posted
As most of you probably know, there is a special Task Force looking into the future of the Graduate School as an administrative unit of the University. As GSG President, I have the honor of serving on this Task Force. And while our proceedings are closed, I am very much interested in soliciting graduate student input on these issues.
I have obtained an electronic copy of a Graduate Council Resolution on the matter and will post that below. This is merely informational. However, if you have any concerns, questions, comments, or otherwise, please feel free to post them here. I will be reading this Forum frequently.
Thanks, Doc Hunter, GSG President _________________________________ RESOLUTION FROM THE GRADUATE COUNCIL TO THE PROVOST
May 19, 2004 At its April 12, 2004 meeting, the Graduate Council discussed the Report of the Task Group on Academic Incentives, Efficiencies, and Effectiveness. Recommendation on Program and Unit Consolidation. Item 2. Examine the Role of the Graduate School in the future of the University. The Council unanimously approved two motions:
· Graduate Council representatives should be included in any discussions that will determine the oversight structure of graduate education.
· The Graduate Council and its relevant committees should retain oversight of graduate programs, courses, and curricula.
The Council felt strongly that having a single body determine education policies for both undergraduate and graduate students was a grave mistake. As a major research university, our crown jewel is graduate education and research. The policies and procedures that govern these crucial areas need to be determined and amended by faculty and administrators who have both an understanding of and a commitment to education and research at the graduate level, which are different in many critical ways from undergraduate education and research. Faculty and administrators who have a dual commitment could lack important insights and experience that are crucial to making the right decisions on graduate academic and research issues. The Council also felt strongly that its representatives should be included in any discussion of the future of the Graduate School and its role in the administration of graduate students and graduate education. The Council was of the firm opinion that the dual review of graduate program and course proposals by both the Graduate Council and the Senate was important. These two bodies view these proposals from different perspectives; both views are important to assuring that the highest standards are maintained while permitting the sort of innovation that is essential for the development of ground-breaking courses and programs. The Graduate Council discussed the question of whether a Graduate School is needed at all. The Council discussed the many efforts made by the Graduate School in the recent past to streamline its activities, such as the creation of on-line application processing, merging of admissions and processing activities with Undergraduate Admissions, submitting dissertations electronically, transferring staff to other units, eliminating the highly labor-intensive fellowship competitions, shifting from a centralized fellowship system to a totally decentralized system, and closing of the Fellowship Office and terminating of its staff positions. Clearance for graduation by the Registrar’s Office instead of the Graduate School currently is under consideration. The Council’s opinion was that the effectiveness of the new decentralized system of fellowships should be evaluated after a period of several years and a determination made whether some form of central monitoring by the Graduate School might be desirable. On the question of the functions that should remain for the Graduate School to perform, the opinion of the Council was that the main functions of the Graduate School are to protect and promote the institution, the students, the faculty and graduate scholarship in general. Although in principle some of the Graduate School’s functions could be carried out adequately by the colleges and the graduate programs, there are many instances in which these bodies have a conflict of interest. Therefore, a neutral entity, without allegiance to any particular college, program, or faculty member, is required to perform these protective and promotional functions for the entire institution. Furthermore, the Graduate School, through its committees and staff, have unique expertise in dealing with difficult matters encountered by graduate students and graduate programs, such as monitoring thesis and dissertation defenses, adjudicating problems between graduate programs, their faculty and graduate students, and interpreting policies so as to maintain standards while recognizing grounds for exceptions. This expertise should not be discarded; it would be shortsighted to do so. The Graduate School, through its governing body, the Graduate Council, maintains stewardship over graduate programs. Only a body with an exclusive area of interest in graduate education in all of its aspects, from a campus-wide perspective, should have primary responsibility for graduate students, graduate faculty, and graduate courses, curricula, and programs. Below is a list of some of the major functions that currently are carried out by the Graduate School. This list is not meant to be an exhaustive list.
