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Graduate Faculty Bylaws


Bylaws approved by the Graduate Faculty, Spring Quarter, 1986, to become effective Fall Quarter, 1986. Amended March 17, 2004, November 28, 2007.

Article I. The Graduate Faculty

Section 1. Membership on the Graduate Faculty

The Graduate Faculty consists of (a) appointed members: those members of the various colleges and schools of the University appointed by the President upon the recommendation of the Dean of the Graduate School; and (b) ex officio members: the President of the University; the Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost; the Vice President for Research and Associate Provost; the Vice President for Public Service and Outreach and Associate Provost; such other Vice Presidents as the President designates; the Dean of the Graduate School; the Director of Libraries, and the deans of colleges and schools authorized to offer programs leading to graduate degrees (cf. Statutes of The University of Georgia, Article VII, Section 1 ).

Section 2. Authority of the Graduate Faculty

Subject to the general policies of the University Council, the Graduate Faculty shall have authority to determine entrance requirements for students in the Graduate School, to prescribe and define courses of study for them, to determine the requirements for such degrees as are offered through the Graduate School, to enact and enforce rules for the guidance and government of its students in their graduate work, to recommend for degrees such candidates as have fulfilled degree requirements, and in general to exercise jurisdiction over all educational matters in the Graduate School (cf. Statutes of The University of Georgia, Article VIII, Section 1 ).

Section 3. Categories of Appointed Membership

  1. Regular Membership. A regular member of the Graduate Faculty is charged with the responsibility of serving as major professor for Master of Arts candidates, Master of Science candidates, doctoral candidates, of teaching advanced graduate courses as assigned by the department head, and of otherwise participating in the graduate program of the department and the University.
  2. Newly Hired Faculty. A newly hired faculty member appointed to the Graduate Faculty by the President for a seven-year term is charged with the responsibility of serving as major professor for Master of Arts candidates, Master of Science candidates, doctoral candidates, of teaching advanced graduate courses as assigned by the department head, and of otherwise participating in the graduate program of the department and the University.

Section 4. Criteria and Procedures for Appointment

  1. The Graduate Council shall develop and periodically revise a statement of criteria and procedures for appointment and reappointment of members to the Graduate Faculty, and shall make that statement available to all present and prospective members of the Graduate Faculty.
  2. Nomination to the Graduate Faculty must originate in an academic unit which has the authority to make hiring, promotion, and tenure recommendations. Such nominations must be voted on by members of the regular Graduate Faculty of the academic unit.

Section 5. Meetings of the Graduate Faculty

  1. Meetings of the Graduate Faculty may be called by the Dean of the Graduate School as they are appropriate. The Dean shall call a meeting if requested to do so by a written petition signed by at least 5 percent of the total Graduate Faculty, including at least 5 percent of the Graduate Faculty in three or more colleges or schools; such a meeting shall be held within 30 days of the delivery of the petition to the Dean's office.
  2. The Dean shall send notice of any meeting of the Graduate Faculty to all members of that Faculty at least two weeks before the meeting. The notice shall include an agenda of items to be acted upon, and no item not on the agenda may be acted upon unless two-thirds of the members attending the meeting agree to place the new item on the agenda for action.
  3. The Dean or a representative designated by the Dean presides at all meetings of the Graduate Faculty but votes only to break a tie.
  4. A quorum for action at a Graduate Faculty meeting shall be a majority of the current membership of the Graduate Faculty.

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Article II. The Graduate Council

Section 1. Responsibilities

  1. The Graduate Council is the policymaking body of the Graduate Faculty. The Council functions on behalf of the Graduate Faculty in all matters within the authority of that Faculty, except the amendment of these bylaws. The Graduate Faculty may, however, supersede any action of the Council.
  2. All members of the Council represent the entire Graduate Faculty, not merely those of the department, division, college, or school from which they come. The concern of every Council member shall be with the general welfare of the Graduate School and its programs, rather than with that of only a part.

Section 2. Membership

  1. The Council consists of the Dean of the Graduate School or a representative designated by the dean, who chairs the Council but votes only to break a tie; the Executive Coordinator of the UGA Graduate Student Association who serves as an ex-officio member; and the following elected members, one-third of whom are chosen each year:
    1. One member from each of the fifteen colleges and schools listed below, elected by the members of the Graduate Faculty in the college or school;
    2. Fifteen members-at-large elected by the whole Graduate Faculty from nominations of the following six groups of colleges and schools:
      1. College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences;
      2. College of Arts & Sciences;
      3. Terry College of Business;
      4. College of Education;
      5. College of Veterinary Medicine,
        College of Journalism & Mass Communication,
        College of Public Health
        School of Social Work,
        School of Public & International Affairs;
      6. College of Family & Consumer Sciences,
        College of Pharmacy,
        College of Environment & Design,
        School of Forestry & Natural Resources,
        School of Ecology,
        College of Engineeting .
  2. The number of Council positions assigned to each of the six groups listed above is to be reallocated every year according to the following formula:

    Ratio 1  =    number of graduate students within group on campus Fall Semester
    total number of graduate students across groups on campus Fall Semester

    Ratio 2  =    number of graduate faculty members within group Fall Semester
    total number of graduate faculty members across groups Fall Semester

    Ratio 3  =    Ratio 1 + Ratio 2
    2

    Allocation = 15 x Ratio 3


  3. The allocation is to be rounded off to the nearest whole number, with the provisions (1) that the total allocations shall be fifteen, with rounding adjusted to achieve that end, and (2) that each of the six groups listed above shall be allocated at least one Council member.
  4. If a reallocation changes the number of positions assigned to any of the six groups, the currently elected members of the Council shall serve out their full three-year terms, and adjustments shall be made (allocations moved from one group to another) as terms of currently elected members expire. Thus the reallocation shall be phased in over a period as long as two years.

