Policy Number: 47

GRADUATE FACULTY

Members of the Graduate Faculty are so designated because the specialized content of courses in advanced programs requires faculty with a high degree of specialization and competence as evidenced by their formal academic preparation and by their commitment to scholarship, research, and professional practices.  The Graduate Faculty is responsible for the development, execution, and review of graduate programs and through its representatives on the Council on Graduate Studies, recommends policy on all graduate matters to the university administration.  The Graduate Faculty shall include the President, the Vice President for Academic Affairs, the Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs, the Dean of Graduate School, the Deans of the Colleges and the Chairs of Departments which offer graduate programs.  All other faculty shall be appointed as outlined below.

Eligibility

To be eligible for nomination as a Regular Member, a candidate must:

1. hold the rank of Assistant Professor, or above;
2. exhibit continued professional research or creativity activity in the area of specialization;
3. hold a terminal degree in the field of assignment, as defined in this document; and
4. have held a continuous, full-time, academic appointment of one year at the University or an equivalent institution.

Instead of Item 3 above, candidates may document exceptional expertise at a level of regional acclaim generally recognized in the field appropriate to their assignment and in direct relationship to the specific course(s) to be taught.

Associate Graduate Faculty Membership is available to members of the EIU faculty who do not hold the required terminal degree and who have not completed one year of continuous full-time academic appointment at EIU or an equivalent institution.

To be eligible for nomination as Associate Members, candidates must:

1. hold the rank of Assistant Professor or above;
2. exhibit continued professional research or creative activity in the area of specialization in which they are nominated to teach.

Adjunct Graduate Faculty Membership is available to professionals who are not members of the EIU faculty.  Adjunct Graduate Faculty are appointed when no member of the EIU Regular or Associate Graduate Faculty have the expertise to teach graduate courses required for a program.

To be eligible for nominations as Adjunct Members, candidates may not be current members of the Eastern Illinois University faculty and must:

1. hold a terminal degree in the field of their proposed assignment, as defined later;
2. be regionally-recognized persons who offer exceptional expertise in the field of their proposed assignment in direct relationship to the specific course to be taught.

Nominations

Upon recommendation of the Department Graduate Committee or Graduate Coordinator and Department Chair, nominations shall be submitted to the College Dean.  Upon approval, the Dean shall forward the nomination to the Dean of Graduate School.

In addition, nominations for Associate Members shall include documentation of the need for such an appointment, with the statement attached to the nomination form. The statement shall verify that existing, qualified members of the Graduate Faculty are not available to teach the course(s) for the term in question and shall include the specific course and term for which the nomination is sought.

Adjunct Member nominations shall also include documentation of the need to appoint an Adjunct Member.

Appointments

Regular, associate, and adjunct graduate faculty appointments shall be made by the Dean of the Graduate School.

Term

Regular members are appointed for a term of five years.

Members appointed under the "exceptional expertise" clause, associate members, and adjunct members shall be appointed for one year (12 months).

Review

Eligibility for Regular membership shall be reviewed every five years.  Appointments and reappointments will be monitored by the Graduate School.

Reappointments shall follow the same procedure as for initial appointments.  The following reasons shall be sufficient for denying reappointment:

1. inability to demonstrate excellence in teaching,
2. inability to demonstrate continued professional research or creative activity, or
3. conduct or practice inconsistent with acceptable professional standards.

Duties

Regular Members shall perform the following duties:

1. serve as an advisor to a graduate, degree-seeking, student;
2. serve as a member of a committee for a graduate student;
3. serve on university-level graduate committees, including serving on, or voting for the members of, the Council on Graduate Studies; and,
4. teach courses numbered 5000 or above

Associate Members are appointed for the purpose of teaching a specific graduate course, or courses, and shall have only those duties. Associate Members may not vote in elections which determine membership on the Council on Graduate Studies.

Adjunct Members are appointed to teach a specific graduate course in a specific term.

TERMINAL DEGREE DEFINITIONS

For the purpose of this policy, a terminal degree shall be defined as the earned doctorate in the appropriate discipline, except as noted below.

College of Arts and Humanities

The earned doctorate in the appropriate discipline with the following exception:

College of Education and Professional Studies

The earned doctorate in the appropriate discipline with the following exception:

Lumpkin College of Business and Applied Sciences

The earned doctorate in the appropriate discipline with the following exception:

College of Sciences

The earned doctorate in the appropriate discipline with the following exception:

The highest appropriate degree as specified above must be earned from a regionally accredited institution in an academic area appropriate to the department or unit.

Appropriate equivalent degrees shall be approved, in writing, by the Vice President for Academic Affairs.

Approved:
President
July 9, 2003

Monitor: Vice President for Academic Affairs