Executive Council of Graduate Faculty
Charge for the Council
The Executive Council of Graduate Faculty is reviewing and refining its governing bylaws. Updated bylaws will be posted once they have been confirmed.
Bylaws
Membership
The membership of the Executive Council is representative of the graduate faculty on KU’s Lawrence Campus. Members are appointed to staggered three-year terms. Three members represent the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. The School of Education nominates two representatives. Each remaining school has a single representative.
Executive Council Voting Members: 2020-2021
Name | Department | Term Ends |
---|---|---|
Brook, Jody | School of Social Welfare | 2022 |
Cai, Hui | School of Architecture and Design | 2022 |
Gillispie, Matt | College of Liberal Arts & Sciences | 2022 |
Hallman, Heidi | School of Education | 2022 |
Johnson, Chris | School of Music | 2023 |
Li, Yan | College of Liberal Arts & Sciences | 2021 |
Miner, Joshua | College of Liberal Arts & Sciences | 2021 |
Parsons, Robert | School of Engineering | 2023 |
Short, Andrew | College of Liberal Arts & Sciences | 2021 |
Tidwell, Matt | School of Journalism | 2023 |
Wintoki, Jide | School of Business | 2021 |
Wolfe, Ben | School of Professional Studies | 2023 |
Wolfe, Michael | School of Pharmacy | 2021 |
Executive Council Ex Officio Members and Staff Support: 2020-2021
This table lists individuals from the Lawrence campus unless otherwise noted.
Name | Title | Role |
---|---|---|
Roberts, Jennifer | Vice Provost for Graduate Studies | Ex Officio Chair |
Werle, Michael | Dean of Graduate Studies, KUMC | Ex Officio |
Latta, Kristine | Assistant Vice Provost for Graduate Studies | Ex Officio |
Ostreko, Amanda | Assistant Vice Provost for Graduate Enrollment Management | Ex Officio |
Roberts Graham, Amber | Director of Graduate Affairs | Ex Officio |
Ayestas, Jessy | Graduate Assistant | OGS Staff |
2020-2021 Meeting Dates, Deadlines, Agendas, and Minutes
The Executive Council meets at 2 pm every third Friday. Meetings are held in 210 Strong Hall unless otherwise indicated.
The table below lists the submission, processing, and notification deadlines that correlate to each meeting. Petitions must be received by the Office of Graduate Studies by 8:00 a.m. on the date listed. Processing, posting, and notifications will be completed before staff leaves on the date listed.
Meeting Date | Petition Submission | Agenda | Processing and Notification | Minutes |
---|---|---|---|---|
Fall 2020 | ||||
28 Aug | 17 Aug | 21 Aug | 1 Sept | 22 Sept |
18 Sept | 8 Sept | 11 Sept | 22 Sept | 13 Oct |
9 Oct | 28 Sept | 2 Oct | 13 Oct | 3 Nov |
30 Oct | 19 Oct | 23 Oct | 3 Nov | 14 Nov |
20 Nov | 9 Nov | 13 Nov | 24 Nov | 15 Dec |
11 Dec | 30 Nov | 4 Dec | 15 Dec | 2 Feb |
Spring 2021 | ||||
29 Jan | 19 Jan | 22 Jan | 2 Feb | 23 Feb |
19 Feb | 8 Feb | 12 Feb | 23 Feb | 16 Mar |
12 Mar | 1 Mar | 5 Mar | 16 Mar | 6 Apr |
2 Apr | 22 Mar | 26 Mar | 6 Apr | 27 Apr |
23 Apr | 12 Apr | 16 Apr | 27 Apr | 18 May |
14 May | 3 May | 7 May | 18 May | Fall 2021 |
Petitions for Policy Exception
Basic Guidelines
In extraordinary circumstances, the Vice Provost for Graduate Studies, in collaboration with the Executive Council of Graduate Faculty, may grant exceptions to university policy. Petitions requesting such an exception must present a well-reasoned argument, supported by documentary evidence, that the policy is inappropriate to the situation in question and strict adherence to the letter of the policy would compromise the spirit of the policy or undermine KU's values. To be considered, petitions must include the following:
- Reference to the policy or policies in the Policy Library
- Clear statement of the exception requested
- Cogent argument about the extraordinary circumstances warranting an exception
- Documentary evidence of the extraordinary circumstances and wisdom of the exception
- Statement of endorsement by department leadership
- Statement of endorsement by school or college leadership (usually from the Dean's Office or Graduate Division)
Petition Process
All petitions for exceptions to Graduate Studies policy will be reviewed by the Vice Provost for Graduate Studies in collaboration with the Executive Council of Graduate Faculty. To be included on the Council's agenda, petitions must be complete and submitted according to the deadlines and standards established above. Graduate Studies staff will decline incomplete petitions and will notify petitioners when a petition is either declined or added to a Council agenda. Graduate Studies staff will notify petitioners of the Council's decisions no later than the end of the Tuesday following a Council meeting.
All petitions for exception to Graduate Studies policy must be submitted through one of two workflow systems.
