Graduate School Bylaws

Article I: Membership

Section 1.
The faculty of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (hereinafter referred to as the Faculty and the Graduate School) shall consist of the President of the University, the Provost or Senior Vice-President, the Vice-President for Finance and Administration, the Senior Vice-President for Health Affairs, the Dean of the Graduate School, the Associate Dean of the Graduate School, the Dean of the Wake Forest University School of Medicine, the Dean of Wake Forest College, the Registrar, the Director of the Z. Smith Reynolds Library and the Director of the Coy C. Carpenter Library. The Board of Trustees of Wake Forest University may elect others to membership on the Faculty from nominations submitted to them by the Graduate School through the Provost or Senior Vice-President, or the Senior Vice-President for Health Affairs.

Section 2.
The minimum criteria for election to membership on the Faculty shall be an earned terminal degree beyond the baccalaureate degree, demonstrated competence in teaching and productive scholarship, and the potential for directing graduate-level research.

Section 3.
Criteria for continuing membership on the Faculty shall be as follows:

Publication or other professionally acceptable achievement in a scholarly or creative medium within the last five years.

Teaching of courses in which graduate credit may be obtained within the last five years.

Serving as primary research director or as a contributing participant in graduate-level education within the last five years.

Other evidence of valuable contributions to the graduate program of the University within the last five years.

Section 4.
In order to retain membership on the Faculty, all individuals must meet at least two of the four criteria which appear in Article 1, Section 3 of these Bylaws. Evaluation of each faculty member must occur once in every five years.

ARTICLE II – OFFICERS

Section 1.
The Dean of the Graduate School shall be the presiding officer of the Faculty. In the absence of the Dean, the Associate Dean shall preside at meetings of the Faculty. The Dean may designate a member of the Faculty to preside at meetings from which both the Dean and the Associate Dean are absent.

Section 2.
The Secretary of the Graduate Council, elected as provided in Article V, Section 5, shall also be the Secretary of the Faculty. He or she shall keep accurate records of all meetings and of all actions of the Faculty, which shall be open for inspection by members of the Faculty at all times.

ARTICLE III – DUTIES AND JURISDICTION

Section 1.
As provided in the Bylaws of Wake Forest University, the Faculty shall have responsibility for, and jurisdiction over, the Graduate Council and the program of the Graduate School, including: Curriculum, grades, credits, attendance. Conditions of graduation and the nature of degrees to be conferred.

Section 2.
As provided in the Bylaws of Wake Forest University, the Faculty and the administration shall act jointly to prescribe: Requirements for admission to courses of study. Regulations for the orderly behavior and government of students.

Section 3.
The Faculty shall consider any matter referred to it by the President of the University, the Dean of the Graduate School, the Graduate Council, or any member of the Faculty, subject to the provisions of Article IV, Section 3.

ARTICLE IV – MEETINGS AND PROCEDURES

Section 1.
The Faculty shall hold at least two regular meetings each year, the exact date and hour to be determined by the Dean of the Graduate School, who shall notify the Faculty not less than two weeks prior to the meeting. The notice of the meeting shall contain the closing date for the agenda of the meeting. At the first meeting in each school year, a roster of the Faculty for the school year shall be entered in the minutes by the Secretary.

Section 2.
Special meetings shall be held at the call of the President of the University, the Provost or Senior Vice-President, the Senior Vice-President for Health Affairs, the Dean of the Graduate School, one-fifth of the members of the Faculty, or one-third of the members of the Graduate Council.

Section 3.
The Dean of the Graduate School shall be responsible for the preparation and publication of an agenda for each meeting of the Faculty. The agenda for both regular and special meetings of the Faculty shall be mailed to the Faculty at least forty-eight hours before the meeting. The agenda for any meeting shall not be varied except by consent of two-thirds of those present.

Section 4.
A quorum shall consist of ten percent of the Faculty and shall be determined by taking a head count.

Section 5.
At all meetings of the Faculty voting shall be by voice, by show of hands, by rising vote, or by ballot as decided by the presiding officer provided, however, that it shall always be in order for a member to call for a vote by ballot.

