Membership in the Graduate Faculty
REG 02.40.1
Authority: Dean of the Graduate School
History: First Issued: June 1, 2002. Last Revised: February 13, 2008. Additional History Information
Additional References:
Graduate Administrative Handbook 1.4
Graduate Faculty Nomination Form
Contact Info: Dean of the Graduate School (919)-515-7956.
1. Eligibility for Membership in the Graduate Faculty
All tenure-track faculty ranked at Assistant Professor or above in teaching/research/extension positions are eligible for membership in the Graduate Faculty as either Associate or Full Members of the Graduate Faculty.
1.1. Associate status
Associate Member status may be awarded to faculty appointed at the rank of Assistant Professor or higher, including special faculty appointments (adjunct, visiting, clinical, extension, practicum research, teaching, and federal contractual employees, such as USDA, DOI, US Forest Service, etc.) categories.
If the faculty candidate does not hold a doctoral degree, there must be demonstrable evidence that the candidate possesses the experience, knowledge, and capability in the area of intended participation in the graduate program of the university.
1.2. Full status
Full members status may be awarded to tenured (or tenure-track) faculty who have distinguished themselves in research, thesis direction, and graduate teaching. Evidence of such distinction is indicated by a number of significant publications, by service as chair of the advisory committees for several Master's students or as co-chair of the advisory committees for doctoral students, and by excellence in graduate teaching. Special faculty appointments (clinical, extension, practicum research, teaching, and federal contractual employees, such as USDA, DOI, US Forest Service, etc.) with professional rank are eligible for full membership status. Visiting and adjunct faculty members are NOT eligible for full graduate faculty status and, thus, cannot chair Ph.D. committees.
2. Responsibilities
The following are the responsibilities accorded to each faculty classification at the Graduate School.
2.1. Faculty members holding Associate Status may:
2.1.1. Teach courses carrying graduate credit;
2.1.2. Participate as a member of advisory committees in planning graduate student programs;
2.1.3. Chair Master's advisory committees upon recommendation of Director of Graduate Programs (DGP) or Department Head;
2.1.4. Co-chair doctoral advisory committees when committee chair holds full Graduate Faculty status; and
2.1.5. Serve as Graduate School Representative when requested by Graduate School.
2.2. Faculty members holding Full Status may:
2.2.1. Teach courses carrying graduate credit;
2.2.2. Participate as a chair or member of advisory committees in planning of graduate student programs;
2.2.3. Chair Master's and doctoral advisory committees; and
2.2.4. Serve as Graduate School Representative when requested by Graduate School.
3. Application for Associate Faculty Status
The Department Head or the DGP notifies the Grduate School when appointing an eligible faculty member to associate status. Notification must be sent in writing to the Dean of the Graduate School Before approval by the Graduate School, the faculty member
must be entered into the HR system
4. Application for Full Faculty Status
The Department Head or the DGP recommends advancement or appointment of a faculty member to full status. Prior to submitting the recommendation to the Dean of the Graduate School, members of the faculty of the appropriate program/department vote on the recommendation. A vote of the department's full graduate faculty is required for full membership status, and the vote must be noted on the Graduate Faculty Nomination Form and forwarded to the Dean of the Graduate School along with the recommendation for approval. Full faculty status is awarded upon approval of the recommendation by the Dean of the Graduate School. Before approval by the Graduate School, the faculty member must be entered into the HR system. Visiting and adjunct faculty members are NOT eligible for full graduate faculty status and, thus, cannot chair Ph.D. committees.
5. Removal of Graduate Faculty Members
The full members of the Graduate Faculty of the department or program initiate removal from the Graduate Faculty for failure to carry out the responsibilities outlined above or for other good cause. The department reviews this recommendation in consultation with the College Dean and, if it is decided that a person should no longer be a member of the Graduate Faculty, the department makes the recommendation to the Dean of the Graduate School. The Dean of the Graduate School is then authorized to remove the person from the Graduate Faculty.
