Graduate Council

 Faculty attending a workshop in the Humanities Center
 Students in Aimin Wang's statistics class
Jose Burdalo teaching
 Rod Northcutt at a sculpture exhibit

Function

The authority to recommend graduate program policy to University Senate shall reside in the Graduate Council. More information about the Graduate Council can be found on the Graduate College website.

The functions of the Graduate Council shall be to review all changes in graduate courses proposed by academic units and to recommend their approval or rejection to University Senate; to consult with the Provost and make recommendations to Senate on the establishment of graduate programs, and on policies pertaining to methods of instruction, evaluation of instruction, advising and counseling, admissions and retention of graduate students, and on other policies pertaining to the administration of graduate programs; and to share responsibility with the Dean of the Graduate School for consulting with the Provost about financial aid and employment of graduate students and on the use and distribution of educational and research resources for graduate programs and graduate students.

Actions of Graduate Council which require the approval of University Senate, such as new degrees, shall be reported to the Executive Committee of University Senate, which shall place them on the agenda of University Senate. All actions of Graduate Council shall be recorded in its minutes which shall be distributed to all members of University Senate, who may raise questions about any actions at the meeting of University Senate which follows the distribution of the minutes. Except for the unusual occurrence of University Senate referring an action back to Graduate Council, the actions shall be considered passed upon the adjournment of the first University Senate meeting after the distribution of the minutes.

Composition

The Graduate Council shall be composed of:

  • twelve (12) elected faculty representatives, and
  • three (3) graduate student representatives.

Faculty Members

The twelve (12) elected faculty representatives shall be elected for three-year staggered terms in separate divisional nominating and general elections utilizing the method of the single transferable vote.

Each academic division offering graduate degree programs (The College of Arts and Science, The College of Creative Arts, The College of Education, Health and Society, The College of Engineering and Computing, and The Farmer School of Business) shall be guaranteed at least

    • one (1) elected faculty representative (five (5) in total), and
    • the remaining seven (7) faculty seats shall be apportioned among the aforementioned academic divisions on the basis of each unit's full-time equivalent graduate faculty size (those holding regular graduate faculty status of Level B or higher) by the method of major fractions, taking account of the guaranteed seats.

Each academic division shall select the number of nominees whose names will appear on the general election ballot equal to twice the number of faculty representatives to be elected plus one, except that in no event shall the number of nominees of any unit be fewer than three (i.e., if only one seat is to be filled).

Faculty alternates to the Graduate Council shall be chosen by reprocessing within each academic division the ballots cast for faculty representatives.

    • Divisions with three (3) or fewer representatives shall have one (1) alternate
    • those with four (4) or more seats shall have two (2) alternates.
      • Alternates shall serve for terms that coincide with those of the membership categories, and they shall be seated only to replace an absent member of their representative category. (For example, an absent faculty representative from the School of Education, Health, and Society should be replaced only by an alternate from that academic division.)

Graduate Council shall be limited to faculty members with Level A graduate faculty status, and representation shall be limited to the academic divisions offering graduate degree programs.

Eligibility for voting in elections for the Graduate Council shall be limited to faculty members with regular graduate faculty status of Level A or B whose appointments are in academic divisions with graduate degree programs.

Graduate Student Members

Selection of graduate student members and alternates of Graduate Council:

    • The three (3) graduate student representatives in the Graduate Council shall serve for one-year terms, with no limit on eligibility to serve successive terms, and they shall be chosen according to procedures established by the Graduate Student Association.
    • No more than two (2) graduate student representatives shall be from the same academic division.
    • There shall be two (2) graduate student alternates chosen according to procedures established by the Graduate Student Association, and they shall be from different divisions.

Chair and Secretary

    • The Dean of the Graduate School shall serve as Chair of the Graduate Council
    • The Administrative Assistant shall serve as its secretary
    • The Associate Dean shall serve as Acting Chair in the absence of the Dean

Membership

Faculty and Staff

Term ends August 2024

Term ends August 2025

Term ends August 2026

Graduate Students

Ex officio