SOME OF THE MAJOR FUNCTIONS OF THE GRADUATE SCHOOL
· The Graduate School is responsible for formulating new academic policies and procedures in response to suggestions from the VP for Research & Dean, the Graduate Council, the college deans, various Graduate School administrators, unit chairs and directors, graduate directors, the Ombudsperson for Graduate Students, graduate student government, and the graduate students themselves.
· The Graduate School administers policies established by the Graduate Council. In addition, the Graduate School publicizes these policies and assists the colleges and graduate programs in interpreting and administering them.
· The Graduate School is responsible for overseeing the Graduate Catalog and ensuring that it is kept up to date with respect to courses and curricula, policy changes, and procedural changes established by the Registrar, the Bursar, and the Graduate School.
· An important role of the Graduate School has always been the maintenance of standards of admission, which are vital for the reputation of the institution and the quality of its students. One of the criteria for admission into our graduate programs is an undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or better. Every semester, graduate programs petition the Graduate School to admit students whose GPA is deficient. If these students are admitted, the Graduate School assures that such students are advised of their probationary status and that an adequate written plan exists that specifies which courses they must take and the minimum grades they much achieve in order to continue beyond the probationary year. This oversight improves the quality of students admitted to the Graduate School and minimizes misunderstandings regarding the fulfillment of degree requirements.
· A major function of the Graduate School is in the broad oversight of recruitment and retention. In recent years, the Graduate School has launched major campus-wide initiatives for recruitment, including minority recruitment, as well as for improving retention and years-to-degree. Working with graduate programs, the Center for Teaching Excellence, and the Dean for Undergraduate Studies, the Graduate School also promotes mentorship, improvement of teaching by and for graduate students, and the integration of graduate assistants in the university community.
· There are many standing and ad hoc campus committees on campus that deal with academic policy issues that directly affect graduate education. These bodies require input from an entity that has a view of graduate education as a whole rather than from the vantage point of a single college or program. The Graduate School provides that perspective.
· An important aspect of effective graduate education is to maintain contact with graduate administrators at peer institutions to share information and to compare policies and procedures; the Graduate School fulfills this need. In addition, Graduate School administrators represent the university at the Council of Graduate Schools, the Association of Graduate Schools, and the National Association of Graduate Admissions Professionals. These contacts are a goldmine of useful information, valuable contacts, and ideas for increased quality and efficiency.
· Administrators from the Graduate School often visit colleges and graduate programs to discuss relevant aspects of Graduate School policy with administrators and faculty. Such visits are helpful for obtaining feedback and suggestions for changes in policies and procedures.
· The Graduate School serves as a liaison between the Registrar, the Bursar, the Provost, the President, the President’s Legal Office, the Office of Judicial Programs and Ethical Student Development, and other offices in matters concerning graduate students and graduate education.
· The Graduate School responds to many requests for information about graduate programs, application procedures, etc., from potential applicants, especially international students. Where appropriate, these requests are routed to the relevant colleges or programs, but many are of a general nature not related to any particular course of study.
· The Graduate School interacts with International Education Services and the Maryland English Institute on matters involving international graduate students. Where there are conflicts concerning the performance of international students on the Maryland English Examination, a requirement for international teaching assistants, or the TOEFL, a requirement for all international students for admission to any graduate program, the Graduate School acts as a mediator.
· An important function of the Graduate School is to ensure that doctoral dissertation and master’s thesis defenses are conducted in accordance with the policies established by the Graduate Council. This function should be carried out by a neutral agency, independent of any graduate program or college, and which has as its primary responsibility the maintenance of the standards and integrity of the institution, and the fair treatment of students.
· The Graduate School has established procedures for facilitating emergency substitutions of committee members for master’s thesis and doctoral dissertation defenses, in the event that a committee member announces at the last minute that h or she cannot participate in the defense. These substitutions are always consistent with the requirements established by the Graduate Council.
· The Graduate School resolves various graduate-student problems such as irregularities in dissertation committee membership or attendance at the defense, unauthorized changes in committee membership, etc.
