Graduate Council

The name of this standing committee shall be the Graduate Council of North Dakota State University.

Section 1

The Graduate Council is responsible for formulating, reviewing, disseminating, and monitoring the implementation of policies and procedures concerning graduate education at North Dakota State University, including but not limited to:

(a) graduate admissions requirements and policies,

(b) graduate completion requirements,

(c) graduate curriculum standards,

(d) graduate instruction and advising standards,

(e) graduate faculty standards and status, and

(f) graduate student appeals.

To that end, the Council approves all proposals for new graduate programs or changes to current programs. The Council approves renewal of graduate faculty status and must approve requests for non-graduate faculty to teach graduate courses.

Section 2

Graduate Council policies, including all policy and procedural information published in the Graduate Catalog and other university documents, are subject to review and approval by the College Deans, the Dean of the College of Graduate and Interdisciplinary Studies, the Provost, and the President. They may also be subject to review and approval by the full members of the graduate faculty at the discretion of the Graduate Council.

Section 1

The Graduate Council is composed of a Council chair (and alternate), 2 graduate faculty representatives from each academic college, 1 representative of the College of Graduate and Interdisciplinary Studies appointed by the Dean, 3 additional at-large members appointed by the Dean to ensure representation of the diversity of grad programs, and 2 (total) graduate students. 

The Dean of Graduate and Interdisciplinary Studies and designated representative of the graduate school will be ex-officio non-voting members.

No academic department may have more than one representative on grad council.

Section 2

Each academic college will designate or elect two representatives from the members of their graduate faculty. The faculty representatives will be tenured or tenure-track faculty who are full members of the graduate faculty and have graduate teaching and/or advising responsibilities. 

The representative of the College of Graduate and Interdisciplinary studies will be appointed by the Dean and 3 additional at-large members will be appointed by the Dean to ensure diversity of grad programs are represented. 

Of the two graduate student members, one member will be designated or elected by the Graduate Student Council. One of the graduate student members will be designated by the Dean of the College of Graduate and Interdisciplinary Studies. 

The Chair of the Council will be elected by the members of the Graduate Council at the end of each academic year for the following year. To be eligible to serve as chair, the individual must have served previously on Graduate Council. 

The Chair of the Council may serve up to two consecutive one-year terms. Faculty representatives may serve up to two consecutive three- year terms. Graduate student representatives may serve a two-year term. An exception to the term limit may be approved by the majority of the Graduate Council and the Dean of the College of Graduate and Interdisciplinary Studies

Section 1

The Council will meet at least monthly during the academic year. Special meetings may be called by the Chair or by a majority of the membership.

Section 2

The minutes of each council meeting shall be made available to council members, college deans, and graduate program directors. The Chair shall ensure that minutes of meetings are posted on the Graduate Council web page in a timely manner.

Section 3

For any meeting, a simple majority of the voting members of the Council shall constitute a quorum.

Section 4

The Chair shall set the agenda. Any member of the committee may request the addition of an agenda item. The order of business for Graduate Council meetings shall be:

• Approval of the minutes of the previous meeting.
• Announcements.
• Consent Agenda.
• Committee and other reports.
• Unfinished business.
• New business.
• Adjournment.

Section 5

The rules contained in the current edition of Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised shall be the parliamentary authority for the Council when applicable and when not inconsistent with these bylaws or any special rules of order the Council may adopt.

The Council shall have the Chair form or cause to be formed a Curriculum Committee, an Affiliate Faculty Committee and a Policy Committee. The Curriculum Committee will review graduate curriculum changes and provide recommendations to the Graduate Council. The Affiliate Faculty Committee will review applications for Affiliate Faculty Status and graduate teaching waivers and provide recommendations to the Graduate Council. The Policy Committee will review policies and procedures concerning graduate education and provide recommendations to the Graduate Council. The members of the Curriculum Committee, the Affiliate Faculty Committee and the Policy Committee will be elected by the Graduate Council. Each committee will elect a chair among its members.

In addition, the Chair shall form or cause to be formed such special committees as it needs. Each special committee shall have a charge that includes its organization, responsibilities, the term of existence, and method of meeting and reporting.

Non-members of the Graduate Council may serve as non-voting members of committees at the request of the Graduate Council Chair to provide specific expertise. 

Section 1

Adoption of the bylaws will be by a vote of the full members the graduate faculty.

Section 2

These bylaws may be amended at any regular meeting of the Council by two-thirds of the votes cast, provided that the amendment is minor and has been submitted in writing to the membership at the previous regular meeting. Major amendments, as determined by a simple majority of the voting members present at any regular meeting of the Council, must be approved by the full members of the graduate faculty.