About the Council

The primary responsibility of the Council is the review and accreditation of environmental health degree programs in accordance with criteria developed to assure the excellence of graduates of those programs.  Specifically, Council Members are obligated to:

• Attend the annual meeting of the Council, which typically precedes the National Environmental Health Association - Annual Education Conference;
• Evaluate all self-studies done by degree programs seeking accreditation or reaccreditation. Many degree programs are reviewed each year, and Council Members will be asked to review at least one self-study in depth and submit comments to the site visit team. It takes about two hours to review a self-study and prepare and submit your comments to the site visit team. The guide in evaluating a self-study is the Accreditation Guidelines that have been developed by the Council;
• Volunteer for service on Council committees or as a Council officer; and Participate in site visits to degree programs that are seeking accreditation or reaccreditation. This involves preparing for and making the site visit, writing a brief site visit report on your observations at the site visit, and presenting this information to the Council.

Membership Makeup

Council Membership numbers no less than fifteen, but no more than twenty-one.  At least one-half, but not more than two-thirds of the Membership consists of environmental health faculty.  Practitioners are environmental health professionals from both the public and the private sectors.  The Council may authorize the employment of additional persons to assist in the Council activities.

Term

Council members serve three year terms and cannot serve more than two consecutive terms.

Officers

The Council elects a General Chair, Vice-Chair for Undergraduate Programs, Vice-Chair for Graduate Programs, Secretary, Treasurer and Director-At-Large.

Requirements

Any person qualified by academic training and/or professional experience in environmental health may become a member of the Council upon being elected by the general Council membership. Elected Council members must have a minimum of five (5) years’ experience. A master's degree in an appropriate discipline may substitute for two (2) of the five (5) years’ experience. A doctorate in an appropriate discipline may substitute for three (3) of the five (5) years’ experience. The maximum substitution permitted is three (3) years. Academicians applying to sit on the Council must have had an internship in an Environmental Health discipline or relevant field experience.