Section 6.
Except where a procedure is otherwise provided in these Bylaws, Robert's Rules of Order shall be followed. The Dean of the Graduate School shall appoint a member of the Faculty to serve as parliamentarian.

ARTICLE V – THE GRADUATE COUNCIL

Section 1.
The Graduate Council (hereinafter referred to as Council) shall consist of twelve members elected by the Faculty and six ex officio members. Six of the twelve elected members shall be members of the Faculty who teach on the Reynolda campus, and six shall be members of the Faculty who teach on the Bowman Gray campus. Not more than one elected member shall be from the same department. The ex officio members shall be the Provost or Senior Vice-President, the Senior Vice-President for Health Affairs, the Dean of the Graduate School, the Associate Dean of the Graduate School, and the two Co-Chairs of the Graduate Student Association.

Election of Council members shall be by ballot of all members of the Graduate Faculty in the academic year in which the terms of the incumbents expire.

Section 2.
The elected members of the Council shall serve terms of three years each, with the terms of two of the members from each campus expiring annually. No elected member may serve more than two consecutive terms. Terms shall expire July 31 and new terms begin August 1.

Section 3.
The Council shall nominate to the Faculty two persons for each vacancy. Additional nominations from the floor shall always be in order. In the event an elected member is unable to complete his or her term, the vacancy shall be filled in the same way regular vacancies are filled or by appointment of the Dean.

Section 4.
The Council shall meet at the call of the Dean of the Graduate School or as the Council may determine. Meetings may be held on either the Bowman Gray or the Reynolda campus.

Section 5.
The Dean of the Graduate School shall be Chairman of the Council; the Associate Dean shall preside in the absence of the Dean at meetings of the Graduate Council. At the beginning of each academic year the Council shall elect from its membership a Secretary who shall also be the Secretary of the Faculty. The Secretary, who shall not serve more than two consecutive one-year terms, shall keep accurate records of the proceedings and actions of the Council, which shall be open for inspection by members of the Faculty at all times.

Section 6.
The Council shall be responsible to the Faculty and shall make regular reports to the Faculty of its principal deliberations. It shall have the following powers, responsibilities, and duties: To be responsible for advising on policies concerning assistantships, fellowships, scholarships and awards.

To assist the Dean of the Graduate School in planning.

To recommend to the Board of Trustees through the Provost or Senior Vice-President or the Senior Vice-President for Health Affairs, persons for election to the Faculty and to evaluate persons for continued membership in the Faculty, as provided in Article I.

To be responsible, jointly with the administration, for action on matters of conduct affecting students in the Graduate School.

To recommend to the President, through the Faculty, the addition or removal of programs from participation in the Graduate School.

To nominate persons to be elected by the Faculty to fill vacancies on the Council, the University Senate, the University Grievance Committee, and other such bodies as needed.

To establish committees and delegate to them such responsibilities as it sees fit.

To consider any other matter which may be referred to it by the Faculty, the President of the University, or the Dean of the Graduate School.

ARTICLE VI – AMENDMENT OR REPEAL

These Bylaws may be amended or repealed by the Faculty as set forth below:

Any member of the Faculty may offer motion for the amendment or repeal of these Bylaws. The motion shall be mailed by the Dean of the Graduate School, or the Secretary, to each member of the Faculty at least one week prior to the meeting at which it is to be considered. It shall contain the exact language of any proposed amendment, and shall be signed by the Faculty member or members offering the motion.

The proposed amendment or repeal must carry a majority vote of the Faculty, as determined from the roster prepared for the first meeting of the Faculty each year, at one of the full meetings of the Faculty. Should less than the required majority of the Faculty be present for voting, then the Dean of the Graduate School will mail ballots to the Faculty. In the event that a mail ballot is taken, a majority of the voting Faculty must approve the motion for it to be carried.

ARTICLE VII – EFFECTIVE DATE

These Bylaws shall become effective upon approval by the Faculty.