economic changes that influence investments and other revenue items the proposal had to be tabled for some time.
10. Requests for Institutional MembershipsOn MOTION (Kroboth/Das) the Board approved for subsequent action by the House of Delegates membership resolutions for the following schools as new Associate Institutional members of AACP: Husson University, University of New England & Regis University.
11. Report of the Bylaws and Policy Development CommitteeSpeaker Rod Carter outlined the contents of the preliminary report of the Bylaws and Policy Development Committee (BPDC) and noted that the three membership resolutions and two additional policy statements from the Advocacy Committee will be added to the report distributed to the House on Sunday morning. The House will act to approve a revised agenda for the first and final session allowing for the Treasurer's Report to be given in the first House session and noting that the election for speaker is on even years for a two year term.
12. Dissolution of Liberal Education SIGOn MOTION (Hayes/Zgarrick) the Board approved the dissolution of the Liberal Education SIG as recommended by the current SIG officers. The officers maintain that the SIG's mission no longer “clearly differentiates the group from existing Academic sections and other SIG's.”
13. Reports of the 2008-09 Standing Committees and Task ForcesThe Board received the reports of the 2008-09 Argus Commission, Academic Affairs Committee, Professional Affairs Committee, Policy and Advocacy Committee and Research and Graduate Affairs Committee. Staff highlighted recommendations for action by AACP and/or members related to each report.
14. Corporate Support Working GroupGary Matzke, Chair-elect of the Council of Faculties and chair of the working group on AACP/corporate relations presented the third draft and discussed the steps leading to its development. He noted that once the policy statements are further refined that there will be a need for a more explicit set of criteria to guide policy implementation. The current AACP vendor policy can serve as a starting point. Staff should conduct a complete fiscal analysis for review by the Board in November to determine the implications on meetings and other areas where corporate support has or may be a portion of the revenue model.
15. Interprofessional Education InitiativeLucinda Maine and Buzz Kerr provided a summary of recent activities related to advancing the priority of interprofessional education (IPE). Volume 73, Issue 4 of AJPE contains a series of special articles resulting from the work of the Interprofessional Education Task Force.
Lucinda described the status of an IPE working group involving senior staff from six organizations, including the Association of American Medical Colleges, the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, the Association of American Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine, the American Dental Education Association, the Association of Schools of Public Health and AACP. Several leading programs were noted, including the Medical University of South Carolina and the Veterans Administration. The aim of the collaboration is to help member schools build sustainable programs of IPE by sharing models that work, building the evidence of the impact of interprofessional education and practice on patient outcomes. The 2010 Teachers Seminar will focus on IPE.
16. Taboo TopicTime did not permit the Board the opportunity to discuss pharmacy workforce dynamics as part of the July meeting though it was noted that the topic was slated for discussion as part of the Council of Deans educational session on Monday afternoon.
17. Governance Idea – Administrative NetworksLucinda Maine briefly outlined a concept for administrative networks as a different type of governance group than the current Sections and Special Interest Groups. Those individuals, typically in administrative roles in the colleges and schools, seem to have unique interests and needs for programs and support. Examples included the development officers and finance professionals, each currently organized as a SIG yet finding the guidelines for SIG programming at the Annual Meeting insufficient to meet their needs. The Board discussed pros and cons of creating a different membership group and expressed strong support for continuing to identify ways to include such members into mainstream AACP programming and services to increase the impact on their professional development. The need to organize more programs and services for department chairs was emphasized.
18. Health Care Reform & Academic PharmacyChris Bradberry and Will Lang lead a discussion on how pharmacy educators contribute to policy development for healthcare reform. AACP's approach has consistently been to bring the evidence created by our faculty members’ practice model development and scholarship to the attention of policymakers. The evidence, which could be stronger but still gains acceptance with Hill staff, emphasizes that clinical pharmacy services improve quality and extend access to care, often at lower total costs of health care. AACP needs the cooperation of members to expand on our current efforts and occasionally staff members encounter evidence of a lack of member interest or willingness to contribute to the policy work of AACP.
19. American Foundation of Pharmacy Education (AFPE)AFPE President Robert Bachman presented an overview of financial and programmatic issues for the Foundation. AFPE gave 85 awards totaling $722,000 for Gateway Scholarships (15), Pre-doctoral fellowships (52), New Investigator Grants (18) and faculty development programs in 2008. Due to erosion of AFPE investments in both the general and endowed funds and because of sharp declines in giving to AFPE by the pharmaceutical industry, the Board of Grants and the AFPE Finance Committee recommended a marked decrease in awards for 2009. Only 2 Gateway Scholarships and 48 Pre-doctoral fellowships will be awarded for a total of $375,000. In consultation with AACP leaders, it was determined that the NIP program should be suspended for 2009 as only 2 or 3 awards were possible. President Bachman expressed his strong support for the restoration of the program. He announced that Ernest Mario, former AFPE board chairman, had agreed to return to that position and that Robert Ruffalo, a retired research leader from Wyeth, had accepted a position on the Board of Grants.
