To:
Jimmy Woods, CEO NGCSU Faculty
Senate
From:
Donna Gessell, for the NGCSU Graduate
Council
RE:
Bylaws Changes for the approval
process for Graduate (only) Programs
Date: March
2, 2004
The
Graduate Council proposes the following bylaws changes to make it the approving
body for academic policies for self-contained, exclusively graduate programs,
which currently include Community Counseling, Education Specialist, Nursing
(FNP), and Physical Therapy. The changes
also reflect the current position title for the Director of Graduate Studies
and External Programs.
Proposed
Changes: (in bold)
Purpose:
The purpose of the Academic Activities Committee shall be to review and
formulate academic policies that affect undergraduate instruction for
the University.
Composition:
The committee shall be composed of each academic department head, the Dean of
each school, the Director of the Division of Academic Support Programs, the
Registrar, the Director of Admissions, the Director of Library Services, the Coordinator
Director of Graduate Studies and External Programs, one Senator
appointed by the Senate Committee on Committees, four Faculty elected at large,
and three student representatives. The Vice President for Academic Affairs shall
serve as the Chair. Faculty members shall be from four different academic
departments and shall not be department heads. They shall be elected for
two-year terms.
Duties:
The committee shall review and formulate admission requirements, academic
regulations, and degree requirements, for all programs except for those at
the graduate level. The committee shall be responsible for the approval of
all new academic programs and course offerings, the appropriate hours of
credit, and the catalog descriptions, when the academic policies affect
undergraduate instruction.
Graduate
Council
Purpose:
The purpose of the Graduate Council shall be to guide the direction of the
graduate program under the supervision of the President of the University and
the Vice President for Academic Affairs.
The Graduate Council shall review and formulate graduate academic
policies for the University.
Composition:
The Graduate Council shall be composed of the Coordinator Director of
Graduate Studies and External Programs and one graduate faculty member
from each of the following programs: Education Specialist, Master of Education
(from the Department of Teacher Education), Master of Public Administration,
Master of Science in Community Counseling, Master of Science in Nursing, and Master
of Science in Physical Therapy. Graduate faculty from the departments
that do not house the degrees above shall collectively elect one
representative. The Coordinator Director of Graduate
Studies and External Programs will conduct this election. The
graduate program with the largest number of students, as measured by full-time
equivalency standard, shall have one additional graduate faculty
representative. The Senate Committee on Committees shall appoint one
Senator who is a graduate faculty member. The Graduate Student Senate
shall select one graduate student representative. A department that is
petitioning for a new graduate degree program may select a graduate faculty
member to serve on the Graduate Council in a non-voting capacity. The
Chair of the Graduate Council shall be the Coordinator Director of
Graduate Studies and External Programs. The Vice President for Academic
Affairs and the Registrar or the Registrar’s designee shall serve in a
nonvoting capacity.
Duties:
The Graduate Council shall be responsible for establishing academic policies
for the graduate program. The council shall review and approve new program
proposals as well as proposed revisions in the existing program. After approval
by the Graduate Council, new proposals that also affect undergraduate
instruction will be forwarded to the Academic Activities Committee for final
approval of those provisions that affect undergraduate instruction.
The Graduate Council shall institute criteria for Graduate Faculty status and a
process for selection of Graduate Faculty.
Rationale: Currently, the course and program review change approvals made by
the Graduate Council are all passed on to Academic Activities for
approval. The proposed changes would
streamline the business before the Academic Activities Committee by removing
its approval from graduate-only business related to the programs that are
separate from any undergraduate programs and that are already being considered
by the Graduate Council. Because the
programs in Community Counseling, Education Specialist, Nursing (FNP), and
Physical Therapy are self-contained, exclusively graduate, and either
externally accredited or seeking external accreditation, the Graduate Council
is the logical final approving body.
The
following chart outlines practices at other USG institutions regarding graduate
program approvals:
|
Institution |
Unitary process* |
Separate process** |
Separate process/ unitary approval*** |
Source of information |
|
Albany
State |
|
|
X |
Grad Dean |
|
Armstrong
Atlantic |
|
X |
|
Web |
|
Augusta |
|
X |
|
Grad Dean |
|
Georgia
College |
X |
|
|
Grad Dean |
|
Georgia
Southern |
|
X |
|
Grad Dean |
|
Georgia
Southwestern |
|
|
X |
Grad Dean |
|
Georgia
State |
|
|
X |
Grad Dean |
|
Kennesaw |
|
X |
|
Web |
|
Savannah
State |
|
X |
|
Grad Dean |
|
Southern
Poly |
|
X |
|
Grad Dean |
|
University
of Georgia |
|
|
X |
Grad Dean |
|
Valdosta |
|
X |
|
Web |
|
West
Georgia |
|
X |
|
Grad Dean |
*Unitary
process means that the same body approves course, curriculum changes.
**Separate
process means that a separate body handles graduate course/curriculum changes
from the one that handles undergraduate and has approval.
***Separate
process/unitary approval means that two separate subgroups, one undergraduate
and the other graduate, consider the changes and forward them to a single body
for approval.