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Graduate Faculty Procedures

Graduate Faculty Appointment Flow Process
  1. Rationale for the Graduate Faculty
    In a large, complex, public university, faculty have many different responsibilities. Most of these tasks are related to one of the three components of the University of Georgia’s mission “to teach, to serve and to inquire into the nature of things.” This is a broad mission and all aspects are important in contributing to our state’s growth and development.

    In addition to being a land-grant and sea-grant university, the University of Georgia has been identified as a “research university with very high research activity” by the Carnegie Foundation. This indicates that the University of Georgia is regarded as one of the 96 institutions in the United States that serves (i) the broad social purpose of producing new knowledge and (ii), through its training functions, developing future generations of scholars who will continue this mission.

    The Graduate Faculty helps the University of Georgia to fulfill both of these important roles, ensuring that research skills are taught and graduate students are supervised by those with preeminent research experiences and expertise. Because only a certain portion of the total faculty have designated research appointments, having the Graduate Faculty ensures that the direct supervision of student research (including theses and dissertations and the advanced training of researchers) is performed by the faculty who are uniquely qualified to do so.

  2. Definition of the Graduate Faculty
    The quality of graduate programs and the enhancement of the reputation of the University of Georgia as a leading research institution rest with the Graduate Faculty. The purpose of the Graduate Faculty is to provide advanced research training and to supervise the research of graduate students. The Graduate Faculty shall consist of faculty who hold a full-time tenured or tenure-track faculty appointment at the University of Georgia as Professor, Associate Professor, or Assistant Professor with an earned doctorate or highest terminal degree in their discipline from an accredited institution. Other faculty may be considered for appointment and reappointment to the Graduate Faculty by special consideration and with documentation to support their qualifications.

  3. Qualifications for Membership in the Graduate Faculty
    Members of the Graduate Faculty are entrusted with upholding the research training and supervision mission of the university. There are three principal intellectual criteria for any faculty member seeking membership in the Graduate Faculty:

    1. Doctorate or highest earned terminal degree from an accredited institution in the faculty member’s discipline
    2. Proficiency in conducting scholarly research
      Through their own current research productivity and practices, members of the Graduate Faculty have established themselves as leading researchers at this university. Evidence of demonstrated research proficiency includes, but is not limited to:
      • An active research agenda as indicated by the publication of scholarly books, articles in refereed journals, refereed conference presentations, grants and contracts received, and creative activities appropriate to the various disciplines.
      • Recognition of research and creative contributions by awards, prizes, and fellowships.
      • Editorial work, such as serving on the editorial boards of scholarly journals and university presses, the editing of scholarly books, and the professional reviewing of manuscripts for scholarly journals and presses.
    3. Proficiency in supervising scholarly research
      Members of the Graduate Faculty bear primary responsibility for teaching and training future generations of researchers and scholars. Evidence of demonstrated proficiency in supervision includes either or both of the following:
      • Prior supervision of student research and service as a major professor/advisor or committee member for theses and dissertations.
      • Demonstrated potential to direct masters or doctoral candidates successfully.
      In addition to the three intellectual criteria listed above, the university also must ensure that those directing research and teaching advanced courses are able to provide the type of sustained support, commitment, and access necessary to ensure that the students with whom they have been entrusted receive the mentoring and research training appropriate for a university of our stature.

  4. Responsibilities and Rights of the Graduate Faculty
    Only members of the Graduate Faculty can:
    • serve as a major professor to doctoral students.
    • serve as a major professor to Master of Arts and Master of Science students.
    • teach 8000-9000 level courses.
    Advisory committees for Master of Arts and Master of Science must have a minimum of two members who are members of the Graduate Faculty. Doctoral committees must have a minimum of three members of the Graduate Faculty. In all cases, more than 50% of the advisory committee members must be members of the Graduate Faculty.

    In addition, members of the Graduate Faculty have the right to:
    • serve as a member of the Graduate Council.
    • vote for faculty as representatives to serve on the Graduate Council.
    • vote on appointment and reappointment of faculty members to the Graduate Faculty in their college or school.
    Members of the Graduate Faculty, through the representative Graduate Council, make key decisions pertaining to the quality of graduate education at the university.

  5. Appointment and Reappointment to the Graduate Faculty
    Members of the Graduate Faculty are appointed by the President of the university. The President makes appointments upon the recommendations of the Dean of the Graduate School. These recommendations are based on the information received from the dean of the college or school in which the faculty member holds tenure. Graduate Faculty membership is effective on the date of the appointment by the President.
    The review and evaluation of materials for appointment and reappointment will be made by current members of the Graduate Faculty in each college or school. Recommendations for membership in the Graduate Faculty will be sent to the Dean of the Graduate School based on the standard dates for appointment and reappointment listed in Section VII.

    The Graduate School will compile the recommendations from all colleges and schools and, based on the information provided by the colleges and schools, the Dean of the Graduate School will recommend the individuals to the Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost and the President for appointment to the Graduate Faculty.

    The Statutes of the University of Georgia provide for certain ex-officio members of the Graduate Faculty, including the President of the University, the designated Senior Vice Presidents, the designated Vice Presidents, the Dean of the Graduate School, the Director of Libraries, and the Dean of each college or school currently authorized to offer programs leading to graduate degrees.

