Statutes of the Academic Pharmacy Section

The current statutes of the Academic Pharmacy Section were adopted by the FIP Council on 1 September 2007.

Click here to download the pdf file of these statutes

 

 

ARTICLE 1 - Name

Section 1

The Academic Pharmacy Section shall be constituted in accordance with Article 21 of the Statutes of the Fédération Internationale Pharmaceutique/International Pharmaceutical Federation (hereinafter called FIP).  The Academic Section was founded in 1972 and the first constitution approved by the Council of FIP in 1973.


Section 2

The Section shall be known as the Academic Pharmacy Section

Section 3

Executive action by the Academic Pharmacy Section which may commit FIP shall be referred to the Board of Pharmaceutical Practice.


ARTICLE 2 - Mission

The mission of the Academic Pharmacy Section is to conduct an organisation by and for persons interested in all aspects of the education and training of professional pharmacists and those supporting the profession.

In order to achieve its mission the Section may undertake all or any of the following activities:

a) study questions relating to the teaching, organisation and promotion of pharmaceutical education and academic research worldwide in order to provide students of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences with a modern and appropriate education for practice in the many settings of the profession;
b) facilitate the exchange of ideas and experiences of pedagogic and scientific problems concerned with pharmaceutical education and research and the teaching thereof;
c) consult with other individuals, organisations and institutions interested in education when applicable to the problems being considered;
d) promote the exchange of teachers and students among universities and pharmaceutical institutes;
e) organise activities which are in accordance with the purposes of the Section;
f) continue to communicate with, assist and support those faculties, staffs and students engaged in pharmaceutical education in third world countries and in other countries which from time to time find themselves in situations requiring the support of FIP and its members;
g) conduct educational activities for other health professions and support personnel in a cooperative approach to informing colleagues about pharmacy and the pharmaceutical sciences; and
h) support the objectives of FIP as stated in the Statutes of the FIP.


ARTICLE 3 - Granting of Membership

Section 1

Membership of the Academic Pharmacy Section shall be open to both individual and honorary members of FIP, who work in the area of activities covered by Article 2 above or who have an interest in those activities.  Members of the Section each have one vote in Section matters.  FIP members may hold membership in more than one section of FIP by completing the requirements for Section membership.


The following interested and qualified persons shall be encouraged to apply for membership in the Section.
a) persons engaged in their own countries in teaching undergraduate and/or postgraduate pharmacy students at the university or professional level or in promoting an interest in the provision of quality of continuing education through university and/or professional organisations. 
b) former university faculty and staff who are admitted as Honorary members, or
c) those engaged in research at faculties or schools of Pharmacy or Pharmaceutical Sciences.


Section 2

Subject to the approval of FIP’s Council, the Section may charge a fee for membership. 

 

ARTICLE 4 - Loss of Membership

Section 1

Membership in the Section will cease under one of the following circumstances:

a) When a person or organisation ceases to be a member of FIP.
b) Where, whilst remaining a member of FIP is more than two years in arrears with Section membership fees,
c) Where the member, in the opinion of the Executive Committee, is acting in a way inconsistent with the Mission of the Section.  A member adversely affected by such a decision shall have the right of appeal to the next Assembly of Members.


ARTICLE 5 - Organs of the Section

Section 1 

Organs of the Section shall consist of an Executive Committee and an Assembly of Members.  In addition the Section may also have an Advisory Committee as described below.


ARTICLE 6 - Executive Committee

Section 1

The Executive Committee shall consist of the officers of the Section who are the President, the Vice President, the Immediate Past-President, the Secretary, the Treasurer and between three and six Section members.

 

Section 2

The role of the Executive Committee is to organise the programme of the Section for the next one, two or more annual meetings.

Section 3

The Terms of Office of the Executive Members (except the President, Vice President and Immediate Past President) shall be four years with the possibility of re-election for a second four-year term.  In case of vacancies, elections shall be held at the FIP Congress meeting
   
The President is elected for a period of 4 years. After that he/she will automatically resume the office of Immediate Past President for as long as the new President is in office to a maximum of 4 years.

A Vice president may be elected from the beginning of period that a new President takes offices, but at least one year before the regularly term of office of the President expires.

The Secretary and the Treasurer may serve a total of eight years each in consecutive terms.

All officers serve until replaced in an election.  Elections shall be held at any annual meeting to fill vacancies.

So far as possible, Section Members elected to the Executive Committee should represent different geographic areas and/or different areas within the academic pharmacy discipline.

Section 4

The duties of the officers are described by the membership.  All officers are elected for each term by majority vote of those present and voting.

The President
The President presides over all meetings of the Section and over the meetings of the Executive Committee.  The Executive Committee acts for the Section between annual meetings and all legal actions of the Executive Council are ratified by the Section at the next business meeting.  The President shall serve as representative of the Section to the Council of FIP and to the Board of Pharmaceutical Practice.  If the President is unable to perform this responsibility, a delegate authorized by the Executive Committee will represent the Section.  The President may appoint interim officers to fill vacancies among the officers, until the occasion of the next annual meeting at which an election to fill the unexpired term will be held.

The Vice President
The Vice president serves in the absence of the President and receives assignments from the President in the operation of the Section.

The Immediate Past President
The Immediate Past President assists the President in the succession to office and maintains continuity of events with the President.  The President assigns areas of activity and responsibility commensurate with the experience of one who has held the highest office.

The Secretary
The Secretary maintains the records of the Section, preparing reports to the Secretariat and to the Journal as required.  The Secretary represents the Section where directed by FIP statutes.

The Treasurer
The Treasurer serves the Section by receiving funds from the FIP office, disburses expenditures approved by the membership and Executive Committee in the operation of the Section, and prepares all required financial reports for the Council and the membership.  Reports are submitted to the President for approval before release.

Editor of the Newsletter
The President may appoint the Editor of the Newsletter to direct the publication and distribution of the newsletter at established intervals and to maintain an information flow to the membership.  The position may be delegated to the Secretary or Treasurer at the discretion of the President.


Section 5

The Executive Committee shall meet at least once per year.

Section 6

Nominations for all positions are offered at or before the business meetings where elections are conducted.

The President shall appoint a nominating committee in advance of the elections to seek the best qualified members to nominate to the available positions.  The nominating committee shall include both officers and non-officer members.  The slate of nominations recommended by the nominating committee shall be made known to the membership at least three months prior to an election meeting via the section newsletter.

Candidates need not be present to be elected but all nominees must certify, through procedures adopted by the members assembled, their willingness to serve if elected.


ARTICLE 7 - Advisory Committee

Section 1

The Section may create an Advisory Committee.  The Committee shall consist of one Regional Representative from each country who is nominated either by the Section members of that country or, where that is impractical, by the Executive Committee.

Section 2

The Advisory Committee shall have the following functions:
1.    To support the Executive Committee in its activities;
2.    To promote and support activities of the Section;
3.    To represent a link between the Executive Committee and members of the specific countries.

Section 3

The Advisory Committee shall normally meet annually but, en any event, shall meet at least once every two years.


ARTICLE 8 - Assembly of Members

Section 1
The Assembly of Members is composed of all members of the Section, present at the Assembly and acting in an individual capacity.

The Section may hold private meetings and public meetings.
Private meetings are restricted to members of the Section in good standing.  Private meetings held annually will deal with the internal affairs of the Section including the election of officers, the arrangements for the Section programmes of the Congresses and any other business which members of the Section desire to discuss privately.  Private meetings not to be conducted at the time and place of an FIP meeting may be called by the Executive Committee or by any group of five members by written notification to the membership 90 days in advance.
When a public meeting is held at the same time and place as any Congress of FIP, it will be open to all members of FIP, and all who attend the Congress.


Section 2

The Assembly shall meet at least every second year on the occasion of the Annual FIP Congress.

Section 3

The principal purpose of the Assembly is to elect the Executive Committee members and to approve the general policy of the Section.  Decisions taken by the Assembly shall be made by simple majority of members present at the meeting.  In the event of a tied vote, the President of the Section (as Chairman of the meeting) shall have the casting vote.

 

Section 4

All Section Members shall receive notice of an Assembly, in writing, at least 3 weeks before the Assembly takes place.  Meetings are announced in the Section Newsletter.  Regional Representatives will provide reports on their activities to promote the Section at these meetings.

Section 5

The officers may meet between annual meetings of the Section and are authorized as the Executive Committee to conduct the business of the Section when the membership is not in session.

Section 6

The members present at an annual meeting or the Executive Committee in the interim between meetings may elect or appoint working groups, task forces, or ad-hoc study committees to serve specific purposes for stated periods of times.  They will also nominate or elect Expert Members to represent the section on the Board of Pharmaceutical Practice and the Board of Pharmaceutical Sciences.


ARTICLE 9 - Representation

Section 1

The Section shall be represented by the President or, in his absence by someone appointed by the Executive Committee, at meetings of the FIP Council.

Section 2

The President and Secretary are ex-officio members of the Board of Pharmaceutical Practice (BPP).  If the Section has more than 500 members, the Executive Committee shall appoint an additional member to serve on BPP.  Such appointment shall be valid for a period not exceeding one year and is renewable.

 

ARTICLE 10 - Honorary Section Membership

Section 1

An individual who has given outstanding services to the Section may be elected as an Honorary Section Member.  This shall be done at an Assembly of Members.  The privileges of honorary membership shall be decided by the Executive Committee.  Honorary Section Members shall pay no Section fee but honorary membership shall cease in the event that the person ceases to be a member of FIP.

 

ARTICLE 11 - Finance

Section 1

The Treasurer of the Academic Pharmacy Section is responsible for preparing an annual budget.  The income shall consist of Section fees together with the net profit from conferences or other activities organised by the Section along with donations and voluntary contributions from individuals and pharmaceutical companies and other sources.  The annual accounts shall be audited and a copy sent to the Treasurer of FIP, normally before February 1 of the next year.  The accounting year shall be January 1 to December 31.

 

ARTICLE 12 - Amendments to the Statutes of the Section

Section 1

The members of the section may amend or repeal any of the Articles of the Section Statutes.  Any proposed amendments or repeal shall be circulated to all Section members, in writing, at least two months prior to the Assembly of Members.  The proposal shall be adopted by a simple majority of votes cast by the members present at the Assembly of Members.  Any such amendments shall have no effect until approved by the FIP Council.

 

ARTICLE 13 - Dissolution

Section 1

A proposal to dissolve the Section shall be adopted by the affirmative vote of two-thirds of the votes cast by the membership present at a special meeting called for that purpose.  In the event of dissolution of the Section, all assets shall pass to FIP.  The Section may, if it so wishes, indicate to FIP any use that Section assets should be put subsequent to dissolution.


ARTICLE 14 - Annual Activity Report

Section 1

The Secretary or other designated member of the Executive Committee shall prepare, and submit, before March 1st of each year, a report to the General Secretary of FIP giving appropriate details of the Section activities for the preceding year.

 

ARTICLE 15 - Developing Countries

Section 1

As part of its work, the Section shall pay particular attention to the needs of developing countries.  Wherever practical, members from developing countries should be represented in Section activities.

 

ARTICLE 16 - Working Groups

Section 1

The Section may form and disband Working Groups for specific purposes.  A proposal to form a Working Group should include details of the purpose for which the Working Group is to be formed, its goals and objectives, a means of measuring the achievement of these goals and objectives and an estimated time span of the Working Group.  The Chairman and members of such Working Groups shall be appointed by the Executive Committee.


ARTICLE 17 - Effective Dates

Section 1

Changes to the Section Statutes, dissolution of the Section and the Section membership fee all require approval of the FIP Council.  The effective date for implementing any of these decisions shall be the date approved by the Council of FIP or, if none is given, the date of the Council meeting at which approval is given.


ARTICLE 18 - Correspondence Address

Section 1

The official address for correspondence shall be the address of the Secretary of the Section.


ARTICLE 19 - General

Section 1

Nothing in these Statutes shall be interpreted in such a way as to conflict with the Statutes of FIP and no decision of the Section shall be effective if its implementation conflicts with the Statutes of FIP.