The Graduate Council shall have jurisdiction over the development of general policies and procedures of the Graduate Program as indicated in ARTICLES X and XI of the FACULTY CONSTITUTION. The Council functions in the areas listed below. All actions are subject to review and final approval of the Provost, the President, and Board of Regents.
Graduate faculty status is approved by the Graduate Council for faculty recommended by his/her department's graduate faculty, chairperson, and dean. Graduate faculty status is reserved for faculty who have earned the terminal degree in the appropriate discipline. Associate graduate faculty do not have privileges of graduate faculty.
Each college offering a graduate degree shall elect three representatives from its designated graduate faculty who serve overlapping three-year terms. No more than one faculty member shall be elected from each department. Graduate students shall elect two representatives [at large] for one-year terms. The Graduate Council shall elect a chairperson at its first meeting in the fall term. The Dean of the Graduate School shall serve as an ex-officio member who votes only in the case of a tie.
Faculty members designated as Graduate Faculty are eligible for election each spring as representatives. They serve a three year term beginning with the opening of the fall semester and extending through the summer session. A rotation system shall be used for the elections based on three-year overlapping terms. In case of vacancy before the end of a three year period, the college with the vacancy shall elect a member to complete the term. At least one year must elapse after a graduate faculty member has served in order to be eligible for re-election. A simple majority vote of graduate faculty is required for election. This process will be followed each year by eligible colleges which will be notified by the Dean of Graduate School.
The Graduate Council shall elect a chairperson at its first meeting in the fall to serve for the following school year beginning in the fall semester. At this meeting, the elected Graduate Council members will vote.
The Chairperson will be responsible for calling meetings in consultation with the Dean of Graduate School. The Dean of Graduate School will prepare a written agenda presented by the Graduate Council, Graduate Programs, Faculty Senate, other councils, students, or the
Administration to the Graduate School in preparation for the meetings. Copies of the agenda will be sent to the Graduate Council, graduate program chairpersons, graduate advisors, Faculty Senate Executive Board, other councils when appropriate, and designated administrators ahead of the meeting. Minutes will be prepared and distributed for review to the Graduate Council, the Graduate Faculty, the Associate Graduate Faculty, the Faculty Senate Executive Board, appropriate councils, and the administrative offices.
All actions of the Graduate Council, as reported in the minutes, will be in effect as accompanied by the recommendations of the Dean of Graduate School and review by the President and Board of Regents. If any Graduate Faculty member, chairperson of a program offering graduate courses, Faculty Senator for items referred, member of the administrative staff has objections to any action of the council; they must submit a documented viewpoint in writing to the Dean of Graduate School within two school weeks after the date of the minutes. Minutes will be distributed via e-mail and for each academic year will be posted on the Graduate School web page. The Chairperson of the Graduate Council and the Dean of Graduate School will then determine the course of action to follow for review. Final faculty review authority is with the graduate faculty except that the graduate faculty in Teacher Education is the final faculty review authority for items in graduate Teacher Education.