  6. Procedures for Appointment and Reappointment
    Each academic college and school formulates its own procedures for review and evaluation of appointment and reappointment materials for full-time tenured and tenure track faculty members to the Graduate Faculty. The dean of each college or school recommends the individuals to the Dean of the Graduate School. The procedure in each college and school must adhere to the definition of the Graduate Faculty (Section II) and the qualifications for membership (Section III) to ensure consistent standards of quality throughout the university.

    Each college and school’s procedure minimally must include:
    1. Criteria for appointment and reappointment that meet the overall university standards of demonstrated proficiency in conducting and supervising scholarly research and attainment of doctorate or highest earned terminal degree from an accredited institution in the faculty member’s discipline.
    2. Procedures for the review and evaluation of appointment or reappointment materials for a full-time tenured or tenure-track faculty member who holds a position as a Professor, Associate Professor, or Assistant Professor.
    3. Procedures for the review and evaluation of appointment or reappointment materials (i) for a faculty member holding a professional, career, or non-tenure track faculty position or (ii) for a retired faculty member.
    4. The specific period of an appointment or reappointment, not to exceed 10 years.
    5. A consistent annual timeline for the appointment and reappointment process that is congruent with the university’s timeline.
    6. A means to provide advance notification to individual faculty members regarding key dates and procedures for receipt and review of appointment or reappointment materials.
    7. An established reconsideration and appeal process for individual faculty members, including an appeals process to the Dean of the college or school.
    8. A procedure for forwarding appointment and reappointment recommendations to the Dean of the Graduate School by the dates specified in Section VII.
      1. During the hiring process for faculty at the rank of assistant professor, associate professor, full professor, or equivalent, a request may be made by the appropriate dean for Graduate Faculty status. A written request for Graduate Faculty appointment with the vote of the Graduate Faculty in the home unit and the c.v. submitted during the hiring process must be forwarded to the dean of the Graduate School during the semester the prospective faculty candidate is interviewed. Date of employment needs to be stated in the request from the department head. The applicant's department head must notify the dean of the Graduate School when the applicant accepts employment. The new faculty member will be appointed by the President. The term of the appointment and reappointment procedures will follow the guidelines of the faculty member’s home unit. Transmittal Form for Newly Hired Tenured and Tenure-Track Faculty
      2. For appointment or reappointment recommendations for current full-time tenured or tenure-track faculty members who hold a position as a Professor, Associate Professor, or Assistant Professor, the individuals’ names, current positions, length of appointments and the vote of the Graduate Faculty in the home unit should be forwarded the Dean of the Graduate School. Transmittal Form for Appointment and Reappointment of Graduate Faculty
      3. For appointment recommendations for faculty members holding a professional, career, or non-tenure track position or for a retired faculty member, the name, position, length of appointment, documentation (see 8d below) and the vote of the Graduate Faculty in the home unit to support each individual’s qualifications for membership in the Graduate Faculty should be forwarded to the Dean of the Graduate School for consideration by the Appointment and Reappointment Committee of the Graduate Council. Transmittal Form for Appointment and Reappointment of Professional, Career, Non-Tenure, and Retired Faculty
      4. The documentation for professional, career, non-tenure track, or retired faculty members must include a summary of the individual’s scholarly competence, intellectual leadership, and effective experience with graduate education and current vitae.

  7. Dates for Appointment and Reappointment
    Recommendations for membership in the Graduate Faculty will be sent to the Dean of the Graduate School based on the following schedule:
    • September 1, January 15, and June 1 for appointment of newly hired full-time tenured or tenure track faculty.
    • November 1 and April 30 for appointment of full-time tenure track faculty not previously appointed or whose membership in the Graduate Faculty has lapsed.
    • November 1 and April 30 for appointment of professional and career track, or retired faculty.
    • November 1 and April 30 for the reappointment of current members of the Graduate Faculty.
  8. Role of the Graduate School
    All appointment and reappointment recommendations made by a college or school are forwarded to the Dean of the Graduate School. The Graduate School will review recommendations to ensure that university-wide qualifications have been met.

    Recommendations for appointment or reappointment of non-tenure track faculty with required documentation will be considered by the Appointment and Reappointment Committee of the Graduate Council. The Dean of the Graduate School will recommend the individuals to the Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost and the President for appointment.

    The Graduate School will maintain a record of all graduate faculty for the purpose of verifying master’s and doctoral committee membership.

    The Graduate School will maintain copies of procedures developed by individual colleges and schools and make them available to all members of the university community.

  9. Removal of an Individual from the Graduate Faculty
    A member of the Graduate Faculty of the University of Georgia may have their graduate faculty status removed by the dean of their college or school, the Dean of the Graduate School, the Provost, or the President before the end of their current appointment or reappointment period. Removal may occur when a faculty member fails to fulfill the responsibilities of a member of the Graduate Faculty to teach graduate student(s) effectively, in a civil, professionally appropriate manner, to do scholarly research and creative work of high quality, and to direct the research of graduate student(s) so that they progress toward graduation in a timely manner appropriate to the field. Failure to teach graduate students effectively and/or to direct the research of graduate student(s) also includes, but is not limited to, abuse of power, intimidation and harassment, and violation of work place violence policies. Procedures for removing an individual from the Graduate Faculty and appeal to the Dean of the Graduate School were approved by the Graduate Council on April 20, 2005. (http://www.uga.edu/gradschool/faculty/status.html)

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