20. Meeting with ACPE Directors and StaffPresident Yanchick welcomed the guests from the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education, including President William Gouveia, Board members Robert Beardsley and Heidi Anderson and staff members Greg Boyer, Peter Vlasses and Jeffrey Wadelin. He noted the progress that had been made in the collaboration to build an online self-study and assessment management system by our two organizations.
During the presentation and discussion it was noted that there are 116 programs with status as of June 2009 and that no programs were currently on probation. Some clarification on the probationary process was provided regarding issues such as the Department of Education established two-year time clock rule. ACPE identified areas where programs struggle to fully meet the current standards, including the development of assessment programs and faculty shortages. AACP raised the issue that an increasing number of top administrators had limited academic experience. ACPE noted that both the absolute qualifications of the administrators and the aggregate capabilities of the administrative team were taken into account.
ACPE described changes that their Board had approved related to board member participation on each site visit, significantly decreasing the total number of visits which needed to have a board member present. They also indicated the need for additional site team volunteers, especially from the pharmaceutical sciences. Training of site team members will continue annually and ACPE will also convene a session each August for self-study chairs.
There was a discussion of the need to assess the impact of an emerging school on the ability of existing programs to maintain a program of acceptable quality, especially as the competition for faculty, administrators and experiential education sites intensifies. ACPE does require evidence from new programs that they have secured adequate resources to begin and grow their program but does not require an analysis of the impact on existing programs.
ACPE described a pilot program run in Spring 2009 where “Noteworthy Examples” of innovative & creative accreditation-relevant efforts were identified during site team visits. Permission to share this information with AACP was secured from each school and a chart was distributed (Attachment A) with the first set of noteworthy programs. AACP will determine how best to disseminate this information for the benefit of all programs.
ACPE reviewed the implications of legal challenges they had experienced when two institutions placed on probation sought relief in the courts. They have initiated a systematic review of all policies related to the conduct of the accreditation program to minimize the prospect of future legal action and are studying the judges findings from the Virginia case which were supportive of the role of accreditation bodies in protecting the public's health.
Ken Miller reviewed the status of AACP's work to outline IPPE (or pre-APPE) competencies. He discussed the next steps in consolidating and validating the draft competency statements and identifying strategies for the assessment of student achievement. AACP and ACPE engaged in a dialogue about the possibility of schools petitioning ACPE for the purpose of engaging in a demonstration of alternative methods of achieving introductory competencies, including appropriate use of simulation and other strategies. ACPE invited AACP leaders to present such a proposal to the ACPE Board at the January 2010 meeting.
21. SIG GuidelinesMelinda Colón presented draft guidelines for creation and dissolution of a SIG and they were approved by CONSENSUS. Applications for either action are due September 1 for consideration by the SIG Cabinet and then the Board of Directors in the fall.
22. OutreachOver 20 additional outreach visits were conducted in 2008-09 and the program will continue into the next academic year. AACP/NABP District Meetings begin in early August. The presidential officers and EVP Maine will represent AACP at each meeting.
23. PharmCAS Update – Cycle 6Jennifer Athay, Director of Student Affairs, presented data from the sixth cycle of the centralized application service. Seventy-two schools participated in the sixth cycle, up from 59 in Cycle 5. The number of PharmCAS applicants increased by 2.125 percent as compared to the 2007-08 cycle (16,246 versus 15,831), while the number of PharmCAS designations (applications) increased 10.8 percent (79,091 versus 71,403). The average applicant applied to 4.8 PharmCAS institutions. More detailed PharmCAS data reports will be available in October.
24. Update on Scientific Programs and FundingKen Miller noted that he had completed the NIH rankings of funding received by colleges and schools of pharmacy and that the analysis revealed that pharmacy received more funds from NIH in this cycle than in the last one. He reported on an increased pharmacy presence at a recent conference on practice-based research networks at which Grace Kuo (UCSD) and Barry Carter (Iowa) presented.
25. Journal Update – Joe DiPiroJoe DiPiro reported that there will be an increase in the number of annual issues from six issues in 2008 to eight issues in 2009, and 10 issues in 2010. He also reported that AJPE has hired Liz Melendez as a part time editorial assistant. Also discussed was the process that papers are received for review and possible publication.
A new logo for the Journal will be introduced in the very near future, along with a new Web site, with an all new look and functionality. Joe also reminded participants that he was soliciting “Viewpoints” from the Board of Directors and AACP Staff for future issues of the Journal.
26. Council ReportsPat Kroboth (COD), Julie Szilagyi (COF) and Sudip Das (COS) presented brief reports on the work of each Council over the past year and some previews of priorities for the year ahead.
27. Committee Appointments and Charges for 2009-2010President-elect Baldwin distributed the list of committee members invited to serve on standing, awards, advisory and special committees for the next year. The charges to standing and special committees were also provided to the Board for information.
After a brief update on meetings attended and a roundtable sharing opportunity the meeting was adjourned by President Yanchick on July 17 at 4:30 p.m.
