Executive Council of Graduate Faculty

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

Executive Council Ex Officio Members and Staff Support: 2020-2021

This table lists individuals from the Lawrence campus unless otherwise noted.

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.

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
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
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
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
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

Administrative Approval: Graduate Faculty Nominations

Administrative Approval: GTA appointments to Courses at the 700 level or above

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.

Master's Degree Policy Suite

English Proficiency Requirements for Graduate Admission

Admission Requirements for Graduate Study

Graduate Exam Committee Composition Proposals