Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Constitution

(Revised: April 30, 1999)

Under the authority of the President and the Board of Directors, the Graduate School is responsible for all degrees awarded by the University beyond the baccalaureate, except for the professional degrees in law and medicine and the degree of master of law. The Graduate School is responsible for setting and maintaining standards for its programs, and, more generally, for promoting graduate education and Main Campus research.

To accomplish these purposes, the President and the Board of Directors authorize the creation of the system of governance for the Graduate School as specified in this document.
 

Graduate School Governance 

I. The Dean

The Dean of the Graduate School shall be appointed by the President with the concurrence of the Board of Directors and after consultation with the Provost, the Executive Vice President for Health Sciences, the Executive Faculty of the Main Campus, the Faculty Senate, and the Decanal Search Committee.

The Dean is the administrative head of the Graduate School with responsibilities and powers as follows:

A. The Dean shall be responsible to the President for the proper conduct and administration, and the development and improvement of the School. The Dean shall have the obligation of carrying out all relevant University policies and the policies adopted by the Executive Committee of the Graduate School.

B. The Dean shall submit to relevant officers of the University recommendations and suggestions from the Graduate School on matters of concern to the Graduate School.

C.  The Dean shall be responsible for stimulating research, facilitating interdisciplinary programs, and seeking support for the various research projects in which the faculty may be engaged.

D. The Dean shall hold membership on all University committees which are directly concerned with policies or problems involving the Graduate School, with the exception of committees charged with reviewing the Graduate School and the search committee for the Graduate Deanship.  The Graduate Dean shall serve on the Main Campus Planning Committee.

E. The Dean shall be responsible for preparing and administering the annual budget for the Graduate School.

F. The Dean shall chair the Executive Committee. The Dean or his or her designee shall chair the Research Steering Committee.

G. The Dean shall have the authority and responsibility to appoint such ad hoc committees as may be necessary for the furtherance of the objectives of the Graduate School. The Executive Committee, the Provost, and the Executive Vice President for Health Sciences shall be informed of such committees and their charges, as appropriate.

H. The Dean shall approve the selection of graduate courses to be offered each session.

I. The Dean shall have the following responsibilities in matters of faculty:

1. Endorsement, favorable or unfavorable, of recommendations for faculty appointments in Main Campus departments and programs, in Medical Center basic science departments and programs, and in the School of Nursing, before they are forwarded to the Provost or the Executive Vice President for Health Sciences.

2. Endorsement, favorable or unfavorable, of requests made to the Committee on Rank and Tenure for promotion and/or tenure of such faculty, and of annual merit reviews and salary recommendations of all Main Campus Faculty.

J.  In accordance with the policies of the University and after duly considering the recommendations made by the Deans of other colleges and schools, departmental chairs, and program directors, the Dean shall have final responsibility for the selection and admission of students, the awarding of graduate fellowships, assistantships, and scholarships, appropriate action in cases of unsatisfactory student progress, and the presentation of candidates for degrees.

K. The Dean shall represent the University in the various associations which are concerned with graduate work, and on such other occasions as may be designated by the President or requested by the Provost or the Executive Vice President for Health Sciences.

L. The Dean shall supervise preparation of material for the Graduate School Catalogue, the Graduate School Website, and all other official publications and representations of the Graduate School, and approve the final versions.

M. The Dean shall plan and direct or supervise studies of particular problems within the school and shall regularly report pertinent statistics to the Provost, the Executive Vice President for Health Sciences, and the Executive Committee of the Graduate School on such matters as enrollments, matriculants' GPAs and GREs, and the results of reputational surveys, or other matters as requested.

N. While the major effort for recruitment of high quality graduate students shall remain in the departments and programs, the Graduate Dean shall assist Deans, departmental chairs, and program directors in the recruitment of students and in preparing training and fellowship proposals.

O. The Dean shall call a meeting of the ordinary faculty of the Main Campus, the basic sciences at the Medical Center, and the Nursing School at least once each semester of the regular academic year to report upon and discuss the state of the Graduate School and research at the University.

P. The Dean shall meet with the Graduate Student Organization or its designated representatives at least once each semester of the regular academic year to discuss students' concerns. 

II. Executive Committee

A. Responsibilities

The Executive Committee of the Graduate School is the principal policy making body of the Graduate School.

