Graduate Faculty Membership Policy

Definition:

The Graduate Faculty consists of the faculty and academic staff (including adjunct, ad hoc, and clinical faculty) of the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse who meet the criteria for full, associate, assistant, and affiliate membership.  Faculty and academic staff seeking graduate faculty status (other than provisional and affiliate) must have a graduate degree.

The  fourmembership categories are:

1. Full members have the opportunity to engage in the following responsibilities: a) Teach graduate courses: b) direct or serve on graduate theses or graduate projects, seminar papers and/or graduate comprehensive examinations; c) supervise internships/preceptorships; d) serve on the Graduate Council and/or Graduate Curriculum Committee; e) supervise directed or independent studies; f) advise graduate students.  Membership may be granted indefinitely for UW-L staff and faculty and may be granted for a period of up to 5 years for non-UW-L appointments.

2. Associate members have the opportunity to engage in the following responsibilities: a) teach graduate courses; b) supervise internships/preceptorships; c) serve on the Graduate Council and/or Graduate Curriculum Committee; d) serve on or co-direct graduate theses or direct graduate projects, seminar papers and/or graduate comprehensive examinations; e) supervise directed or independent studies; f) advise graduate students.  Membership may be granted indefinitely for UW-L staff and faculty.

Members who resign or retire will retain Affiliate status for up to two years.

3. Affiliate members are equivalent to Associate members in their responsibilities. Affiliate membership is extended only to individuals external to UW-L or those with less than full-time appointment.  Membership may be granted up to 5 years and are renewable.  All memberships will end in May.

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Exception. Individuals whose primary professional involvement (and employment) is external to the University, but whose involvement in, and contributions to, UW-L graduate programs are nearly the same as that of UW-L faculty, have the opportunity to apply for Full Graduate Faculty membership (these persons would need to meet all criteria for Full membership, including the doctorate or other appropriate terminal degree).  Examples of such individuals include adjunct faculty whose organization is a recognized formal partner in a UW-L graduate program, are involved in planning and delivering the curriculum, who advise graduate students, and who maintain an active program of peer-reviewed scholarship that includes research with UW-L students and faculty.  In addition to meeting all current criteria for Full Graduate Faculty membership, the applicant must have successfully mentored at least two UW-L graduate students through the entire graduate process as a co-major advisor or co-director (of a thesis, seminar paper, or graduate project), and have the support of the department(s) in which the program is housed.  Departments should carefully review the credentials, roles, and contributions to UW-L graduate programs of professionals external to the University prior to pursuing this exception.  Use of this “exception” should be carefully applied by departments/programs, and compelling evidence for Full Graduate Faculty membership must be presented.

4. Provisional membership may be granted by the Head of University Graduate Studies when a compelling need warrants. A request for provisional membership should be initiated by the department chair and approved by the appropriate dean before being submitted to the Office of Graduate Studies.   Provisional membership may be granted at the Associate or Affiliate level for one semester (fall or spring) with the inclusion of a contiguous summer session.  In exceptional circumstances, provisional membership may be extended for one more semester by the Head of Graduate Studies.  Faculty anticipating extended need for Graduate Faculty Membership must apply for one of the above categories.

Once a year, chairs and program directors will receive a spreadsheet from Graduate Studies (second Friday in August).  The chairs will check a box to continue, discontinue, or change the status of each faculty member served by their department or program with the advice of the program director.

Appeals for Disputing Graduate Faculty Membership

            If a discontinuation is being considered for a faculty member who is not resigning or retiring, the department will convene a subcommittee comprised of not less than three members that includes the program director and make an evaluation with appropriate rationale for why they should be discontinued that will be forwarded to the Dean’s office and the Head of Graduate Studies.   The checklist will be forwarded by the second Friday in September to the Dean’s office and Head of Graduate Studies with a notification to the affected faculty member who has been denied faculty membership.  The department must provide a rationale for its decision.

The affected faculty member may make an appeal of the Department’s decision to the Dean’s office by the fourth Friday in September.   A subcommittee of at least three members (one from the Department involved and two members outside of the Department involved) will be convened by the Dean’s office to perform a separate independent evaluation of the faculty member with a rationale provided for their decision.  The Dean’s committee will submit their report to the Head of Graduate Studies by the fourth Friday in October.  Both evaluations will be reviewed by the Graduate Advisory Board and recommendation submitted to the full Graduate Council.  The Graduate Council will make a final determination regarding the denial of Graduate Faculty membership by the end of the semester.

            If a faculty member wishes to dispute the level of membership granted, an appeal can be filed with the Department Chair.  The same appeals process outlined above for denial of Graduate Faculty membership will be followed.

Revised  2/2008

Revised/approved 04/20/2007