- Petitions for exception to the Graduate Admissions policy or the English Proficiency Requirements for Graduate Admission must be submitted using the workflow process in Admit. Notifications to the petitioner will be delivered through the Admit workflow process.
- Petitions for all other policy exceptions must be submitted using the Progress to Degree (PtD) system. Department staff have access to this system and can provide guidance to faculty and students. Notifications to the petitioner will be delivered by the PtD workflow system. Please note that, if the petition type you are requesting requires a student ID, it will also require an active student plan except in the case of 700+ appointments, which may be submitted before a student has returned from a leave of absence.
The Executive Council of Graduate Faculty has authorized administrative approval of some requests under limited circumstances. These circumstances are outlined below.
PtD Petition Form Job Aid
Petition Type | Description | Policy |
---|---|---|
700+ GTA Petition | Use this petition type to request permission for a GTA to assist with a course at the 700 level or above. Such appointments must be approved to ensure adequate mitigation of any potential for perceived conflict of interest, since graduate students will be teaching other graduate students. | GRA, GTA, and GA Appointments: General Guidelines and Eligibility GTA Appointment Eligibility GTA Memorandum of Agreement |
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3G on Probation | Use this petition type to request an exception allowing a student to hold a GTA, GRA, or GA position while they are not in good academic standing. This applies to students admitted provisionally for any reason and students on academic probation, both of which mean a student is not in good academic standing. | Good Academic Standing Academic Probation |
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Excess 3G FTE | Use this petition type to request an exception to the maximum FTE limits for GTAs, GRAs, and GAs | GRA, GTA, and GA Appointments: General Guidelines and Eligibility |
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Reduced-Credit-Hour Master's | Use this petition type to modify a student's course of study for a master's degree by reducing the published number of credit hours normally required. | M.A. & M.S. Degrees |
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Other Student Petition | Use this petition type to submit an exception request on behalf of an individual student when none of the existing petition form types meets your needs. Please ensure that the uploaded documentation references the specific policies and sections to which an exception is requested. | Please ensure that the uploaded documentation references the specific policies and sections to which an exception is requested. |
Variable Routing Depending on Petition Content | ||
700+ GTA Petition | Use this petition type to submit an exception request on behalf of a department or program as a whole. Please ensure that the uploaded documentation references the specific policies and sections to which an exception is requested. | Please ensure that the uploaded documentation references the specific policies and sections to which an exception is requested. |
Variable Routing Depending on Content |
PtD Petition Form Webinar Recording
Petition Documentation FAQ
What should I include in a petition to appoint a GTA at the 700 level or above?
Please review the detailed information about this petition type as provided in the PtD form for 700+ petitions.
What documents or evidence should I use to support a request prompted by a medical concern?
Please be diligent in safeguarding the privacy of our students. Please minimize submission of individual medical records or personal health information and documentation because everyone in the PtD workflow can view all attached documents. In some cases, it may be more prudent to attach a doctor's note confirming the medical need, rather than documentation of the specific health concerns. Please contact Graduate Studies for more guidance on this topic.
What documents or evidence do you recommend?
Faculty and staff are strongly encouraged to work closely with students to determine the best possible evidence that supports their request for an exception to policy. The Office of Graduate Studies is committed to reviewing any documentation that students, departments, and schools feel demonstrates the inappropriateness of university policy in a specific situation.
Examples of acceptable documentation in cases of personal crisis might include death certificates, proof of travel or other preexisting commitments, police reports, etc.
Administrative Approval: Graduate Faculty Nominations
Graduate Faculty nominations may be approved administratively by staff in the Office of Graduate Studies when they meet one of the following criteria. The Executive Council of Graduate Faculty will review all other nominations to the Graduate Faculty.
- Individuals who hold full-time, tenure-track faculty appointments at KU with the rank of Associate Professor, Full Professor, or Emeritus/a Professor may be approved for any one, several, or all of the five privileges.
- Individuals who hold full-time, tenure-track faculty appointments at KU may be approved for service as a member of master's and/or doctoral committees, service as the chair of master's committees, and/or service as the Graduate Studies Representative (GSR) on doctoral committees.
- Individuals who already hold current Graduate Faculty privileges at the KU Medical Center may be approved for equivalent privileges on the Lawrence campus.
Administrative Approval: GTA appointments to Courses at the 700 level or above
Staff in the Office of Graduate Studies may administratively approve appointments of Graduate Teaching Assistants (GTAs) to courses at the 700 level or above when they meet all of the following criteria. These criteria are intended to mitigate the potential for perceived conflict of interest and ensure worthwhile professional development opportunities for GTAs. The Executive Council of Graduate Faculty will review all other requests to appoint GTAs at the 700 level or above.
- The format of the class lends itself well to appropriate utilization and development of the GTA's skills.
- The petition letter clearly demonstrates no social or academic overlap between the GTA and enrolled graduate students.
- The petition letter clearly demonstrates the GTA will not perform grading or evaluation of enrolled graduate students.
Active Policy Work Groups
The following work groups are being convened to develop policy proposals for governance review during the 2020-2021 academic year. Please check back here for regular updates about these policy initiatives.