Graduate School Bylaws
The Graduate School
Bylaws
I. Mission
The Graduate School advocates for graduate scholarship, training, and mentorship as integral to the academic mission of the University as a whole , and it ensures that both the graduate student body and graduate education and training are of the highest intellectual quality and appropriate diversity. Through the Dean, the Graduate School administration, and the elected representatives of the Graduate Faculty serving on the Executive Committee of the Graduate Faculty (see below), the Graduate School provides direction and maintains the quality of graduate education and training by establishing policies and standards that define good practice in all graduate programs, by overseeing the graduate curriculum of all degree programs, and by striving to achieve excellent student selection and retention. The Graduate School collaborates with the Graduate Faculty to ensure equity and balance across all academic disciplines and to create new graduate degree and certificate programs that will allow Duke University to remain at the forefront of developing fields of knowledge.
II. Organization and Administration
A. The Graduate Faculty . The Graduate School consists of members of the Graduate Faculty, the training and research programs that they offer, and a small central staff to administer school-wide policies and procedures. Departments and programs authorized to offer graduate degrees are responsible for nominating members of their faculties to the Graduate Faculty. There are two categories of Graduate Faculty: full graduate faculty members and term graduate faculty members.
1. Full Graduate Faculty Members . Nominal prerequisites for admission to the graduate faculty as a full member include possession of the Ph.D. degree, tenure track appointment in the University, and research activity appropriate for one engaged in graduate training. Academic units (departments and programs) may set additional requirements if they choose or, in special cases, request that the Dean waive one of these prerequisites. Waiver of any prerequisites is considered in cases where the nominated faculty member has the experience and distinction of tenure track faculty members currently being appointed at Duke and will contribute demonstrably and substantially to the educational, training, and mentoring mission of the nominating department or degree program. The Dean will report such waivers to the Executive Committee of the Graduate Faculty in a timely manner. Only full members of the Graduate Faculty may chair examination committees and direct dissertations. Full members of the Graduate Faculty generally participate in setting graduate degree requirements and in teaching and mentoring in their programs.
a. Decisions on admission to full membership in the Graduate Faculty must be voted on by all full graduate faculty members of the department or program. Nominations subsequently forwarded to the Associate Dean must include: a) an official request from the Director of Graduate Studies and the Department Chair; b) confirmation that there has been a majority vote cast by members of the graduate faculty in the academic unit; and c) a current curriculum vitae. The Dean reserves the right of effective review of each request and has the obligation to submit to the Executive Committee of the Graduate Faculty any nomination deemed to be questionable.
b. With Graduate School oversight, academic units are also responsible for reviewing the effectiveness of their graduate faculty and are expected to recommend removal from the graduate faculty of any of their faculty members who fail to maintain an appropriate level of scholarship or other essential participation in their graduate programs.
2. Term Graduate Faculty Members . Departments and programs authorized to offer graduate degrees, and those offering graduate certificates but not degrees, may request that members of their faculty who are not full members of the graduate faculty, or appropriate expert researchers outside Duke University, be approved by the Associate Dean for temporary and limited service in their graduate programs – teaching graduate courses or serving on student examination committees, for example. Such individuals are appointed for a limited term of up to five years and are nominated by the Directors of Graduate Studies of departments, degree programs, or certificate programs upon advice of their faculties. All appointments of term graduate faculty members must then be approved by the Associate Dean of the Graduate School .
B. The Dean . The Dean reports to the Provost and is responsible for the leadership, management, and administrative structure of the Graduate School . The Dean shall appoint assistant and associate deans deemed necessary to assist in the conduct of the following responsibilities:
1. Develop and maintain educational, research, and service programs to meet the Graduate School 's objectives;
2. Develop and administer policies and procedures to assure the productive pursuit of all Graduate School programs and activities;
3. Direct the Graduate School 's financial affairs and budget;
4. Represent the Graduate School to the university, the business community, government, environmental groups, other educational institutions, and the public at large.