Section 3. Eligibility for Membership

Members of the Graduate Faculty are eligible for membership on the Graduate Council. An elected member of the Council shall not serve immediately successive full terms.

Section 4. Term of Membership and Time of Elections

Each member shall serve a three-year term of office beginning Fall Semester after the Graduate Council election held each Spring Semester.

Section 5. Nomination and Election Procedures

  1. Graduate Council positions that do not involve joint election by several colleges or schools shall have twice as many candidates as allotted positions. Council positions that involve joint election shall have one candidate from each college or school in the group. All ballots shall also provide space for write-in votes.
  2. Graduate Faculty members may nominate any Graduate Faculty member who does not hold an administrative appointment at the department head level or higher.
  3. Nominations of candidates shall take account of the following principles of distribution, and nominations of persons not in accord with these distribution requirements are not valid:
    1. In colleges and schools with a departmental structure, no department shall have more than one member on the Council at a time.
    2. In the College of Arts and Sciences, which has a divisional structure, and in any other college or school with a similar divisional structure, each division shall have at least one member on the Council, and other Council members from the college or school shall be chosen at large. If, however, a college or school has more divisions than Council members allocated to it, a system of rotation among the divisions shall be devised.
    3. If a member of the Council is elected by several colleges or schools as a group, under Section 2a(2), that member's successor shall come from another college or school in the group.
  4. To determine the candidates for election, nominations shall be called for from all faculty eligible to vote in an election. Then a preliminary ballot shall be distributed, on which the names of all nominees appear. The requisite number of candidates, as specified in Section 5a, shall be those nominees who receive the largest number of votes on the preliminary ballot. The names of those candidates shall then be sent to the Dean of the Graduate School, who will supervise the final election.

Section 6. Vacancies During a Term

  1. If a position on the Graduate Council falls vacant during the term of an elected member, a replacement shall be nominated by the Administrative Committee of the Council and approved by a majority of those voting at a meeting of the Council. The replacement member shall be from the same academic unit that elected the former member and shall serve until the expiration of the term of the former member. The Administrative Committee shall determine when a position falls vacant.
  2. Members of the Council shall not designate or be represented by proxies if they are absent from a Council meeting.

Section 7. Meetings of the Graduate Council

  1. The Dean of the Graduate School shall call meetings of the Graduate Council as often as required to transact the business of the School but at least two times a year. The Dean shall call a meeting if requested to do so by written notice signed by at least five (5) members of the Council.
  2. A quorum for actions at a Council meeting shall be a majority of its elected members.
  3. The agenda for each meeting, along with pertinent information on items that the Council will discuss, shall normally be available and distributed to the Council members at least ten days prior to meetings. Items may be placed on the agenda by the dean of the Graduate School, by the Administrative Committee, or by a two-thirds vote of members present and voting at the Council meeting.

Section 8. Committees of the Graduate Council

  1. Standing committees of the Graduate Council shall be appointed annually by the dean of the Graduate School from the membership of the Council. The dean or a representative designated by the dean is an ex-officio member of all committees but votes only to break a tie. The dean shall appoint a member of each committee to serve as chair. The following standing committees of the Council act on the matters indicated and on others, as charged by the dean:
    1. The Administrative Committee shall (a) recommend to the Council policy for the governance of graduate education, (b) hear student petitions for exceptions to Graduate School rules other than those relating to admission and retention, and (c) hear student appeals from administrative decisions relating to any aspect of the graduate program other than admission and retention. The Committee shall make recommendations on petitions and appeals to the Dean and report its activities to the Council.
    2. The Program Committee shall review (a) proposals for new degree programs and changes to existing programs, and (b) reports of committees evaluating existing programs. The Committee shall make recommendations to the Council concerning the approval, revision, continuation, or termination of all graduate programs.
    3. The Curriculum Committee shall review proposals for new graduate courses and for changes in existing graduate courses. The Committee shall make recommendations to the University Curriculum Committee and shall report its activities to the Council.
    4. The Appointment and Reappointment Committee shall hear appeals from applicants denied appointment or reappointment to the Graduate Faculty by the area committees of the Graduate School. It shall make recommendations to the Dean and report its activities to the Council.
    5. The Admission and Retention Committee shall hear appeals from (a) applicants denied admission to graduate study by the Graduate School, (b) students denied a change of degree objective by the Graduate School, and (c) students dismissed by the academic unit and/or the Graduate School. The Committee shall make recommendations to the Dean and report its activities to the Council.
  2. The Council may select or the dean may appoint such other, ad hoc committees as they deem necessary to conduct the business of the Graduate School.

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Article III. Amendments

These bylaws may be amended by the Graduate Faculty, upon recommendation by a two-thirds affirmative vote of the Graduate Council taken at any Council meeting. Amendments so recommended by the Council shall be submitted to the Graduate Faculty by a mail ballot; a majority of those voting are required to approve an amendment.

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