B. Membership

1. Ex Officio, with full privileges: The Dean (Chair), Provost, and Executive Vice President for Health Sciences.

2. Sixteen tenured members of the faculty. Two members shall be elected as representatives from each of the following cohorts: humanities, social sciences, languages and linguistics, natural sciences, medical center basic sciences, and interdisciplinary masters programs. One member shall be elected from each of the following schools and programs: Business, Nursing, Public Policy, and Foreign Service. Cohort representatives shall be elected by the relevant Graduate Cohort Committees, as described in section III.D.2.

Term of office shall be two years, renewable for one term. In order to stagger terms of office, each cohort with two representatives shall have one member serve an initial three year term. The decision as to which representative shall serve for an initial three year term shall be made by those cohorts at the time of the first elections.

3. Tenured faculty members appointed by any faculty body granted rights of appointment to this committee by the Board of Directors. Term of office shall be two years, renewable for one term.

4. One representative of the Graduate Student Organization, to have full privileges. Term of office shall be one year, renewable for one term.

5. In the event that a member of the Executive Committee cannot attend a meeting, he or she may designate a replacement who shall have full privileges.   If the member represents a particular school, program, or other organization, the designee shall be a member of the same academic unit.  If a member represents a graduate cohort committee, the designee shall be a member of that same committee.

6.  Replacements for members unable to serve their full terms shall be elected by the relevant cohort committee, school, program, or organization.  The terms of replacement members shall be those of the members whom they are replacing.

C. Meetings of the Executive Committee

1. The Dean shall call at least one meeting of the Executive Committee each month of the academic year.

2. The meeting agenda shall normally be set by the Dean. Any member of the Executive Committee may place an item on the agenda, to be considered not later than the meeting following placement of the agenda item.

3. Special meetings may be called at the request of one of the following: the President, the Provost, the Executive Vice President for Health Sciences, the Dean, or any three members of the Executive Committee.

4. Ten members of the Executive Committee shall constitute a quorum.

5. All meetings shall be conducted according to Robert's Rules of Order, Newly Revised.

6. Minutes shall be approved electronically within four working days of each meeting, and be immediately distributed electronically to the ordinary faculty of the Main Campus, the basic sciences at the Medical Center, and the Nursing School, and deans responsible for graduate programs.

7. Actions of the Executive Committee shall be held for a two week comment period before implementation.

D. Committees

The Dean may create subcommittees of the Executive Committee.

E. Specific Responsibilities 

1.  Oversees the academic quality of graduate programs. In particular, the Executive Committee:

a.  Establishes guidelines for the external and internal review of existing programs.

External reviews of programs should be conducted at regular intervals. If the external review of a department or program reveals serious problems, the Executive Committee shall conduct its own review, following the established guidelines.

If the Dean, the Provost, the Executive Vice President for Health Sciences, or the Graduate School Executive Committee determine that a particular program should be reviewed at some time other than on the occasion of a scheduled periodic review, the Executive Committee shall examine the program. If necessary, the Committee can call for an ad hoc external review (i.e., one prior to the next regularly scheduled review).

b.  Reviews proposals for new programs or significant alterations of existing programs and either accepts or rejects the proposals.  The Executive Committee shall establish guidelines for the review of proposals.

c. Conducts all general graduate program reviews.

Any general graduate program review at the Main Campus or Medical Center level shall be conducted by the Graduate School Executive Committee.  The guidelines for such reviews shall be developed by the Executive Committee and shall ensure the participation of sufficient numbers of ordinary faculty representing the campus whose programs are under review.

2. Approves appointments to the Research Steering Committee and the Internal Research Committee.

3. Meets with the University Librarian and the Medical Center Librarian, to discuss programs, initiatives, or concerns relevant to graduate programs or to research at the University.

III. Other Committees

A. Research Steering Committee

1. Responsibilities

The Research Steering Committee is the Dean's principal advisory body in the area of research. The Research Steering Committee studies and makes recommendations to stimulate and reward externally-funded research activity, and to foster and improve the research culture. The Research Steering Committee shall collaborate with all appropriate administrative units at the University to develop and sustain the infrastructure necessary to conduct and enhance research.

2. Membership

The Research Steering Committee shall consist of seven members of the ordinary faculty of the Main Campus, the basic sciences at the Medical Center, and the Nursing School, with distinguished research records. The committee should include representatives from the humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, languages and linguistics, as well as the biomedical sciences. It is expected that a number of these members will have been successful in securing externally-funded research grants. Location in a department with a graduate program is not a requisite for membership.