The Dean will present periodic reports on The Graduate School's budget and on the state of the School to the Executive Committee of the Graduate Faculty.
C. The Executive Committee of the Graduate Faculty . The Executive Committee of the Graduate Faculty (ECGF) represents the graduate faculty and advises the Dean in overseeing and setting the policies for graduate education and training. It consists of an elected faculty chair plus four representatives from each of four academic divisions: Humanities, Biological Sciences, Physical Sciences, and Social Sciences (see Appendix A for a list of departments in each division). The ECGF normally meets twice monthly during the semester and maintains minutes, which are posted on the Graduate School web site to inform the graduate faculty of active policy discussions and recent decisions. The ECGF conducts its meetings under Robert's Rules of Order and requires a quorum, consisting of a simple majority of its members, to take any action. Any member of the graduate faculty may propose an agenda item for an ECGF meeting.
1. The Chair is elected by the sitting ECGF members to serve a one-year term. The election occurs in the spring of each academic year, and the chair serves the entire following academic year. An ECGF member may be elected and serve as chair even if her or his term on the committee expires at the end of the spring during which the election takes place.
2. Faculty representatives on the ECGF are elected for two-year staggered terms. The election of half of the ECGF members occurs in the spring of each academic year, and the incoming members begin their terms in the fall semester of the following academic year.
3. The Dean and the associate and assistant deans of the Graduate School sit as ex officio , non-voting members of the committee. A representative of Perkins Library serves as an ex officio non-voting member of the committee. A representative of the Graduate and Professional Student Council (GPSC), designated by the GPSC president, serves as a voting member of the committee.
4. The graduate faculty delegates to the Executive Committee of the Graduate Faculty the initiative for the formation and review of policy affecting graduate study at Duke University , including the following:
a. Examine and approve or reject all proposals for new graduate degrees (PhD, MA, MS) and new graduate certificate programs (a two-thirds vote of the ECGF members is required for approval of any new degree or certificate program) ;
b. Assess the reports of all external reviews of departments or programs with respect to graduate education and training at Duke and make recommendations for graduate program improvements, requiring, if necessary, interim reports to monitor implementation of requested improvements;
c. Advise the Dean on matters of Graduate School policy.
III. Adoption and Amendments
These bylaws shall be adopted by two-thirds of the graduate faculty who choose to vote. In determining the total votes cast, abstentions or blank votes do not count. Voting will be by written ballot (or email).
Amendments to the bylaws shall be debated and voted by the Executive Committee of the Graduate Faculty. Any proposed amendment must be circulated in writing to each member of the Executive Committee of the Graduate Faculty at least two scheduled academic weeks prior to the meeting at which the amendment will be considered. After the proposed amendment has been discussed at a meeting, a vote consisting of a two thirds majority of the Executive Committee members will suffice for the amendment to pass.
[Approved May 1, 2008]
Appendix A |
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Divisions of the Graduate Faculty |
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Humanities |
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Physical Sciences |
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Art, Art History and Visual Studies |
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Biomedical Engineering |
Classical Studies |
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Chemistry |
English |
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Civil and Environmental Engineering |
German Studies |
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Computer Science |
Literature |
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Earth and Ocean Sciences |
Music |
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Electrical and Computer Engineering |
Philosophy |
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Environment |
Religion |
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Mathematics |
Romance Studies |
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Mechanical Engineering & Materials Science |
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Medical Physics |
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Physics |
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Statistical Science |
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Biological Sciences |
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Social Sciences |
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Biochemistry |
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Business Administration |
Biological Anthropology and Anatomy |
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Cultural Anthropology |
Biology |
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Economics |
Cell Biology |
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History |
Computational Biology and Bioinformatics |
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Nursing |
Ecology |
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Political Science |
Genetics and Genomics |
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Psychology and Neuroscience |
Immunology |
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Public Policy Studies |
Molecular Genetics and Microbiology |
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Sociology |
Neurobiology |
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Pathology |
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Pharmacology and Cancer Biology |
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