Constitution of the Graduate School of Missouri Western State University

From MWSU Graduate School Policy Portal

NOTE: This is a draft document only at this time. This document has not been ratified yet.

CONSTITUTION OF THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF MISSOURI WESTERN STATE UNIVERSITY

Contents 1 Name 2 Purpose 3 MWSU Graduate School Membership 4 Faculty With Graduate Appointments 4.1 Graduate Faculty 4.2 Associate Graduate Faculty 4.3 Adjunct Graduate Faculty 5 MWSU Graduate School Student Membership 5.1 Degree Seeking Graduate Students 5.2 Non-degree Seeking Graduate Students 5.3 Provisional Admission Students 6 MWSU GRADUATE COUNCIL 6.1 Responsibilities 6.2 Meetings 6.3 Voting Members 6.4 Election of Members 6.5 Officers 6.6 Non-voting Members 6.7 Graduate Dean 6.8 Student Representative 7 Graduate Faculty Powers 8 MWSU Graduate Student Association 9 Graduate Curriculum 10 AMENDMENTS 11 RATIFICATION AND IMPLEMENTATION

Name

The name of this body shall be Missouri Western State University Graduate School (MWSU Graduate School)

Purpose

The purpose of the MWSU Graduate School shall be to provide specialized applied learning experiences and research opportunities to students seeking master's level degrees and to post-baccalaureate community members aspiring to achieve advanced educational and career goals.

The graduate school, through the Graduate Council, shall also

1. Facilitate communication among the Graduate Faculty, Graduate Students, and the Administration
2. Make recommendations for the betterment of the University.
3. Make recommendations for the improvement of graduate curriculum, graduate instruction, graduate academic standards, and all matters affecting graduate faculty or graduate students at Missouri Western State University.
4. Review graduate proposals submitted by and/or to the University Governance Advisory Council and make recommendations thereon.

MWSU Graduate School Membership

The Graduate School shall consist of the Dean of the Graduate School, faculty with graduate appointments and graduate students.

Faculty With Graduate Appointments

Only faculty with graduate appointments can teach graduate courses, advise graduate students, and direct graduate projects or thesis research; as such, faculty who desire such appointments are subject to criteria consisting of minimum qualifications and an appointment process developed and periodically reviewed by a body of their peers. Body of peers is defined as the Graduate Council. Faculty may submit application for graduate appointments at any time of the year and at any stage of their participation, or lack of participation, in a graduate program. The Graduate Council shall maintain procedures and criteria used to determine graduate appointments.

Faculty shall receive graduate appointments as Graduate Faculty, Associate Graduate Faculty, or Adjunct Graduate Faculty.

Graduate Faculty

Graduate Faculty are those faculty members who are tenured and tenure-tracked assistant, associate, and professor level ranks who have terminal degrees appropriate to the discipline to which they are applying and who have met the standards set by the Graduate Council in their Bylaws.

1. Graduate Faculty teach graduate courses, advise graduate students, chair graduate student committees, serve on graduate student committees, serve on graduate council committees, and serve on the Graduate Council if elected.
2. Graduate Faculty shall be appointed for a period of five years.

Associate Graduate Faculty

Associate Graduate Faculty shall be tenured and tenure-track faculty judged capable of contributing to quality graduate education in the area of their expertise and who have met the standards set by the Graduate Council in their Bylaws.

1. Associate Graduate Faculty teach graduate level courses, advise graduate students, serve on graduate council committees, and serve on student committees.
2. Associate Graduate Faculty shall be appointed for a period of one year.

Adjunct Graduate Faculty

Adjunct Graduate Faculty shall be non-tenure track faculty members, instructors, staff members, or other professionals who have unique or extraordinary experiences and discipline specific qualifications and who have met the standards set by the Graduate Council in their Bylaws.

1. Adjunct Graduate Faculty shall instruct courses and serve on student committees.
2. Adjunct Graduate Faculty shall be appointed for a period of one year.

MWSU Graduate School Student Membership

Graduate Student membership in the MWSU Graduate School shall be classified as recognized categories with three student designations, which shall be Degree-seeking Graduate Students, Non-degree-seeking Graduate Students, and Provisional Admission Applicants.

Degree Seeking Graduate Students

Degree-seeking Graduate Students are students who have been admitted to both the Graduate School and to a program granting a graduate degree.

Non-degree Seeking Graduate Students

Non-degree Seeking Students are students taking graduate courses who have been admitted to the graduate school but not to a program granting a graduate degree.

Provisional Admission Students

Provisional Admission Applicants are students who fail to meet admission requirements but have requested and been granted admission in this category.

MWSU GRADUATE COUNCIL

Responsibilities

The Graduate Council at MWSU is responsible for developing and recommending University policy and procedures for all aspects of graduate study, including curriculum and faculty with graduate appointments.