In consultation with department chairs, program directors, the Executive Associate Dean of the Graduate School, and the Director of the Office of Sponsored Programs, the Dean shall nominate six candidates for Research Steering Committee membership, subject to approval by the Executive Committee. One of the members shall be appointed by the Faculty Senate. Members shall be appointed for a two year term, renewable for one term. At the time this committee is established, four members shall be appointed for a two year term and three members for a three year term so that terms will be staggered. The Dean, in consultation with the Executive Committee, shall make the decision regarding which members are appointed initially to a three year term.

Ex officio members shall be the Dean, the Executive Associate Dean of the Graduate School, the Director of Sponsored Programs, the Director of University Information Services, the University Librarian, and the Associate Dean for Biomedical Sciences.

3. Meetings

The Research Steering Committee shall meet at least once each month. Meetings are chaired by the Dean or his or her designee.

4. Minutes

Minutes of all Research Steering Committee meetings shall be distributed to the Provost, Executive Vice Presidents, the academic deans, the chairs of departments and directors of programs, the members of the Executive Committee, members of the Research Steering Committee, and members of the Internal Research Committee in a timely manner.

B. Internal Research Committee

1. Responsibilities

The Internal Research Committee serves under the direction of the Research Steering Committee, and is responsible for awarding those intramural faculty development and research funds administered by the Graduate School. The Internal Research Committee shall develop and publicize criteria of eligibility for these funds, and shall issue annual reports on their disposition.

2. Membership

Fifteen to twenty members shall serve on the Internal Research Committee, as necessary for broad disciplinary representation and expertise. Membership is open to all ordinary faculty of the Main Campus, the basic sciences at the Medical Center, and the Nursing School. The principal criterion for membership is a record of distinguished activity in research. Terms for members shall be two years, renewable for one term. Subcommittees and ad hoc committees shall be constituted as necessary. Ideally one member of the Research Steering Committee will sit on each decision-making committee of the Internal Research Committee that allocates resources.

3. Meetings

The Internal Research Committee and its subcommittees shall meet whenever the business at hand requires. The Executive Associate Dean of the Graduate School shall chair the Internal Research Committee.

4. Minutes

Minutes of full meetings of the Internal Research Committee shall be distributed to the Provost, Executive Vice Presidents, the academic deans, the chairs of all departments and directors of programs, the members of the Executive Committee, the members of the Research Steering Committee, and the members of the Internal Research Committee.

C. Appeals Committee

The Dean shall appoint ad hoc appeals committees, as required, to consider charges of academic dishonesty, appeals from students whose degree candidacy has been terminated, and allegations of discriminatory or unprofessional conduct. The decisions of these committees are final. 

D. Graduate Cohort Committees 

1. Responsibilities

The Graduate Cohort Committees shall elect representative(s) to the Graduate Executive Committee as described in Section II.B.2. of this Constitution.  The Graduate Cohort Committee shall discuss issues regarding policy making by the Graduate School.  The Executive Committee representatives shall in a timely manner inform all members of the Cohort Committee of issues under consideration by and of policies decided upon by the Executive Committee.

2. Membership

Each department and program involved in graduate education in each cohort shall have one representative to a Graduate Cohort Committee.  Ordinarily, this representative will be the Director of Graduate Studies for that unit, or the person who is the de facto Director of Graduate Studies.  The Dean shall be an ex officio member of each Cohort Committee.

Departments and programs shall specify the cohort to which they wish to belong, subject to approval by the Executive Committee, which should begin from a presumption of consistency between Graduate School cohorts and cohorts established by other administrative units of the University.

3. Meetings

Each Cohort Committee shall meet at least twice a semester.  The representative(s) to the Executive Committee shall chair the Cohort Committee and are responsible for calling the meetings.  Special meetings may be called at the request of the Dean or any two faculty on the Committee.  Cohort representatives to the Executive Committee shall be voted on during the first meeting of the Fall Semester in years when elections are to be held.

Amendments

Proposed amendments to this constitution shall be received by the Executive Committee of the Graduate School. If passed by a two-thirds vote of the Executive Committee, the amendment(s) shall be voted on, by secret ballot, by the ordinary faculty of the Main Campus, the basic sciences at the Medical Center, and the Nursing School. If the amendment(s) is approved by two-thirds of those voting, the amendment(s) shall be forwarded, through the Provost and the Executive Vice President for Health Sciences, to the President and the Board of Directors for final decision.