· The Graduate School ensures that standard contract letters, approved by the President’s Legal Office, are sent out to graduate assistants and fellows so that both the students and their programs are aware of each other’s rights and responsibilities.
· The Graduate School ensures that assistantship and fellowship offers are consistent with the Resolution Regarding Graduate Scholars, Fellows, Trainees, and Assistants of the Council of Graduate Schools, for which the University of Maryland, College Park has indicated its support.
· The Graduate School decides on eligibility to serve on thesis and dissertation committees of nominees who are neither tenured nor tenure-track faculty at the College Park campus. The programs and colleges of the nominees have a clear conflict of interest in making such decisions. Only an independent entity can determine, in an objective way, the eligibility of these nominees.
· The Graduate School is responsible for the administration of the Graduate Council. The Graduate School:
o conducts the Council elections; o schedules the Council meetings and coordinates the dates with Senate meetings; o sets the Council agenda; o recruits faculty to serve on and chair standing and ad hoc committees of the Council; o staffs and administers the Council’s standing and ad hoc Committees; o appoints appropriate committees to deal with issues raised by Council discussions.
· Graduate School administrators handle graduate student and graduate-faculty complaints and concerns in the area of graduate education and policy. They frequently intervene in the normal administrative process to solve student and faculty problems.
· Graduate School administrators attempt to mediate problems that arise between faculty and students to avoid a formal grievance procedure. Where mediation is not successful, the Graduate School administers the grievance process, under the campus’ Arbitrary and Capricious Grading policy for course grades or the Graduate School’s new Arbitrary and Capricious grading policy for doctoral qualifying examinations. The administrators ensure that proposed resolutions of grievances are carried out by the Graduate School, the Registrar, or other officials of the University.
· A major function of the Graduate School is to adjudicate petitions for exceptions to rules, policies, and deadlines, and to grant extensions to deadlines after consideration of the merits of each case. It is the concern with standards and the impartiality of the Graduate School that makes it the appropriate agent for these activities.
· The Graduate School acts as an advocate for graduate students and fellows in such areas as health insurance for fellows and graduate housing. In addition, important assistance is provided in the form of short-term emergency loans for graduate students.
· For a number of years the Graduate School has arranged help for graduate students in the preparation of their income tax returns. This income tax support service is extremely important for international students who are often totally bewildered by our tax system and the plethora of individual tax treaties between their home countries and the U.S.
· The Graduate School is responsible for administering the biennial evaluation of all 13 colleges for future fellowship support according to the formula approved by the Graduate Council. To be sure, individual colleges or individual graduate programs are perfectly capable of carrying out many of the above functions. Unfortunately, all too often these entities are not free from conflict of interest or they lack the specific knowledge of the policies and procedures to make appropriate decisions that are in the best interests of the institution as a whole. Only an independent entity, such as the Graduate School, is qualified to make these judgments and carry out the above responsibilities in an unbiased manner that protects all of the students, all of the faculty, and the entire institution.
Posts: 258 | I am: Graduate Student Government President | Registered: Oct 2001
| Logged: 128.8.23.202 |
posted
The Task Force will be hosting an opening forum for graduate students in Nov. I will post information on this meeting when I recieve it. I would encourage all grad students who are interested in/have thoughts on the future of the Grad School to attend.
In the meantime, I am preparing, for lack of a better term, a "position paper" on the issue. If anyone has thoughts about what the role of the Graduate School should be from a student perspective, please let me know.
Thanks, Doc
Posts: 258 | I am: Graduate Student Government President | Registered: Oct 2001
| Logged: 128.8.22.8 |
These Forums serve as both an administrative hub for official GSG business and a place for graduate students to socialize and discuss concerns. GSG officials will continue to post official information on this site including meeting announcements, legislation, EFR documentation, etc.
We have been subject to a significant amount of spam and bots attacking the forum. Therefore, in order to register on the forum, you will need an @umd.edu or an @gmail.com email address. Please contact the forum administrator if you would like to register with an email address from another server. Thanks!
UBBFriend: Email this page to someone!
Printer-friendly view of this topic
