I. NAME
The name of this organization shall be the Center for Genetics and Molecular Medicine, hereafter called the Center. The Board of Trustees, University of Louisville, officially approved the Center on March 25, 1996.

II. GOALS OF THE CENTER
The goals of the Center are to:

• Provide the focus for research, training, and services in genetics and molecular medicine at the University of Louisville.
• Enhance scientific training of undergraduate and graduate students, medical students, postdoctoral fellows and clinical residents in the area of genetics and molecular medicine.
• Provide a forum for information exchange relevant to genetics and increase the number of university faculty using molecular genetic approaches to research.

III. MEMBERSHIP
Eligibility. Membership of the Center shall consist of University of Louisville faculty with expertise and active interests in at least one of the following: genetics, molecular biology, molecular medicine, bioinformatics, and/or the ethical, social, political and legal aspects of genetics and molecular medicine and applied technology. Each Center member shall hold a primary appointment in a home department. A faculty member who holds a primary appointment at an affiliated institution and a secondary appointment at the University of Louisville shall also be eligible for membership.
Election. Self-nominations and nominations by the membership of the Center shall be sent in writing, along with the current curriculum vitae of the candidate, to the Director of the Center. Election to membership shall be made by a simple majority of all votes obtained by secret ballot from the members of the Center present at a regularly scheduled meeting. Should a candidate be elected, membership will be made known to the candidate's department chair so that the department recognizes the effort for the Center by the elected candidate.
Term. Members of the Center shall serve for four calendar years from the date of election. There shall be no limit to the consecutive or intermittent terms a member of the Center may serve, however a member shall be re-elected for each four-year term by a simple majority of all votes obtained by secret ballot from the members of the Center present at a regularly scheduled meeting.

IV. ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE
DIRECTOR
Responsibilities. Responsibilities of the Director of the Center shall be:

1. To direct and coordinate activities of Center members toward the goals of the Center.
2. To issue the call for and chair regular meetings of the Center.
3. To issue the call for and chair an annual meeting (either regular or special) of the Center membership for the purpose of electing members to the standing committees.
4. To prepare an annual report of the Center that shall be presented to the members of the Center for review and endorsement, and afterwards it shall be submitted to the Chancellor for the Health Sciences Center.
5. To oversee and be responsible for an accounting of funds allocated to the Center.

Appointment. The Director of the Center shall be appointed by and shall report to the Chancellor for the Health Sciences Center.

DEPUTY DIRECTOR
Responsibilities. It shall be the responsibility of the Deputy Director to act on behalf of the Director when the Director cannot be present and to assist the Director in other Center duties as requested.
Appointment. The Director of the Center shall appoint the Deputy Director.

ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR
Responsibilities. It shall be the responsibility of the Associate Director to assist with the leadership of the Center and to oversee the services of the facility cores. The Associate Director will chair meetings of the Facility Core Directors.
Appointment. The Director of the Center shall appoint the Associate Director.

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
Responsibilities and Functions. Responsibilities and functions of the Executive Committee shall be:

1. To facilitate coordination and integration of Center components and activities.
2. To advise the Director concerning productivity, effectiveness, and appropriateness of activities and staff of the Center.
3. To advise the Research Committee on the implementation of the Center's pilot project program and fellowship program, including selection of projects and evaluation of the success of the programs.
4. To interact with other centers, appropriate individuals, groups, or organizations.

Membership. Membership shall consist of the Center Director, Deputy Director, Associate Director and five Chairs of the Center Committees, i.e., Rules Committee, Research Committee, Education/Curriculum Committee, Public Affairs Committee and Financial Advisory Committee.
Term of Office. The term of office shall be the duration of the member’s service as Chair of their respective Center committee.
Committee Chair. The Center Director shall chair the Executive Committee.

STANDING COMMITTEES (5)
RULES COMMITTEE
Responsibilities and Functions. The responsibilities and functions of the Rules Committee shall be:

1. To advise the Center and standing committees on matters concerning the Bylaws, organization, responsibilities, functions, and eligible membership of the Center.
2. To recommend to the Center changes in the organization and standing committees if there are changes in the Bylaws and goals of the Center.

Membership. There shall be five voting members. The members of the Center shall elect four members and the fifth member shall be the Director of the Center. All elected members shall be active participants in Center activities.
Term of Office. Elected members shall serve staggered three-year terms.
Committee Chair. The Rules Committee Chair shall be elected from among the members of the Rules Committee excluding the Director of the Center. The election shall be held each year and the candidate with a simple majority of the votes cast by members of the Rules Committee shall hold office for the following year.

EDUCATION/CURRICULUM COMMITTEE
Responsibilities and Functions. Responsibilities and functions of the Education/Curriculum Committee shall be:

1. To develop and to recommend to the Center educational requirements and proposals for the curriculum of the academic programs within the purview of the Center.
2. B. To review any course requirements to be introduced or eliminated with recommendation to be forwarded to the Center.
3. C. To monitor academic programs and progress of students engaged in the programs within the purview of the Center.

Membership. There shall be seven voting members elected from the Center membership. The seven elected members shall include at least one faculty member from the College of Arts and Sciences and at least four faculty members who are faculty of the Graduate School.
Term of Office. Elected members shall serve staggered three-year terms.
Committee Chair. The Chair of the Education/Curriculum Committee shall be elected from among the members of the Education/Curriculum Committee. The election shall be held each year and the candidate with a simple majority of the votes cast by members of the Education/Curriculum Committee shall hold office for the following year.

RESEARCH COMMITTEE
Responsibilities and Functions. Responsibilities and functions of the Research Committee shall be:

1. To provide a forum to develop inter-core collaborations and to discuss facility core needs of the membership.
2. B. To develop and recommend to the Center ideas and programs that will foster research within the purview of the goals of the Center.
3. C. To advise the Center Director and Executive Committee concerning the need for core laboratories to provide specialized equipment, services, and training for Center investigators.
4. D. To form appropriate ad hoc committees that pertain to the specific grants that are or may become directly linked to the Center. These ad hoc committees will report and make recommendations to the Center Director.

Membership. Membership of the Research Committee shall be made up of the Directors of the Center Research Cores and the Deputy Director of the Center who will serve as Committee Chair. The Center Director will be an ad hoc member of the Research Committee.
Term of Office. Research Committee members shall serve on the Research Committee for the duration of their service as a Research Core Director.
Committee Chair. The Committee Chair shall be the Deputy Director of the Center.

PUBLIC AFFAIRS COMMITTEE
Responsibilities and Functions. Responsibilities and functions of the Public Affairs Committee shall be

1. To initiate, coordinate and facilitate outreach of the Center to the public as well as the pertinent academic and business communities in the Louisville Metropolitan area.
2. B. To organize, coordinate, and make recommendations regarding speakers whose presentations are directly within the purview of the Center.
3. C. To initiate and sustain a seminar series and schedule presentations by internal and external speakers concerning human and comparative genetics and molecular medicine.
4. D. To be responsible for budgeting and accounting for expenditures related to the sponsorship of speakers.
5. E. To provide an annual report of the committee's activities to the Center membership for approval.

Membership. There shall be five voting members elected by the Center membership.
Term of Office. Elected members shall serve staggered, three-year terms.
Committee Chair. The Committee Chair shall be elected from among the members of the Committee. The election shall be held each year and the candidate with a simple majority of the votes cast by members of the Public Affairs Committee shall hold office for the following year.

FINANCE ADVISORY COMMITTEE
Responsibilities and Functions. Responsibilities and functions of the Finance Advisory Committee shall be:

1. To make recommendations on expenditures of enhancement funds directly available to the Center.
2. B. To conduct long-range planning and budget processes for the Center and to make recommendations on funding priorities to the Director of the Center.

Membership. There shall be three voting members elected by the Center membership. The Center Director and the Center Administrator shall be non-voting members of the committee. Term of Office. All elected members shall serve staggered, three-year terms.
Committee Chair. The Finance Advisory Committee Chair shall be elected from among the members of the Finance Advisory Committee excluding the Center Director and Center Administrator. The election shall be held each year and the candidate with a simple majority of the votes cast by members of the Finance Advisory Committee shall hold office for the following year.

ADVISORY BOARDS
External Advisory Board: The External Advisory Board will consist of four members and a Chairperson whose expertise will guide the Center’s national and international presence in the field of genetics and molecular medicine. This committee shall meet annually to evaluate the merit of the research programs of the Center, the relevance and importance of the individual components to the objectives of the Center, the effectiveness of communications within the Center, the effectiveness of the pilot project program, and the value and anticipated contributions of proposed new Center initiatives. During the annual meeting the External Advisory Board will review the Center’s progress and make recommendations concerning core support and the relevance and value of Center projects. Following its annual review, the Chairperson of this Board will provide an annual written evaluation to the Center Director with the External Advisory Board’s recommendations for future directions.
Internal Advisory Board: The Internal Advisory Board will consist of five senior members from the University of Louisville community whose expertise and dedication will provide guidance for meeting the Center’s research and training goals. This Board will meet annually to review Center progress and provide recommendations for further development of structure and interaction between the Center and other components of the University of Louisville.

CENTER RESEARCH AND FACILITY CORES
Research Cores. The Center shall organize research cores to provide a forum for synergistic and intellectual activities for Center members. Every Center member, based on his or her research interests, shall hold membership in a research core. The Center Director shall appoint a director for each research core. The research core director will be responsible for providing leadership and for directing the research core’s program toward resourceful and meritorious scientific pursuits. The research cores will meet at least quarterly to discuss research interests common to each core’s membership with the aim to develop collaborative research projects.
Facility Cores. The Center shall support facility cores for the purpose of providing quality instrumentation and/or specialized technical services that will enhance ongoing research among Center members. The type and number of facility cores will be determined by the Center Director in consultation with the Executive Committee and will be based upon the core’s cost effectiveness and its use by independently funded Center investigators. The Center Director shall appoint qualified directors for the facility cores who will be responsible for providing timely services and keeping accurate and complete records of use of the facility by Center members.

V. MEETINGS
Center Meetings. The Center shall hold ten regular monthly meetings (the months of July and August have no regular meetings). The Director of the Center or a person designated by the Director shall chair regular meetings. Special meetings may be called by the Director of the Center or upon written petition of a minimum of half of the members of the Center.
Executive Committee Meetings. The Executive Committee shall meet quarterly or when a special meeting is called by the Center Director or by 50% of the Executive Committee members.
Facility Core Director Meetings. Facility Core Directors shall meet biannually or when the Center Director calls a special meeting.
Research Core Meetings. Research Core members shall meet quarterly or when a special meeting is called by the Research Core Director.
Standing Committee Meetings. The Rules Committee, Public Affairs Committee, Financial Advisory Committee and Education/Curriculum Committee shall hold meetings when called by the committee chair or by the Center Director. The Research Committee shall meet a minimum of two times a year and when the Center Director calls a special meeting. Committee meetings shall be open to all Center members. Center members may participate in the discussion during the meeting, however only elected members of a committee are eligible to vote on motions presented at a committee meeting. Committee meetings shall be conducted according to Robert's Rules of Order.

VI. BYLAWS APPROVAL AND AMENDMENT
Approval. These Bylaws shall be approved by two-thirds of the membership of the Center at which time the Bylaws will become effective and the Director of the Center will schedule elections for committees stipulated by the Bylaws.
Amendment. These Bylaws may be amended by an affirmative vote of two-thirds majority of members present at any regular or special meeting of the Center membership provided that the amendment is distributed in writing to the Center members at least 30 days prior to the meeting for which the vote is scheduled.