Graduate Council

The Graduate Council, reporting to the Provost & Vice President for Academic Affairs, in consultation with the Dean of the Graduate School, defines graduate education policies at the University in alignment with university regulations and state governing bodies. This includes criteria for student admission, retention, and program completion, as well as policies on graduate faculty membership, program revisions, degree requirements, courses, and assistantships. The Council also advises the Dean of the Graduate School on graduate education matters.  

Membership  

The Council comprises 27 members, including 14 elected faculty members, seven dean-appointed faculty members, three graduate faculty members appointed by the Dean of the Graduate School, two graduate student representatives, and the Dean of the Graduate School as an ex-officio member. Deans of academic colleges are ineligible for Council membership. The Council elects a chairperson annually from its members.  

Meetings  

The Council typically convenes on the second Tuesday of each academic month. Additional meetings may be scheduled by the Chairperson, Dean of the Graduate School, or Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs.  

Standing Committees  

The Council's standing committees include: 

  • Appeals Committee 

  • Curriculum Committee 

  • Fellowships Committee 

  • Graduate Faculty Membership Committee 

  • Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Access Committee 

Committee members, including the chairpersons, are appointed by the Council Chairperson for an academic year, with reappointment possible. Each standing committee includes members from each academic college. Faculty members on these committees must be continuing, full-time members of the Graduate Faculty.  

Additional Committees  

 The Council reserves the right to establish and appoint other standing or ad hoc committees as needed. 

 

Current Members for 2023-2024:

Elected Members


Name

Department

College
Catherine Roche-Wallace MUS Arts
Wesley Bradford MUS Arts
Ignatius Cahyanto MKTG Business Administration
Colleen Wolverton MGMT Business Administration
Frank Del Favero EDFL Education
Amanda Shuford Mayeaux EDFL Education
Peng Yin MCHE Engineering
Farzad Ferdowsi EECE Engineering
Elena Babatsouli CODI Liberal Arts
Nathan Rabalais MODL Liberal Arts
Deedra Harrington NURS Nursing & Health Sciences
Frances Stueben NURS Nursing & Health Sciences
Kelly Robinson BIOL Sciences
Kalimuthu Krishnamoorthy MATH Sciences

Academic Dean Appointed Members


Name

Department

College
Ashlie Boelkins ARCH Arts
Javier Portillo-Elias ECON Business Administration
Marietta Adams EDCI Education
Mark Zappi CHEE Engineering
Amy Brown PSYC Liberal Arts
Christy Lenahan NURS Nursing & Health Sciences
Beenish Chaudhry CMIX Sciences

Dean of the Graduate School Appointed Members


Name
Department College
Raju Gottumukkala MCHE Engineering
Robin Koycheff MATH Sciences
Leah Orr ENGL Liberal Arts

Graduate Student Members

Name Graduate Program
Clement Okolo, GSO President Master's Student, Informatics
LaToya Roberts PhD Student, Applied Language and Speech Sciences

Ex-Officio Member

Name Office College
Mary Farmer-Kaiser Dean of the Graduate School Graduate School