Meetings

Meetings of the Council will occur a minimum of twice a semester and additional times as called upon by the Graduate Council Chair.

Voting Members

One Graduate Faculty member per academic department offering graduate courses or graduate degrees shall be a voting member of the Graduate Council. The Graduate Council shall have the authority to establish policies and procedures in their Bylaws that allow for the election of up to three at-large, non-administrative Graduate Faculty as voting members of the Graduate Council. Academic departments offering graduate courses or degrees shall be determined at the start of each academic year based on the projected offerings for the next 12 months.

Election of Members

Graduate Council members representing academic departments shall be elected by their respective departments.

Voting members will have a 3 year term. Terms shall begin and end on September 1 of each year. A Graduate Faculty member may serve two consecutive terms, then must be off the Graduate Council for at least one full 3-year term.

The Graduate Council shall have the power to remove a member if the member is absent for more than three regularly scheduled meetings. In the event that a member is removed, a replacement election shall be held prior to the next regularly scheduled meeting of the Graduate Council to select a Graduate Faculty member to complete the remainder of the term.

Officers

The Council shall elect from among its voting members, a chair and a vice chair, each to serve a two-year term. In the event that an officer is no longer a member of the Graduate Council, a replacement shall be selected to complete the remaining time of the individual’s term.

Non-voting Members

The Deans of the academic Colleges shall be non-voting members of the Graduate Council. The Faculty Senate shall appoint a Senator as a non-voting member of the Graduate Council. If the Faculty Senate representative is already a member of the Graduate Council, then that member shall retain his/her vote.

Graduate Dean

The Graduate Dean shall be Executive Secretary, non-voting, with responsibility in consultation with the Council Chair for scheduling meetings, drafting and distributing the agenda and minutes, and providing documents and background information to the Council necessary for it to fulfill its charge.

Student Representative

One student, elected by the Graduate Student Association according to its bylaws will serve without a vote. The student representative will serve a one year term beginning September 1 of each year. Unless stipulated by the Graduate Student Association, there is no limit on the number of consecutive terms a student can serve.

Graduate Faculty Powers

Members of the Graduate Faculty shall have the right at all times to challenge any Graduate Council action which is to be binding on faculty with graduate appointments. A challenge of Graduate Council action must be made by at least twenty (20) percent of the faculty with graduate appointments classified as Graduate Faculty. Such challenges (with reasons) shall be made in writing and presented to the Chair of the Graduate Council and the Graduate Dean within fifteen (15) calendar days after the Graduate Council meeting at which the challenged action was taken.

The Chair of the Graduate Council shall send a copy of such challenge (names of challengers need not be included) to each member of the Graduate Faculty and shall arrange a meeting of all Graduate Faculty not sooner than five school days after copies of the challenge have been distributed to the Graduate Faculty. The convened meeting shall consider the challenge.

Not later than three school days after the convened meeting, the Graduate Dean shall distribute ballots to all members of the Graduate Faculty asking them whether they will uphold the action of the Graduate Council. A negative vote by an absolute majority of the Association (more than fifty (50) percent of all eligible voters) constitutes a veto of the challenged Graduate Council action.

MWSU Graduate Student Association

The Graduate Students shall have the authority to establish a Graduate Student Association made up of current students admitted to MWSU graduate degree programs. To be recognized, the Graduate Student Association must have membership with the National Association of Graduate and Professional Students.

The Graduate Student Association shall have the authority to establish its own bylaws, and to make recommendations to the Graduate Council.

Graduate Curriculum

MWSU Faculty are responsible for designing curriculum for graduate programs in their discipline or, in the case of an inter-disciplinary graduate program, for their respective disciplines. All curriculum proposals must originate from an Academic Department. Policies regarding the development of graduate curriculum are in the Bylaws of the Graduate Council. Procedures for the development of graduate curriculum are maintained by the Graduate Council and housed with the Graduate Dean.

AMENDMENTS

Amendments to this Constitution may be proposed by the Graduate Council or by petition to the Council of twenty-five (25) percent of the faculty with graduate appointments classified as Graduate Faculty.

Such proposed amendments shall be submitted in writing to the members of the faculty with graduate appointments classified as Graduate Faculty at least thirty (30) days prior to a vote on the amendment.

Passage of amendments shall be by an affirmative vote of an absolute majority of the faculty with graduate appointments classified as Graduate Faculty

RATIFICATION AND IMPLEMENTATION

Upon ratification by an absolute majority of the Missouri Western State University faculty with graduate appointments classified as Graduate Faculty or Associate Graduate Faculty this Constitution supersedes all previous Constitutions and becomes effective immediately.