Why Only Undergraduate Studies?

After the Senate Meeting last week, a few faculty members approached me and asked emphatically, “Why is the Senate only discussing undergraduate programs? What about graduate studies?” This is a question many faculty have so I will answer it briefly here.

The Faculty Senate is no longer in charge of Graduate Studies. That role officially ended in 2019.

In 2018-2019, there was a revision of the Constitution, as happens every five years. In that revision there was a proposal to end the Graduate Studies Committee and to create a Graduate Council. The Graduate Faculty (faculty members formally approved to teach graduate classes) would oversee the Graduate Council.

Why? The short answer is that “This change was recommended by University Counsel, which cited system-level documents which prohibit faculty members who are not also graduate faculty members from exercising control over graduate policies.” (Senate Minutes, 4/17/19) As a result, the Senate dissolved the Graduate Studies Committee and a separate Graduate Council was created.

If faculty members, students, or community members have concerns about cuts to MA or PhD programs, contact the Graduate Council. The Senate is no longer in charge of these matters. The Grad Council has a meeting on January 26th, which according to the governance document, graduate faculty members can attend. The Chair of Graduate Studies is Selima Sultana, the person to contact with additional questions.