Graduate Council


Graduate Council is the academic governing body of The Graduate School and University Center, and the Bylaws of Graduate Council set forth its rules of governance. Members include representatives of the faculty, students, and administration. The President of The Graduate Center is the Chair of Graduate Council. The Executive Committee of Graduate Council formulates the agenda and brings actions to Graduate Council, which meets four times each year. Graduate Council is concerned with such matters as curriculum, degree requirements, standards of admission, academic performance, and program governance. Much of the work of Graduate Council is done through its standing committees.

The Graduate Council is composed of Executive Officers, members of the doctoral faculty, and graduate students who are elected to represent the various disciplines. The Graduate Council Bylaws specify who are voting and nonvoting members. Faculty and student representatives are elected from each program (one each for every 100 matriculated students) each spring under the supervision of an election committee established by the program's Executive Committee in accordance with Section 2.1D of the Bylaws.

Elections of faculty and student program representatives to Graduate Council are required to be conducted annually, before April 1, by an election committee in each program; the basic formula is one faculty and one student representative for each hundred or fewer matriculated students (GC Bylaws 2.1A–D). All matriculated students are eligible to be elected to the Council. Neither faculty members nor students on leave of absence are eligible to serve. The procedure for electing new faculty and student representatives is as follows: in each program the Executive Committee establishes an election committee consisting of the Executive Officer, three faculty members, and three student members. This committee has responsibility for nomination and election procedures. Faculty members vote for faculty representatives only; students vote for student members only.

For information on Graduate Council and its bylaws and committees, contact Alice Eisenberg in the Provost's Office, 212 817-7227.

Graduate Council meetings for 2007-08 are at 3:00 pm (reception at 2:30 pm) as follows:

  • Wednesday, October 31, Concourse level Rooms C201/202/203/204
  • Thursday, December 13, Concourse level Rooms C201/202/203/204
  • Thursday, March 6, Rooms 9204/05/06/07
  • Thursday, May 8, Rooms 9204/05/06/07


Committees

The following are 2007-08 memberships of Graduate Council (asterisked) and some other GC committees. See also the committees of the Provost's Office: Academic Review Committee, Academic Planning Committee.

*Committee on Committees
(Bylaws, Section 3.2D)
  1. Solicits nominations from the faculty and students of The Graduate Center for faculty and student candidates for the committees of Graduate Council, to prepare a slate of faculty and student candidates from these nominations, and to prepare a list of alternates to fill such vacancies as may arise on these committees.
  2. Supervises the counting of ballots in committee elections.
  3. Provides a continuing review of the system of preferential voting, and alternatives to such a system when deemed to be warranted.
Current Members:

*Committee on Curriculum and Degree Requirements
(Bylaws, Section 3.2B)
  1. Considers general educational policy concerning curriculum and the review and reevaluation of graduate programs of The Graduate Center.
  2. Makes recommendations to Graduate Council concerning Graduate Center courses, programs, and curricula leading to a graduate degree or certificate. This responsibility includes recommendations concerning the addition and withdrawal of programs and courses and changes in titles, descriptions, and prerequisites for courses.
  3. Reviews standards and requirements for doctoral degrees to be granted by the University and for degrees granted by the University in nondoctoral graduate programs of The Graduate Center.
  4. Recommends standards of admission to the graduate programs of The Graduate Center.
  5. Recommends standards of retention and matriculation for the graduate degree programs of The Graduate Center.
  6. Recommends standards for defining "full-time students" and "residence," and for the granting of leaves of absence to students, as well as for setting maximum periods for the earning of the doctoral degree and for degrees granted in other graduate programs of The Graduate Center.
  7. Designates curricular items on the Graduate Council agenda as major or minor items.
  8. Considers appeals submitted by faculty and/or students regarding any program's policy, practice, and procedures where such appeals pertain to the program's curriculum and academic policy.
Current Members:

*Committee on Research
(Bylaws, Section 3.2C)
  1. Recommends policy affecting research undertaken under the auspices of The Graduate Center or involving the commitment of its resources for such research.
Current Members:

*Committee on Structure
(Bylaws, Section 3.2A)
  1. Reviews on a continuing basis the structure and operation of the Graduate Council Bylaws and the governance of each of the degree and other Graduate Center educational programs.
  2. Considers the organization of the University for work leading to the doctoral degree and degrees granted in other graduate programs of The Graduate Center.
  3. Considers any appeals submitted by faculty and/or students regarding any program's policy, practice, and procedures where such appeals pertain to the program's governance or its operation.
  4. Reviews on a continuing basis student participation in governance.
Current Members:

*Committee on Student Services
(Bylaws, Section 3.2E)
  1. Considers and makes recommendations for such matters as student employment, housing, food services, health services, recreational facilities, and other similar services.
  2. Reviews and recommends policy and standards concerning financial aid to students.
  3. Reviews and recommends policy for registration and payment of tuition and fees.
Current Members:

*Graduate Council Executive Committee
(Bylaws, Section 2.3D)
  1. The Executive Committee of the Council shall be composed of the Chair, Vice Chair, Secretary of the Council, Chair of the Committee on Curriculum and Degree Requirements, Chair of the Committee on Structure, Chair of the Doctoral Faculty Policy Committee, one Co-Chair of the Doctoral Students' Council, a Faculty Senator elected by and from among the Graduate Center Senators elected to the University Faculty Senate, a Student Senator elected by and from among the Graduate Center Senators to the University Student Senate, and the Provost (nonvoting) or the Provost's designee.
  2. The Executive Committee of Graduate Council shall be responsible for formulating the agenda and bringing resolutions, issues, and actions to Council for its consideration.
Current Members:

*Information Technology Committee
(Bylaws, Section 3.2H)
  1. Considers recommendations from The Graduate Center community related to information technology.
  2. Reviews the policies and practices of the Office of Information Technology.
  3. Communicates these recommendations to the administrative officer responsible for information technology.
  4. Recommends policies related to information technology.
Current Members:
  • Prof. Dianne Bradley, Linguistics
  • Prof. Gerald Koeppl, Chemistry
  • Prof. David Rosenthal, Philosophy, Chair
  • Prof. Barry Cherkas, Urban Education
  • Asst. Vice President Robert Campbell, ex-offcio
  • Prof. Julie Cunningham, ex-officio
  • Ms. Irene Meisel, History
  • Ms. Sheetal Ranjan, Criminal Justice
  • Ms. Wendy Williams, Anthropology
  • Staff Assistant: Alice Eisenberg

*Library Committee
(Bylaws, Section 3.2G)
  1. Recommends policies for developing library resources for instruction and research.
  2. Recommends policy for operating the Mina Rees Library.
Current Members:

*Student Academic Appeals Committee
(Bylaws, Section 3.2F)
  1. Considers and makes recommendations to the Office of the Provost concerning student academic appeals that proceed beyond the level of the degree program, including appeals of grades and termination as outlined in the Graduate Center Student Handbook.
  2. Membership consists of nine members of the doctoral faculty: three each from the sciences and engineering, social sciences, and humanities. Terms of service on the committee are three years staggered.
Current Members:

Humanities
Alternates:
Social Sciences
Alternates:
Sciences
Alternates: